Everyone was shooting on the same backlot, and Giselle would always make the most of her spare time dragging her assistant along with an armful of goodies to the set. She claimed to be Ivyâs dear friend and asked everyone to take special care of her. And today was no different.
âHoly smokes, isnât Mintz the coffee shop thatâs exclusively open in C City? Did Queen Giselle really trek all that way for coffee?â someone exclaimed.
âAs if Mintz is a big deal. If our Queen Giselle wants something, wouldnât the manager himself deliver it on a silver platter?â joked another.
Laughter rippled through the crowd as Giselle sidled up to Ivy, leaning on her shoulder with an endearing sweetness that belied the true nature of her smile.
âOh come on, itâs not like that,â Giselle demurred. âIâve known the manager from my time abroad. Heâs an old friend of mine. Thatâs why he made an exception to bring it over. You all should pop into Mintz when you have a chance, consider it a favor for my buddy!â
Giselleâs down-to-earth demeanor won an instant approval from the crew, with someone chiming in, âDonât worry, Giselle. Iâll definitely swing by Mintz next time when I visit C City!â
âPfft, good luck with that. Mintz is so popular that even celebs have to wait in line. You think weâll get a seat? Giselleâs just being polite. Her friends donât need us mere mortals to boost their business!â
someone else quipped with a snort.
At that moment, with a subtle glance from Giselle, her assistant knowingly whisked the group away to indulge in coffee and desserts.
This whole charade made lvy seem socially inept by comparison. Whenever Giselle was around on set, she never showed Ivy the kind of disdain that she kept hidden beneath her smile.
But this feigned friendliness made Ivy even more uncomfortable.
Giselle, faking closeness, leaned on Ivyâs shoulder as they reviewed the dayâs footage. âColton, no oneâs been giving our Ivy a hard time today, have they?â
Colton, who was sharp as a tack, had already sensed the lack of genuine warmth between the two women. He promptly suggested Ivy take a seat elsewhere to avoid Giselleâs overbearing presence.
âIvyâs been nailing it, scene after scene. Whoâd dare mess with our starlet?â he proclaimed.
Hearing that Ivy had been acing her scenes with Colton in one take made Giselleâs smile falter. âOh? Is that so?
Colton wasnât just going easy because Ivyâs the newcomer, was he?
âOur Ivyâs talent certainly didnât require any special treatment from Colton.â
Ivy couldnât help taking a glance sideways at Giselle, puzzled by her implication. Was she suggesting that her success was due to the lowered standards provided by Colton?
Giselle merely shrugged with that annoyingly fake smile on her face.
Coltonâs expression suddenly darkened. Whatever their personal issues were, they had no place affecting his work.
âGiselle, you might be too used to shooting fluff. A serious director wouldnât compromise their work like youâre suggesting,â he retorted.
Giselleâs smile nearly broke at his comment./Colton was indeed protective towards Ivy. He even teased her previous work sarcastically!
What did he think he is?
Just because he had some talent, he felt entitled to disrespect her?
At that awkward juncture, Giselleâs assistant led her away to the other side where the crew was gathered to avoid further quarrels.
âGiselle, Mintzâs pastries are amazing, thank you for bringing them to us!â someone exclaimed appreciatively.
Giselle beamed, âIâm glad you like them. I had my friend prepare some classic flavors to cater to a broader palette. There are more unique options, but I figured itâs safer to start with the surefire hits!â
She spread her hands in a gesture of modest regret, endearing herself further to the crew.
09:19 âOh Giselle, how nice of you! Itâs such a pleasure to share a workspace with you!â the compliments kept coming.
Giselle nodded happily, âIâm thrilled too to working alongside everyone here.
âBut please take good care of Ivy. If she slips up, I apologize for her in advance. Please be forgiving for my sake.â