Chapter 2070


    Cicely might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but even she could tell what was going


    on. At first, they had sweet-talked her into being a stand-in, and now, after a single phone call,


    they''d done a 180. It was obvious someone had put the squeeze on the director. Now, with Charlie


    standing there, it wasn''t hard to guess who had been applying the pressure.


    Cicely weighed whether to take the money. To ept it felt like selling out, but would pride help her


    son''s failing eyesight?


    "Forget it. I''ll take the initial deal we agreed on – five times the rate. And I''ll shoot this scene for


    you."


    Worst case scenario, she could just hustle tond Crysti some more endorsements or publicity gigs.


    The director and Charlie exchanged nces, both aware this wasn''t going to be easy.


    "Charlie, what are you doing here?" Danielle''s puzzled voice made Charlie feel even more


    cornered.d2


    "Ms. Danielle, I... Mr. Diaz sent me to check on the progress. We can''t afford any more dys with


    this film."


    Danielle''s heart skipped a beat. Clearly, Seth must have caught wind of the buzz online, probably


    knew about her stalling tactics, which would exin why the director had been riding her hard to


    keep things moving the past few days.


    But still...


    "The thing is that I''ve injured my leg. I won''t be able to shoot my scenes, so that''s why we brought in


    a stand-in – to avoid any dys. Why won''t you let her shoot?"


    Charlie pursed his lips, pondering for a second. "Mr. Diaz holds this project in high regard and ns


    to push for awards. Naturally, he doesn''t want an amateur ruining it. Besides, if word gets out you


    used a stand-in, it wouldn''t look good for you."


    He didn''t mention Cicely directly, which made Danielle breathe a sigh of relief. She was in a bind.


    "But in my current condition..."


    "Don''t worry. Your injury is serious. If we have to dy a few days, so be it."


    Cicely found the whole thingughable. She was clearly a secret. They didn''t want her as a stand-


    in, so they showered Danielle withpliments in front of everyone. Indeed, only that way would


    others, and Danielle herself, be more persuaded.


    It was perfectly normal for Seth to openly favor Danielle. Seth couldn''t very well say he was likely


    protecting a woman he was keeping on the down-low.


    Besides, it could very well be just what Charlie said. Cicely wasn''t professional enough, he feared


    she''d ruin his film, and it might damage Danielle''s reputation.


    Danielle, pleased, nced at Cicely before asking Charlie, "Is Seth heading back home or to the


    office now?"


    "I''m not sure..."


    Charlie nced at Cicely, who was fiddling with her clothes, paused, and then added, "He might


    even drop by here."


    No sooner had Charlie finished speaking than the sound of a car door closing echoed in the


    distance, followed by one of Danielle''s assistants eximing with glee, "Mr. Diaz is here!"


    Cicely''s brow twitched, and Charlie''s scalp tightened. He quickly signaled the director with his eyes.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    The director caught on and quickly spoke up, "I''ll pay you. Tenfold. So please,e down from the


    wire rig. This scene is both exhausting and dangerous."


    Cicely nced at the cliffside nearby, biting her lip. To simply take the money at ten times the rate


    felt like a major score.


    "Alright, transfer the funds to my ount first."


    "Absolutely! Doing it right now!"


    As Mr. Diaz approached, the director''s voice trembled.


    Cicely remained silent, undoing the wire rig attached to her. Seth strode forward, his tall and lean


    figure wrapped in an expensive suit that exuded elegance and a chilling nobility. His dark,


    untroubled eyes seemed to focus directly on Cicely.


    Danielle tensed up and, on instinct, nced at Cicely. After a moment''s thought, Danielle stepped in


    front of Cicely and said to the director, "If we''re in such a rush, I should do the scene."


    The director frowned, "But your knee injury..."


    "It''s fine."


    Seth stopped in front of them, his towering height not preventing Cicely from his view.


    "Seth, you''re here." Danielle approached with a smile, and only then did Seth''s gaze shift from


    Cicely to the director.


    "What''s she doing?"


    The director''s legs went weak. "This..."


    Danielle quickly chimed in, "It''s me. I got hurt while shooting, and the director didn''t want to dy


    the schedule. Since Cicely here looks a bit like me, he thought of using her as my stand-in."


    "Your stand-in?"


    Seth gave her a sharp look, and Danielle suddenly felt a wash of shame. "Yes, but I''ve thought it


    over. Cicely is not a professional actress. It''s better if I do it."


    Seth looked at Cicely again, "You''re told to act, and you just do it? Don''t you know your own worth?"


    Everyone''s gaze shifted to Cicely. She paused, frowned at Seth, and retorted, "Seems Mr. Diaz is


    quite aware of my worth?"


    Silence fell, and Cicely, realizing something was amiss, hurriedly unfastened the other shoulder


    strap.


    Danielle, biting her lip, insisted, "Seth, I said I''d do it."


    "Cicely." Seth''s eyes stayed on her as he spoke again, disregarding Danielle''s words. "Step back a


    bit. Don''t just stand there."


