Ch. 3201..3210
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3201
Take Your Positions
Megan, although still perplexed, could tell that Jonas didn’t want to elaborate any further on the subject.
So, she chose not to push it. Now that she was coming off of the adrenaline, the guilt was starting to creep up on her upon realizing that her words may have sounded much crueler than intended.
Keeping their worries and burdens to themselves, they both returned to the set. The make-up artist helped touch up Megan’s makeup and effectively make her look much uglier than she actually was.
“Wow. You look hideous.”
Mia seemed to have completely forgotten about the incident at the dressing room, staying a good distance away from Megan as she hurled insults at her.
Megan, once again, ignored her. After all, she’d only gotten mad at the dressing room because Mia had made the first move and laid her filthy hands on her.
Furthermore, she knew that Mia was just being petty and jealous because Mia had spotted her and Jonas walking back to the set together.
“Watch your mouth, Mia,” Osmond quietly reminded her, unknowingly incurring Mia’s dissatisfaction.
She’d initially been over the moon thinking that Megan would be sad because she was leaving Starling Media, and had come up with the brilliant idea to humiliate Megan by casting her as “the ugly girl” while she played the gorgeous female lead.
But what pissed Mia off was that Jake and Jonas were treating Megan much better than they were treating her!
I’m the one who deserves everything good in the world! Some plain-looking b*tch has no right to snatch away everything that belongs to me!
“I don’t care!”
Mia glared venomously at Megan, who seemed to be secretly enjoying herself, before stomping off towards the film set.
No one took notice of a black Mercedes-Benz parked nearby, its passenger silently watching everything from afar.
“We’re starting soon! Everyone take your places!”
The cast and crew all swiftly got into their positions. Jonas and Mia were both holding a glass of milk each as they stared deeply into each other’s eyes, while Megan was stationed in the background as she spied on them from afar.
Megan had briefly skimmed through the script before arriving on set. To put it simply, she was playing the role of an unattractive girl who had a crush on the most handsome guy in school. After drinking the same brand of milk as him, she unexpectedly struck up a conversation with him.
From the perspective of the “Megan” from seven years in the future, she couldn’t believe that an advertisement with a plotline this bad would have gotten the green light.
“Mia, you’re leaning in too close to Jonas! Remember, you’re playing a shy high-schooler with some dignity and self-respect!”
The director finally lost his patience after having to watch take after take of Mia acting needy and clingy through the camera lens. The filming session had already been interrupted several times before this due to Mia’s having all kinds of problems.
Mia, the spoilt brat that she was, had already been in a sour mood that worsened even further when the director scolded her in front of so many people, and in such a humiliating way too.
Seeing red, she got up and walked right over, shoving his film camera and sending it crashing to the ground.
“Don’t think that you have the power to order me around just because you’re the director!”
Everyone’s jaw dropped. Megan’s eyes widened; she hadn’t expected Mia to be so spoilt by Starling Media that she would dare to pull something like this.
“What the hell are you doing, Mia?”
Osmond and the director shouted simultaneously. Their combined volume startled Mia, and she held her hands up to cover her open mouth as if only now realizing what she had just done.
Unfortunately for her, the film camera was already shattered into pieces all over the floor. There was no taking back what she’d done.
“You’re mighty proud for a lowly actress who has only filmed a few commercials in her entire career! I’m going to tell all of my fellow directors to never hire you ever again!” The director roared, pointing his finger right in Mia’s pale face. Osmond looked like he was about to be sick.
Megan was nearly giddy from sheer glee. She needed to thank Jonas for letting her witness this mess; Mia would have never gotten distracted like that if it weren’t for him.
Mia’s mind had to have been occupied by fears of Megan herself stealing Jonas away, just like how Megan was afraid that Mia would steal Jake away.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3202
Making A Fuss
Megan had now gained control over both of the men whom Mia had been targeting. All Megan needed them to do was to not help Mia in any way, and that would be enough for her.
“Come here!” Osmond growled out. Chills ran down the spine of anyone who was unlucky enough to overhear him.
After all, he was Luna’s best manager. His every word and every action commanded respect and authority.
“I…” Megan could see the way Mia’s hands were trembling from fear even from where she stood.
“I said, come here. Don’t you think you’ve embarrassed Starling Media enough today?” Osmond reiterated. Resigning herself to her fate, Mia slowly inched towards him.
