Wife by Day, Boss by Night

“No,” Natalie shook her head, a flicker of confusion dancing in her eyes.

She noticed although she was engaged in conversation, his gaze seemed fixated on Rosie, who stood behind her, tinged with a hint of concern.

It couldn't be clearer that he referred only to Rosie when he asked if someone was hurt.

Natalie paused, glancing back at Rosie, who was absorbed in flipping through the script handed to her by a crew member, oblivious to Lundy's watchful eye.

Alightbulb went off in Natalie's mind. It seemed she had coasted into the scene on Rosie's coattails.

Meanwhile, a fan nearby aimed their camera at both Lundy and Natalie.

Feeling overwhelmed by the attention, Natalie quickly turned and made her way to the set, not daring to linger outside any longer..

The scenes shot at Heartland College were Natalie's domain, focusing on her experiences studying at a Western institution. Director Miller had secured the campus for about a week, and the shooting schedule was intense. No sooner had they arrived on location than the fast-paced filming commenced.

They shot from sunrise to well past midnight for three days.

The fourth day was slightly easier, with fewer scenes during the day, but a lengthy one awaited them that night.

Lunch boxes arrived after they wrapped up the morning's work around one or two in the afternoon. Natalie, nearly too exhausted to stand, her legs trembling with fatigue, plopped down on a curbstone and hastily ate a few bites.

Rosie sat beside her, quietly munching on her food, unusually silent.

Curious, Natalie peeked over as Rosie scrolled through Twitter, where the trending news was about Lundy's visit to Heartland College. Naturally, Natalie had basked in the reflected glow and, for once, appeared beside the name Lundy as an actress.

They went through the news together, noting fans commenting on Lundy's flirtatious behavior toward her.

The scene where Lundy affectionately ruffled her hair was to portray brotherly concern in the script. Fans captured it, and the media sensationalized the off—

screen snapshot, intensifying the perception of Natalie and Lundy's relationship.

But there was no other evidence to suggest anything untoward between them, just those few photos and some short clips of Lundy clearing the way for them from a couple of days ago.

“Think I should check with Gavin to see if we need to set the record straight?”

Natalie quietly Chapter 212

asked Rosie for her take.

Rosie finally realized Natalie had been following along, promptly locking her phone screen before casually saying, “It's just another way to promote the show.

No need for a statement. Let the buzz brew for a while.”

She appeared calm.

“Do you know Lundy?” Natalie probed softly after a moment.

« " .

Not exactly,” Rosie responded, shaking her head and flashing a half—smile as she smagthly steered the conersstion dway for the topic

5 . a)

oft lihdy, Seeing Rosie's reluctance to discuss him further, Natalie dropped the subject. After a short break, she rejoined the other actors to rehearse their lines.

The crowd of fans outside had thinned considerably, their Screams not as piercing as\PEfére. Natalie

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strange? Where have all of Lundy's

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fans gone today?”

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That's obvious,” the other actress

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chuckled in response. “Brian's supposed to be here todayCHeartiand Cpllegelis gel¥brating its centennial,

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and he's been touted as the most distinguished alumni of recent years.

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He's coming to give a talk."

“Probably all the girls have flocked to the library to catch a glimpse of him.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow, glancing at her phone. Brian had said he'd let her know when he was back, but her notifications were eerily silent.

“Isn't Madelyn supposed to be joining him?” another crew member interrupted, adding to the casual banter.

Natalie gave them a look, the corners of her mouth twitching with curiosity and unease.