?strongChapter 32:/strong

On this second attempt, she managed to elevate her performance slightly, just enough to barely make it through.

Yet, she still fell significantly short of Carrie’s performance.

The gap in their performances was significant, prompting a need for a closed-door discussion between the director and the screenwriter about the next steps.

While Stewart was not deeply involved in these deliberations, he took a moment to encourage Carrie, approaching her with a warm, admiring smile. “You did a great job.”

Carrie’s gaze brieflynded on the c in his hand, her smile faint and a little distracted.

Breaking the brief silence, Stewart earnestly added, “I truly mean it. It’s not merely about the c.”

Just as he spoke, Kristopher drifted into the conversation with a frosty sneer. “Her acting didn’t seem all that remarkable to me.”

Stewart was keenly aware that Kristopher was not just another critic, but the financial backbone of their project.

Stewart harbored a disdain for Lise’s dependence on such financial backing.

Although he despised Kristopher for his susceptibility to charm, Stewart wasn’t about to jeopardize the project over pride.

He took a deliberate gulp of his c, choosing tactful silence as his response and consciously avoiding further engagement with Kristopher.

Lise, meanwhile, strolled up, her eyes suddenly darting to the drink in Stewart’s grip as though it was a revtion. “Oh, look at that! Ms. Campbell was kind enough to buy Mr. Lopez a c,” she dered, an edge of mock surprise in her voice.

She hadn’t anticipated that the drink Carrie snatched away from Kristopher would wind up in the hands of another.

To a casual observer, this might well appear as if she were shamelessly cheating in in sight of Kristopher.

Noticing Kristopher’s mood sour further, a hint of amusement flickered across Lise’s features, though she managed to maintain a poker face.

She teased with a smirk, “If I had realized a mere can of c could sway you, Mr. Lopez, I’d have grabbed one for you too, just as Ms. Campbell did. Kristopher, care for one? Perhaps I can have someone fetch it for you.”

Kristopher dismissed the offer with a scoff, ncing over at Carrie with a sardonic smirk. “I avoid that sort of rubbish,” he retorted sharply. “You frequent such refined ces, Ms. Campbell. So much for being picky—you seem fine with whateveres your way.”

Kristopher’sments were ostensibly about the c, but the underlying dig was aimed directly at Stewart.

He insinuated that, following her recent discussion on divorce, she’d swiftly fallen for a lesser-known celebrity. How utterly pathetic could she possibly be?

Internally, Carrie merely shrugged off his barb with an eye roll.

In terms of acting prowess, Kristopher was far superior to Lise. His skills were so refined that he could rightfully be dubbed a professional.

His public aloofness towards her was clearly a strategy to avoid rumors about their marriage.

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