Just as everyone was wondering how Osmond could possibly rescue her from this awkward situation, a loud sound rang out throughout the set.
Slap!
A collective gasp could be heard from every corner of the room.
“You…” Mia stared up at him with wide eyes, her mouth gaping open and shut like a fish.
“That’s your punishment for making a fuss. I won’t say anything more, but if you don’t do your job properly, we’ll renew the contract with Megan and drop you from the company.”
Osmond was very well aware of Mia’s weakness. She would never allow Megan to surpass her and was willing to put up with a slap to prove as much.
Megan raised an eyebrow when listening in on the conversation, unable to help but feel awed by Osmond’s intelligence. This way, he was able to let the director retain some dignity. Besides, Mia was under his care, and he wasn’t going to be too harsh on her in the first place.
He had also somehow managed to keep Starling Media’s reputation and pride intact. Otherwise, if the director really caused Mia to be blacklisted from the entire industry, she would be the black sheep of the company and stain its name.
His very last sentence also served as a warning to Mia to make her behave. After all, she was indeed Mia’s weakness.
“I think Mia has calmed down by now, Mr. Floyd. I humbly request that you have a discussion with Starling Media after accepting our formal apology and let us treat you to a meal.”
Osmond’s perfectly polite conduct and choice of wording usually made people like him instantly. He carried himself with poise and the aura he gave off demanded respect. The director was also aware of how embarrassing it must have been for an actress to be slapped in public like that, and most of his anger had already dissipated.
Sighing in exasperation, he waved someone over to pick up the film camera. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, we need to continue filming.”
Everyone in the background exchanged glances; some were amused while some pitied Mia.
Everything went back to normal and the crew found a new filming camera to set up. Just as all the preparations were done and they were ready to resume shooting, a deep voice suddenly interrupted them.
“Wait.”
The voice sounded familiar to Megan, who glanced up and proceeded to stumble backward in shock.
When did Jake get here?
Perhaps it was due to his overwhelming, powerful aura, but everyone instantly whipped around to look at him. Even Mia, who had been wallowing in self-pity, quickly scrambled to her feet and smiled brightly at him.
Jake strode over to the director. “Are you just going to leave things at that, Mr. Floyd?”
His large, broad frame towered over the director, making the latter seem small and frail in comparison.
“Mr. Wilson…” Stephen gulped, unable to decipher what might possibly be on Jake’s mind. With much difficulty, he forced out a reply. “You must have witnessed everything and clearly saw that it wasn’t that big a deal…”
“It wasn’t a big deal, sure. Starling Media might have dealt their punishment, but our production crew has yet to do so, right?”
His tone was as calm as if he was talking about the weather, but Megan felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. What is he doing?
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3203
An Eye For An Eye
“That…” Stephen snuck a wary glance at Osmond. “Mia is signed under Starling Media, while the commercial was commissioned by one of your subsidiaries, Mr. Wilson. I think you should have the last say on this issue.”
It was a smart way of not pushing the blame onto either side. Stephen, with the gut feeling that a storm was coming his way, wanted nothing more than to be a passerby rather than in the eye of the storm.
Jake had expected that the director would say as such. He lifted his head to fix his piercing stare on Osmond, seeing right through his mask.
This was the kind of fear that power and money brought about.
“Then, I’ll do as Mr. Floyd said and be the last word on this. I want Megan and Mia to switch their roles and resume filming.”
He briefly glanced in Megan’s direction and met her astonished stare.
At that very moment, Megan felt her heart skip a beat. She frantically tore away from his gaze, hiding her face from him as she took deep breaths to calm her overheating body down.
What’s wrong with me?
Megan was starting to grow scared. She’d only provoked the man because of what had happened in her past life and because she merely didn’t want to let Mia do as she pleased. But right now, her feelings for him seemed to be developing in a completely different direction than she’d prepared for.
She’d underestimated Jake’s charm.
“I…”
Mia’s face fell. She was about to open her mouth to complain when Osmond immediately pushed her to stand behind him. “Yes, sir. We’ll do as you wish.”
His answer was very brief and without an ounce of apprehension, causing everyone else to start whispering excitedly to one another. The distant yet insistent voices irritated Mia greatly and made her feel as if bugs were crawling all over her skin. She felt the bitter taste of bile in the back of her mouth but found that she couldn’t even lift a single finger, let alone run away.
“Good. Get prepared and resume filming.” Jake waved them all off, scanning his surroundings as he tried to seek Megan out.
