Chapter 522
However, Ken immediately composed himself.
Melody was angry with him, though he wasn’t sure why. Still, he considered it a good sign.
Over the past few days, Ken had sensed a coolness in Melody’s demeanor. Hence, her current emotions were a positive development.
Ken immediately dialed a high-ranking executive at Swanson Universal Entertainment.
The call was promptly answered, and the executive’s voice sounded anxious. “Mr. Swanson, what can I do for you?”
Ken was straight to the point. “There’s an artist in our company, Zara. She hasn’t feeling well for the past two days. I want you to go to her set and get her a two-day… No, a three-day leave. If she needs more time, extend it accordingly.”
The executive was shocked. “Z-Zara?”
Every artist in the company underwent a thorough background check. As far as he knew, Zara was one of the least connected individuals in the company. He wondered what she had done to warrant this level of attention from Ken.
Ken replied, “That’s right, Zara.”
After confirming Ken’s instructions, the executive felt even more astonished but dared not question further and promptly answered, “Yes.” Then, he quickly drove to Zara’s film set.
The film set was at a school just ten minutes away from the company.
His arrival caused a stir among the crew. The director himself greeted the executive with heightened vigilance.
The director was dumbfounded when informed that the executive was there to secure leave for Zara. “Z-Zara?”
The executive noticed the director’s reaction and was reminded of his own initial shock. He understood the director’s surprise but knew he must get the job done.
He cleared his throat and said authoritatively, “That’s right! Zara is not feeling well. Please bear with us and reschedule her scenes for later. The company will compensate for any losses incurred during this time. Just continue doing your work as planned.”
The director was flabbergasted. He still couldn’t process what was happening.
Yana had assured him that Zara was a simple country girl who got a bit lucky and gained some fame, leading her to where she was today.
Ken’s earlier defense for Zara was supposedly out of sympathy for the underdog. But now, even a high-level executive was here for her.
Sweat trickled down the director’s forehead as he caught the high-level executive’s stern gaze. Snapping back to attention, he hurriedly agreed. “Yes, of course. Her health is the most important. We wouldn’t want her to strain herself or compromise the quality of the footage.”
“Good.” The executive nodded and added, “Take good care of her. She’s not someone you can afford to offend!”
The director was shaken and nodded with a complex expression. He replied, “Understood.”
The executive raised an eyebrow and then gave detailed instructions. He meticulously ensured that Zara’s resting area in the set was well arranged before leaving.
Leaving the set, the executive called the agent with the most resources in Swanson Universal Entertainment, speaking bluntly. “Starting today, you’ll be managing Zara.”
“What…?” The agent, Thomas Bush, was taken aback. He hesitated and asked, “Did you say Zara? All my artists are top-tier, and she’s barely a third or fourth-tier…”
The executive questioned, “What? You don’t understand my orders or you’re unwilling to comply?”
Thomas nervously replied, “No, of course not…”
“Then it’s settled.” The executive paused and added, “Also, Zara will be a permanent guest on the upcoming variety show ‘Artist’s Wardrobe’ next month.”
“What?” Thomas exclaimed, raising his voice. “But there are only two permanent guest spots aside from the host, and the female spot is already assigned to Yana…”
“Then find another show for Yana!” The executive grew impatient and hung up.
Thomas gripped his phone tightly, unable to snap out of shock. “Artist’s Wardrobe” was now in its second season, and the first season was incredibly popular. Everyone knew it was an invaluable opportunity.
He didn’t know how Zara was able to seize this opportunity. He was also curious how this wretched girl gained favor from the executive.
After a moment of shock, Thomas dialed Yana’s number. “Yana, come to the office immediately. We need to talk!”
On the other end, Yana was having dinner with an important benefactor. Hearing this, she frowned and said, “I’m busy right now, Thomas-“
Thomas interrupted. “I don’t care what you’re doing. If you don’t want to lose another opportunity, get back here now!”
Yana was alarmed and quickly agreed. “Yes, I’ll be there right away.”
*****
Meanwhile, Melody closely supervised the pharmacist as he prepared the medicine.
Despite Herbathrive’s well-equipped apothecary room, which required minimal manual intervention, Melody insisted on overseeing the process herself. It made the pharmacist quite nervous.
At that moment, David rushed in urgently and reported, “Miss Fox, bad news! The woman who caused trouble the other day is back!”
Melody was puzzled. “The woman causing trouble?”
Melody’s eyes narrowed as she quickly recalled the incident where Ken and Janet’s classmate, Nana, had come to the clinic and caused a commotion. Melody had dealt with her and sent her away.
To avoid further hassle from Nana, she informed Ken about the matter.
She had assumed that Ken would resolve the issue completely, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Or perhaps he didn’t care about her problems.
With a frown, Melody instructed the pharmacist to watch over the medicine before heading toward the clinic’s main hall with a stern expression.
As Melody approached the back entrance of the hall, she saw Nana standing in the middle, accompanied by an older woman who bore a resemblance to Nana. She wondered who this woman was to Nana.
Melody paused briefly before striding up to them. She asked with an unkind tone, “Nana, what do you want now? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”
Nana’s eyes lit up upon seeing her, but she quickly shook her head. “No, Miss Fox, you misunderstand. We’re not here to cause trouble…”
“Oh?” Melody raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She scrutinized Nana, noting the stark contrast from her previous aggressive demeanor. Now, Nana appeared utterly defeated, as if she hadn’t slept for days, with sunken eyes and wearing the same clothes from her last visit to Herbathrive. Her demeanor was low, and her eyes held a hint of pleading.
Something was definitely off. Someone like Nana, who always prided herself on appearances, wouldn’t wear the same clothes for several days. It didn’t seem like she was here to pick a fight again.
“We aren’t here to cause trouble!” the middle-aged woman beside Nana hurriedly added, worried Melody wouldn’t believe them. She introduced herself, “I’m Nana’s mother. We’ve come today to apologize for what happened the other day.”