Chapter 3
I ignored the glares Jasper shot my way like clockwork, plus those petty little snorts he made to get my attention.
I couldn't help but think this felt so good.
After a long day at work, I was wiped out.
As soon as I got home, I made a beeline for the bathroom without waiting for Jasper. After a hot, fragrant shower, I snuggled into bed, humming with satisfaction.
I didn't bother getting his slippers or running his bathwater.
Jasper's face was even darker than it had been at the party.
He started making a racket on purpose, slamming his phone down on the nightstand and leaving the bathroom door open so the sound of running water kept spilling out and making noise.
It was so noisy that I couldn't concentrate on my drama at all, so I had to put on my headphones.
After his shower, Jasper flopped onto the bed and, out of habit, stretched his arm out toward me.
Oh, this one was on me. I used to cling to him and insisted on using his arm as my pillow, so he had gotten used to it.
I rolled over, acting like I hadn't noticed a thing.
As Jasper's breathing grew heavier beside me, he snapped the light off with a forceful motion.
Three seconds later, the light flicked back on.
Jasper shot up in bed, jaw clenched tight.
He demanded, "Matilda, what are you pissed off about?"
I wondered if I was getting blamed again.
I quickly sat up and gave Jasper a placating grin.
I said, "Why would I be pissed off? You gave me opportunities and money. I'm honestly thrilled!"
"You..." Jasper was so mad that he could barely get the words out.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me in, making me look him right in the eye. "You're seriously happy about all this?"
So I couldn't be angry, and I couldn't be happy, either. I wondered what I was supposed to do.
I had to admit my boss was impossible to please.
I quickly tried to butter him up. "Of course I'm happy. Anyone would be with a boss as generous as you, Mr. Howard."
Jasper squinted at me, squeezing my wrist even tighter. "What did you just call me?"
"Boss..." I mumbled.
Jasper was genuinely pissed, his gaze frosty, as if there was ice in his eyes.
He locked eyes with me for what felt like forever, as if he was searching for something deep inside.
His stare gave me chills, so I quickly dropped my gaze.
His hand suddenly locked around my waist, pulling me back down so I was lying flat again.
Jasper rolled over, pressing close to my ear, his voice cold, "Fine, then you're working overtime tonight."
I had no clue what kind of crazy mood hit Jasper that night.
All I remembered was him going wild. He completely lost himself, as if nothing else mattered.
When I woke up the next morning, my whole body was sore and aching.
I was so exhausted while studying the script that I couldn't stop yawning.
With filming set to start in three months, I had to get a head start on my preparations.
No way was I going to let the hit project that made Reina a star last time crash and burn because of me.
Even when I was just killing time between ad shoots, I never stopped trying to figure out what made my character tick or running through my lines.
Zola Frost, my agent, sidled up to me and said, "Matilda, you've been acting different lately."
"How so?" I asked.
"Well... you're a lot more friendly than before," Zola replied.
I never liked the entertainment industry. It killed the part of me that once chased an acting dream.
So in the past, I really couldn't stand this job.
Whenever a hot-tempered director chewed me out, I'd just walk off set with Jasper backing me, tanking the whole show without a second thought.
If paparazzi tried to snap my picture, I'd storm over and smash their fancy gear to pieces, and then slap them with a lawsuit for good measure.
When Flora Gordon, a newbie on set, tried to sneak a cake to Jasper during a visit, I kicked her out of the crew on the spot and blasted her on Facebook, tagging her directly.
Everyone knew I way overestimated my own status, acting like I ran the place. My reputation hit rock bottom for a while.
When the mighty fell, the vultures circled. In the end, I never even found out who finally stabbed me in the back.
But this time, I was not about to make enemies left and right.
If the director yelled at me, I'd put my hands together in a little prayer pose and apologize right away.
I'd say, "Sorry. Can we do another take?"
If paparazzi were snapping my picture, I'd walk over with a coffee and tease, "Hey, thanks for all your hard work. Make sure you give me a little glow-up in those shots, alright?"
If Flora brought over a cake, I'd help her with some advice.
I'd say, "Mr. Howard loves lime. Don't forget it next time!"
My reputation was skyrocketing.
I happily opened up the Facebook trending list, ready to bask in all the compliments about me.
But the very first headline slapped me in the face: [Role Snatcher Matilda Pearson].
The entire feed was packed with Reina's fans tearing me apart.
All the effort I'd put into fixing my reputation was crashed and burned in an instant.
The show hadn't even started filming, and people were already screaming for a boycott in the comments.
When the online backlash started blowing up, I wasted no time and headed straight to the office to find Jasper.
His secretary, who'd seen me act all high and mighty before, didn't dare get in my way.
She nervously mumbled, "Ms. Pearson, Ms. Sanford is still inside."
If that were the case, I wanted to barge in even more.
If Reina shed a single tear, Jasper would pull back everything he gave me in a heartbeat.
I would never let her have that chance.
Reina turned around, her face pale behind those oversized sunglasses.