“Mr. Wilson.”
Jonas, who’d been indecisive on whether or not to greet Jake, eventually walked up and greeted him. After all, he was signed to Sky Entertainment, and there was no reason for him to ignore his boss.
Jake turned around at the sound of his name. Upon realizing that it was Jonas, he briefly nodded in his direction before stalking away.
His cold, off-putting attitude confused Jonas, but he didn’t think much of it.
Elsewhere, Megan knew that Jake was trying to look for her and had found a hiding spot where she thought he wouldn’t be able to find her. She’d also called for a make-up artist to help touch up her make-up in her hiding spot instead of the dressing room.
However, Jake still easily found Megan, displeasure written all over his face.
“Are you avoiding me?”
The make-up artist took one glance at him and speedily applied the finishing touches before slipping away before Megan could stop her. It was at that moment that Megan truly regretted leaving Donna to wait outside of the filming location.
“I… I was getting my make-up done.” She turned away from him to stare at some random bushes in the distance.
Knowing that there was something on her mind, he leaned against a tree and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I didn’t hear about you accepting this job. Why didn’t you come to me straight away if you’d known that you were only cast to be humiliated?”
Megan glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. The warm sunlight that filtered through the trees above them cast gentle, dancing shadows across her delicate features. “We’re not that close. If we were friends, maybe I would have gone to you for help. But the reality is that we’re not, and doing so would have cost me my dignity.”
Jake just stared at her, his hands slowly closing into fists.
This Megan was different from all the other women who had tried to impersonate Megan in an attempt to get close to him in the past. This Megan was more stubborn, more proud, but nothing else.
Perhaps it was that very stubbornness and bravery that helped her to grow up from a neglected little girl in an old, rural village into the mature woman that stood here today.
This was the first time Jake had ever poured so much energy into figuring out what someone else might be thinking. He concluded that it was a strange feeling that was unnecessary.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3204
What It Feels Like To Be Scared
So, he cleared his mind of all disruptive thoughts and pushed himself off the tree to stand up straight. “I now understand. But just know that I helped you out today purely because I can’t stand the sight of your face. Having a pretty actress like Mia play the part of ‘the ugly girl’ would stir up more of a frenzy on social media and bring more attention to the advertisement. Don’t think too much about it and focus on filming.”
Leaving behind those parting words, he stalked off. Megan blinked owlishly as she watched the back of his silhouette, her chest slowly growing tight with disappointment.
So that’s what he actually thinks about me. Whatever. At least she wouldn’t have to constantly get tangled up in her own conflicting emotions anymore.
The most important thing now was to get involved in a reputable, well-known project and surpass Mia and Herman, as well as find out the truth about that so-called “Mr. Wilson” from before.
She navigated her way through the garden to get back to the set. She was just in the middle of flipping through her script when she heard the faint sounds of a man and woman arguing come from somewhere, as well as the sounds of sobbing.
Megan instantly recognized the woman’s voice as Mia. Her little sister must be throwing a tantrum after getting slapped in front of everyone and having her lead role taken away from her.
“I won’t stand for this! Why should I be the supporting role to Megan? She doesn’t deserve it!”
Following the source of the voices, Megan eventually spotted Mia and Osmond and hid behind a large tree to watch them.
Mia appeared to be having a full-on breakdown, squatting on the floor and constantly wiping away the tears that just kept flowing down her cheeks.
“You know very well that neither you nor I, nor anyone else in Starling Media, can argue with Jake. If you talk back to him, that’s the end of your career.”
Osmond sighed, only slight traces of pity in his hooded eyes as he stared down at her. If it weren’t for Mia’s good looks, he would have willingly become Megan’s manager a long time ago.
After all, that woman had nothing to her name, yet had somehow managed to make Jake fall for her.
“I don’t care! I don’t want to film this stupid commercial anymore!” Mia declared, abruptly standing up to emphasize her point. Osmond’s expression darkened.
It was really tiring to watch them go at each other.
No matter how hot-headed Mia was, she would never be able to win an argument with Osmond. Her attempts to scream and stand her ground only made Megan want to laugh.
Chuckling under her breath, Megan made to leave when she accidentally stepped on a branch. The small sound of the branch cracking under her foot instantly attracted the attention of both Mia and Osmond.
“Who’s there?” Osmond barked out.
Megan’s breath hitched in her throat. She’d been exposed.
