Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 1224

"Did he tell you? Where is Felix?" Jean Rollins asked. She didn't know what Shawn had said, but her daughter's face was pale and stricken.

Madeline's eyes filled with frantic tears. "Mom, Felix isn't answering! He's ignoring me! I've called him dozens of times over the past few days, and he hasn't answered a single one! He won't reply to my texts! Is he done with me?"

Jean's heart broke for her daughter. "No, no, sweetie. Don't think like that. Mr. Quigley must just be busy."

"This is different! He's never treated me like this before!" Panic clawed at Madeline's chest.

Jean tried to stay rational. "You're scaring yourself over nothing. As long as he still feels guilty about Melanie, he will never abandon you."

But the panic refused to fade, and all of Madeline's fear rapidly curdled into blinding hatred for Claire.

"It's all that bitch Claire's fault! She ruined everything the second she came back!"

Jean scoffed in agreement. "Exactly! Every time that woman shows her face, Mr. Quigley turns cold toward you. If only she would just drop dead. Then we wouldn't have to worry about her getting a cut of the Quigley estate."

Madeline's breath hitched, a dark thought blooming in her mind.

Yes. If Claire suddenly died, all her problems would disappear.

...

Once production training began, Claire's schedule went into overdrive.

Her new role demanded a massive new skill set.

She was playing an epic female lead who rose from the ranks of a general to become an empress.

The script was packed with intense horseback riding and battlefield combat.

The director was a stickler for realism and cinematic grandeur, insisting on practical locations rather than green screens.

As a result, every actor had to master archery and horseback riding.

As the starring general, Claire also had to undergo rigorous training in the Long-Tasseled Spear technique.

Three days in, Claire felt like she had been hit by a truck.

Every muscle in her body screamed in agony, but she possessed a fierce work ethic. No matter how brutal the rehearsals got, she never uttered a single complaint.

The male actors in the cast quickly grew to respect her, and they bonded over the grueling schedule.

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