Chapter 350: Chapter 350

The director shouted "Cut" and immediately came forward.

Noticing the handprint on Anna Thornton’s face, Director Nash was instantly displeased with Zoe Bowen: "Why did you hit so hard?"

"I didn’t mean to, I just got caught up in the moment," Zoe Bowen replied, trying to sound innocent.

But in reality, she felt delighted having slapped Anna Thornton under the guise of acting.

Playing supporting roles wasn’t new to her, but Zoe Bowen wasn’t someone fresh in the industry who needed to bow to everyone anymore. If it weren’t for Director Nash, she might not have taken on such a vicious supporting role.

Being made to support a young newcomer who had just surfaced, let’s see if some people can handle it!

However, Zoe Bowen did her part on the surface well, expressing concern and apologizing to Anna Thornton afterwards, making it difficult for anyone to blame her.

"Anna, I’m really sorry! Did I hurt you?"

Anna Thornton smiled at her: "I think you have a point, hitting for real does come off more authentic."

What else could Anna Thornton say?

Arguing with Zoe Bowen at this point would only make her seem petty.

But she had already noted this in her little notebook.

That night, when Anna returned home after filming, even the servants were asleep.

This series required mostly palace environments, so the main filming location was in Aethelgard. After filming, Anna would usually drive home no matter how late it was.

The lights throughout the Sterling Residence were on, a custom that started sometime after Miss Thornton and her daughter had moved in. Googlᴇ search n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Conrad Sterling once witnessed in the hospital how terrified a certain little woman was of ghosts.

Recently, with frequent night shoots, Anna Thornton was used to coming home to everyone else being asleep.

She grabbed an ice cream from the fridge downstairs, not to eat, but to use it to ice her face.

After icing, she planned to go upstairs to check on Pop and Lola before going to bed.

Just as Anna Thornton went upstairs, she ran into Conrad Sterling coming out of the study.

As before, Anna acted as if she didn’t see him and walked straight past.

This time, Conrad didn’t let it slide, reaching out to grab Anna Thornton’s arm.

Pulled by him, Anna collided into a firm yet warm chest.

Anna tried to struggle, but Conrad’s grip tightened accordingly.

Anna’s resistance seemed futile as the man gripped her chin.

"Conrad Sterling, I warn you, don’t mess around!"

Conrad didn’t mess around; he just forcibly turned her face toward him.

The calloused fingers gently brushed her cheek, where her pale, delicate skin now bore a few jarring red marks.

The incongruities made President Sterling furrow his brow tightly!

"What happened?" Conrad Sterling asked.

"Ran into a door, accidentally hit it, none of your business!"

Anna was exhausted; she had no patience to argue with him?

Pushing Conrad away, she turned and went back to her room.

Watching her back, Conrad Sterling narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of danger igniting in the dark night.

Then, he made a phone call.

Anna and Mary had just arrived at the set when they heard about Zoe Bowen being beaten up.

Zoe Bowen didn’t immediately go home after wrapping up the previous night; she went to a nearby bar for a few drinks, seemingly in a good mood, maybe even flirting with some young guys.

Reports from informants suggested that she had encountered a trap after leaving the bar with a stranger.

However, the assailants neither robbed nor sexually assaulted her; they just beat her up.

The incident had become a laughingstock now; a female star trying to pick someone up at the bar ends up being beaten, rather than robbed or assaulted.

Does this show how much she’s hated?

Rumor had it a reporter had even snapped photos, but Zoe Bowen had paid to buy them back and suppress the news.

It was too embarrassing; as a public figure, she couldn’t make a fuss, so she had to swallow her pride.

Though Zoe Bowen’s teeth were fine, her face was swollen from the beating, and her scenes had to be postponed a bit.

Anna Thornton didn’t show any excessive reaction upon hearing the news.

It was Mary who couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction: "Zoe Bowen deliberately tried to suppress us during filming yesterday, and now she got karma so soon. Anna, don’t you think this is divine justice?"