“It’s me.” With no intention to run away, she stepped out from the shadows into the light. Her calm gaze flickered down to look at a still-crying Mia. “I would’ve never thought that my prideful little sister would cry.”
“Megan!”
Mia instantly flared up with anger, all the sadness in her eyes was replaced with burning wrath. For a brief moment, she wished that her glare would burn right through Megan and turn her into a pile of ashes.
“I’m going to kill you!”
“Mia, stop messing around!”
Osmond’s arms shot out to hold her back, narrowing his eyes at Megan as Mia struggled in his arms.
What a troublemaker. Megan kept making him step out of line and do things that he usually never needed to do.
“What do you want, Megan?” he asked, a dangerous undercurrent running through his voice.
Megan laughed. “Nothing, at least for now. I feel refreshed after seeing Mia cry, so I’m in a good mood.”
“You b*tch!” Gritting her teeth, Mia suddenly gained a burst of energy and broke free from Osmond’s grasp, lunging towards Megan like a rabid animal let out of its cage.
She wrapped her hands around Megan’s head, nearly slamming it into a nearby tree. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was beet red as she spat out, “Do you think I’m scared of you?”
“No. You don’t know what it feels like to be scared.”
Megan maintained her unperturbed attitude, ignoring the sharp pain in her back. She reached up and dug her nails into Mia’s hands, the mocking look in her eyes causing Mia to freeze up.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3205
The Last One Standing
This was no longer the Megan from before.
The nervous, timid woman she used to walk all over was now looking down on her.
Her pride and fame were all going to be stolen away from her by Megan.
No… I can’t just stand by and let that happen!
“You’re right. I’m not scared of you at all. If you think that the world is now yours just because you’ve somehow charmed both Jake and Jonas, then you’d be sorely mistaken.”
Mia let go of Megan and let her fall to the ground, her face contorting into an unsightly expression of disdain.
Her sister merely stared back at her, pursing her lips. Mia’s words had set off alarm bells in Megan’s brain.
In her past life, Mia was nothing more than an airhead who relied on Osmond to do everything for her. She’d offended many people and didn’t feel self-conscious about her bratty personality at all, recklessly breezing through life until she finally ended up plotting Megan’s death with Herman.
Now, Mia seemed to have realized something and was going to fight back. She’d never regarded Megan as worthy of her attention before this, but she was going to start taking the threat that was Megan seriously.
Of course, this all depended on whether Mia actually had the brains to do so. Whether or not Mia would end up ruining her own life or continue carrying this hatred inside her to her grave was still an unsolved mystery.
“I have never underestimated you. I’ve said before: I want you dead. Our grudge is much more than just regarding what happened back at the village,” Megan told her matter-of-factly.
“Huh,” Mia scoffed, properly looking at Megan for what must have been the first time in her life. “So you really want me to die.”
She tilted her head to one side mockingly and placed a hand on her hip. “Sure. We’ll see who will have the last laugh.”
“I look forward to it.”
Megan turned around to leave but suddenly felt something bump roughly into her shoulder from behind. Wincing slightly, she saw Mia walk past her and flip her hair over her shoulder as if she hadn’t just physically assaulted her.
Megan rolled her eyes, reaching up to massage her shoulder lightly. These little provoking actions were nothing more than child’s play at this point.
“It looks like I should thank you.”
Osmond approached her and started to walk alongside her. “If it weren’t for your little speech, Mia might go on treating her work without a serious attitude. But it seems I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Detecting traces of sarcasm in his voice, Megan huffed as she gave a smug-looking Osmond a sidelong glance. “Is that so? It’s good that you think that way, but are you sure you can keep Mia under control when she’s angered by me? She’s no longer a doll that will just let you slap her around. If you won’t let her do as she pleases, she’s going to fire you sooner or later.”
Megan was flaunting the extent of her influence over Mia as well as simultaneously questioning Osmond’s abilities as a manager.
Naturally, the man’s smiley expression abruptly changed into an upset one. He slowed down and eventually stopped in his tracks, watching Megan’s prideful stride from behind. Something inside him twisted and nearly broke.
“You’re a really unlikeable person.” He quickly shook himself from his thoughts and caught up to her, briefly glancing at her shoulder that Mia had bumped into earlier.
“Well, that’s too bad.” Megan grinned. “After all, you guys aren’t human in my eyes. I don’t have the time to care about how your feelings.”
Regardless of whether it was in her past life or her current life, the only image she had of everyone who worked at Starling Media could be summarized into two words—cold and scornful.