    Confused, the onlookers looked at Cicely, realizing she was on the edge of the cliff. Seth was


    warning her, or rather, he didn''t want her to fall.


    Danielle''s face went pale. In a panic, she stumbled backward, straight into Cicely, who was caught


    off guard.


    Cicely swayed, her face stiffening and paling instantly, and in a heart-stopping moment, she fell over


    the cliff''s edge.


    Danielle barely registered what she had collided with when, just as she was about to turn and see,


    an unseen force propelled her sideways, sending her crashing onto the ground, knees first, the


    gritty asphalt scraping her skin with searing pain.


    Panic ensued, screams piercing the air. There, kneeling on the ground, was Seth, his left hand


    clinging to the cliff''s edge, his right gripping Cicely’s delicate wrist.


    Cicely looked as white as a sheet. She had managed to remove half of her harness. She was


    frantically working on the rest, not knowing how close she was to getting it off. Perhaps any second


    now, it would suddenly...


    With a sudden "snap," the buckle on her left shoulder broke free, and her body lurched downward.


    The grip on her arm tightened. Looking up, she saw the strain on Seth’s face, the veins standing out


    sharply against his skin.


    She bit her lip, nced down the cliff, estimating the fall. Hitting the water might leave her with a


    fighting chance to survive, but if she struck the jagged rocks just below...


    Cicely found her own morbid humor wildly out of ce, but tears were not an option at the moment.


    "Don''t look down!" Seth’s voice exploded above her. She nced up to see a fresh trail of blood on


    her wrist, oozing from beneath Seth’s sleeve.


    She frowned and averted her gaze.


    Charlie was standing at the cliff’s edge.


    In reality, with no guardrails around, a rescue attempt meant lying prone at the cliff''s edge like Seth.


    Those wishing to help had no choice but to support Seth, but Seth was in the most efficient position


    to exert force. Any shift could result in a loss of strength.


    Charlie knelt, eager to assist. "Mr. Diaz."


    "Back off!" Seth’s voice was taut, a clear sign of his exertion. He wouldn''t allow even a fraction of his


    strength to slip away now.


    Charlie nodded and stood back.


    The director was fraught with worry as the harness came fully undone, useless now. He began


    directing others to help, only for Charlie to intervene.


    "We don''t need help."


    "Charlie, this is a matter of life and death."


    Charlie shook his head, witnessing Seth gradually haul Cicely’s body up.


    "Not today. With anyone else, perhaps this will be a life-and-death scenario, but this is Ms. Cicely."


    Because it was Ms. Cicely, Mr. Diaz wouldn''t let anything happen to her..


    Because it was Cicely, for Seth, there was only survival, no death. He trusted no one to will her alive


    as fiercely as he did.


    Chaos reigned, yet through the crowd, Danielle could still hear Charlie''s words.


    Only when Seth had pulled Cicely’s upper body to safety did Charlie step forward, helping to pull


    her fully onto solid ground. Though the cliff''s edge had been smoothed to remove sharp edges,


    scrapes from the fall and the rescue were inevitable.


    Cicely felt pain everywhere, the shock of nearly plummeting not yet faded. She slumped to the


    ground, hands trembling over her chest, her mind a void.


    Seth still clutched Cicely, "Are you hurt anywhere?"


    Cicely was still in shock.


    "Talk to me!" His voice, low andced with irritation, snapped Cicely back to reality. She nced at


    her wrist, still tightly bound in his bloodied grip, and shook her head, face pale.


    Seth, not convinced, peeled back her sun-shirt to reveal a slender arm streaked with abrasions,


    then stood up abruptly. "Charlie, get the car."


    "On it."


    Charlie''s response was swift as Seth scooped Cicely into his arms again.


    The onlookers parted with surprise, making way.


    The director nced at Danielle, still sitting dazed on the ground. Then, he walked to Seth. "Mr.


    Diaz, the scene..."


    "Continue."


    Seth, holding Cicely, took a few quick steps, then added, "Today, we finish this scene. I don''t want to


    come back here."


    "Absolutely."


    The subtext was clear to all.


    He didn''t want to return? How often did he grace the set? It was all to spare Crysti''s agent the pain


    of revisiting this ce.


    The director nodded in agreement.


    It wasn''t until Seth and Cicely were in the car that Danielle was helped to her feet by assistants.


    Seeing the wounds on Danielle, they were too frightened to speak.


    As Seth''s car pulled away, the director finally exhaled. He urged everyone to resume filming.


    The assistants'' tone was less abrasive now, but they still warned, "Director, Danielle''s worse off


    than before, she might not be able to shoot."


    "Didn''t you hear Mr. Diaz? We’re finishing this side of the shoot today. Is that clear?"


    Danielle remained in a trance, as if her soul had been scattered by the wind. Upon hearing the


    director''s words, her eyes blinked.


    What did it mean? She was injured, and Seth hadn''t noticed. Were his eyes and heart filled only


    with Cicely?


    Or did it mean that even if she was hurt, it was irrelevant, that for Cicely''s sake, or simply to keep on


    schedule, she had to endure, no matter the pain?


    Was that it? Or had she misunderstood something?