Chapter 231: Tossed A Coin
[Short Flashback]
"Cut!"
The director’s voice cut through the air, halting an intense scene. The actors smiled as the other crew clapped for their phenomenal acting.
Lola clapped quietly on the side, sighing faintly. "They’re really good," she whispered.
"Good? You call that good? Pixy’s even better than them."
Her brows rose as she turned her head to the source of the voice. There, seated on the pavement just a meter from her, were her fellow extras in the film.
"That’s like their twentieth take," Megan continued, her attention on the scene. "A scene that should’ve at least taken one take—or, at most, a few more—not twenty."
"Ehh... Megan, why are you upset again?" Seated beside her, Pixy tilted her head. "They are doing their best."
Megan glanced at Pixy and then cast Lola a look. "I’m not bitter," she clarified, even though Lola hadn’t said a thing. "I’m simply stating the truth."
Lola pursed her lips into a thin line, lowering her head a bit. When she glanced at the two, she couldn’t help but clear her throat. Those two were also under the same management, yet all three of them hadn’t gotten any proper roles since signing.
It’s not like I didn’t know she was telling the truth... She peeled her eyes from the two and turned back to the scene.
The second Lola turned her head, she saw Melissa in the scene, talking to the main stars. Then, Melissa glanced in her direction before her eyes veered to the ladies, a few meters from Lola. At the same time, Megan and Pixy turned to Lola.
"Hey, do you want to come with us later?"
"Huh?" Confused, Lola turned to Megan, only to see the two ladies smiling back at her.
****
[Present Time]
Lola couldn’t say that Megan and Pixy had become her friends. They might’ve been—if not for Melissa giving them attention and false hope. Those two had changed significantly toward her once they started hanging out with Melissa, accusing Lola of being a manipulator and a bully.
That didn’t hurt Lola, though. At that point, she was just too numbed by Melissa’s antics.
All she remembered before she got into an accident and was left paralyzed was that... Megan had gotten into a scandal. And in an attempt to save her friend, Pixy broke her silence to expose Melissa and Manager Kang. However, against those two, Pixy’s move backfired.
It’s not that I am trying to save them... Lola thought. Rather, I’m just giving them the chance we never had before.
Unlike Cedrick, whose life and career Lola was eager to save, she barely tossed the coin for these two. They were lucky it landed in their favor.
"I wonder..." she trailed off, lost in her thoughts. "...what are they going to do?"
"Miss, we’re here."
Lola’s thoughts halted when the taxi driver’s voice reached her ears. She perked up, glanced at him, and then at the window beside her.
"Ah... that was quick," she muttered before smiling at the driver. "Thank you."
Having said that, Lola jumped out of the taxi, and it quickly sped away from behind her. Lifting her gaze, she stared at the glorious entrance of Summit Partners.
"He said he’d pick me up later, but I guess they’ll be fine over there—"
Ring... ring...
Lola fished her phone out, checking the call. Seeing Silo’s name, she huffed and answered.
"Yes, Silo?"
"Lola, where are you? You said you’d go back. Slater’s been bugging me about you!"
She scratched her temple and ran her tongue along her inner cheek. "Tell him I’ll just see him later, okay?"
"But—"
Lola hung up on him before he could say anything and then shrugged. She was about to leave it when her phone rang again. This time, it was from Slater’s manager.
"Yes?" she grumbled, answering the phone. "Manager James—"
"Lola, how could you just hang up on me, huh?!"
Her face twitched the second she heard Silo’s voice again. She pinched the bridge of her nose, listening to Silo’s nonstop preaching about friendship.
"Fine, fine..." she sighed in defeat.
"You’re going back now?" Silo asked. "Lola, you know I’m using Manager James’ phone because both of us are in the same boat."
"Mhm." She rocked her head. "I know."
"You’re going back now?"
"No."
"What—"
Before Silo could start, Lola hung up on him again. She quickly composed a message to Slater, all in caps lock:
[To: Slater
SLATER, LEAVE MANAGER JAMES ALONE. MAKE HIM CRY AGAIN, AND FORGET ABOUT HAVING A LOVING SISTER-IN-LAW.]
She didn’t hesitate pressing send, nodding in satisfaction. She didn’t want to go to such lengths, but sometimes Slater just pushed her to her limits.
"I pity his manager," she mumbled, her brows rising. "Now that I think about it, it’s really easy to threaten—I mean, to calm Slater down."
Just mention the keywords: sister-in-law and marriage, and he would instantly zip his mouth.
Lola’s message was immediately read by him, and she waited. After a minute, her phone didn’t ring. There wasn’t even another message. Total peace.
"Hah!" she scoffed, shaking her head a bit. "Well, that fixed it, right?"
Having said that, Lola used this time to send Atlas a message.
[To: Unknown Number
You don’t have to pick me up today. I’m already at Summit Partners. Just let me know once you’re finished. No rush.]
Once she sent that, Lola walked into the building without any problem. However, as soon as she sat in the lobby, she noticed people staring at her.
"People at Summit Partners like to stare at people, huh?" she muttered as she took a magazine, glancing around. "Oh, was it because they remembered me when I picked up the twins?"
Lola didn’t think much about it as she read the magazine to kill time in a place she believed she could use some peace. After all, in a place where no one knew her, she was sure she’d get at least a moment of quiet.
What Lola forgot was that the people at Summit Partners were looking in her direction for one obvious reason: her face—that horrendous makeup and her Halloween getup.
*****
Meanwhile, at the airport...
Haji leisurely paced back and forth in the arrival area. His hands shoved in his pockets, he played with a toothpick between his teeth when he heard a familiar voice.
"Haji."
Haji raised his brows and turned, catching a familiar face not far from him. The corners of his mouth stretched from ear to ear.
"Amala."