When she brought up the idea of changing her public image, Luna had instantly scolded and humiliated her. After that, she eventually accepted the reality that her career was over and sought comfort in her relationship, only for her feelings of love to instantly turn to horror when she’d gotten killed because of said relationship.
Her innocence might have been the catalyst to her downfall, but there was no way in hell that she could forgive the very people who took advantage of her innocence in the first place.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3206
Turnaround
That was why she was determined to make Mia pay for everything she did and never have mercy, no matter how much Mia struggled.
She’d thrown away all unnecessary, unneeded emotions and focused all her energy into hatred for the sake of carrying out her revenge.
“I see. I can tell that you hate us very much, but I’m not interested in learning why. If you’re going to try and go up against a much stronger force, be my guest.”
Osmond wasn’t going to stand around and listen to her wild fantasies any longer. Even with all the luck in the world, he could already see the future downfall of fooling around with Jake.
“We’ll see who the stronger force is.”
Megan’s footsteps slowed down, and she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she watched him walk away. The cool breeze that caressed her face made her heart feel much lighter than before.
Filming for the commercial ended after a few hours. Megan briefly exchanged a few polite words with Jonas before hurriedly going home with Donna.
The two of them reached home fatigued and drained. After a light meal and a shower, they eventually started a conversation about what had happened on set earlier that day.
Donna had been outside the set the entire time, so the story made her jaw drop. “Does that mean that Mia actually views you as her enemy now?”
“When has she ever not thinking of me as an enemy? She’s just finally gotten serious about getting back at me, which is a good thing. That prevents her from dumping all the blame onto me in the future,” Megan scoffed.
“I guess you’re right…” Donna scratched the back of her head. “By the way, Transcendent is airing in a few days, isn’t it? Are you nervous?”
“I feel nothing much.” Megan twirled a piece of her hair around her finger. She could already foresee what everyone online was going to say. After all, her character was not exactly likable for the first few episodes.
“Huh? But it’s the first-ever show you’re starring in!” Donna’s eyes widened in astonishment as she inched closer to Megan on the couch.
“Hey, you’re so childish sometimes,” laughed Megan, flicking Donna’s forehead lightly. “Let’s go to sleep. We’ve both had a long day.”
“Okay,” Donna pouted.
A few days later, Transcendent aired on all major tv channels. The attention it got due to its casting choice of Kelly and Philip had garnered quite some attention, and the first episode broke several viewership rating records.
Megan was elated. The more people watched the show, the more they would grow to be familiar with her and start to become fans of hers.
“A lot of people are commenting online that they don’t like the female lead.”
Donna kept refreshing her Twitter page to search for new posts about Transcendent. Nearly all of them were discussing how hot Philip was, with nearly zero mention of Kelly.
“That was to be expected. No one likes a ditzy female character nowadays.” Megan held the remote control in one hand as she found the channel that was airing the television drama. Her character had yet to make her appearance.
“What’s wrong with a sweet female character? Sweet, innocent girls are the exact type that is compatible with a handsome character like Philip’s!” Donna sighed dreamily as she held her face in her hands, honey nearly dripping from her eyes as she stared at the male lead on the screen.
Shivers ran up Megan’s spine. She recalled how there weren’t many cheesy romance dramas back in her time, let alone dramas with innocent, ditzy female leads such as Transcendent.
“As long as you like it.”
Megan turned her attention back to the television, but her mind had wandered elsewhere. It seemed that a lot of viewers were going to drop the show after having watched the pilot episode.
Without an audience, then no one would grow a liking to her character, no matter how attractive and interesting she was.
All she could do was pray and hope for the best.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3207
Clickbait
In the blink of an eye, the show was reaching the middle of its run. Megan’s character was about to appear soon, but the viewership ratings had already decreased to nearly less than half of what the pilot episode had garnered.
The audience was complaining about how the main female character was useless and how many of the side characters only served as plot devices to the story. Some were even starting to criticize the director’s skills and decisions.
However, Megan was aware that the main female character was going to develop and grow. The first half of the show merely hinted at the exciting plot twists to come in the second half.
So, on the day that the episode where her character was debuting was about to air, she made a Twitter post to try and get more people to tune in to the show: Don’t forget to watch “Transcendent” later tonight! The princess is finally making her appearance, and she’s an extremely charming character to keep an eye out for!
