The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1436

“I guess I’ll just… wait here?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow, getting bolder with every second.

Anthony’s face turned an odd shade of green as he stormed into the bathroom, not bothering to look back.

Once his frustrated silhouette had vanished, Charlotte finally let her gaze drift away, her hand settling on her belly. Being pregnant really did give her a free pass for everything these days.

***

The cast was finally settled and the *Storm* project moved quickly into filming. Kenneth might have been the male lead, but *Storm* was all about the female protagonist, so he didn’t actually have that many scenes. On top of that, he’d joined the production at the last minute, pushing his other commitments out of the way.

To make things easier for him, the director decided they’d shoot all his scenes first.

Emily was flipping through her script when she heard the announcement. Most of the male lead’s scenes were tied directly to the female lead. In other words, she’d be jumping straight into romantic storylines with Kenneth from the get-go.

“Emily, any issues with that?” the director asked, his voice gentle.

“Me?” Emily glanced at Kenneth across the table, her fingers trembling against the script. “Nope, no problem at all.” This project meant a lot to her and she’d already cleared her whole schedule for it.

“And, Kenneth, are you good with this plan?”

“Do whatever you need to,” Kenneth replied, closing his script with the hint of a smile. With just a couple weeks of shooting, he figured he might as well treat this as a rare break and a way to spark some inspiration.

“Great,” the director said, looking pleased as he grinned at his two leads. “First scene is set for eight o’clock tomorrow morning. The next few scenes will also include the second male lead and a few supporting roles. And with the second male lead fresh back from overseas, this works out perfectly. Let’s meet him ahead of time.”

He wasted no time and sent someone to fetch the second lead.

“It’s been forever,” Emily said, patting his shoulder with a grin. They had played siblings in her last show, and the easy friendship lingered between them.

Kenneth’s hand clenched around the edge of the table as he watched them. Ice shot across his gaze, the air thick with jealousy he barely tried to hide.

“I missed you,” Jarrod murmured, his hug tightening, his voice low with a faint whine. “You promised me dinner, remember? It’s been ages. You haven’t forgotten about me, right?”

Emily laughed softly, exasperated but fond. “Things have been crazy. I’ll treat you soon, I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Jarrod said, his eyes locked onto hers, something deeper swimming in their warm depths.

“Of course,” Emily replied, her lips curving in a soft smile. She glanced up and met Kenneth’s glare head-on, his dark eyes practically crackling with rage. He looked like he was ready to tear her apart.