Chapter 1059: The Nasty Side

"I heard you personally cleared out my room," Caroline said casually, affectionately patting Little Bunny's arm. "You're the best. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have guest-starred in this film. After tomorrow's shoot, I'm off to an overseas awards ceremony. I'm practically living on a plane!"

"You've worked hard," Little Bunny replied, subtly distancing herself. She felt little genuine emotion but avoided deliberate artifice.

"I'm a little tired, so I'll head back to my room and come find you later. We haven't seen each other in ages," Caroline warmly invited.

"Okay," Little Bunny smiled faintly, eager to end the interaction. She couldn't afford to appear difficult towards Caroline; a rumour about her behaving haughtily could be disastrous. She couldn't withstand that kind of pressure.

"See you later," Caroline waved as they ascended the stairs.

Tanya descended just then, regarding Caroline with undisguised disdain. If she weren't Little Bunny's assistant, she would have believed the rumours of their close friendship. However, she'd overheard Caroline speaking with a director about casting. The director mentioned a role suitable for Little Bunny, but Caroline immediately dismissed her as being too busy, recommending someone else instead. No such engagement was scheduled for Little Bunny at the time. You could never truly know someone.

Tanya approached Little Bunny. "Everything's packed."

"Let's go."

"Where to?" Tanya asked. "Mr. Wold's?"

"To the car."

Tanya was surprised, but Little Bunny offered no explanation; everyone already assumed nothing was going on between her and Theodore. Tanya followed her to the waiting car—uncomfortable, cold, and lacking blankets. Little Bunny draped a jacket over herself and slept. Tanya, in the front seat, remained awake.

"The more I think about it, the angrier I get," Tanya grumbled. "You're the lead actress, and they treat you like this! Caroline's just a guest star, and the director's her lapdog."

Little Bunny remained silent. In the entertainment industry, status outweighed screen time.

"And giving up your room? I wouldn't give mine to that two-faced Caroline! She pretends to be your friend, flaunts your friendship to the media, but never offers you any resources, even sabotaging your opportunities. I want to expose her!"

"Okay. Let's sleep," Little Bunny sighed, weary of the conversation. She disliked Caroline, but couldn't afford to offend her. Caroline's current influence was considerable.

Alone in her room, Caroline's facade crumbled.

"What kind of dump is this?! I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the paycheck!" she declared.

Her agent, ever compliant to their cash cow, quickly intervened. "There you go again, throwing a tantrum! Stord has a big production; still interested in the female lead?"

"I'm in movies now. Why go back to TV?"

"Movies fade; good TV dramas last. Look at Little Bunny's success—it's from TV dramas," the agent countered.

"If I hadn't left TV, where would Little Bunny be?" Caroline sneered, revealing her disdain and fear that Little Bunny might surpass her. Having trained together previously, she knew Little Bunny's talent and feared a slip-up on her part could allow her rival to excel. She would deny Little Bunny any advantage.

"I wouldn't have worried before, but now…" the agent hesitated.

Caroline's face hardened.

"It's not that you're worse than Little Bunny. Your commercial value is far greater. However…" the agent paused, "I heard Theodore's taken Little Bunny under his wing."

"What?!" Caroline exclaimed.

"I'm surprised too. Theodore has many women, but they're usually fleeting," the agent explained.

"So what's to worry about?" Caroline calmed down. She knew Little Bunny had slept her way up, but never expected a relationship with Theodore. This explained her recent lukewarm behavior.

"He treats Little Bunny differently."

"Different how?" Caroline scoffed.

"He visited her—he's at an inn nearby," the agent revealed. "Little Bunny gave you her room because she's with him."

Caroline's expression changed dramatically.

"I worry she might get the female lead in Stord's movie," the agent continued.

Caroline scoffed, anger simmering beneath her surface.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to Stord about a TV drama collaboration tomorrow. We'll see. But you need to perform well—don't let her overshadow you," the agent instructed sternly.

Caroline nodded, plotting already. Checking the time, she announced, "It's early. I'm going for a run."

"In this dark place? Exercise tomorrow. One day won't matter," the agent countered skeptically.

"My coach says every day counts," Caroline insisted. "I'll change."