A Day on Set

The next afternoon, Irene arrived at the location.

The extras were already in place and had begun changing into their costumes. Rachel and Edward stood outside, running through their lines.

"Hey, boss," Edward greeted Irene as soon as he spotted her.

Irene walked over. "I have to thank you again on behalf of the production for your generosity."

In the last movie, Edward had lent the production his limited-edition sports car. In this one, he'd lent them his relative's villa. If he was in the next movie too, would he be contributing his private jet?

"Don't be so formal with me. The villa's just sitting empty anyway. I'm sure the production will have it cleaned after you're done using it. My uncle still had one maintenance fee left," Edward said indifferently.

"How are you two with your lines? Are you ready for tonight's scene?" The main event tonight was their kiss in front of Cady, the moment that set Cady on the path to becoming a villain.

"No problem." After nearly two months of filming, Rachel had already nailed Regina's character. Today's scenes would be a piece of cake for her.

But Edward looked troubled.

"What's with that expression?" Irene asked, frowning in confusion.

"Boss, do you think I should give Brit a heads-up? What if she sees the movie after it comes out and I haven't told her beforehand? She'll definitely get mad at me." Edward looked deeply conflicted.

Irene was a little surprised. She hadn't expected that to be what he was worrying about. "You'd better tell her."

"But if I tell her now, she'll get mad now, too. Do we really have to shoot this scene?"

"Rachel hasn't said anything, and you're a grown man fussing over it. Hurry up and get ready."

Irene couldn't be bothered to listen to him go on. She headed straight off.

The two hours set aside for preparation passed quickly. The extras had all changed into their costumes and gathered near the entrance.

Since this villa was much larger than the one in the movie from her previous life, Irene had underestimated how many extras they would need. The production crew had to find more students at the last minute that morning just to fill the living room.

"Okay, let's rehearse the extras' positions first. Camera One, get ready. Camera Two, push in."

The camera slowly moved forward as Cady opened the door, following her gaze into the villa. A huge crystal chandelier hung overhead, a floating spiral staircase curved through the space, and natural-stone fireplaces lined the walls. Students in sexy outfits stood everywhere.

And Cady? She was wearing a classic Halloween costume—a zombie bride, complete with blood-red lips and fangs—but she looked completely out of place.

Hesitant yet hopeful, she ignored the strange looks from the others and kept walking toward Aaron, who had invited her.

Regina, dressed as a bunny girl, had spotted Cady as soon as she arrived. She intercepted Aaron first, smearing Cady's name and putting her down.

"CUT!"

Standing behind the monitors, Irene called over the walkie-talkie, "Edward, your reaction when Regina tells you Cady has a crush on you was too wooden! Give me something! You're supposed to like her a little, too—that's why you invited her!"

"Got it, boss."

"Let's do it again. Everyone, get into position. Extras, don't all stare at Aaron and Regina. Be natural."

On the second take, when Regina said, "You know Cady likes you, right?" Aaron glanced toward Cady. Irene couldn't help nodding. At least those expensive acting lessons hadn't been a waste of money. He was finally following the director's instructions.

The scene continued. After putting Cady down, Regina decided to land another blow. She rose slightly onto her toes, draped an arm around Aaron's neck, and pulled him gently downward. Just as they were about to kiss, Aaron hesitated for a second—then let himself be drawn in by the woman before him.

"CUT! Edward, that hesitation was great, but your body was way too stiff! Have you never kissed anyone? Don't act like some nervous virgin who doesn't want to be here!"

"Everyone, take five. Then we'll go again."

Seeing that Edward seemed a little uneasy, Rachel patted his upper arm. "Just relax."

Edward frowned as if he were facing a matter of life and death. "You're not nervous? It's my first on-screen kiss! Does my breath smell okay?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Help, I feel like my heart's about to jump out of my mouth!"

"Don't panic. Take a deep breath. Just pretend the camera isn't there. You did great just now. You only need to be a little more natural, and it'll be perfect."

Edward took a couple of deep breaths. "Thanks. I feel better. You were so natural in your first acting role—impressive. I've taken so many classes, and they still haven't helped me."

"Maybe it's because all I have is courage. Where did you take your acting classes? Were they any good?" Rachel asked curiously. If she wanted to go further in the future, she'd definitely need more formal training.

"They probably helped a little. I got scolded a lot less on this movie than on the last one, at least. I'll send you the contact info later."

Rachel was about to say okay when the director's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Time's up. Everyone, get back into the scene!"

"We'll talk after filming."

Edward didn't hear Irene call cut until his lips had gone numb. At that moment, all he could think was that he never wanted to do another kissing scene.

After checking the footage on the monitors and confirming everything was in order, Irene moved the camera's focus to Cady.

"The lighting's too dark. I can't see Cady's expression. Can we dim the surroundings a little more and let the light fall naturally across her face?"

"No, that light's too strong. I need the contrast between light and shadow."

"Makeup, touch up Cady's face."

Everyone waited as Irene fine-tuned everything until it matched the vision she had in mind.

Half an hour later, the cameras started rolling again.

Irene finished all the villa scenes in three days, including the Halloween party and the scenes where the girls chatted and hung out.

After that, they moved to the Toronto Convention Centre to film the spring dance.

At the end of the movie, Cady won the queen's crown, then broke it apart and passed the pieces around, urging everyone to be the queen of their own lives.

And with that, the movie was finished, and the cast and crew wrapped there.

Irene's wrap party was held at the Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto, right on the edge of Yorkville, with easy access to the city.

They'd booked an entire floor of the banquet hall so the crew members from every department could enjoy a comfortable, relaxing evening.

The guests that night weren't just the crew who'd worked together for so long. Senior executives from CAA and Fox were there, too.

"Looks like our Irene has delivered another masterpiece." Ira Walker, the leader who'd taken over after Michael Ovitz left CAA, approached her with a glass of champagne, accompanied by another middle-aged man with brown hair.

CAA now claimed there were no ranks, and that every agent was on equal footing.

But everyone knew that whoever represented the most stars was the one in charge.

And Ira Walker, who represented box-office giants like Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, and Will Smith, was unquestionably one of CAA's most influential figures.

Until now, Irene had only heard about him from Shelly and other people. At last, she was meeting him in person.