Chapter 248

The director was momentarily speechless. Jason's voice, loud enough for many to hear, drew everyone's attention to Evelyn. Startled, she heard him say, "Since this person doesn't think it's up to standard, let her demonstrate for us." He cast a casual glance at Evelyn, as if the matter were settled.

Evelyn was furious. What did that mean? Was she expected to kneel and grovel? She was the second female lead, and Brian's girlfriend! How could she publicly perform an extra's task? Jason was clearly siding with Grace and picking on her.

Evelyn's face paled. The director looked from Jason to Evelyn, then, after a moment's consideration, approached her with a strained smile. "Evelyn," he said, "since you criticized the extras' performance last time, why don't you show them what's expected? Think of it as a demonstration. It's a kindness to help them, isn't it?"

Evelyn bristled. "It's not my role. Why should I demonstrate?"

The director lowered his voice. "Evelyn, I'm not trying to make things difficult. Young Master Reed wants you to demonstrate. If you really don't want to, you can talk to him directly."

Evelyn's face changed. She lacked the courage to confront Jason; the thought of him watching made her shudder. Through gritted teeth, she mumbled, "Alright, I'll demonstrate."

The director sighed in relief. After brief pleasantries, he had Evelyn perform the demonstration publicly. Mortified, she saw the cast and crew looking at her with a mixture of sympathy, mockery, and amusement. After all, she had only recently risen to prominence as the girlfriend of the entertainment industry's crown prince, making many envious. Now, many seemed to relish her misfortune.

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn knelt and groveled before the crew. However, lacking practice, her gestures—based on a hazy memory—were clumsy and unconvincing. Furthermore, her anxiety made her rush through the demonstration, disregarding quality.

After finishing, Evelyn thought it was over. But Jason's voice rang out again. "She looked like she was kneeling to thin air, affecting her performance. Her movements were jerky. Why don't we have someone stand in front of her so she can properly kneel and grovel?" He approached Grace, pulling her into the group, and lazily looked at Evelyn. "Why don't you demonstrate one more time?"