Chapter Three

Maria Pov~

It was this easy, I thought, looking down at the script handed to me by the head of the company I worked for.

"Told you, you'd eventually get a break. This is amazing ... this drama is going to be a major hit, and they asked specifically for you," he said, smiling brightly. I knew he always tried his best to get me good roles, but people never wanted to get involved with an actress tied to a corrupt family.

"This is good, right?" he said. I nodded, looking back down at the script. It read To My Moon. It was a popular novel, and a role in this was a ticket to the top — I was to be the lead actress.

Now I understood why mother had always been so obsessed with money.

The next day, I was surrounded by the cast, directors, and everyone else involved in the drama.

My eyes caught Teresa. She was a top actress in the field, and as a fan of hers, I naturally wanted to greet her — but she didn't seem interested in that.

The meeting was simple. They talked about how hectic the next few months would be, and that we should all do our best. They mentioned it would be an adjustment working with a newbie like me, but since I was already here, they had no choice.

I wish they'd just outright say it: a sponsored actress like me didn't deserve to be here.

When it ended, everyone left, and I got a text on my phone. It was from Lewis. He wanted to meet again. It was sudden, and I didn't feel prepared after last night.

Teresa approached me, her gaze making it clear my presence disturbed her.

"This is why our industry gets such a bad reputation," she said, eyeing me. I understood what she meant. I wasn't dumb — she was supposed to be the lead actress, and the fact that she'd been replaced meant she hated me for it.

"I'll do my best," was all I could say. I'd hoped that when we finally met, we might become friends. That clearly wasn't happening.

"You'd better," she said, and walked off. Maybe I should have apologized — but would that have even made her feel better? It felt lame either way.

I don't know what it is with Lewis and restaurants, but where he'd texted me to meet was another one — classy, the rich kind of classy.

I should thank him for the role, I thought. Though now that I was actually doing this, I figured I should give it my all.

In love with him?. Maybe if we had sex, I'd develop some kind of understanding of this.

Nothing could change how I felt about sex as repayment.

"Did you wait long?" Lewis's voice reached me before I saw him. I looked at him — he had a genuine smile again, and I smiled back, walking toward him and putting my arms around his arm.

"No, I just got here," I said. He looked pleased. I raised myself up a bit and kissed him on the cheek; he was a natural, kissing me back on mine.

"I'm guessing you liked the role?" he asked, and I began to smile widely. I must look like a skank.

"Yes," I said, my voice chirpy, almost like a bird. This was acting. Give him his money's worth, I told myself. After all, if I don't do this, what other options do I have?

Filming started before sunrise the next morning. With how things were going, it felt like it would be a while before we wrapped up.

The word "cut" — I can't remember how many times the director said it, for almost every scene. I wish I could tell you what the set looked like, but I was mostly being pushed from one shot to the next, and the director never seemed satisfied.

People I'd done side gigs for usually told me I was good enough. But maybe that was different — this was a main role, and maybe I was just terrible at it. I wouldn't know. The director's voice cut through again.

"Cut." The water splash in this scene had already happened over ten times. My shoulders were red; my face probably wasn't any better.

"That should be enough," the director said. He was a top name in the industry, so he knew what he was doing — but this felt like too much. Maybe I was just whining. After all, I wouldn't know the value of something I'd gotten so easily, like he'd reminded me earlier.

Everyone began to wrap up, and I could hear voices nearby — someone saying, don't you think the director's a bit hard on Maria? See, even they thought so, I thought. Not that it would change anything.

I picked up a towel to wipe the water off my face. My hair was soaked, and my manager came rushing in.

"I got you a change of clothes," she said. Having a manager was something I never imagined I'd have, but I got one as soon as I landed this role. I felt comfortable around her — probably because she was older, and she'd been taking care of me these past few weeks.

"Thank you," I said, taking the clothes from her and heading to the changing room. My hair was still damp; I definitely needed a dryer. My face was red, almost like I had bruises.

There was a knock at the door as I was done getting dressed.

"I'll be out soon," I said, assuming it was my manager.

Done, I opened the door — and to my surprise, Lewis was standing there. His eyes seemed to wander over my appearance. But more than that, I hadn't seen him since our second date, which had been quick — we ate, and he dropped me home.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stepping out and closing the door behind me.

"Your schedule said you'd finish early today," he said. I nodded.

Had he not texted me these past few weeks because I was busy?

"Let's get you a change of clothes first," he said. I'd literally just changed, but I guessed that wasn't what he meant — because now we were at a boutique, sorting through clothes. All I had to do was tell them my size, and soon the bags in my hands were worth enough to pay off some of my father's debts.

The ride was quiet. But today we didn't go to a hotel — we went to what seemed like his home.

The news surrounding Lewis and me lately was that I was his new fling. I didn't know if he'd seen it, but my family name being dragged into it was something he should've cared about.

I was never really an important figure in my family's business, but I was apparently important enough to be dragged through the headlines alongside them. I'd been expected to take over Moore Industries one day — something I never wanted any part of.

My acting career had been partly supported by my father and hated by my mother. She called it a silly game.

But the real question was: Lewis clearly knew this would tarnish his reputation. So why me?.