Love Me Or Leave Me

CHAPTER 88

“Becky is the star of this show, Charlie stated simply.

Ruth was taken aback for a moment and quickly recovered, nodding. I understand.”

Deep down, she was reeling. Charlie was investing 20 million dollars specifically to showcase Becky!

Having a star like Charlie in their production would be a massive coup, but…

Charlie wasn’t just a star. He was a supernova!

If he played the lead, he’d outshine everyone else. Even if Becky gave an amazing performance, it would be hard for her to stand out next to Charlie’s blinding brilliance.

But Charlie wasn’t taking the lead role. He was using 20 million–dollars to support Becky!

Ruth silently upgraded Becky’s status within the crew from leading lady to absolute VIP. From now on, she was to be treated like royalty – no exceptions, no missteps, and absolutely no offense given. They had to pamper her to the max.

Becky had the looks and the talent, and now, thanks to her, the biggest hurdle for their production, funding, had been

cleared.

By hiring mostly unknown actors, the crew kept costs down and freed up a lot more cash to play with.

Twenty million dollars was enough to give everyone on the team top–notch gear!

With everyone decked out with the best resources, a solid script was all they needed to make the show a smash hit! The more Ruth thought about it, the more pumped she got. She started daydreaming about how she would flaunt it to those who had laughed at her, claiming she was washed up and couldn’t direct a decent project to save her life once they became a hit.

Did she lack talent? Hell no. She just didn’t have enough money!

The entertainment industry was incredibly tough. Everyone thought the directors were king, but without funding, they were nothing!

Money was the true king!

Terrible costumes and makeup, investors shoving in talentless divas who demand script changes… It was a miracle the author even recognized their own story. They had been through hell.

Becky, on the other hand, was perfect. She had got the looks, the talent, and the financial backing to make this project soar. Plus, she never meddled with the script. Her only demand was just to make this the best damn show it could be. She was like the sugar daddies of the 80s and 90s, throwing money at passion projects with no strings attached.

With everything settled, Charlie left the Lovey Princess crew.

He had a few scenes to shoot tonight, but it was still early. He got plenty of time to swing by the hotel and see Rebecca and the adorable twins.

Charlie slipped away from the set, hoping to avoid any attention

But after a few blocks, he realized someone was following him, making him instantly alert.

The result of being followed was that he couldn’t find an opportunity to visit Rebecca and the two little ones all afternoon, which left him uiterly frustrated.

Charlie returned to the set, feeling pissed off.

Joe noticed Charlie back early and looking so downcast. Curious he walked over.

“Charlie? What’s wrong? Why do you look so down?” Joe asked with concern.

Charlie waved his hand dismissively. “Nah, it’s nothing”

Noticing Charlie’s downcast mood, Joe had a lightbulb moment. He decided to switch tonight’s scenes, bringing forward the more tragic parts. This way, they could capture Charlie’s current mood perfectly.

Hearing this plan, Charlie looked up at Joe abruptly, confusion written all over his face.

Joe gave him a sly smile, “Look, Charlie, you’re a veteran actor, and everyone knows you’ve got the chops. You’re immersing in such real emotion. Why not go with it? It might be more real than anything you could act.”

Charlie was speechless. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Taking his silence as agreement, Joe was delighted. He grinned. If you don’t mind, I’ll let the other actors know?”

“Whatever, Charlie grumbled.

Joe left with a spring in his step, clearly thrilled.

Thanks to Charlie’s genuine emotions, his sad scenes went exceptionally well. They worked straight through till midnight, nailing the most critical and heart–wrenching scenes.

Amazingly, they nailed those scenes in one take! No retakes were needed!

As Charlie stepped off the stage after the final scene, Joe looked at him in astonishment. “Charlie, what the heck happened to you this afternoon?”

He

had thought it was just a minor issue, but now he was starting to worry it was something big.

Something that must have made Charlie incredibly sad and upset!

How else could he have pulled off those gut–wrenching scenes so perfectly, without a single flub, all in one take? It was mind–blowing!

Charlie rolled his eyes, too tired to explain.

“Come on, just tell me. Maybe I can cheer you up a bit,” Joe said in concern.

He figured if he knew what was bothering Charlie, he could help manage his emotions better during future projects. That would make filming way smoother!

Genuine feelings would certainly lead to a killer performance!

Joe thought to himself, suddenly looking forward to working with Charlie again.

Charlie could almost see through what Joe was thinking. He was speechless. “Fuck off. Go home and cheer your wife up. Mind your own business.”

G

Joe rubbed his nose, a bit flustered. He couldn’t help but check himself in the mirror.

Had he been that obvious?

Charlie had actually seen right through him!

Back at the hotel, Lesley and Annie anxiously waited for the audition results for Lovey Princess. They were a full day behind Rebecca in getting the news!

The following day, Rebecca had already packed her bags and headed to the set to prep for the photo shoot when they got the news. They weren’t chosen for Lovey Princess,

Lesley had seen it coming. Sure, she was a little bummed but not totally shocked.

Annie, on the other hand, was different. Annie felt she had nailed the interview and was confident she would be chosen!

Why they didn’t choose me?‘ Annie thought about it and quickly recalled how she ran into Lynn and Becky during the audition.

She suddenly had a hunch that Becky had snatched the lead role in Lovey Princess!

Becky was tight with Lynn now, a major player in their industry. For a small–time production like this, Lynn would totally pull some strings for her people, wouldn’t she?

With Lynn’s extensive network, she could easily secure a role for anyone she wanted in a small production like Lovey Princess. Just one word from her to the director could get everyone else out of the running.

As Annie thought about this, her face grew darker.

Sure, using connections to snag roles was common practice in showbiz, but of all people, it had to be Becky….

“Becky? Who is she, anyway? She used to be a nobody!”

She was just some fan of Charlie’s who got lucky at one of his events and somehow managed to break into the industry. And then, bam! She appeared on a show with the famous actor Charlie right after her debut!

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