Chapter 2

Julian could be pretty unreliable most of the time, but when it came to acting, he got dead serious.

But the female lead was just an overly dramatic rookie actress who couldn't act to save her life. If the investors hadn't forced her in, the director, Gary Hughes, would've kicked her out in a heartbeat.

After the female lead messed up the scene dozens of times, Julian was totally fed up. He sat there with a stormy look, keeping his mouth shut.

I couldn't help but sigh and walk over to Gary. I said, "Mr. Hughes, everyone's wiped out today. Julian really appreciates how hard everyone's been working, so how about we all go out for dinner tonight and blow off some steam?"

Gary looked at me for a while, then glanced over at Julian.

I nodded.

Yeah, that big-shot investor got played and ended up throwing in even more money, but only had one request. That was swapping out the female lead.

It was a show all about the male lead anyway, and the female lead barely had any scenes filmed yet, so Gary just laughed it off and agreed right away.

When the pork hit the table, the greasy smell made my stomach churn. Flora leaned in and asked, "Jane, don't tell me you're pregnant?"

What?

I gave her a look that said, "What the hell are you talking about?"

But as plate after plate of meat landed on the table, the smell in the air was making me queasy. Honestly, I couldn't sit there any longer. I said, "Mr. Hughes, I'm not feeling so great."

Gary looked like he was in a good mood, probably because of the new female lead. He was a little drunk and just laughed and waved me away.

Flora was about to get up, but I stopped her with a hand. I said, "Wait and head back with Julian later."

I was actually pregnant.

I freaked out, staring at a whole bunch of pregnancy tests in front of me, every single one showing two lines.

My phone buzzed.

S: [Sorry, I've just been super busy lately.]

I almost snorted. What could keep him busy for over a month?

But I didn't bother questioning him. Instead, I just sent: [Does drinking mess with the baby?]

S: [You're pregnant?]

Before I could even figure out how to respond, Samuel started a voice call.

Samuel's voice came through, sounding shocked. He asked, "You're pregnant?"

"No, it's my assistant who's pregnant," I replied.

He fell silent.

It was so quiet I thought he'd hung up, so I finally said, "Hey, you still there?"

"I'm here, Jane. I'm the one who's yours," Samuel said.

What was this old man even rambling about?

"Just tell me, will it affect the baby or not?" I asked.

"She should go see a doctor. Honestly, it's usually not recommended to keep the pregnancy," Samuel replied.

Samuel's voice was deep and gentle, magnetic as ever, patiently explaining a bunch of medical terms.

It felt just like being back in school, listening to a teacher drone on. I was so sleepy I couldn't help but doze off.

I was jolted awake by a loud knock on the door. It was Julian, my pain-in-the-neck artist.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Gary's got his eye on our sweet Flora," Julian blurted out.

"Isn't that a good thing?" I said, giving Julian a look.

Flora was gorgeous, petite, and had that baby-faced charm. She spoke softly and sweetly, and honestly, she was basically a real-life version of the female lead, almost a perfect match.

"If Flora makes it big, will she actually notice me?" Julian pointed at himself, asking.

I paused with the water in my hand, turned to size Julian up and down. I said, "Well, at least you're self-aware."

Julian was about to say something else, but Flora rushed in and dragged him off. Just as she reached the door, she glanced back at me and said, "Jane, do you want to take a break?"

I nodded, but still couldn't help reminding her, saying, "I'll rest this morning. If anything comes up, just have them talk to me."

Flora nodded, totally missing Julian frantically waving behind her. By the time she turned around, Julian was already standing off to the side, acting all innocent like nothing ever happened.

Once I checked in at the hospital, I told the doctor what was going on. She gave me a stern talking-to, then suggested I get a Down syndrome test when I hit the three-month mark.

I nodded and marked it down in my calendar app.

When I got back to the set, I saw Gary shamelessly buttering up Julian, talking to him all nice and polite, even bending over a bit.

I had been with the crew for almost two months, and I'd never seen Gary be so accommodating to Julian before.

Just as I was wondering what was up, I caught a bit of their conversation.

"I want to try," Flora said.

"No way. You're not acting," Julian said.

Flora's eyes widened, staring at Julian in disbelief.

I counted down in my head.

Before I even got to one, Flora let out a dramatic wail that echoed through the whole crew.

Flora always knew exactly how to handle Julian. Even when he knew she was just faking it, he could never say no to her.

Once Julian agreed, I finally appeared and said, "Mr. Hughes, even though Flora's just our assistant, we still gotta sign a legit contract for her."

Swapping out the lead really made a difference; the whole crew was fangirling over Julian and Flora, saying their chemistry was off the charts and they were the real deal.

Flora just had that spark, picking things up in no time. She was blowing past everyone's expectations and moving way ahead of schedule.

When I hit the three-month mark, I went in for my check-up. After looking over the report, the doctor said, "Everything looks fine for now, but you should get a prenatal screening for birth defects around your sixth or seventh month."

I nodded and replied, "Thanks, doctor."