Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 88: Dressing Tent Drama (1)

Chapter 88: Dressing Tent Drama (1)

"I did," Stuart deadpanned, his eyebrows furrowing when he added, "But Leroy, didn’t it occur to you that I also had the right to know? I demanded pictures but it wasn’t provided. I got some flimsy excuses instead leading me to arrive at wrong...conclusions."

"Yes but..." Leroy lunged into another round of explanation, but was instantly interrupted by Avery.

"Shouldn’t it be alright? We also didn’t know who the lead actor was until you arrived. I know we aren’t on the same level as you are, but is this really something to take serious?" she asked.

In a bid to downplay the subtle annoyance in Avery’s voice, Jodi chimed in, "I think I can get the point Ava’s trying to make, Mr Salvador. There’s this kind of thrill that accompanies meeting co-actors for the first time on set. Just like now, it’s extremely exciting." She beamed, showing her white teeth while squeezing Ava’s hand in reassurance. "You don’t have to worry though. Mr James told us that you made new arrangements and Ava already agreed."

"I..." Stuart trailed off, going completely speechless. His eyes alternated between the two ladies whose smiles, as beautiful as it looked, seemed to have icy undertones to it. Lips curving into a smile, he extended his hand to Jodi first since according to Leroy’s explanation, she was higher in rank than Avery was.

"I understand..."

"Jodi," Jodi supplied.

"I understand, Jodi. Pleased to meet you. Beautiful name by the way," he complimented.

Jodi took the handshake and replied, "Same. Looking forward to working together with you."

Their hands separated and Stuart extended it to Avery. "Pleased to meet you too, Ava. You look...prepared for the role," he said with a slight chuckle, "Like Jodi, I also look forward to working together with you."

Avery raised her hand, about to accept the handshake when...

"Excuse me, please. I have to go welcome Miss McCallum," Leroy’s words caused her hand to pause midway through the air.

She looked up, her eyes darkening when she saw the familiar Mercedes sprinter that had pulled up on the road just behind the limo that Stuart arrived in. It used to drive Emma in the past but now, it was assigned to Valentina.

As Leroy hurried away from them, she watched the scene from when Stuart arrived earlier replay one more time before her eyes, with the beach visitors running straight to the idling vehicle.

Avery turned away, blinking back the look of hatred which she was sure dominated her eyes. For now, she couldn’t stare at Valentina with the exact emotions her heart wanted her to. She needed to use her brains or her revenge plan fall right through with Valentina and not extend to the others.

"So, can I take it that you two aren’t busy now?"

"Uh?" Avery turned back, her brows raised slightly when she saw it was Stuart who had talked. His two assistants had gone ahead to where the crew members were and with Leroy gone, only three of them were left standing, "Yes, we aren’t busy."

"What do you say to practicing together then?" Stuart asked.

Instead of answering him, Jodi turned to Avery too as if she was waiting for her answer before deciding.

"Well, I’d be delighted to but we are meant to welcome Miss McCallum too, aren’t we?" It would be suspicious if they didn’t and Valentina suspecting her wouldn’t help her plan in any way.

"Right," Jodi corroborated.

"Let’s do that," Stuart agreed.

At the same time, all three of them turned their heads in the direction of the road, surprise marring their brows at once.

Valentina’s assistant and bodyguard had successfully made a way through the crowd to get her out but then...what was that?

She was wearing the same clothes as Avery.

★★★

Owing to Jodi’s role as the main supporting actress of the movie, Avery was afforded the opportunity of joining her in the portable dressing room/ tent that had been set up earlier. As she slipped out of the pink-colored cropped blazer and skirts she had decided on that morning, she regretted wearing it.

"Make sure my clothes are kept safe, Tilly. We can’t afford to let someone swap it with her fake replica," Valentina’s voice came from the other side of the partitioned space.

Since the space was quiet as everyone had dedicated their attentions to either getting dressed or helping the others get dressed and helping with their make-up, her loud voice reached the ears of everyone in the tent. They halted with what they were doing, a variety of expression dominating each person’s face.

"What does she mean by that?" Jodi whispered.

"Maybe that your uhm, your friend will swap her dress?" One of the other supporting actresses replied, in an equally lowered voice.

Prolly to keep up with their professional image, the make-up artists and dress supervisors didn’t interfere in the discussion. It wouldn’t be hard for anyone, however, to tell from their sparkling eyes that this would be their topic of gossip discussion later in the day.

"Let it go, Jodi," Avery said from behind the rack of clothes where she was dressing, her eyes blazing with fury and annoyance.

"But Ava—"

"It’s alright, Jo," Avery repeated, her soft and pitiful voice contrasting sharply with the expression on her face. She continued in a low voice, "I feel like she doesn’t like me. You think it’s because I look like the murderer of an adopted cousin who killed her grandfather and cousins?"

"Absolutely not!" Jodi disagreed immediately, "If she doesn’t like you, then the problem is with her not you. Why should you be judged because of a person you have never even met, just because the person reportedly looks like you?"

"Maybe..." Avery dug her fingers into her soft palm, her anger refusing to subside until she could feel the warm blood filling her nails. She was talking about herself in third person and insulting herself in a way, but she tried to get her mind off it.

She needed to do this.

Clearing her throat, she increased the pitch of her voice before she continued, "I know this is absurd but maybe she sees me as the evil cousin; what’s her name again? You saw the way she looked at me earlier when I welcomed her alongside you, the animosity. It’s weird but she’s definitely not suspecting I’m her dead cousin, right?"

Her lips curved in a smirk as she concluded her words and a hush descended in the tent, while waiting for the person who would step into the trap she just laid.