Chapter 174 - Fever

Lilia and the others arrived at the changing room looking chaotic. Even though she was wrapped in a thick towel, she could only feel cold. Her head felt heavy and her legs wobbled.

Lilia gave a weak laugh when she saw her messy appearance in the makeup mirror. She had been in cold water for several hours without stopping. Plus, the air at night had gotten colder recently. She wouldn't be surprised if she caught a fever after the shoot earlier.

"Sis, we must immediately change your wet clothes." Merry pulled Lilia's arm so that the woman sat on the chair. She was afraid that Lilia would collapse if the model continued to stand.

Harold gave Lilia a look of annoyance mixed with frustration. He could not bear to see the model he had been guarding so carefully all this time being bullied like that.

"Do you still want to continue shooting?" Harold asked even though he already knew the answer. As soon as Lilia said 'no', that man would immediately cancel his contract and drag Lilia back to Surabaya. He had no objection to paying compensation fees which amount to billions of Rupiah!

Even though Lilia looked like she was going to collapse at any moment, the woman's eyes were still burning with determination.

"Of course I will continue." Lilia replied. Her voice trembled, but her tone was still full of confidence, "I won't stop now. If I stop here, getting myself soaked under the rain in earlier takes would be useless now!"

Lilia was determined not to give Shirley more satisfaction by running away from shooting this film. She knew that if she had stepped down, Shirley would definitely use that fact to destroy the reputation Lilia had been struggling to build all this time.

She didn't know why Shirley made it difficult for her on purpose, but she had no intention of being bullied just like that. Lilia knew that the actress made small mistakes on purpose and made her walk in the rain many times.

Harold let out a deep breath and walked out of the room to let Lilia get changed. He could already guess the stubborn woman's reaction, but this time Harold hoped that Lilia would take his advice.

Lilia changed clothes with Merry's help before leaving the studio. The young woman needed to support Lilia while they were walking because her legs felt weak and weak.

As they passed by the room that was used for filming, Lilia happened to see Louis talking to Shirley. Their expressions looked unkind and there were many actors and assistants standing around Shirley. She didn't know what they were talking about, but Lilia was sure that it was related to her performance today.

*****

For the next three days, Shirley continued to find trouble with Lilia. Her childish demeanor slowed down their filming progress. Shirley kept her mistakes subtle and only after a few scoldings did she begin to act correctly.

However, Lilia fell ill due to filming scenes under heavy rain. She had a high fever that made Merry panic, but she still insisted on following the shoot.

Merry thought about sacrificing herself and calling Jean, but the model firmly told her not to tell the man, or anyone else.

Lilia knew that Jean would leave all his work and fly to Jakarta if the man found out she was sick. Fortunately, Lilia's fever gradually subsided after a good night's sleep.

Lilia appeared at the film studio the next day in a relaxed manner, as if nothing had happened. Her attitude towards Shirley was still calm and humble. Even when they were cooperating on a scene, Lilia did not show her irritation and hatred towards that woman. Shirley also showed no sign that she noticed Lilia's poor health.

Their shooting continued for three days. Even worse, all the scenes they acted in were very draining. Lilia only had time to eat and rest as little as possible before returning to filming. With that condition, her fever refused to go down.

Two days later, Harold was forced to return to Surabaya. He was running out of time and was unable to persuade Lilia to change her mind. So he could only have Merry look after the model before leaving.

That morning, Lilia and William would be filming a scene where the two of them met again.

William asked her in his ancient royal costume, "Are you alright?"

The man was very different from Shirley. He immediately knew that Lilia was sick. William stared at the woman intently, intending to ask Louis to postpone their shoot today if Lilia's condition worsened.

But Lilia stared back at William coldly. She lifted her chin and said in a polite tone, "We'll start with the third paragraph. You can start first."

For a moment, disappointment and heartache flashed through William's eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he saw Lilia's stubborn expression and immediately closed his mouth. William then took a deep breath to calm himself.

In just a few seconds, William's expression turned serious. He had become one with the role he was playing.

The shooting location for this scene was in a magnificent and spacious garden. In order to make the garden look more like a royal palace garden, Louis refused to use fake plants. He ordered native plants and trees to decorate the garden.

Lilia and William met in front of a small pavilion. The figures of the two against the backdrop of a sea of ​​blooming flowers looked like a painting from an ancient royal era. Lilia's long hair that was let loose swung gently in the breeze.

When they acted out their characters, Lilia and William didn't realize that there were a pair of eyes following every inch of their move. The owner of the pair of eyes leaned against the railing of the balcony on the fourth floor of the next building. The young man's hands played with the necklace with an eagle-shaped pendant wrapped around his neck, while his gaze was fixed on the two actors.

After a while, the man removed the pendulum and took out his cellphone instead. He dialed one of the phone numbers in his contact list.

"Hello, Sister Claire? I want to ask you something." Said the young man casually, "Have you heard the news that your sister-in-law is back with the film king?"

The corner of the man's mouth lifted when he heard an angry answer from the other end of the phone.

"I didn't say that." He said defensively, "The whole internet is talking about them for the past two days."

The man listened for his interlocutor to reply in a moment.

"I'm in the suburbs of Jakarta. There are clubs that provide betting places for horse races." The man replied with an indifferent expression.

But his expression immediately turned grim when he heard his sister-in-law's long scolding.

"Yes, yes, I understand. I won't go there again next time." The man replied halfheartedly.

He then ended the conversation on the phone. The man stared at his cellphone for a few moments before clicking his tongue and decided to leave. He had only walked a few steps when he suddenly thought of something. The man turned and walked back to the edge of the balcony. Then he took a photo of the scene of the two people in the park using his cellphone. Only after then did he really walk away from there.

In the car park outside the studio, several striking luxury cars were parked side by side. The owner of one of the cars was the Hansen brothers. They were well-known for their hobbies with luxury cars and a lavish lifestyle.

The two sons of the Hansen Family were surrounded by his followers. They smoke while joking with each other, but their gazes were repeatedly drawn to the studio building. They all breathed a sigh of relief when the man they had been waiting for finally appeared.

"Mike! Why are you in there so long? Aren't you just looking for a toilet?" Ervin, one of the Hansen brothers protested, "The horse race will start soon!"

Mike, the Austin Family's second son, gave the man a cold stare, "I did not participate. You can go to the horse races by yourself." He answered.

The Hansen brothers and their followers exchanged confused glances. Mike was the one who took them to the horse races, but now the man didn't want to come. What the hell did he want to do?

But none of them dared to voice out their comment.. They were all scared to face the anger of the second son of the Austin Family.