Chapter 355: Fraternizing

Jay was packing up the things she had used during her day on set. The stylist who usually helped to inspect the extras had come down with a cold and did not show up. That left Jay to fill in for the woman, and although not challenging work, it allowed her little time to tidy behind herself in between scenes.

Fortunately, Jay had help when the day rounded because Chris, the man who was to director Twan, what Mina was to Director Porter, volunteered to aid her in putting away all the things she had used. Usually, Karen and Jay's father would stay behind to help, but the pair headed back to their hotel early for Karen to catch up on much needed sleep.

Thanks to Mina's reworking of the way the scenes were shot, the production was days ahead of schedule and the crew had earned themselves two days' respite. It was mostly because the next few scenes needed to be shot at an outdoor location that had been reserved for a future date and could not be moved.

As the pair packed, Jay casually mentioned the possibility of Chris dating her sister. He was thoughtful, sweet, and handsome and Jay had spent enough time around him to know it was not an act. He respected men and women alike, and kept his name out of gossip, even though many of the women around him competed for his attention.

With Emma depressed over being ghosted by the person she was dating; Jay was always on the lookout for a rebound for her sister, and Chris fit the bill. Sadly for Emma, James had a better chance than she did.

"Want to grab dinner?" Chris asked. He had already agreed to give Jay a ride home and he saw no reason to keep himself at a distance now that she knew he was uninterested in women.

Jay was about to respond but was cut off by Director Porter who had been walking by at the time. She declined, telling Chris that she would call a taxi, and while he respected her decision, he felt guilty for leaving her behind.

Director Porter called out to Jay again, this time from within his makeshift office, and Chris surrendered. He had noticed how his boss seemed to target Jay; shouting at her over petty things, or even blaming her for things that were beyond her control.

Earlier in the day, one of the extras did not come makeup ready, and Jay did not have a match for the man's complexion. Director Porter chewed her out as useless for about as long as it took for her to create a match by mixing the foundations she had available.

Jay was so put off that she had to take a five-minute breather before returning to the set, only to be berated for going missing during filming.

Director Porter was well known for his rude personality, but he had only seemed to fly off the rails whenever Jay was involved. Chris watched Jay take a deep breath and disappear into the wardrobe, while he made his way to his car, unwilling to risk his neutral position by intervening.

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Jay left the wardrobe door ajar, which apparently was another mistake, because Director Porter took it as an insult. She had always known that the man was a tyrant, but he seemed to have had it out for her. She did not want to call him out on it though, because she could not be sure. She had seen him yell at other people, so it was not as though she were the only target.

"Do I need to remind you that fraternizing between crew members is especially looked down upon?" Jay could only shake her head. She knew that the man in front of her had a better chance with Chris than she did, but she kept that to herself.

"Director sir, I am not sure what you are talking about."

"So, I didn't just hear Peter's assistant ask you out on a date?" Jay chuckled.

"Sir, my father took my car, Chris was my ride home. He simply asked if I wanted to get dinner along the way; nothing more," Jay explained. She knew she did not have to tell the man in front of her anything, but she didn't want Chris to suffer as well.

Since Mina had completed her scenes, Director Porter was no longer her boss and in fact; everything she had been doing to help around the set was out of her good nature, not because she was being paid to do it.

Jay was employed by Rouge Entertainment, not the personal set scab that Director Porter could pick at whenever he got bored. She reminded him of this and was not shocked at all when he 'fired her'. Jay could only shake her head at the man. He was nearly thirty years old, but he was as immature as she was.

"I will begin removing my things now," Jay replied. She had borrowed several pieces of clothing from Olivia, and she did not want them to be left behind on the off chance that she was barred from reentering the set in the future.

Not wanting to wake her father, who she knew was happily exhausted, Jay called her sister, but she did not answer her phone. Left with little other choice, she called Olivia who nearly blew out her eardrum before promising to be at the set in ten minutes.

True to her word, Olivia arrived so quickly that Jay had not even finished moving her things toward the exit. There were still some crew members around, each one moving camera equipment they planned to take with them, and each one snickering behind Jay's back as if her life depended on a man who respected no one except himself.

"What happened?" Olivia asked as she ran up to Jay, but Jay just shrugged.

"To be quite honest, I don't know, but right now, I'm tired, hungry, and I just want to go home." Olivia nodded and rubbed Jay's shoulders. She gestured for the two men with her to help carry things to the car but only one of the men obliged.

"Ignore him. He doesn't leave my side unless I'm in my bedroom."

"Doesn't it get uncomfortable?" Jay asked, and Olivia shook her head.

"I now understand why Mina always wanted someone with her. It makes me wonder; do you think that what happened to me could have happened to Mina as well?" Jay raised her eyebrows. It had crossed her mind several times, but she did not have the courage to ask.

"Let's not ask her. If she wants to tell us, she will. She should be returning to the country soon. I don't want our wild guesses to taint the way we welcome her." Olivia agreed seeing the wisdom in Jay's words.

It was weird to Olivia, she had spent so many years with her cousin's friends, and none of them had the same impact on her as Mina. The woman did not judge her, mock her, scold her or even give her unwanted advice the way others did.

Instead, Mina pulled her into her circle of friends, and took care of her. Olivia herself, believed that Mina had every right to dislike her for what happened with Mary. Even now, the woman was still spreading rumors about Mina that were completely untrue, but since Mina was not known in Mary's circle, the words circulated without much meaning. However, Olivia knew that as soon as the web series premiered; things would change.