Chapter 293: Healed From My Childhood Trauma
SLAP!
Everyone gasped; jaws dropped. One second, they’d seen Lola approach Melissa, and the next, a resounding slap echoed across the set.
For several frozen seconds, everyone stood still, eyes fixed on Melissa and Lola. Melissa’s head turned to the side, her hand pressed to the throbbing cheek. When she looked back at Lola, another slap landed on the other side.
"Kyah!" Melissa fell to her knees as her cheek swelled.
"Oh my God." A crew member jumped back. "Has she lost her mind?"
Even Simon scoffed. "That crazy girl... what the hell is she doing?"
Some people looked toward Director Sarian, only to see him duck his head as if trying to hide. He clearly didn’t want to witness such cruelty. Megan and Pixy opened and closed their mouths in shock.
These were the same girls who’d been advised not to waste their energy on Melissa. And yet the woman who told them Melissa wasn’t worth it had just slapped her left and right.
Cedrick and Silo stood with their jaws on the floor.
"That crazy—she finally did it!" Silo ground his teeth. "I should’ve kept my eyes on her!"
Knowing Lola, Silo feared only one thing: that Lola might actually kill Melissa this time. Melissa probably deserved it, but Lola’s blows weren’t for a delicate fake flower like her. She’d ruin her for sure.
"Hey!" Manager Kang, standing beside Simon, stepped forward. "Lola Young, what in the world are you doing?! How could you just slap Melissa for no reason?!" He scooped Melissa up, gasping, and glared at Lola when he saw the palm print on her cheek.
"Lola Young! Have you lost your mind? Apologize now!"
Lola glanced at Manager Kang and arched a brow. "Want to get slapped too?"
"What are you—" he choked, taking a step back, gulping. "What—what are you all doing?! How could you let this woman do whatever she wants! Lola has always been jealous of Melissa! You can’t just let her around here."
No matter how loud Manager Kang yelled, no one stepped forward. They didn’t want to get slapped either. Ida did move toward them, but she kept her distance.
"Taz!" Ida called, worried, but Lola ignored her.
Lola’s gaze stayed on Melissa, who glared at her bitterly.
"Say your lines now," Lola nodded.
"How could I—"
"SAY THEM!" Lola roared, making Melissa tremble. A glint flickered in Lola’s eyes. "You’re angry I slapped you? Then use that anger—act like it, Melissa. If you’re going to get this role, be worthy of it. Otherwise, I’ll start pulling strings to kick you out... or better yet, I’ll keep slapping sense into you."
"You—"
"We’ll resume in thirty seconds!" Lola clapped and turned her back on Melissa, walking back to Director Sarian. "Ready!"
Her second yell snapped everyone back to their senses. Quickly, the crew moved to prepare the scene.
"Manager Kang," Ida said, approaching them. "Please. We’re starting now."
Manager Kang ground his teeth, seething, but with Ida guiding him away, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. Melissa hung her head and glared daggers at Lola.
I’m going to kill her, Melissa vowed inwardly. Just you wait, Lola.
"Ready!" a crew member shouted, holding the clapperboard. "...action!"
Director Sarian also called, "Action!" Then, the camera started rolling again.
Seated in the corner, Melissa’s shoulder trembled; she clasped her fists until they shook.
"They took everything from me..." Melissa’s voice shook, teeth grinding. A vein stood out on her forehead; her eyes were red with suppressed fury.
Director Sarian watched the monitor, mouth falling open as a tear finally rolled down Melissa’s cheek. She wasn’t sobbing. Her tears came while she maintained a strong, angry front. The sidelines went silent, in pure shock at this change.
Moments earlier, it had seemed they might postpone the scene or wait forever. Melissa was that bad. Now it was clearly a good take.
Melissa gasped, clutching her chest as if it hurt. "I will—" she trailed off, lifting her eyes. It wasn’t in the script, but Director Sarian waved others off.
Though it looked like she was staring into the camera, her gaze was fixed on Lola behind it.
"I will kill them all," she breathed through gritted teeth. "...and I’m going to start with her."
"And cut!" Director Sarian shouted, clapping. "Great take! Melissa, good job! Finally! Thank the Lord!"
He didn’t linger, though, as Manager Kang rushed to Melissa’s aid. Director Sarian turned to Lola, grinning ear to ear.
"I knew it!" he gushed, practically wanting to scoop Lola up and toss her in the air like a baby. But before he could do so, Lola stopped him.
"You’re welcome, Director," she said insincerely, looking away to hide her annoyance. "It’s all right, Director. Please don’t call me your angel."
"You are my angel! Taz, I knew you had this in you!" Director Sarian fawned. "You should next time direct your own film!"
And this is why I don’t want to meddle, Lola thought, trying to avoid Director Sarian’s praises.
The others who didn’t care much about Melissa watched Lola and Director Sarian’s dynamics.
"She really slapped Melissa just to get a good take," Pixy murmured. "And she hits hard. I didn’t know Melissa only needed a push to get her act together."
"Or... she’s not acting at all," Megan said, eyes still on Manager Kang assisting Melissa. "Lola didn’t coach her. She just brought out Melissa’s real color."
Pixy pursed her lips. "She should’ve slapped Manager Kang too. Hehe. That felt so satisfying."
*****
Silo sat beside Lola while everyone was busy. He offered her a drink, but pulled it back just as Lola reached for it.
"What?" Lola asked, eyeing the bottle. "Is that for me? Or for you?"
Silo narrowed his eyes. "Lola, what you did earlier... was that necessary?"
"What do you mean, necessary?"
"You just slapped that bitch."
"Ahh..." Lola leaned over and snatched the water from his hand. "No, it’s not necessary."
She opened the bottle and smirked. "I just found an excuse to slap her." She shrugged. "If Manager Kang had stepped in, I would’ve slapped him too. What a shame."
Silo blinked, then a slow, mischievous grin crept across his face. "That was satisfying, wasn’t it?"
Lola’s smirk widened. "It was. I felt like I just healed from childhood trauma."
They laughed together, unaware that Lola’s scarecrow reputation was shifting. Now, everyone warily considered that she might just step in and slap anyone in her way. All thanks to Cedrick, who commented on how Lola talked him down to get him into Ryker’s role.