“I got it.
Keep watching them.
If anything happens, report back immediately.”
“Got it!” The voice on the other end sounded firm.
Lisette ended the call, casually spinning her phone around with her fingers.
That was her private investigator checking in about Amber.
Thanks to Amber’s little schemes, things between her and Maverick had completely blown up.
Desperate to patch things up, Amber thought she could get something out of Lisette – so she ditched set without permission, tried to bait her into talking.
Didn’t work out.
Instead?
Hannah clocked her right out the door with a punch, and just to top it off, a fellow actress snitched on her.
So yeah…
Amber was done.
Imperial Favor wasn’t just some low-budget web drama.
The director?
Famous for having zero tolerance.
His last series had the potential to be a massive hit, but before filming even began, the script got leaked.
Someone rewrote it into a trashy web drama, dropped it first, and hijacked all the attention.
Almost killed his whole project.
He managed to stay in the game only because he was already a respected name in the industry.
But make no mistake – he wasn’t letting that kind of disaster happen again.
So for this one, he had everyone sign airtight NDAs, enforced strict no-info policies, and locked the set down like Fort Knox.
No one leaves.
No exceptions.
Amber, trying to be slick?
Yeah, that didn’t fly.
She got the boot.
Hard.
Lisette leaned back in her chair, a gorgeous smile playing on her lips.
Last time around, Amber landed a breakout role in Imperial Favor as the male lead’s sweet and innocent first love.
Fans adored her.
Directors lined up to cast her and offers with fat paychecks rolled in.
But this time?
Thinking about the investigator’s latest update, Lisette’s eyes flashed with chilly resolve.
“Amber, you dare waltz into my territory?
Don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
She turned toward Hannah, who was busy stuffing her face with durian.
Watching her eat was like watching a hamster-puffy cheeks, nonstop munching.
Her little round face looked even rounder with food in it.
Lisette didn’t have the heart to interrupt.
Hannah, ever sharp, immediately looked up the second Lisette’s gaze landed on her.
She mumbled around a full mouth, “What’s up?”
“Go ahead, finish eating,” Lisette said patiently.
Once Hannah finally swallowed the durian, she added, “Bring Justin in.”
“On it!”
Off Hannah went – quick steps out, and even quicker steps back, hauling Justin with her and a determined gleam in her eye like she couldn’t wait to get back to her durian.
The second they walked in, Justin’s face twisted in discomfort.
“What is that smell?”
He clamped a hand tightly over his nose, glanced around, then shot Lisette a dramatic look.
“Lisette, please tell me you’re not in here alone…
eating literal crap?”
Lisette blinked, speechless.
Hannah paused, fork halfway to her mouth, durian loaded and ready—her eyes snapped up, blazing with outrage.
A moment later, Justin felt four death stares aimed right at him like daggers.
His survival instincts kicked in; he backed up until his back hit the door, eyes wide and full of regret.
Lisette let out a dry chuckle.
“I even landed you a role, but clearly, you’d rather hang out in the training room.”
She tapped her fingers against the desk with a steady thump, each tap landing like a tiny hammer on Justin’ nerves.
His eyes welled up instantly.
With a dramatic yelp, he flew over and grabbed Lisette’s leg, half-sobbing, half-yelling, “Lisette, I messed up!
Hit me, yell at me, throw me out, just don’t take away my shot at acting!”
His coach always said he acted like a robot – might as well print “hopeless” across his forehead.
But he didn’t believe it.
He just needed one real chance to prove he’s not as stiff as they all think.
The problem wasn’t him – it was that training rooms never gave him the real spark.
Hannah rolled her eyes.
“Pathetic.”
“In front of my gorgeous, ethereal agent?
I’m not even gonna pretend I’m not,” Justin retorted shamelessly.
He had zero pride, absolutely none.
Hannah didn’t even bother rolling her eyes again.
Instead, she smugly brought a durian close, intentionally letting the stench waft over.
She was petty like that – and determined to make him suffer.
Justin silently edged around from Lisette’s left to her right, trying to stay upwind of Hannah’s stink bomb.
But it was pointless.
Hannah had the stamina of a champion and the stubbornness to match.
Eventually, the two of them ended up goofing off like two bickering little kids.
Lisette gave them a glance and pulled out her phone, dialing Phoenix Crest Estate’s general manager.
*****
My Beloved Muse was currently shooting on location at Phoenix Crest Estate.
As a web drama, the show had a tight budget and a cast full of hopeful newbies – some even still in school.
The production team basically ran on two defaults: no money and no fame.
Initially, the estate’s general manager had been ready to decline the shooting request after evaluating the team’s capabilities, but Lisette had stopped him just in time.
She had lived through two lifetimes.
She knew exactly how things would turn out once the show aired.
The series had practically no promotional push and looked set to flop big time, already stamped by most as the “biggest web drama fail of the year.”
But!
The director – though a newcomer – had a real grip on storytelling, and the screenwriter?
The original author, handpicked by the director himself.
Together, those two made magic.
The plot was tight, the pacing on point.
Though it launched quietly, by the time it was close to wrapping up, people actually started noticing-and liking-it.
So, not only did Lisette approve their request, she also had the estate invest five million bucks under its name, instantly making herself the show’s biggest backer.
Then came Amber.
After getting kicked from a major production, she suddenly zeroed in on this modest series.
She had already cleared her schedule for Imperial Favor, setting aside four months.
To top it off, she made a big public show, promising fans and media she’d go all-in this time and bring home solid results as payback for their support.
The PR campaign?
Huge.
Headlines everywhere.
When she joined the cast, she even hired a whole squad of fake fans to swarm the airport, making it look like she had arrived on a wave of popularity.
Well…
Joke’s on her.
Signing that NDA for Imperial Favor must be the only thing saving her now.
If word got out that she bailed last minute for another gig, her rivals would eat her alive.
Amber wasn’t A-list, but she had a solid fanbase.
Plus, her public image worked well for the role.
She easily replaced the original lead and took over as the new star of My Beloved Muse.
But if Lisette was determined to crush her, then the moment she got wind of it, action was guaranteed.
There was no way she’d let Amber run wild – not on her turf.
Not a chance.