Although Mr. Smith couldnât make it back home in time to take Ruby to the audition, heâd made all the necessary preparations beforehand. All Ruby needed was an adult to accompany her there, since she was still a child.
The driver was already waiting downstairs, so once Ruby and Stella got into the car, they headed straight to the movie set.
Stella had never been to a place like this. From afar she could see countless different equipment all set up in a wide area. There was a stage in the center of it all where the lights were focused on. Someone was on that stage holding a walkie-talkie and giving out commands to the large crew.
Ruby, on the other hand, seemed to be familiar with the place. It was obviously not her first time on a film set.
âMiss Steele,â the girl said when they arrived, âI think you should contact the directorâs assistant.
Everytime Iâm here, Daddy would take me straight to him.â
Stella nodded and followed the procedure that the nanny instructed her earlier. She was already informed that everything could be handed over to this assistant once they got there.
When the directorâs assistant saw that Ruby was with Stella, he hesitated then asked, âIsnât Mr. Smith coming today?â
âNo,âStella replied, âHeâs a little busy today.â
The man was indeed the directorâs assistant as Ruby mentioned. He was clad in a pair of light gray overalls. He had been scrambling everywhere all day as the director had been assigning a thousand tasks to him. He looked at Stella up and down with inquisitive eyes.
âMay I ask if you are Mr. Smithâsâ¦â
To him, Ruby was no longer a newcomer. Although she might be very young, she had always been involved in the entertainment industry since she was little and had in fact been in two commercials. So even if she wasnât exactly a child star, she was still quite experienced.
Rubyâs father, Mr. Smith, did not have a very good reputation in this circle, though. He was a local rich man who liked to spoil his daughter. Rubyâs talents werenât exactly spectacular, but she made it this far because her father spared no expense on her.
Mr. Smith was just like many other rich middle-aged men. No matter how messy his own private life was, he would always make sure that none of it would ever affect his daughter. Ruby was his only daughter, after all. Because Mr. Smith lived such a wild life in his younger years, heâd lost his fertility and couldnât have any other children after Ruby, so naturally she was the absolute apple of his eye.
Heâd never let any of his mistresses see his daughter, much less be with her.
â¦and yet here was this woman, accompanying Ruby Smith to the audition alone. Who could she be?
Stella knew at a glance that the directorâs assistant was misunderstanding who she was so she quickly made an explanation. âIâm Rubyâs private tutor,â she told him. âI was teaching her today and was told that Mr. Smith was too busy to take her here, so I stood in for him.â
The directorâs assistant warmed up a little when he heard this, but he was still a little skeptical âYou two come with me,â he said. âYouâll go backstage to get Rubyâs makeup done. Then youâll wait there until you get calledâ¦â âHave you practiced your lines?â he asked. âYup!â Ruby nodded. Stella was now relieved. It really seemed that she didnât have to do anything else apart from accompanying Ruby.
She was starting to feel at ease there. Once the assistant was gone, Ruby sat down and pulled out a small notebook from her backpack. Stella looked at her with fascination, curious to see what she was going to do next. It turned out that she was practicing her lines.
âMiss Steele!â cried Ruby, handing Stella a copy of her lines. âThis is going to be my first audition! Iâve been in commercials before, but Iâve never been in a movie yet!â âOh.â Stella nodded and asked, âSo is this a movie set?â âYeah!â Ruby nodded frantically. âDonât you know that director? Heâs really cool and famous! There are loads of superstars in the movies he made!â
âOh!â Ruby exclaimed after a pause. âDo you know Guinevere Cohen, Miss Steele?â Stella froze momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure. Because Ruby was very young, she did not notice anything wrong and just went on talking excitedly. âWhen I grow up, I want to be a famous actress just like Guinevere Cohen!â Stella pursed her lips and rubbed her temples but said nothing.