Chapter127 TV Show
The Director had brought up the TV show with Mr. Baker half a month earlier. At the time, Winona Sullivan wasn't at View Studio, and knowing her preference for privacy, Mr. Baker had declined on her behalf.
In the previous documentary, only Winona’s hands were shown, and paired with the handsome Alex, this sparked online curiosity about her appearance, inadvertently promoting the show.
Getting the call from Mr. Baker that Winona had agreed to participate, the team was overjoyed and informed her that filming would start in a week.
The day before the shoot, Winona received the show's agenda and guest list. Despite not knowing anyone, she knew she'd still have to go through the motions.
She wasn't there for the show itself; her goal was to use the buzz around John to reveal her identity as the enigmatic 'Windy' from the restoration scene.
After briefly reviewing the schedule, she logged out of WhatsApp. Reading lengthy documents on a small phone screen was indeed taxing on eyes.
But on the filming day, to her surprise, she encountered Fiona Clark in the makeup room. This episode featured people from various industries, none with star power to draw viewers, so the budget was tight, and the guests were not famous.
Recalling how Fiona had recently mentioned entering showbiz at Regal Oaks, Winona hadn't expected their paths to cross so soon.
With a resigned touch to her forehead, she mused on fate's twisted sense of humor; given the size of the makeup room, Fiona had undoubtedly noticed her as well.
Emily was briefing Fiona Clark on the procedure when her gaze inadvertently caught her own reflection in the mirror. But in that fleeting glance, it landed on Winona Sullivan sitting across the room.
She turned around and scanned the room disdainfully. "Recording's about to start and Windy hasn't shown up yet. What, does she think she can just swan in late on the very first day and keep everyone waiting?"
Emily had spotted the name 'Windy' on the guest list just the night before and had griped to Fiona about it: Charging an exorbitant fee for restorations was one thing, but getting on these shows too?
Having arrived early herself, Emily had already matched names to faces and noticed no strangers.
Winona Sullivan found an empty seat and settled down. "Well, here I am," she said. "Maybe, Emily, you should focus a bit more on managing your own clients. It's not like you're that capable of a powerhouse, acting like you have loyalties elsewhere and overextending your reach."
Fiona Clark frowned. "I thought the guest we invited was Windy. Is she having her assistant appear on camera in her stead?"
She asked the question without a hint of emotion, as if driven by mere curiosity, yet it drew the attention of everyone in the makeup room.
"Windy? The antiques restorer?"
The staff list had mentioned each guest's occupation, and everyone was curious about what Windy looked like.
"Yeah, I saw her last documentary. You know, the one where only her hands were shown. We all guessed she must be a knockout—after all, even her hands were gorgeous."
"So now that the show requires a face reveal, she sends her assistant? Could it be she's hiding an unsightly appearance, trying to pull the wool over our eyes?"
"Hey, don't laugh, but her assistant is actually quite stunning. I wish I had eyes like hers, though she does look somewhat familiar..."
"Ah," someone nearby suddenly whispered excitedly, "she looks like Mrs. Bailey."
Winona Sullivan ignored Fiona's implications, closing her eyes, letting the makeup artist work, while she mentally filed away every whisper around her.
Emily spun on her heel, making a beeline for the producer’s office. "I'm going to talk to the crew and expose this impostor trying to fool us all!"
Winona Sullivan didn't even bother to open her eyes.
Fiona watched her, unsure whether Winona's calmness was genuine or just for show. But given that this director was the same one from their last project at View Studio, who undoubtedly knew Windy, Winona's lack of concern suggested that perhaps there had been a prior arrangement with the production team.
John arrived promptly, seemingly more anxious than Emily.
No kidding, Windy was the hottest topic of this episode. Without her, how could this otherwise obscure show hope to draw an audience?
John was rattled to the core when he was told that Windy's assistant had arrived. Knowing Windy maintained a low profile in the industry, but not so low as to be unrecognizable, he realized a slip-up here could spell disaster for the entire show—a scandal heavy enough to crush them.
Windy had stubbornly declined participation in the last documentary, so when she unexpectedly agreed to join a few days ago, John couldn't shake an ominous feeling that something might go wrong.
The sound of footsteps prompted Winona Sullivan to open her eyes.
The Director exhaled deeply upon seeing the familiar face. He instructed the makeup artist to make it perfect.
Indeed, Winona was still Mr. Bailey's wife and had recently made the news. While the buzz had somewhat subsided, it lingered in the air.
After brief small talk, he dove back into his work.
He turned to Emily, who was standing beside him, and his smile vanished as he warned, "If you have nothing to do, go check on your own clients—see if they need anything. Stop scheming; it won’t get you far in this business."
Emily swallowed her questions in the face of John's clear stance.
Silence reigned in the makeup room as everyone cast furtive glances towards Winona Sullivan. Everyone except Fiona Clark.
She stood abruptly, approached Winona, who was in the midst of getting her makeup done, and asked pointedly, "So you're Windy? The one who restored the painting?"
"Yes."
"You lied to me? Winona, you knew I was looking for Windy. Why didn't you admit it? You charged me a fortune to fix that painting out of revenge!"
Winona tried not to laugh at the barrage of accusations, but eventually, a chuckle escaped. "Fiona, if I remember correctly, Mr. Baker introduced me to you as soon as I walked into his office. You were the one who insisted you were looking for Windy, not me. And regarding the fee, you knew the cost. If it was too much, you could've refused. No one forced your hand."
"But you knew I meant you."
"I'm supposed to desperately explain myself because you weren’t clear? Are you for real?"
Fiona was speechless.
The makeup room's occupants watched the confrontation, both openly and discreetly. Fiona's pride wouldn't allow her to make more of a scene, so she looked at Winona, who had closed her eyes again, and strode out to the hallway.
Pulling out her phone with restrained fury, she dialed Zachary Bailey's number. As soon as he picked up, she blurted out, "Were you aware of Winona Sullivan's double life?"
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