Chapter 342 A Bad Premonition
Janetta tried to cheer everyone up, but no one was feeling it.
They had high hopes, but falling short crushed their confidence.
Penelope started doubting herself, tears in her eyes. "Is my script really that bad? Why can't our web series compete with 'Echoes of the Enchanted Realm'? I've worked so hard!"
Her confidence was shattered.
"No way!" Pearl jumped in to comfort her. "We haven't done much marketing yet. It's just the start; let's give it a few days."
Penelope, choking up, said, "I thought we'd see good results on day one."
"Isn't this good?" Pearl checked the comments. "People are saying the theme is fresh and exciting, and they want more."
"But there's no buzz!" Penelope replied. "Our ratings are only second on the platform, way behind 'Echoes of the Enchanted Realm.' What's the point of good reviews if no one's watching?"
"It'll catch up," Pearl reassured her. "It's only the first day; don't lose heart."
Penelope saw Pearl's point, wiped her tears, and tried to pull herself together.
After watching the show, they all went home.
Pearl couldn't sleep; she kept checking trending topics and reviews for 'Glory.'
'Glory' was actually pretty good.
Everyone who watched it said it was great.
But 'Echoes of the Enchanted Realm' broke this year's TV ratings record on its first day.
In comparison, they were way behind, and 'Glory' was just a web series.
Meanwhile, Haley and her team were already celebrating!
"Congrats, Haley, and congrats to the director! Breaking records on the first day—'Echoes of the Enchanted Realm' is sure to be a hit!"
"Thanks!" Haley beamed, raising her glass. There was no better news.
"Hope Haley wins Best Actress with this show!"
"Winning Best Actress after just two shows would be a record too!"
"I think Haley has a shot at Best Actress!"
Haley smiled, "I hope so too. Winning Best Actress would recognize my acting skills and reward my hard work."
"Haley's career has been smooth sailing."
Haley replied, "I don't think it's been smooth sailing. I've faced many hardships; there's no such thing as smooth sailing without effort."
She was thrilled; this was a great start.
If she won Best Actress with this show, her position in the industry would be solid.
She loved being in the spotlight.
She wanted to share the good news with Oscar, but he was nowhere to be found. 'Where did he go?'
Haley put down her glass and went to find Oscar. She saw Harold and asked, "Where's Oscar?"
Harold nodded at Haley. "Mr. Brown had an urgent matter and left with Elijah and the others."
Haley, looking worried, asked, "Is it about the female corpse case?"
"Not sure, but probably."
Five minutes ago, Oscar got a message and left with his team. Anything involving Elijah and his people was likely dangerous.
"Okay, if you hear anything about Oscar, let me know immediately!"
With Oscar gone, Haley lost interest in the celebration and left after finishing her drink.
She went to find Oscar, but he hadn't returned, which made her worried his mission might be dangerous.
"No!" Pearl jolted awake from a nightmare, drenched in cold sweat. Realizing it was just a dream, she was still shaken.
She had dreamt of Oscar, his body mangled and riddled with bullet holes, cold and lifeless.
Even though they were divorced, the dream made her heart race.
Now, Pearl was wide awake.
She turned on the light, struggled to sit up while holding her belly, got out of bed, and drank a glass of water.
Then Pearl took her phone and started browsing the news.
It seemed like the quickest way to get information.
There was no progress on the female corpse case from the police.
But she was still worried.
She thought of Jeffery, whom she hadn't seen again since last time at his studio.
Busy with work, she hadn't noticed any activity next door.
She opened the door. It was late at night, and even a pin drop could be heard.
She stood at Jeffery's door, unsure of how to face him.
She knew her life was in danger but didn't want to drag him down, yet she couldn't help but worry.
This feeling was very conflicting, but Jeffery seemed to know she was at the door and immediately opened it.
Seeing Jeffery, Pearl was shocked. "You!"
"Come in," Jeffery said gently, smiling at her.
Without thinking, Pearl went in.
Inside, she smelled a strong medicinal odor, even stronger than before.
Jeffery immediately went to heat up some milk for her.
When he came back, he handed it to her.
Pearl sat on the sofa, holding the warm milk. She took a sip and found it was sweet.
"How did you know I like sweet milk?" Pearl asked. He shouldn't know this habit of hers.
"Oscar told me," Jeffery said. "Since you know, I won't hide it. The day you fainted, Oscar notified me because he knew I could save you."
Pearl pursed her lips, feeling sad but still curious. "The medicinal smell in your house is even stronger."
Jeffery's expression changed slightly. "You don't like it? Should we go to your place?"
"It's fine, I can handle it," Pearl said, not thinking much of it. "I just had a nightmare. I dreamt of Oscar's corpse."
Jeffery paused. "Dreams are the opposite of reality."
Pearl continued, "I feel uneasy. I always think something is going to happen."
Jeffery's gray-blue eyes looked at her. "Everything will settle down, don't overthink it."
"Jeffery, I have a question," Pearl said with doubts. "In my fragmented memories, I was with you guys. I shouldn't have been that young at the time. Why was I with you? Was I kidnapped or tricked? How did I escape from The Crimson Eclipse Society while you couldn't?"
Jeffery didn't fully figure it out either. "I don't know how you got in. When The Crimson Eclipse Society was exposed, some members were arrested by the police. You were probably rescued by them."
"Then why weren't you rescued?"
Jeffery said, "We were separated from you."
"Is that so?" Pearl drank her milk, still sensing something was off.
'How did I get in? Why do I have no memory of it? Why wasn't my organ harvested? Did The Crimson Eclipse Society train me as an assassin? But I didn't have such skills! If I were part of The Crimson Eclipse Society, I would have been at their mercy, not someone who could be rescued.'
After drinking the milk, Pearl seemed to fall asleep quickly.
Back in her room, she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
The next day, she was woken up by a phone call.
"Pearl, get online now!" Penelope said excitedly.
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