She knew that her character would not appear to be likable at all for quite a few episodes, but had chosen to promote the show at this specific time anyway. After all, even one curious person who might watch the show was a potential future fan.
As she’d expected, a lot of people had watched the new episode because of her social media post. After the episode was over, they returned to comment their criticisms under her post.
Your character is just as shameless as you are in real life!
“Charming”? She’s just a bratty, prideful show-off! Calling her “charming” is an insult to people who actually are charming!
Megan raised an eyebrow as she scrolled past all of the unpleasant comments. Donna, on the other hand, kept sighing and huffing as she read through them.
“It’s not that bad, Donna. Cheer up! I’m sure my character is going to become one of the most popular ones in the show.”
Nothing she said was able to lighten Donna’s mood, whose frown seemed to never leave her face.
The two of them later went to bed that night, keeping their thoughts and feelings to themselves.
The next day was the day that Megan was going to finally find out if she’d made the right bet. Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t find the strength to turn on the television.
Donna had an inkling as to why but didn’t voice her suspicions out loud. But, even if Transcendent was going to flop, she was going to watch every episode until its inevitable crash. With a newfound determination, she took the remote from Megan and turned the television on.
Goosebumps rose all over Megan’s skin at the familiar tune of the show’s opening theme song. Her hands, scrolling through her social media feed, trembled as she glanced up at Donna. “Why’d you switch it on?”
“Today’s the day we find out whether accepting the role was a good or bad thing. We have to watch it even if you don’t want to.” Donna had an out-of-character serious expression as she set down her laptop on the coffee table. The screen displayed her social media feed.
It looked like she was going to watch the show while scrolling through other people’s real-time comments.
Megan felt her shoulders stiffen up upon that realization. She’d always been confident in herself, but now she was facing a bout of self-doubt.
In her past life, someone else had blown up in popularity because of this character. What if the circumstances were different because the character was now played by her instead of that person?
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she glanced down at her lap and blocked the rest of the world out, too afraid to think about what might happen if her plan failed.
Just as she was in the midst of wallowing in her own doubt, her phone buzzed with the notification of a text message.
She opened it up without thinking twice and saw that it was from Jonas: “Your acting is great. Keep up the good work.”
Is it… good?
Her grip on her phone tightened, and she finally mustered up the courage to look at the television screen. Her character was all alone, kneeling down on the palace floor. Her long, crimson red dress spread out all around her made her look like a phoenix ready to take flight.
“I feel so bad for the princess…”
Donna had only intended to watch the show out of morbid curiosity but was now completely pulled in the plot. Her eyes were filled with tears, her heart moved by the sheer emotion displayed by the princess.
Megan’s eyes slowly widened. It was hard for her to believe that the person onscreen was her, and that was her acting skills. Her heart instantly swelled up with pride and relief.
She’d had a certain level of confidence in her own acting, but to see it from a third person’s perspective in an actual television drama was a completely different thing, and the first time in her two lives.
She slowly raised a hand to cover her shocked, open mouth. She was suddenly grateful for this character and regained the belief that the drama would absolutely catapult her into fame. Even if she was currently a mere amateur, there was no doubt that she would one day be reborn as a gorgeous phoenix!
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3208
Interrupting Their Beauty Sleep
“Woah! Everyone on Twitter has immediately changed their opinions! You’re trending, Megan!”
Donna finally tore her gaze away from the screen for the brief moment that the princess wasn’t onscreen and glanced at her laptop screen. The comments she was reading left her shocked; the very same audience who had been slagging the character now had nothing but praise for her.
“I know.” Megan smiled with genuine happiness that she hadn’t felt for more than a month. The approving comments online were making her choke up with emotion.
Is this what a sense of accomplishment feels like?
Who needs love when I have fans who recognize my hard work?
Megan secretly swore to herself, I am going to continue living not just for the sake of getting revenge, but also to revive my career as a star!
“We’ve made it, Megan! The commercials and acting roles are all going to come flooding in!”
Donna squealed, jumping on the sofa in sheer joy and even running over to the television screen to kiss the digital image of Megan onscreen.
That night was one that neither of them would be able to forget.
The next day, Donna was awoken by the sound of her phone ringing before the sun was even up. Next to her, Megan drowsily opened one eye, her mind still foggy with sleep.
“What is it…”
“I don’t know,” Donna mumbled, reaching out and blindly looking for her phone under her pillow.
