Chapter 9
Chapter 9
20
Time zipped by like crazy. Just like that, Tasha had been stuck in her wild time–travel gig for two whole months.
Today, she was on the set of Secrets of the Sterling Manor, a juicy drama dripping with high–society chaos.
Think soap opera with extra flair: a small–town girl, some distant cousin, rolled into the wealthy Sterling family’s estate. She fell hard for the heir while dodging a nasty family power grab.
The stars? Stuart Olson, a rising hunk, and Zera Fairbank, a C–lister clawing her way up. The director, Angelica Marshall, was a pro at spinning family feuds into TV magic.
Stuart and Zera had played sidekicks in a fantasy show that tanked hard. The leads flopped, but their little “side couple” vibe? Fans went wild.
Back then, streaming and social media hype were barely a thing, and “shipping” wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Still, the producers sniffed out a hit and teamed Stuart and Zera up again for this low–budget drama.
For two actors on the come–up, it was a no–brainer–they dove in.
Tasha, though? She was far from the spotlight. Still, she was pumped to snag a tiny role as a manor groundskeeper.
The plot was peak soap opera: the heroine arrived at Sterling Manor, got betrayed by a shady maid, and was framed by the family’s ice–cold lady Mary Sterling for stealing a pricey ruby necklace, supposedly sold to a jeweler in town.
To clear her name, the heroine dragged the jeweler to the manor for a showdown.
Problem was, Mary had him bought and paid for, and he swore the heroine pawned the gems for cheap. She was sunk- until the hero stepped up.
In the fancy family hall, he hit the jeweler with sharp questions, poking holes in his story until the guy caved, clearing the heroine’s name.
Tasha’s part? She dug up some buried jewelry in the garden, carried it to the hall, and dropped one line: “Ma’am, I found this stuff under a tree.” Done. It was her biggest background role yet.
She landed it by being her usual hustler self on set, plus they were short a guy that day. Tasha nailed the nervous groundskeeper bit, like she was stuck in this rich–folks mess by accident.
After handing over the jewelry, she faded into the background, watching the family drama unfold.
Zera, as the heroine, had tears in her eyes but a stubborn edge. “I didn’t do it, I swear!”
Mary smirked, all snarky. “Sweetie, if ‘I didn’t do it‘ was enough, we wouldn’t need cops or courts, would we?”
“You-“Zera snapped, cheeks burning. “Aunt Mary, someone’s totally setting me up!”
The jeweler, looking annoyed, cut in: “Miss Sterling, you saying my shop’s good name is in on your drama?”
Zera scrambled, “No way, that’s not it! I’m just saying, what if someone jacked the gems to make you think I sold ‘em? Could happen.”
Tasha nearly rolled her eyes out of her skull. A whole fancy family freaking out over a necklace? And a big public face–off? So over–the–top.
Even Angelica was done, shaking her head.
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:07 pm DSD
Chapter 9
In the hall, Zera’s heroine was a mess–teary, all fragile and pitiful.
Zera had that cute, girl–next–door charm, and those tears? Total fan–bait.
It was the same innocent, “poor me” act she rocked as the sidekick in that fantasy flop, winning over the crowd.
But here’s the thing: that worked for a side character, not the star.
Fans wanted a heroine with some guts, someone who owned the screen with smarts and fire.
In this drama, Zera came off way too soft, missing the big–time spark a leading lady needed to shine.
Angelica shook her head but held off on yelling “cut.”
Zera was the big shots‘ pick, and Angelica was just punching the clock. ‘Eh, maybe Zera will would step it up later, she thought.
Just as Shopkeeper Zeph Neal had Zera tripping over her words, in strutted Stuart, the male lead, stealing the show.
Stuart rolled in, all charm in his flowing blue robes, looking like a total heartbreaker. He fired off witty zingers, leaving Zeph sweating buckets.
The cameras went wild–full shots, close–ups, the works. Every angle was dialed in to flaunt Stuart’s killer looks from all sides.
And yeah, Stuart was stupid hot, rocking that rugged, sunlit vibe everyone’s into.
Then, Stuart got right in Zeph’s face, staring him down like he was about to break the guy.
The camera zoomed tight on Stuart’s eyes, hunting for that sharp, no–nonsense glare with a spark of brilliance.
Of course, that “brilliance” was gonna need some post–production magic, since Stuart, a former teen heartthrob, wasn’t exactly outshining Zera in the acting game.
Angelica shook her head again, totally done.
Stuart’s problem? Same as Zera’s–they were both stuck in their last roles. Stuart had been a wild, devil–may–care demon general before, and now he was bringing that same edgy vibe to what should’ve been a suave nobleman.
He was making a classy gent look like a straight–up villain.
Right then, Stuart’s agent hustled over and mumbled something to Angelica.
Her face tightened. “Cut!“she said.
The actors froze, totally lost. ‘What’s up? Nobody flubbed a line. Was it Zeph?‘ they wondered.
Angelica, looking beat, waved them off. “Take five, guys.”
The assistant director sidled up, confused. “Hey, Angelica, what’s the deal?”
Stuart’s agent flashed an awkward grin. “Our boy’s got a… thing.”
The assistant director glanced at Stuart. Dude looked fine–no missing limbs. ‘What gives?‘ he wondered.
Angelica’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “Check Zeph’s height next to Stuart’s.”
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5:07 pm DJ
Chapter 9
The assistant director peeked at the footage and got it in two seconds.
Well. Zeph was a whole head taller than Stuart.
S
+20
In Stuart’s last fantasy flick, they didn’t sweat the details–slapped on a huge demon crown, tossed in some flowy robes and cloud–stepping boots, and bam, he looked massive.
But this period drama was all about that historical vibe, so no dice on wild hats or jazzy shoes.
Zera was tiny, so Stuart didn’t look too out of place beside her. But next to Zeph? Even with heel lifts, he was still a head shorter.
The star of the show, shorter than some random sidekick? No way.
There would be no fire for facing down the villain, and the main character’s big–shot energy would be nowhere to be found.
So, Stuart’s agent slammed on the brakes and had a quick powwow with Angelica.
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