Blithe nodded repeatedly. "It seems you really understand the character well. Even those who have read the novel think Tiffany is too weak."
Hearing Director Blithe's praise, the two assistant directors quickly chimed in, "Yes, this young lady may be a newcomer, but her emotional performance was spot on."
"Not only was her emotion on point, but her expressions while delivering the lines were also very rich. Especially those tears that she held back until the very end!"
Blithe nodded again. "Alright, the role is yours. We'll notify your agent later."
Julia gave an awkward smile. "I don't have an agent, and I'm not signed with any company. So, you can just call the number I left when filming starts."
Blithe was quite surprised. Nowadays, most young actors, big or small, are signed with some agency. This young lady had the looks and acting skills, yet she wasn't signed.
"Alright then, wait for our notification."
"Thank you, Director!" Julia bowed deeply. She couldn't believe she had landed the role so dramatically!
As Julia walked out of the room, she still felt like she was floating, as if in a dream.
Royce came up to her. "How did it go?"
Julia looked at Royce with a blank expression. "I got the role! I nailed it!"
Royce finally breathed a sigh of relief and playfully tapped her forehead. "How are you going to thank me?"
Julia patted Royce on the shoulder. "I'll treat you to dinner!"
"Sounds good, but before that, let's head to the hospital." Royce noticed the injuries on Julia's body.
Julia finally noticed that while crawling up and down the basement, she had accidentally scraped her arms and legs in several places, and they were now oozing blood.
"It's nothing serious, just a few scratches. I'll buy some antiseptic on the way back and clean them up."
The two of them walked out together. Royce, as usual, drove his Ferrari LaFerrari, following Julia's directions to a—street food stall.
Yes, it was indeed a street food stall.
One look at the surroundings, and Royce's brows furrowed tightly.
With his status, he had never set foot in such an environment.
Julia, however, was quite familiar with the place. She greeted the slightly hunched owner and ordered a bunch of skewers and two small clay pots. For her, this meal was already quite a treat.
Royce coughed lightly, "Um, Julia, don't you think my car doesn't quite fit in with this place?"
Julia glanced at the sapphire blue Ferrari LaFerrari parked by the roadside. It indeed looked out of place in this seemingly dirty and chaotic environment.
"But I can't afford to treat you anywhere else!" She shrugged helplessly. "I'm really poor. If I told you my wallet is cleaner than my face, would you believe me?"
Royce let out a slight hum and didn't say anything.
"How do you know my name is Julia Avery?"
Julia remembered that the first time they met, she hadn't told him her name to avoid any future entanglements. The second time they met, it was a brief encounter, and names were never mentioned.
"Well..." Royce was momentarily at a loss for words. He hadn't intended to call her by her name, but in the situation that afternoon, he had no choice. Thinking back, she indeed hadn't told him her name. "You forgot that in the library, you used your card to get in. I just asked around and found out."
"The lady at the card desk must have been so smitten by a handsome guy that she didn't care about anything else!" Julia couldn't help but complain. "By the way, I still don't know your name."
"Hmm... just call me Royce," Royce said, not wanting her to know just yet that he was actually her husband. After all, he still had things he wanted to figure out.
"Oh, what do you do for a living?" Julia asked.
Royce hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Just as he was about to speak, Julia suddenly slapped the table.
"I got it! You're a gigolo, aren't you?"
"A gigolo?"
"Yeah, look at you driving such a nice car but wearing clothes that look like they came from a thrift store. Plus, you were hanging around in a bar. You're handsome and have a great body, so you must be a gigolo!" Julia said, squinting her eyes at him.
She had heard from her classmates that there were quite a few gigolos in bars. So when she decided she wanted a baby without any strings attached, she went to a bar, thinking it was risky but also that a gigolo wouldn't cling to her.
"Uh..." Royce was at a loss for words. His clothes, though simple, were actually high-end custom pieces from a designer brand. Yes, even his plain T-shirt was custom-made!
"Don't be embarrassed. I don't judge people based on their jobs," Julia said, giving Royce a hearty pat on the shoulder.
Royce didn't bother to correct her.
"Thanks a lot for today," Julia said with a bright smile.
Royce waited for her to say more, but when she didn't, he asked, "That's it?"
Julia's eyes darted around. "Yep, that's it."
"What, just a simple 'thank you' and that's it?!" Julia couldn't believe expressing gratitude could be so straightforward.
"Didn't I already treat you to some barbecue skewers?" Royce scoffed, shaking his head dismissively. "Don't forget, I still have your photos. Plus, I saved you this time. Without me, you might not have landed that role today. So, don't you think you owe me something?"
Julia had hoped that by getting on good terms with this man, she could smooth over the photo issue. But it seemed he hadn't forgotten about it at all.
"So, how do you want me to repay you?" she asked.
"I've made it very clear before," Royce leaned in closer to Julia, "sleep with me one more time."
Julia bit her lip. "You sleep with plenty of people in your line of work, and you get paid for it. What difference does it make if you sleep with me?"
"Of course, it makes a difference. You're young and fresh. The women I usually sleep with are rich but older. What's the fun in that? Besides, I can pay you too!"
She had called him a gigolo, and he didn't mind playing along.
"Can't we just be regular friends?" she sighed.
"That's boring," Royce waved her off, clearly uninterested in that idea. "Julia, didn't you enjoy it last time? What's the difference between once and twice? Besides, you seemed to have a good time in bed last time."
Julia's face turned pale with anger.
If she didn't sleep with him again, her photos would undoubtedly be leaked.
Royce could tell just by looking at Julia Avery's expression that something was up!