Too lazy to look at the screen, she instinctively pressed “answer” and placed it against her ear, her tone impatient as she grumbled, “Who is this? Why’d you disturb our beauty sleep for?”
“It’s me, Luna.”
That made Donna instantly jerk awake and sit up in bed. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she took a good look at her phone screen to see that it really displayed Luna’s name.
“What is it, Luna? It’s so early in the morning.”
“Megan’s there, isn’t she? Pass the phone over. I want to talk to her personally.”
Megan had also long since fully woken up at the mere mention of Luna’s name. She exchanged a wary look with Donna before taking the phone from her.
“Tell me.”
There was no beating around the bush. Megan had always acted this way to people whom she didn’t like.
On the other hand, Luna was not used to this bluntness from Megan, whom she’d always looked down upon. Clearing her throat with an awkward cough, she said, “Starling Media has been preparing some bonus year-end gifts for its staff. I’ve reserved one for you, so come over to collect it.”
“Is that so?” Megan hummed, not believing a single word Luna said. “You just want me to go to the Starling Media company building, don’t you? Fine. I’ll go then.”
On the other side of the call, Luna’s mood had brightened significantly after hearing that Megan had agreed to come. “Alright! I’ll be waiting for you in my office.”
Donna hung up the call and proceeded to stare at Megan questioningly. “Why did you agree to her request? She used to treat you like crap!”
“It doesn’t matter,” Megan yawned, stretching her back and arms out. “I want to see what she has up her sleeve.”
The two of them took a short nap and later woke up at around eight o’clock. After washing up and eating breakfast, they made their way to the Starling Media company building casually.
Half an hour later, they found themselves standing before the main entrance of Starling Media. Megan didn’t feel as down as she was when she last left this building.
“Let’s go.”
They passed through familiar corridors and hallways to reach Luna’s office. They were just about to push the door open when it opened from the inside.
“Hi, Megan.”
Luna poked her head out from behind the door, her cheeks round with how much she was grinning. Megan merely looked at her blankly, wondering what she could be up to.
“What do you want, Luna?”
Megan sat herself down on one of the sofas as she scanned the woman from head to toe.
“Relax. You haven’t even collected your gifts yet.”
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3209
True Colors
Luna pulled several gift boxes out of a huge paper bag, handing them to Donna before sitting down next to Megan. “It’s nearing the end of the year, and it’s hard to get anyone to sign an exclusive contract with us. But I’ve purposefully reserved several events and movie roles for you, so—”
“Wait, stop,” Megan cut her off, holding a hand up in the air as she furrowed her eyebrows together. “I’ve said before that I won’t be renewing my contract with Starling Media, and you didn’t stop me back then. Why are you bringing this up again now?”
Luna did a double-take before a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head. Snapping her fingers, she chuckled as she got up and retrieved a document from her desk, giving it to Megan. “Now that you’re here, I thought that you might as well sign the renewal contract. You can take a look at the terms and conditions listed inside. I guarantee you that only top talents in our company are deserving of these conditions.”
Skimming through the contents of the document, the hints of a smirk played on Megan’s lips. It was true that it was a much better contract when compared to her previous one, but she now had experience from her past life. She wasn’t going to settle for mediocrity.
So, she pushed the contract back in Luna’s direction, giving her a polite smile. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t think I’m interested.”
“You… Did you read through the terms properly?” Luna was clearly offended, quickly taking a deep breath and suppressing her arising anger.
Megan internally scoffed at the sight.
Does Luna think that Starling Media was her only option?
“Of course I did. I also know that this contract is equivalent to what Mia was offered. But I would like to reiterate that I’m not signing with Starling Media; I detest this place and this company.”
Upon hearing that, the smile and warmth instantly vanished from Luna’s face.
Pretending to organize her files, she slammed the document back onto the coffee table. “Don’t think that just because you starred in a television drama that you’re now some hotshot. I’m only here to discuss the contract with you now because I’ve started thinking highly of you.”
So she was finally showing her true colors.
“Is that so?” Megan shrugged, looking Luna up and down in interest. “So you see me in a different light now that I’ve gained some recognition. Of course, that wasn’t your fault. Your fault, however, is not having the foresight that I have the potential to become famous. And now you’ve realized all too late that if you fail to make me stay, I’ll eventually surpass you.”
“You!”
Luna was momentarily lost for words. She’d never seen Megan act this way before. She was sat on the sofa as she stared up at her through lazy, hooded eyelids.
