Chapter 4

He was dressed in a general's military uniform, discussing complex fight scenes with the director.

Melody stood nearby in an elegant, simple gown, waiting to film her scenes with her co-star.

The two were the lead actors in this production, and the entire crew was preparing for a crucial scene.

I stood in the stand-in position, wearing makeup similar to Melody's, waiting for the lighting to be adjusted.

Xavion, busy with rehearsals, hadn't noticed me, but Melody suddenly pointed at me and loudly accused:

"Director, this stand-in is completely incompetent!

"She's deliberately messing up my blocking, forcing the cameraman to readjust his position!"

I was stunned, knowing I had followed every instruction for positioning precisely.

I stood silently in place, head bowed.

Xavion walked over, eyeing me with a narrowed gaze.

A calculating look flashed in Melody's eyes as she suddenly pointed to the monitor:

"Look, her positioning just now was completely wrong, making the whole crew wait forever!"

She turned to the assistant director: "This kind of unprofessional person doesn't deserve to be a stand-in!"

I wanted to explain, but a sharp pain shot through my arm.

"She even dares to glare at me? Assistant director, get this uncouth stand-in out of here now!"

Melody's face was filled with rage, but her eyes held a hint of triumph.

Despite only my eyes being visible. But in that brief moment of eye contact, Xavion still recognized me.

His brows furrowed slightly, a flicker of something strange passing through his eyes before quickly turning to indifference.

He reached out to stop the assistant director who was about to shoo me away, and yanked off my mask in one swift motion.

"Aria, we meet again on set, and you don't even have a word of greeting?"

Melody feigned sudden realization, though her eyes were full of contempt:

"Oh, it's Aria. Didn't you hate this grueling industry the most? Why are you back as a stand-in?"

The entire set fell silent in an instant, even the actors in the middle of blocking stopped in their tracks.

All the crew members scrutinized me with peculiar gazes.

Then came a wave of hushed whispers.

"That's her, the one who abandoned King Shaw when he was at his lowest..."

"Such a fair-weather friend, she deserves what she's getting now."

"The price of betraying King Shaw, it's so satisfying to see!"

Xavion spoke coldly: "Since you're so determined to be back on set, why don't you perform a scene for everyone to see?"

He turned to the director and said: "This scene happens to need a stand-in, let her do it."

The director, catching his drift, quickly agreed.

This scene was the climax where the general discovers his beloved's betrayal.

Everyone understood his intention, and the atmosphere on set immediately turned eerie. Xavion's eyes were ice-cold as he spoke, "Isn't betrayal Miss Grey's specialty?"

"Come on, let everyone see your acting chops. You should be quite experienced with this kind of scene."

With that, he threw the script on the ground.

The entire crew wore expressions of anticipation, eager to watch the drama unfold.