"Hey, Brother Harry!"
Bailey's voice was sweet and delicate, sending shivers down anyone's spine. It was completely different from her earlier complaining tone!
"Hmm." On the other end of the line was a cold male voice.
"You haven't called me in ages. Filming is so exhausting, and you never come to see me."
"I heard Julia is in the same crew as you?" Harry cut straight to the point, ignoring Bailey's sugary whining.
Hearing Harry inquire about Julia made Bailey instantly unhappy, but she answered honestly, "Yes, she is. You wouldn't believe how out of control she's been lately. Her behavior is getting more and more improper."
"What happened?"
"She slept with one of the top executives at Star Sovereign International and then signed a contract with them. It's such a disgrace to the family, using such underhanded methods."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Harry didn't believe her words.
"I'm not making this up! Everyone in the crew knows. The person sharing a room with her saw her come back from a break with hickeys on her neck, and they were really deep. It's obvious she had a wild night!"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
"Brother Harry, when will you come to see me? I miss you so much."
"I'm really busy lately. I'll check my schedule," Harry replied.
"Alright then, take care of yourself and don't overwork," Bailey said gently.
"Okay," Harry replied.
Bailey thought the call was about to end, but Harry didn't hang up.
"Brother Harry... Brother Harry..." she called out softly.
After a long pause, Harry's voice came through again, "The engagement date is set. It's at the end of this month."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Bailey almost lost her voice with excitement upon hearing the news.
"Prepare yourself and get some rest. Goodnight." With that, Harry finally hung up the phone.
Bailey held her phone to her chest, feeling like she was in a dream.
The day had finally come.
Although it was just an engagement, it was almost as significant as a wedding, especially considering Harry's status.
Engagements were not something to be taken lightly.
Once they were engaged, her position as the future Mrs. Edwards would be solidified, and she would also be the future mistress of Artis International.
There was a fundamental difference between being a girlfriend and a fiancée.
However, thinking about how Harry still seemed to care for Julia made her feel uneasy.
The filming of "Crimson World" continued as usual.
Despite the surrounding voices of slander, Julia, buoyed by her good news, threw herself completely into her acting, ignoring the discordant noises around her.
She had a slight cold but didn't pay much attention to it. Her lower abdomen had been aching a bit these past few days, but she was too engrossed in her work to care.
Just as a scene wrapped up, she felt a warm flow slowly trickling down from her lower abdomen...
That feeling...
Oh no!
Julia rushed to the restroom and saw a streak of red on her underwear. She felt like dying on the spot.
She had been so busy lately that she completely forgot about her period.
They were in the middle of filming, so going back to the hotel was out of the question.
With no other option, she had to ask the staff for help.
She whispered furtively into the ear of a female staff member, who chuckled and pulled a small white square out of her bag, handing it to Julia.
Julia quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching and stuffed it into her pocket before hurrying back to the restroom.
All of this was observed by Celeste.
A look of glee spread across Celeste's face as she approached Bailey.
Bailey was lounging on a deck chair, reading a script. On the table beside her were chilled juice and some snacks.
Celeste whispered something into Bailey's ear, and Bailey asked in surprise, "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely, I saw it with my own eyes."
Bailey's face lit up with a smug smile. "Well, looks like we're in for a show today. Go get Assistant Director Nick and tell him I need to speak with him."
Celeste eagerly scampered off to carry out the task.
Assistant Director Nick was a part of Artis International and had always been close to Bailey. Knowing Bailey's influential status, he naturally went out of his way to curry favor with her. So, when Bailey made a request, he agreed without hesitation. After all, who would want to offend the future lady boss?
Meanwhile, Julia was busy preparing her lines for the next scene. A sharp pain in her lower abdomen kept coming in waves, and she could feel the blood flowing heavily. Her menstrual cycle had always been regular, but ever since Grady turned seventeen, it had become erratic, as if something was constantly weighing on her mind.
This time, she had been so busy that she lost track of how many days it had been delayed. The longer the delay, the heavier the flow. Julia thought to herself that one sanitary pad wouldn't be enough; she'd have to borrow another one from the staff later. At this moment, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and ask for help.
Just as Julia was bracing herself to borrow another pad, Assistant Director Nick arrived.
"Alright, everyone, gather around. We're shooting scene thirty-four today," Assistant Director Nick commanded.
Although Blithe was the main director of the film, not every scene was directed by him. That's what assistant directors were for.
Blithe personally supervised the important parts, while the less critical scenes were handled by the assistant directors.
Many scenes in this production were supervised by Assistant Director Nick. His words were law on set.
Julia was trying to remember what Scene 34 was about when she suddenly turned pale.
That scene involved her and Bailey in a confrontation by the lakeside gazebo. Bailey, playing Georgia, would humiliate Julia's character, Tiffany, and even slap her. Tiffany, unable to bear the insult, would jump into the lake.
Jump into the lake!
But Julia was on her period! How could she jump into the lake like this?
"Assistant Director Nick!" Julia hurriedly caught up with him. "Can we skip Scene 34 today? I'm not feeling well."
Since Assistant Director Nick was a man, Julia couldn't exactly tell him she was on her period and couldn't film the scene.
"Not feeling well? You think we can just not shoot because you're not feeling well? Do you think the whole crew should stop working because of you? Who do you think you are, Julia?"
Nick's voice was loud, and almost everyone on set fell silent.
"I'm really not in a good condition today," Julia insisted.
"Julia, don't think you're special just because you signed with the company. Eighty percent of the actors here have contracts! Who do you think you are?"
Julia felt utterly humiliated. Being scolded by the director in front of everyone was a disgrace no one would want to experience.
"I'm telling you, you're shooting this scene today, whether you like it or not. Don't forget, we have a contract! All departments, get ready!"
Assistant Director Nick completely ignored Julia and walked straight toward the lake.
All the crew members followed him to the lakeside.