"Divine justice? Heaven doesn’t meddle that much!"

Anna Thornton tossed this sentence over, then turned and grumbled discontentedly, "Who asked him to meddle?"

Mary’s sharp ears caught it, and after some analysis, she quickly reacted.

She caught up to Anna and whispered, "Was it President Sterling who did it? Did he find out you were hurt last night and took it out on Zoe Bowen for you?"

"How would I know? Anyway, I didn’t ask anyone to avenge me!"

Did Anna need to rely on a man to stand up for her after being hit?

She bided her time, remembering there were two more fight scenes in the script, where Concubine Jean slaps Concubine Elara.

Zoe Bowen probably hadn’t read the later parts of the script, which was why she said real hitting was better.

Real hitting? We’ll see when she cries.

Mason Hawthorne hadn’t managed to woo Anna Thornton, and had been in a bad mood these past few days.

During work hours, he called his subordinates for drinks, and as they drank, one subordinate asked, "President Hawthorne, should we find you some entertainment?"

Mason Hawthorne glanced at provocative pictures of young models in skimpy outfits on the subordinate’s phone without showing much interest.

"Average?" The subordinate was shocked; these were the most stunning ones he’d carefully selected.

"President Hawthorne’s tastes are getting higher, so are there any actresses that can catch your eye?"

"Of course there are! Let me show you real beauties!"

Seeing his subordinate’s naive expression, Mason Hawthorne took out his phone, showing him the album.

He pulled out a photo of Anna Thornton from the shoot of Florian Hollis’ MV, the one where water was pouring over her body and her eyes looked incredibly seductive.

Lately, Mason Hawthorne had been repeatedly looking at this photo, and the more he looked, the more it tantalized him.

This woman was practically enchanting, bewitching him before he’d even had a taste.

"See that? Now that’s beauty. She’s even prettier in person."

"President Hawthorne, is she a new conquest?"

Speaking of this, Mason Hawthorne took a morose sip of his drink.

Judging by his look, she hadn’t been won over yet.

The subordinate grew even more curious: "Is there a woman President Hawthorne can’t handle?"

"It’s tricky, slippery like an eel, and her manager is immune to both soft and hard tactics."

"Oh, so does she have some strong backing?"

Mason Hawthorne also suspected this. Generally, no female star wouldn’t give in when facing the four great families unless she didn’t know them.

But Anna Thornton clearly knew them, yet dared to refuse him. Wasn’t she afraid of retaliation?

Mason indeed suspected that Anna Thornton had another patron backing her.

The thought of such an earthly beauty being taken by another man first made Mason feel like his heart was being scratched by a cat—it was unbearable.

"She’s just a minor celebrity. It shouldn’t be hard to win her over. I have a way to get her to President Hawthorne’s bed!"

"I’m staying at the presidential suite of Hawthorne Hotel tonight. If you can get her there, you’ll be rewarded handsomely!" Mason promised.

His subordinates knew his tastes well and knew how to please him.

Mason was happy to give them chances to curry favor, slipping a room card to the subordinate as he left.

The scenes today were simpler, just wearing court dresses to attend a banquet, eating food, and sipping tea.

The crew’s food tasted a bit off today for some reason.

Nevertheless, Anna, with professionalism, acted as if it were delicious, finishing her scene quickly so she could get home early to be with the kids.

However, as soon as she stepped off camera, she felt a bit dizzy.

Feeling unwell, Anna didn’t dare drive.

She moved to the back seat and called Mary to pick her up.

Mary received Anna’s call but, as soon as she stepped out of the elevator and into a secluded corridor of the parking lot,

someone suddenly rushed at her from behind. Mary’s first thought was that it must be the same gang from yesterday that beat up Zoe Bowen, coming to get her today.

But what grudge did they have against her?

Then, as a cloth was pressed over her face from behind and dizziness took hold, Mary realized: oh no, Anna...