The atmosphere started to shift–something between them felt different now. Julian was starting to lose control of his emotions.
Olivia was gasping for breath, overwhelmed by the urge to forget her plan, forget everything, and throw caution to the wind–just like she had on Silvermoon Island. But in the end, reason won out over impulse.
Just as Julian’s hand began to wander, Olivia reached out, threading her fingers through his, lacing them together effectively stopping him.
“I want to…” Julian whispered.
“No, you don’t,” Olivia said firmly. Then she gave him a small push, just enough to create some distance. “You should go.”
Julian sat up, ran a hand through his hair roughly, and took a deep breath to suppress his urge. He went back to Dylan’s room and kicked him awake.
Dylan sat up, frowning in confusion. “Weird. Why did I sleep so soundly last night? Ow–why does my butt hurt? Mr. Hudson, you didn’t do anything to me last night, did you?”
Julian replied coolly, “I didn’t do anything last night. But just now, I did.”
Dylan’s eyes widened in horror. He instinctively yanked the blanket up around himself.
Julian shot him a look of pure disdain. “Relax. I just kicked you awake. Why the face? What did you think I’d do to you?”
Dylan let out a sigh of relief, his face burning with embarrassment.
After breakfast, Julian left the villa to get to work. Olivia stayed home to keep revising her script, and by the afternoon, she was pretty much done.
She picked up her phone, planning to add Julian back as a friend and send him the script. To her surprise, he was already back on her WhatsApp friends
list–and his number had been removed from the block list, too.
Olivia’s lips twitched. She thought, ‘He really is something else. I let him use my phone for a short while last night, and he’s already added himself back.”
She sent the file to Julian and left him a message.
That evening, when Julian returned, he brought two documents with him. Later that night, after making sure Dylan was knocked out, he snuck into Olivia’s room with the documents. “The contract’s ready. Look it over, and see if anything looks off,” he said.
Olivia took the contract and read through it carefully. When she got to the profit–sharing section, she was stunned–she was getting 70%, and Julian only
30%.
She had originally thought 30% for her was already generous–she’d even considered giving up a little more. But apparently, Julian had misunderstood her from the start and thought she was supposed to get the larger cut and just rolled with it.
Olivia stared at the page for a few seconds and then silently signed her name.
Julian would handle overseas filming, distribution, and promotion of the short dramas. If it didn’t work out, she had nothing to lose–but if it did, she could just sit back and wait for the money to roll in./
She started getting ready to shoot the domestic version of the script. She reached out to the team she’d worked with before.
In just one day, she finalized the shooting plan, launched the casting process, sorted out the props, and secured the shooting locations.
Everything moved fast–they’d be ready to start filming in a week.
While Olivia was on the phone, taking care of some matters, Chloe happened to overhear her. She immediately ran to Dylan, begging him to pressure Olivia into giving her the female lead role.
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Chapter 53
They had always known that Olivia was writing scripts and making short dramas.
Back then, Chloe looked down on that kind of work. She thought only D–list actors would do short dramas. As a “real” actress, she felt acting in short
dramas was beneath her.
Her fans wouldn’t accept it either, and it would ruin her chances of landing roles in mainstream film and TV.
She used to feel superior to Olivia because she was a legitimate celebrity while Olivia could only work on low–budget short dramas.
But things had changed. Ever since the scandal about her being a homewrecker broke out, Chloe hadn’t landed a single job. Just recently, she tentatively posted something on X, only to get flooded with hate comments.
Even though all the articles about her being a homewrecker and trash–talking Olivia had been wiped clean, the incident had blown up so much that many people knew about it–and they still hadn’t forgotten.
The moment Chloe showed her face, the haters would swarm in to tear her apart. She was supposed to shoot a variety show after her break, but the backlash got so bad that the producers replaced her.
The Wilson family owned an entertainment company, but in the face of public disapproval, even Dylan didn’t dare to help her.
If he tried to force her comeback while public opinion was still against her, it would only backfire–Chloe would get boycotted, and the company’s reputation would take a hit.
So Dylan’s plan was to let things cool down. He suggested she lie low for a while–maybe a year or so–and then test the waters for a comeback, or wait until their relationship could go public and make a big splash.
But Chloe wasn’t willing to wait that long. She was terrified she’d lose all her popularity for good.
When she heard Olivia was about to shoot a new short drama, she started thinking about joining in.
Doing a short drama could help shape her image as a modest, down–to–earth actress who was willing to take on not just major productions but smaller ones too, all to improve her tarnished reputation.
She’d seen plenty of celebrities with scandals, who’d been washed up for years, make a comeback through short dramas and get a lot of attention. She wanted to try the same approach.
After hearing Chloe’s analysis, Dylan thought it was doable, so he went to Olivia and asked her to make Chloe the female lead.
“No,” Olivia said flatly. “I’ve already cast someone. I even paid part of the fee. I’m not replacing her.”
“How much did you pay?” Dylan said. “I’ll cover it. Just cancel the contract and let Chloe take the role.”
Olivia shook her head. “Chloe’s not cut out for short dramas. The schedule is tight and fast–paced. She won’t be able to keep up.”
Chloe protested, “You haven’t even given me a chance–how do you know I can’t keep up? I’ve filmed ten shows, including online dramas and primetime series. I managed those just fine. You think some cheap, low–budget short drama is more demanding than a prime–time TV show?“.
Dylan’s voice turned cold. “Either give Chloe the role, or none of your dramas will get released. I’ll have your previous ones taken down too. Your call.”
Olivia’s face darkened.
The Wilson family owned several major streaming platforms with huge traffic–every drama needed their apps for exposure.
It was only because she released her short dramas on the Wilson family’s platforms that her biological father backed off, allowing her to keep her job.
Dylan’s threat really hit her where it hurt. This wasn’t something she could fix by just beating the two of them up.
Olivia took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “Fine. I’ll agree—but only if you sign a contract. If I give her the lead role, you can’t take down or target my shows or threaten me with them ever again.”
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Dylan agreed without a second thought.
Olivia drafted the contract herself, had her lawyer print it and send it over, and made sure every clause was clear. Once they were on the same page, they
both signed it.
Chloe looked at Olivia smugly. She leaned in close and whispered into Olivia’s ear, “See? As long as I ask, Dylan will give me whatever I want even if it’s yours, he’ll make you hand it over.
“You tried everything to get his attention lately, but he still cares about me the most. Looks like you lost again.”
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