Chapter 81
Andrew looked at her with conceru. “Won’t that be too exhausting for you?”
Eleanor smiled reassuringly, “It’s fine. I won’t be tired. I love acting. How could I get tired doing something I enjoy?”
Seeing her determination and genuine enthusiasm, Andrew could only nod in agreement. “Alright then. But you don’t need to wake up too early tomorrow. We have a helicopter. I’ll have someone fly you there. It’ll take an hour at most.”
Eleanor stood there, floored. The perks of the rich never ceased to amaze her.
“Thank you, Andrew,” she said, thinking to herself that only a fool would pass up the chance to fly.
Meanwhile, Felix, who had been sitting at the dining table, jumped up excitedly upon hearing this news. He eagerly raised his hand and volunteered. “I’ll be Ellie’s assistant! I’ve seen all the big stars have assistants. Ellie should have one too.”
He had been looking for an excuse to stay by Eleanor’s side, and now, one had fallen right into his lap. It seemed the luck was on his side.
The thought of spending the entire summer with Eleanor on set with no one else to compete for her attention, filled him with bubbling happiness.
“Absolutely not,” Andrew said flatly, dousing Felix’s excitement like a bucket of cold water. “You lack the professional experience. You’ll only create problems for Ellie. I’ll find her a qualified assistant.”
Felix refused to give up, still trying to persuade Andrew. “I can learn!”
Andrew remained unmoved. “By the time you learn, Ellie’s filming will be over.”
Felix huffed, “I don’t care. I’m going anyway…”
Eleanor, who had been standing quietly to the side holding the box, took a deep breath and interrupted their argument, “Look, I’m just a newcomer. I really don’t need an assistant. I can take care of myself.”
In her past life, Eleanor had been an actress for decades. Starting as a minor supporting character, she had clawed her way up from the bottom, intimately familiar with the industry’s ins and outs. With limited screen time, an assistant seemed unnecessary.
Plus, Eleanor reasoned that arriving on set with an entourage of helpers as a newcomer would likely leave a poor impression before filming even began.
Andrew, however, was the first to object. “No way. An assistant isn’t just there to take care of you. They’re also responsible for on–set safety checks.”
The production assistant double–checked the actors‘ marks and safety harnesses before filming began. It was standard procedure – a crucial step to prevent any oversights that could lead to disaster.
Andrew couldn’t gamble with Eleanor’s safety.
Eleanor’s lip twitched in disbelief. She was starring in a gentle, artsy film. There weren’t even any stair–climbing scenes. She doubted there would be any danger on set.
Felix slammed his hand on the table in agreement with Andrew Exactly! After filming such exhausting scenes, shouldn’t someone be there to fetch you water and give you a massage?”
Eleanor sighed, “It’s really not that dramatic…” Filmmaking certainly didn’t involve shoulder rubs and leg massages. “Come on,” Felix pressed, “how can you say it’s impossible? You’ve never been in showbiz, so you don’t know. When I visited
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Samuel on set, I saw him take two steps and boom–a whole entourage rushed to fan him. We can’t let you get treated worse than that!”
Samuel, caught in the middle, rolled his eyes. “For crying out loud, Felix! I was shooting a winter scene in the dead of summer, bundled up in a fur coat! Did you want me to keel over from heat exhaustion?”
“Oh, quit your whining. You’re just soft,” Felix scoffed.
Samuel raised an eyebrow. “You little-”
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Just as the two were about to reignite their squabble after barely five minutes of peace, Andrew’s icy glare swept over them.
In an instant, they withered under his gaze like balloons losing air.
Andrew’s eyes softened as he turned to Eleanor. “Hey, Ellie, why don’t you hit the sack? You’ve got a big day tomorrow. Don’t worry about a thing. I got this covered.”
His words gave Eleanor an inexplicable sense of trust. She loved feeling protected by family.
“Thanks, Andrew,” she said with a warm smile. “Don’t forget to catch some sleep yourself, okay?”
“I will,” Andrew replied.
The sound of Eleanor’s footsteps faded, followed by the soft click of a door closing upstairs. Andrew’s smile vanished, replaced by an icy demeanor that seemed to chill the very air around him. His long fingers drummed a slow, steady rhythm on the table. The sound echoed in the silence, reminiscent of a sinister incantation.
Felix shifted in his seat, puzzled by Andrew’s sudden desire to talk. His mind was elsewhere, still focused on the idea of rushing upstairs to reason with Eleanor.
Meanwhile, Samuel and Dylan sat idly toying with their utensils, bored and detached from the unfolding drama.
Gloria, however, couldn’t shake her unease. She chewed her lower lip, her fingers restlessly twisting the fabric of her shirt. Her heart raced, its pounding almost audible in the tense quiet.
Something about Andrew’s demeanor set her on edge, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The menacing look he’d given her earlier seemed like a warning, chilling her to the bone. She started to believe that this conversation was about to turn its focus on her.
Sure enough, after a moment, Andrew’s fidgeting fingers stilled as he asked, “Gloria, how old are you now?”
Gloria’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t understand why Andrew would suddenly ask such a question, but she answered hesitantly, “Seventeen.”
Andrew continued tapping his fingers on the table. “Time flies, doesn’t it? You’re seventeen now. It’s been over a decade since you joined the Vanderbilt family.”
Gloria nodded stiffly. “Yes, it has.” Her memories of the orphanage were hazy. She only vaguely recalled the elegant woman who had spotted her, saying how Gloria’s sweet demeanor reminded her of her own daughter. After that, Gloria was brought into the Vanderbilt family. She suddenly had caring parents, loving brothers, and a fairy–tale life she’d never dared to imagine.
Andrew’s face remained impassive as he asked, “Ever wonder about your birth parents?”
Gloria stared at him in shock, her eyes wide. ‘What the hell is he getting at?”
“Andrew!” Dylan and Samuel exclaimed at the same time, shooting him with incredulous looks.
Andrew shot them a cold glance, his eyes devoid of emotion but his voice resolute. “A couple showed up at Vanderbilt Group
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a while back. They claimed to be Gloria’s biological parents, wanting to reconnert. I kept quiet since it was crunch time for your University Admissions Testing Now that it’s over, I figured we should talk about it.”
Gloria felt as if a bomb had exploded in her head. She was stunned, her mind reeling. Birth parents?
For all these years, she had been living with the Vanderbilt family. She had long considered them her true family, with Zack and Diana as her real parents. This was her home
“An…Andrew,” Gloria stammered, her face turning pale. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. I have my mom and dad What other birth parents are you talking about?
