Chapter 1022
She was stunning every line and curve perfectly proportioned, those long legs giving her a model’s poise. The kind of beauty that would shine through even in a burlap sack. On top of it all, she carried herself with a natural-born grace and refinement that no one else could fake.
“So what’s with the hesitation?” Linnea demanded, her tone slightly sharp. She’d expected Sylvia’s immediate and wholehearted praise, but instead, Sylvia faltered. That hesitation made it painfully obvious that Sylvia needed to think about it— meaning Calliope’s looks were enough to give her pause. Meaning that maybe, just maybe, Calliope might actually be more beautiful-and Linnea couldn’t stand that.
Fury welled up in her chest.
“No, there’s no comparison between you and Ms. Jewell!” Sylvia rushed to say, scrambling to fix her misstep. “You have that unmistakable star quality—she’s just a regular screenwriter! She’s plain and understated, but you? You’re a total knockout -a star that demands to be seen p>
Sylvia pressed on, beaming, “You’re the lead, the star of the show! That’s proof enough that you’re the one she picked for your looks. She was there at the auditions, wasn’t she? Everyone chose you, right p>
Linnea’s anger eased a little under the barrage of flattery. “That’s true. She chose me—she must think I’m the beautiful one,” Linnea said, leaning back with a satisfied air, her mood considerably improved.
“Go bring Julius here. I want to run scenes with him,” she ordered.
“Of course,” Sylvia replied, nodding quickly. She made her way over to Julius, offering a friendly greeting as she passed Calliope. Calliope gave her a polite nod in return.
“Is there something you need?” Julius asked when Sylvia stopped in front of him.
“Linnea would like to run lines with Mr. Quillen. Is he free at the moment?” Sylvia glanced at Julius as she relayed the request in a soft voice.
Julius looked past her toward Linnea, seeing her already watching him.
“Why doesn’t she come over here?” he asked, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
Calliope responded before anyone else could. “She’s just asking you to rehearse, that’s all—go on, it’s nothing dramatic p>
Julius had half a mind to refuse, but at Calliope’s prompting, he stood up and headed over to Linnea’s side.
Linnea greeted him with a wide, contented smile, inviting him to sit down. The two worked through their scene together, but as soon as they finished, Julius stood right back up and walked straight to Calliope.
All trace of delight vanished from Linnea’s face. She’d summoned him for practice— and that was all he’d given her. Was his world so small that it revolved entirely around Calliope?
Instinctively, her gaze slid over to Ulysses. After a moment’s thought, she had Sylvia fetch him as well Linnea had scene’s with Ulysses, too-they could “discuss the script” and maybe she could enjoy his company a little more.
Ulysses didn’t make her wait long, joining her with respectful politeness befitting a less experienced actor addressing his senior. Linnea asked a few casual questions, and he answered them all.
“I get a little lonely sitting here by myself, Ulysses,” she purred, her eyes luminous. “Why don’t you come sit with me? We could have a nice long chat p>
Ulysses stared at her, unblinking. Sorry, I’d really rather not move p>
Linnea stared at him, incredulous. She never imagined a D-list actor like Ulysses would pass up the opportunity who wouldn’t want cozy up to an award-winning star like her? But he’d actually refused.
Her anger flared, and her face went pale with indignation.