Chapter 15 The Gathering

Charlotte Cooper couldn't help but laugh and reached out to hold his cheek, "Dr. Russell, is this really okay?"

Still, hearing these words made her overjoyed. She cupped Henry Russell's face with both hands, squeezed his cheeks towards the center, and before he could show his annoyance, she let go and pecked his lips.

"I love you!"

Pushing him away after the kiss, she beamed at him.

Seeing her satisfied look, Henry's eyes darkened. Placing a hand behind her head, he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply.

Their lips danced together before he let her go, leaving her breathless.

"Kiss me like this next time," Henry leaned in, speaking in a husky voice.

His low sultry voice carried a sensual undertone. Only then did Charlotte realize that she was sitting on his lap in a rather compromising position.

Her face flushed, she looked up at Henry, her eyes full of allure.

Glancing at his watch, Henry caressed her waist.

"Shall we go upstairs?"

The suggestion sent a shiver down her spine, and she blushed, burying her head in his neck without uttering a response.

Henry carried her up the stairs, and they remained entangled until noon.

As Charlotte helped Henry with his tie, Ella knocked at the door.

They tidied up and left together, one heading to the hospital while the other to the set.

As soon as they got in the car, Ella started telling Charlotte about what happened that morning.

"Lara Milan tried to distance herself but many netizens accused her of being malicious in her Instagram post. And they even brought up her plastic sisterhood with a second-rate actress. She stepped on the other actress to climb up the ladder, only to kick her away later. That actress doesn't even keep contact with her anymore."

"I bet she's furious on set today."

Excitedly discussing the gossip, Charlotte flicked Ella's forehead, "How did I get such a gossip-loving assistant?"

Ella defended herself, "It's so you can stay updated with the latest happenings in the industry."

"By the way, after the video was released, many people praised your amazing acting!"

They soon arrived at the studio. As Charlotte entered the makeup room, Lara Milan was finishing up her makeup.

Upon seeing her, Lara's already dark mood darkened further.

Initially, she planned to bring Charlotte down a peg or two, but her counterattack was much faster than expected.

Not only did Lara end up wasting an extra scene, she was even called hypocritical and pretentious.

"Thank you so much! If it weren't for the drama you caused on Instagram, no one would have known my acting was that good," Charlotte smiled at Lara amiably.

Lara glared at her, her face sour as if having swallowed a fly. "Don't get cocky; you'll have your day."

With that, she turned and left.

Charlotte's phone buzzed with an incoming call. She surveyed the surroundings and picked up the phone when no one was around.

"What's up?"

"Who told you to cause such a fuss on Instagram?" A somber voice came from the other end.

"I didn't think it would turn out like this, and you didn't tell me not to," she quietly argued.

"Foolish. I warn you, if you act on your own without listening to me again, I won't help you out as promised."

The man hung up, and Charlotte sneered, "Help me? I followed your instructions and tried to strike up a conversation with Henry Russell, but he didn't even glance at me. Are you really able to help or not? If not, our cooperation ends here."

"Then don't expect to have Henry Russell," the cold voice replied.

Lara hesitated.

Three days ago, the man came to her, promising that with their cooperation, she could have Henry. However, during these few days, she only met Henry once, and he displayed no interest in her whatsoever.

This instilled doubt in her.

"As long as you follow my arrangements, you have a 50% chance. If you don't listen to me, you have no chance at all."

Lara was swayed. "What should I do?"

By the time Charlotte finished her makeup and changed into her costume, an hour had passed. Today, she had only a few scenes, but all were for the Royal Court drama.

Once Charlotte understood the princess's character, she found it easy to portray her. In some ways, the princess resembled Charlotte: passionate, straightforward, and not pretentious.

The afternoon was spent filming the princess's scene, where she engaged in verbal fencing with top officials and ministers during a banquet. These scenes were with the main actors and veteran actors. Charlotte gave seamless performances without any stage fright, impressing the director.

"Good job, Charlotte," the director nodded repeatedly, praising her work.

Ella was also amazed by Charlotte's acting prowess during the past few days.

Charlotte looked at Ella, who had stars in her eyes, and asked with a smile, "What's up?"

"Charlotte, I've been with you for so long, and this is only the second time I've seen your acting skills explode. Have you secretly attended any courses to improve your acting?"

Charlotte laughed, "It was fine?"

"More than fine! Didn't you see how the director was practically glowing?"

As Ella finished speaking, the director appeared behind them.

"Charlotte, your acting was great. I'll be preparing a leading ancient costume drama soon, and the female lead has a similar personality to the princess. Would you be interested?"

At first, the director had only invited Charlotte onto the show to maintain a good relationship with Vanessa Foster and the Russell Group. He never expected her to perform so well as a supporting actress that she was overshadowing the lead.

It now dawned on the director that Charlotte's previous acting was not bad; she simply wasn't well-suited for playing weak and frail characters like a damsel in distress. Strong-willed roles like the princess were more suitable for her.

He brought it up once yesterday, and this was the second time.

Charlotte knew that apart from her acting skill, the director valued her popularity and financial backing. Since it would be rude to reject him outright, she smiled courteously. "Vanessa usually arranges my schedule, so I can't promise you anything. You can discuss it with her. I'd be delighted to work together."

She answered tactfully, leaving the director unable to find a fault.

That afternoon, Vanessa was invited by the main cast members and the director to a dinner. Although she wanted to decline the invitation, it didn't feel right to turn down the director's personal request for a second time. So, she told Henry she would be going to the dinner through a text message.

They chose a local restaurant where they could eat and sing in a private room.

Halfway through the meal, a 40-something-year-old man named Mr. Yao greeted the director. Charlotte recognized him as the general manager of Yao Group. Her heart skipped a beat.

Yao Group was wealthy and had a stake in film and television investments. However, Mr. Yao himself had a notorious reputation, infamous for his philandering and using his power to obtain sexual favors within the industry. If it weren't for the fact that Charlotte was married to someone from the Russell Group, there was no telling what he would try with her.

Charlotte shot Henry a message.

As she was about to leave, Mr. Yao stopped her.

"Miss Charlotte, long time no see!"