Chapter 150

Tiffany Merouin trembled with rage.

"Do you have any idea how much effort I put into securing this role for you?"

"The male lead missing the premiere ceremony? Are you deliberately trying to humiliate Director Richard?"

Julian Lombardi felt utterly miserable under her verbal assault.

Regret churned in his gut.

He never should have gone after Scarlett.

He'd been desperate, chasing her to the parking lot like a fool.

That woman fought dirty.

She showed no mercy, attacking him without hesitation.

The most ridiculous part? The hospital report classified his injuries as minor.

Now he couldn't even press charges against her.

"Julian Lombardi!"

Tiffany's voice turned shrill. "If you don't want this role, the company has plenty of actors lining up—"

Julian forced an apologetic smile. "You misunderstand, Tiffany. I'd never squander this opportunity. I'll be there tomorrow without fail."

He had no choice but to tough it out.

Tiffany's tone softened slightly.

If Julian weren't so adept at playing the game, she wouldn't bother with him.

The moment the call ended, Julian's expression darkened.

"Tell the makeup artist to arrive two hours early tomorrow," he ordered his assistant coldly.

Scarlett had targeted every surveillance blind spot.

That woman fought like a demon.

But damn if she wasn't thrilling.

Too bad she'd rejected all his previous advances, playing the virtuous maiden.

Now she'd probably latched onto some sugar daddy to buy her freedom from Lowell Entertainment.

Just wait until he won Best Actor for "River Banquet." Then Scarlett would regret everything.

Julian couldn't fathom why Scarlett preferred greasy investors over him.

The makeup artist arrived before dawn.

She recoiled at the sight of Julian.

Dark purple bruises circled both eyes. His lips were grotesquely swollen.

Julian stormed to the bathroom.

The distorted reflection made him curse violently.

The makeup artist scrambled for ice packs.

"Apply these immediately. Maybe we can reduce the swelling."

At the "River Banquet" premiere, Richard Lowell commanded attention in his traditional attire.

Since "Lone Mountain's" success, his industry stature had skyrocketed.

"River Banquet" generated buzz long before filming began.