"Another break, really?"
"She's just too exhausted. She needs a break. The issue right now isn't about whether she has me in her heart or not, but rather that she seems to be blurring the lines between her character and her reality, like she can't distinguish between what's part of the script and what's not?"
Emmert belatedly realized this, seeming to understand that this was the root of Stephanie's recent problems. With a frown, he said, "You need to find a way to help her disconnect from her character. When she's back on set next time, I'll have a serious talk with her."
"Alright, let's give her a three-day break."
"Deal!"
Stephanie was so engrossed in her role that whatever Sullivan said to her didn't make a difference. The only solution seemed to be to let her go home and have the people who truly cared for her help her disconnect from her character. As soon as Stephanie heard she could take a break, she said, "I'm going to find Sebastian."
Emmert, somewhat annoyed, asked, "What's so great about Sebastian?"
"He's handsome, he's got skills, and he can beat me in a fight!"
Everyone was struggling to process the seemingly naive and innocent Stephanie. That animal Sebastian! How could he bear to lay a hand on such a young girl? If Zachary were to find out, with his fiery temper, he'd probably blow Sebastian sky-high!
Stephanie left the set wearing the same outfit as last time. Outside the set, the driver was still waiting at the entrance. After Stephanie got into the car, she received a call from Gillian.
She answered, "What's up, Gillian?"
Gillian and Maddie had been informed in advance about Stephanie's situation by Martin. Beyond surprise, they were also very worried.
"I'm sure President Ingram has his reasons for asking us to help. He must be worried about Steph's situation."
"Yeah, President Ingram really cares about Steph! Okay, let's take a couple of days off from the set to be with Steph."
"Sounds like a plan!"
An hour later, Maddie and Gillian still hadn't arrived at the agreed-upon mall. Stephanie was in a coffee shop at the mall, sipping on a coffee as she patiently waited. Suddenly, a few sneaky paparazzi appeared outside the coffee shop. These gossip hounds were snapping away at her through the glass.
Stephanie seemed to sense something and glanced in their direction, her eyes cold. The paparazzi instinctively thought about fleeing, but when they saw that Stephanie had noticed them but didn't seem to care, they grew bolder and continued their fearless photography.
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