All she could do to vent her anger was to press hard on her pen.
It took a while before Luna finally regained her composure. Placing her pen back down, she fixed Megan with a calm stare. “I think you have no intention to retire from showbiz. And you’re still young, so you have no idea how important having a manager and a company to back you up will be. I don’t want you to regret your decision, and I don’t want to witness the downfall of one of tomorrow’s greatest celebrities.”
Luna had always been good at flowery sweet-talk. If this had been Megan’s first try at life, she might have even felt a little moved.
“Is that so? But the role that I’m most well-known for was not even earned from the company.”
The blunt truth pierced easily through Luna’s veil of lies. Megan smiled sarcastically, watching in anticipation to see how she would react.
Still, Luna was a veteran in the entertainment industry. A small trip-up like this wasn’t enough to faze her.
“It’s true that we didn’t give you that role. However, how would you have gotten in without the support of Starling Media as your platform?” Luna raised an eyebrow.
Megan nearly barked out loud with laughter. She and Donna exchanged an amused look before turning to look back at Luna.
“Starling Media would be nothing without loyal lapdogs like you. Now that you mention it, I feel kinda bad; I mean, I’ve been with this company for so long, but I’ve never gifted you guys anything. You know what? You can take back these year-end gifts and think of them as my present to you.”
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3210
I Am Here For Megan
After that, Donna placed the items in front of Luna once again before leaving without even turning around for a look.
Luna was now left in the office. For the first time ever, she had been insulted by a newbie, which angered her so much she swept everything off her desk and threw herself onto the sofa.
Meanwhile, Donna and Megan left the office. On the way, Donna could not stop gushing over Megan’s fantastic performance earlier.
They joked around with each other until they reached Starling Media. Megan had just taken one step down the stairs when a car screeched to a halt and sent mud flying to her pants.
“This is terrible! I’ll go and talk to them!”
Donna took a look at Megan’s pants and frowned furiously. She was about to talk to the car owner when she looked at it and found that it looked rather familiar.
“Never mind, let’s not do this.”
Megan did not want to cause a scene over something minor like this. After all, she had a somewhat reputation to take care of right now.
Megan was about to take an alternative route with Donna when the sound of high heels caught her attention.
She could not help but turn around only to realize that it was Jacinta getting down from the car.
Their eyes met at the exact same time. Megan was taken aback while her gaze turned cold. She had not forgotten what had happened during the launch event.
This Jacinta was not to be reckoned with at all.
“Oooh, isn’t that our little superstar on social media ?” A heavily made-up Jacinta sashayed towards her while speaking in a sarcastic and mocking tone.
Megan had no intention of hiding from her. So, she merely looked up while shielding Donna behind her. “Look, isn’t this Jacinta, the celebrity that is so much older than me? Oh my, why have you aged so much?”
She did not say much but each word completely infuriated Jacinta. The latter hated it when others brought up her age.
“Megan, how dare you? Did I not teach you enough the last time?” Jacinta was so angry that she was grimacing through her thick layers of makeup. Megan saw all of these but she was not concerned at all.
Just when she was about to deliver another sharp reply, a fearful voice interrupted her train of thought.
“I-I’m sorry, but could I get an autograph from you?”
Jacinta shot the little girl a side glance and growled impatiently with a frown on her face, “I’m in no mood for an autograph right now. Stay away from me!”
“But, I’m here for Megan…”
This line flabbergasted everyone. Megan did not expect that she would be giving out her first autograph so soon as an actress.
She then took up the picture and signed her name emotionally before handing it back to the little girl. The little girl was so happy that she kept on thanking her before leaving.
Like a puppet, Jacinta stood by the roadside blankly and watched this scene unfold. This can’t be real. I’ve always been the one signing autographs. Since when has Megan become equal to me?
“You…You!”
Jacinta pointed at Megan’s nose and was so annoyed she could not speak. Nobody knew of her two weeks ago, and here she is signing autographs right under my nose?
All she did was to play a villainous supporting role!
“What about me?” Megan pushed Jacinta’s finger away. She felt extremely good and she was finally done being angry at Jacinta for setting her up the last time.
“I think I am doing well. However, it looks like you are a ‘past tense’, Jacinta?”
The sight of Jacinta’s heaving chest told Megan that she had completely infuriated her. In fact, Jacinta could not even utter a single word. She then turned around to look at Donna and immediately slipped away right in front of Jacinta.