Chapter 664
Shirley had made it through the first audition for the lead role, along with two other actresses.
The director set up a three-day intense physical training session. After that, there'd be another round of auditions to pick the final lead actress.
Shirley was worried about Lillian and almost bailed, but Lillian pushed her to go back.
After a day of training, Shirley got back to her hotel room and finally grabbed her phone. She called Gray as soon as she saw the photo, but he hung up on her.
Shirley frowned, but then the doorbell rang. She opened the door, and a tall figure barged in.
Next thing she knew, Gray had her pinned against the wall.
Gray's chest pressed against her, one big hand easily holding her waist. His familiar yet dangerous voice whispered close to her ear, "Nice dress."
Shirley was still in her period drama costume, no time to change.
She wasn't tall, but her proportions were perfect. She wasn't the super skinny type; she had well-toned muscles and curves in all the right places. Pressed against the wall, her curves were driving Gray wild.
Gray gripped her waist, making her arch her hips against him. As he got more aroused, Shirley's clear voice cut through, "Barry's liked Lillian for years. Now that she's divorced, how could he..."
Gray felt like he'd been doused with cold water, his male ego taking a hit.
A loud smack echoed as Gray slapped her butt.
Before Shirley could react, Gray's hot breath was at her ear, warning, "Shirley, thinking about another guy while you're with me? Are you crazy?"
Before he finished, Shirley's high heel dug into his foot.
Gray let go and stepped back, fuming. Shirley turned and lunged at him.
Instinctively, Gray caught her. Shirley's leg hooked around his arm, trembling.
She held his head, looking down at him with a teasing smile. "Now you're under me. Tell me, was that photo photoshopped by Jackson? He can't stand Lillian having suitors, right? He got dumped and now he's being petty, right?"
Gray's eyes locked on her lips, his gaze dark and heated. "I don't know if Jackson's being petty, but let's handle our business first!"
With that, Gray moved to the sofa and threw Shirley onto it. He bent down, grabbed her dress, and was about to tear it when Shirley grabbed his wrist.
"Don't tear it! I need it tomorrow," she said anxiously.
"Troublesome!" Gray grumbled. He flipped her hand to the buttons. "Take it off yourself!"
Shirley opened her mouth to curse, but Gray silenced her with a kiss, muffling her protests.
Three hours later, Shirley lay exhausted and sweaty beside Gray.
Gray lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around his satisfied face. His other hand lazily traced her bare, sweaty back, his voice hoarse. "Got anything to ask me?"
Shirley lifted her head a bit. "Was that photo real?"
Gray's face went stiff, his eyes darkening. "Is that all you care about?"
Shirley frowned, looking worried. "Of course. I can't stand Lillian getting deceived. If Jackson photoshopped it, I can't let Lillian's good thing get ruined. So I need to know."
Gray's face darkened. He'd gotten a call from his family yesterday, setting up a blind date for him today. When he agreed, Shirley had clearly heard.
Gray thought she'd be anxious, that she'd care and ask about it. But from the moment he walked in, all she talked about was Lillian, not mentioning the blind date at all. It felt like his biggest rival was Lillian. Would Shirley even care if he got engaged tomorrow?
Gray's anger flared. He pushed Shirley away and sat up, his voice cold. "You really trust Barry, huh? Even with evidence, you still defend him."
Shirley shot back, "A photo isn't evidence. Even if it's real, that woman could be a patient's relative, a friend, or a cousin. If the photo came from Jackson, it's suspicious!"
Gray laughed bitterly. "Hasn't Jackson done enough for Lillian? Without him, she'd be dead at Bob's hands. Lillian lost her child, and Jackson lost his son and his mother."
Shirley looked puzzled. "What do you mean, lost his mother?"
Gray realized he'd said too much. He frowned, quickly covering his expression. "Nothing, just that Daisy had a mental breakdown and went for treatment. It might take three years to cure."
Shirley cursed, "Daisy deserves it! Not just three years, she should be treated for a lifetime to..."
Gray stood up, his face cold, cutting her off. "Can you show some respect? No matter how bad Daisy is, she's still an elder. She's already sick, and you still curse her."
Shirley's face instantly turned cold, a mocking smile on her lips. "I'm petty, vengeful, and mercenary. I'm not as virtuous as the socialites you know. Didn't you say we only have sex, and I shouldn't pretend in front of you, coveting things that don't belong to me? No matter how much I pretend, you won't like me. But now that I'm not pretending, you have a problem with it. Then go find a well-mannered socialite, and let's call it quits!"
Gray gritted his teeth, staring at Shirley. "Is that what you really think?"
Shirley chuckled lightly, climbing out of bed. She walked barefoot to the bathroom, not bothering to cover herself. "Get out."
As she walked past, Gray suddenly grabbed her chin, saying in a furious voice, "Shirley, is this how you serve your benefactor? Do you believe I'll have you kicked out of this crew tomorrow?"
But another voice echoed in Shirley's ear, equally condescending.
"Ms. James, many people are in the entertainment industry. You're not particularly beautiful or outstanding. The fact that you've quickly moved from behind the scenes to the screen at least shows you're smart enough to latch onto Gray. But he's about to get engaged to Bianca Porter, the heiress of HorizonHive Media. I think you understand why I'm here today."
She added, "Even a top star would be easily removed from the entertainment industry by Bianca, let alone someone like you who hasn't even become famous. And that's not to mention the Flores Family. The reason I came to see you today instead of Bianca is to give you some dignity. I hope you understand my good intentions and won't disappoint me."
It was laughable. Gray's mom, Melissa Flores, dismissed her without even offering money.
