Chapter 2

By the fiftieth scene,

my right cheek was swollen high,

looking terrifyingly grotesque.

Blood kept flowing from my nose and mouth,

dripping onto my clothes and the ground.

The director's voice trembled slightly,

"Mr. Fletcher, shouldn't we stop here?"

"If we keep going and something happens..."

"What's the rush?"

Charles curved his lips,

he walked over,

slowly crouched in front of me,

lifted my chin with his hand,

and gently wiped the bloody filth from my face,

"Bella, I know you're angry with me for replacing you as the female lead."

"But now everyone knows that Nia is the second person the Fletcher family wants to promote. You deliberately targeting her on set will make me look bad."

"Be good, apologize to Nia, and this will all be over."

I raised my head with difficulty,

looking into Charles's eyes,

"I did nothing wrong."

"That scene just now, I stage-slapped her. I didn't even touch her."

Nia immediately covered her face and started crying,

"Since Miss Bella says it was a stage slap, then it was a stage slap."

"I understand, I'm just a newcomer, Miss Bella is an Oscar winner. I deserve to endure some grievances..."

"Charles, please don't make things difficult for Miss Bella. She's just being professional, she definitely didn't mean to target me."

I stared at her tear-stained face,

couldn't help but want to laugh.

During the scene earlier, she couldn't even cry,

but now she was acting so convincingly.

Charles frowned,

"Unrepentant. Do you really think you're some high and mighty Oscar winner?"

His tone turned cold,

"I could make the first one, I can make a second one too."

He looked at me,

"Nia says you're professional. Since you're so professional, give the whole crew a demonstration."

"The remaining fifty scenes, continue."

My breathing caught,

my heart felt like it was being squeezed tight.

Back when I was still a small-time actress,

when I accidentally scraped my skin during wire work,

Charles was so distressed,

warning the director that if I got hurt again,

he'd dismantle the entire set.

Now, because of one baseless provocation,

he wanted me to endure a full hundred slaps.

The slaps fell again,

a heavy metallic taste filled my mouth.

I looked toward Charles.

His expression was indifferent,

like he was watching a play that had nothing to do with him.

By the eightieth scene,

there wasn't a patch of unmarked skin left on my face.

"Baby, still won't admit your mistake?"

Charles looked at me with amusement.

I pulled at the corner of my mouth,

but said nothing.

Charles's eyes darkened further,

"Continue."

At the hundredth scene,

Charles called for a stop,

and walked up himself.

He raised his hand high.

That hand had once held mine,

wiped away my tears,

and traced my features over and over again in the deep of night.

"Baby, this last scene is to teach you that I don't like women who make their own decisions."

The force of his palm struck heavily across my face.

My right ear rang with a loud buzz,

and then I couldn't hear anything at all.

My consciousness gradually blurred.

Someone grabbed my hair and lifted my face.

The camera focused on my wretched appearance.

Charles's indifferent voice came through,

"Post this video online as my debut gift to Nia."

"What about Miss Bella... should we deal with her?"

Charles's gaze swept over coldly,

and the person hurriedly lowered their head.

"Stop trying to guess what I'm thinking. Today is just to teach her a lesson, so she doesn't think she can do whatever she wants just because I spoil her."

"However, Bella will still be the Fletcher family's only lady."

"Oh, and find the best medicine. I don't want scars left on that face."

Hearing this, I laughed coldly.

Then my consciousness completely fell into darkness.