CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 125: SECRET BATTLE

She hurriedly stepped forward, firmly blocking the doorway, and stared intently at Clara Bennett across from her with a wary gaze: "You... what exactly do you want?"

Clara didn’t react with the anger or excitement she expected, but instead spoke in a very calm tone: "You previously accused me of seducing men and spread rumors in the troupe. Now I hope you can admit your mistakes in person and first apologize to me sincerely."

Forcing down the humiliation in her heart, Yvonne Young had to grit her teeth and utter a reluctant sentence word by word: "I’m sorry, I wrongly accused you."

Upon hearing this, Clara just gently shook her head, not showing much anger: "To be honest, I don’t think this can be explained away as a simple misunderstanding. It’s more likely that someone instigated this behind the scenes. After all, there’s no grudge between us, and your sudden targeting of me was probably because you were used as a tool. And besides, in this situation, who stands to gain the most from this uproar?"

In fact, from start to finish, Clara was filled with doubt.

She clearly remembered that some time ago, Nell Sue indeed showed significant interest and even pursued George Taylor on set. However, as far as she knew, Nell never instructed her brother to trouble Yvonne Young, so there shouldn’t be any direct conflict between the two.

Then why did it turn into such a tricky situation for her?

Moreover, recalling seeing Nell Sue outside the dressing room just now standing next to Yvonne Young with a faint and hardly noticeable smile, Clara suddenly had a bold guess.

Yvonne Young most likely became someone’s pawn and a sacrificial lamb.

Yvonne paused for a moment, then had a moment of enlightenment as if suddenly realizing the truth.

However, what followed was an uncontrollable wave of anger, "That cunning villain! She actually used me to achieve her unspeakable purposes! I must confront her about this now!"

"Hold on!"

Just as Yvonne was about to turn and leave, she was suddenly stopped by Clara extending her arm to block her.

"Senior, please calm down. If you rush over now, the entanglement between us will undoubtedly be exposed and amplified by the media. And without any evidence for accusation in hand, doing so will only make you more passive."

Upon hearing this, Yvonne suddenly came to her senses, realizing her actions were too impulsive and hasty.

She lowered her head and looked back at the young girl in front of her, her eyes filled with both shame and gratitude.

"Thank you for the reminder. I was really muddle-headed just now, and it brought you a lot of grievances too."

Clara smiled slightly, the corner of her mouth forming a faint curve: "I understand your doubts. After all, I’m a newcomer and having just obtained the lead actress role inevitably makes people feel uneasy. Senior Young, I fully accept your skepticism of my acting skills."

"Once we’re on set, everything will be tested by the camera. Then you will see what my true ability is. But please, do not casually tarnish my private life. There is really no special relationship between me, Taylor, and Director Smith."

Yvonne took a deep breath and slowly exhaled the complex emotions in her heart.

"Alright, I understand. Today it was indeed my fault; I shouldn’t have troubled you over these baseless things. Consider it a personal favor I owe you. As for Nell... I will deal with her my way."

Silent conflict, is it?

You think I don’t know how to play this game?

Clara lowered her head and continued to remove her makeup, as if she was not affected by the previous dispute at all.

Watching her demeanor, Yvonne suddenly saw her in a new light.

This was indeed a newcomer different from the usual, quite interesting, and able to pique people’s curiosity.

Clara quietly marveled in her mind: It’s really something, that Nell Sue could find an opponent for me, it’s simply wonderful, an unexpected delight.

After Yvonne turned around and left, Clara continued to remove all the remaining makeup on her face until her face was clean before getting up and walking towards the dressing room.

Just as she was about to change out of her costume, her phone suddenly rang.

Reaching for the phone resting beside her, she saw the caller ID surprisingly read William Foster.

Clara couldn’t help but laugh: "If others saw how frequently we contact each other, they’d probably think we are in a passionate romance, so clingy."

Then she answered the call, using a deliberately dissatisfied tone, "Mr. Foster, don’t you think you’ve been a bit too clingy lately?"

The other party was clearly undisturbed by her minor complaint, maintaining a calm attitude and responding, "It’s almost lunchtime, how are you planning to solve the lunch issue?"

Faced with such a straightforward question, Clara thought for a moment and replied, "I’m probably going to eat with some other actors from the troupe."

Then she heard the voice on the other end of the line following up, "Will you be with George Taylor?"

To this, Clara raised an eyebrow slightly, carrying a bit of a provocative tone as she asked back, "Is it that George Taylor is the only one in the troupe who can accompany me for a meal?"

To be honest, I really almost arranged to have a meal with George just now, but fortunately, I didn’t.

Amidst my wandering thoughts, William Foster’s voice came through the phone, "Clara, I’m at the place where you’re auditioning now."

Clara was momentarily stunned, a hint of doubt flashing in her mind, and she couldn’t help but ask, "Why did you come here?"

The voice from the other end seemed to carry a hint of grievance, "Didn’t you say I could come find you anytime? Can’t I come now?"

Clara sighed inwardly, feeling she sometimes said too much in passing.

After all, she wasn’t shooting a movie now; who would come to see her when she’s just getting a costume fitting?

But such thoughts were best never spoken by the person in front of him, as her newlywed husband occasionally developed inexplicable feelings of inferiority over trivial matters.

So, Clara quickly adjusted her mindset and said, "Alright, then send me your location, and I’ll come find you."

She heard William respond softly, "Okay," and Clara then hung up the phone.

After putting down the phone, Clara originally planned to change out of her qipao, but recalling that unexpected call, she couldn’t help but hesitate.

Although William’s sudden visit left her somewhat baffled, she could roughly guess the reason behind it.

If not for her previously mentioning this place’s circumstances in passing, piquing his interest, he certainly wouldn’t have come in such haste.

Thinking of this, she started to worry that if she changed out of her exquisite costume into everyday attire, it might greatly disappoint him, though he wouldn’t say it outright, yet doing so would seem too inconsiderate.