It wasn't that Melissa was stingy; she just thought Shirley wasn't worth it. The fact that Melissa met her in person to dismiss her was already the highest form of respect.
At that moment, Shirley felt that Gray's face perfectly overlapped with Melissa's.
She blinked and gave Gray a mocking smile. "Mr. Flores, don't forget, I traded my virginity for this lead role. My hymen was the real deal. Are you trying to go back on your word?"
Gray's face darkened, and the force with which he gripped Shirley's chin felt like it would crush her face.
Shirley gritted her teeth and said nothing. After a moment, Gray let go of her.
Gray zipped up his pants, picked up his clothes, and before leaving, pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet and threw it in Shirley's face.
Gray said in a disdainful tone, "I'm sick of your body. Here's money to get your hymen repaired. Maybe next time you'll find some fool and get another lead role."
The money hit Shirley's face and scattered to the floor, with two bills sticking to her chest.
Shirley picked them up and waved them, smiling brightly. "Thanks."
Gray's response was a loud door slam, followed by a deathly silence.
As Gray stormed into the elevator, his phone suddenly rang. Could it be Shirley regretting it?
Gray immediately took out his phone, but when he saw "Jackson" flashing on the screen, his brow furrowed deeply. He had forgotten that Jackson was waiting for his update.
Now that he and Shirley had fallen out, he didn't know if Shirley would still help him pass on information.
Just as the ringtone was about to end, Gray answered with a face full of frustration.
"Did you send her the photo? What did she say?" Jackson's deep voice came through.
Gray replied furiously, "I sent it, but Shirley thinks the photo is photoshopped by you. She's so ungrateful!"
On the other end, Jackson's face also darkened.
This idiot Gray hadn't realized that the "she" Jackson was asking about and the "she" Gray was talking about were not the same person.
After a moment of silence, Jackson asked directly, "Does Lillian also think the photo is photoshopped?"
"Shirley hasn't sent it to Lillian yet." Gray felt a pang of guilt.
Jackson was silent again. After a while, he sneered, not hiding his disdain for Gray. "You're useless!"
Jackson hadn't expected that Gray couldn't even handle the simple task of getting his own woman to send a photo.
Gray was filled with frustration and resentment. 'I've lost Shirley over this matter. Jackson doesn't offer any comfort or compensation, but why does he have the right to criticize me?'
Gray retorted angrily, "We're both dealing with breakups. If you're so capable, Jackson, why don't you tell Lillian yourself? You're the one useless right now!"
After venting, Gray realized he had been emboldened by Shirley's provocation.
Why wasn't Jackson speaking? Could he be getting a gun? Gray looked regretful, clutching the elevator handrail, almost fainting.
Just as Gray was about to beg for mercy, he noticed that the phone screen by his ear was showing the home screen wallpaper. Apparently, Jackson had hung up long ago.
Gray felt like he had a narrow escape. He tugged at his collar and sighed in relief, only to see the red marks on his neck.
Jackson threw his phone on the desk, his brow furrowed deeply.
"Mr. Frane, is Ms. James unwilling to help? Barry is not a good person. It's too dangerous for him to be close to Ms. Young. Perhaps you should personally warn her," Harry suggested, seeing Jackson's angry expression.
Harry had just found out why Jenny had distanced herself from Barry.
Recently, Jenny's pet Border Collie, which she had raised for seven years, had gone missing.
Jenny had thrown a fit at the servants and spent a lot of money looking for the dog.
When Jenny went to Barry, he invited her to his lab. When Jenny arrived, Barry was conducting experiments on the dog.
The dog had a severe reaction to the injection, repeatedly banging its head against the tempered glass, bleeding all over.
After the dog collapsed, Barry cut open its skull in front of Jenny to examine its brain tissue under a microscope.
Barry then stitched the corpse back together and cleaned it up.
Jenny shouted as she cried, "He said if I really liked him, I should understand and respect his work. He likes women who share his interests. I forced myself to help him clean the dog's fur, and that's when I recognized it was my dog!"
Jenny continued sadly, "He killed my dog. Every time I close my eyes, I see him with a scalpel, ready to cut me open too. I don't want to like him anymore. Let him like Lillian instead. I gave him to Lillian!"
Harry recalled Jenny's terrified and broken state when asked about Barry while drunk. Barry was adept at disguising his dark psychology.
Even if a normal man was annoyed by a woman's pursuit, he wouldn't choose such a bloody and terrifying way to scare her off.
Moreover, anyone who could kill animals so cruelly couldn't be mentally healthy. Barry must stay away from Lillian!
Jackson instructed with a stern expression, "Have someone keep a close watch on Barry. Also, secretly assign more people to protect Lillian. And find that woman from the parking lot as soon as possible!"
Jackson's brow was tightly furrowed. He wanted to personally explain everything to Lillian and take her away from the hospital to stay by his side. But he had just promised her he wouldn't bother her anymore.
Even if Jackson went to explain, Lillian would only think he was trying to deceive her again, making her more resentful and resistant.
Jackson felt helpless, not knowing what to do with her.
The only thing he could do now was to quickly uncover more of Barry's true colors and protect her in secret. Barry had better not make any further moves.
The next morning, Lillian received the photo and a call from Shirley.
Shirley asked, "Lillian, do you want to ask Barry if he has a girlfriend?"
Lillian looked at the photo but didn't take it to heart. "Shirley, I know what you mean, but there's no possibility between Barry and me. I don't like him, and I've told him that. I don't plan to start a new relationship. If Barry really has a girlfriend, I'm happy for him."
Just as Lillian finished speaking, the door to her hospital room opened, and Barry, wearing a white coat, appeared at the door.
He smiled warmly and waved the insulated food container in his hand, asking, "What girlfriend? Me?"
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