Roxanne was glad she had the chance to work with such a renowned actor for her screen debut.
She was on pins and needles throughout the production as she would frequently run into her idol, Clarissa, as well as the bigshot of the industry, Ryler.
The production crew couldn’t get used to it whenever they caught a glimpse of Roxanne losing herself in a train of thoughts around Clarissa and Ryler. She seemed to be more of a fan instead of the female protagonist of the movie.
However, they were well aware of the reason behind her odd behavior. After all, they had long gotten used to Ryler being hailed the inspirational model of those from the industry. With that being said, they couldn’t get used to Roxanne adoring Clarissa in a similar manner.
When Clarissa looked at the screen of the camera, she caught Roxanne staring at her in an affectionate manner again.
She chuckled and teased, “Roxanne, if you don’t stop looking at me in that manner, I’m going to think you’re having a crush on me or something.”
The moment Roxanne snapped out of bewilderment, she flushed and responded with a sheepish grin.
“Great! You need to remember your current feelings and flush in a similar manner for the upcoming scene we’re producing!”
Ryler, who happened to be around, remarked, “She doesn’t really blush when she’s around me. Maybe we’ll get you to shoot the upcoming scene with her since you’re able to get her to blush.”
“Hahahaha!”
One of the production crew burst out laughing and teased, “Mrs. Tyson, can a guy resist your charm when not even a woman can?”
Clarissa was equally speechless, but Roxanne was the most embarrassed one as she was the center of everyone’s attention.
Unable to withstand the embarrassment she felt, she turned around and fled the scene.
Shaking her head, Clarissa looked at Ryler and reprimanded him, “Can you stop teasing our female lead?”
On the other hand, Ryler seemed to be having the best time of his life making fun of Roxanne. Staring at her departing figure, he was delighted.
In spite of his mischievous character, he knew he had to take his work seriously and executed the role of an indifferent man perfectly when the camera started rolling.
That was also the case for Roxanne who had fled the scene out of embarrassment. She was immersed in the role of her character and had a hard time gathering her thoughts even after the shoot.
As a result, she ended up looking at him with an intimate look even after the shoot. Whenever she returned to her senses, she would flush in embarrassment the moment she noticed her odd behavior.
Occasionally, she would visit Clarissa in person and ask for her feedback as well as the proper way to portray her role. After consulting others for their advice, she had unofficially become everyone’s sweetheart on set.
Since it was a movie with a romantic comedy genre, things were relatively casual on set. Therefore, Clarissa had a great time being around the production crew.
Matthew was the only one who would get on her nerves as he wouldn’t stop asserting dominance over her in front of others whenever he showed up on set. Since they had most of the scenes produced at D City, he had shown up unannounced out of nowhere and taken her by surprise for more than once.
Clarissa couldn’t get used to being lovey-dovey with Matthew in front of the production crew. Unfortunately, the man had a great time displaying the sort of affection he had for her in front of others.
Matthew would take a seat next to Clarissa whenever she gathered Ryler and Roxanne to join her for a round of discussion for their upcoming scenes. He had his eyes glued to her throughout their discussion.
All while running his fingers through her unkempt hair, he would confess the affection he had for her as if no one was around them, “Clare, your hair is in a mess, but it doesn’t matter because you’re the apple of my eyes.”
He would lean over and kiss her on the forehead. Once he was done, he would walk away as though it wasn’t a big deal and had his eyes glued to his phone again.
Tsk!
As Clarissa flushed in embarrassment in front of others, the ladies nearby would start exclaiming.
“Wow! Mr. Tyson is such a lovely husband!”
“Oh, God! Can I get myself such a domineering better half as well?”
“How I wish I’m Mrs. Tyson!”
“They’re so lovely!”
Clarissa couldn’t stand the remarks coming from the production crew anymore. However, Matthew wouldn’t stop himself from asserting dominance over her.
Apart from running his fingers through her unkempt hair and kissing her out of the blue, he would show up next to her to keep her warm when there was nothing more than a gentle breeze.
Those on set found Matthew’s actions cringeworthy when those were nothing more than acts of concern.
He was well aware he would steal the limelight whenever he showed up on set. Nevertheless, he showed no signs of keeping the affection he had for Clarissa to himself.
As much as Clarissa found his presence a nuisance for the production crew, she actually enjoyed having him around.
In the end, she made up her mind to reciprocate his affection and allowed him to do the things he had in mind without getting in his way for once.
…
After another long day on set, she found out it was quite a hassle to be the director of a movie as she had to take everything into consideration. As a perfectionist, she spent most of her time dealing with her internal struggles. Most of the time, she had to work until late at night to get the perfect shot. That was the complete opposite of the job she had in mind where she could get to sleep whenever she wanted to.
It had been such a long time since she last spent some quality time with her son. As soon as she wrapped up the things on set, she made her way back with Matthew to keep their son company.
Once she joined Matthew in the car, she fell into a deep slumber after a few minutes on their way home.
Matthew turned around and found out the woman in deep sleep had a relatively pale and haggard look when it was merely a few days since the commencement of production.
He was heartbroken and started caressing her hair in a gentle manner. Instead of stopping her, he had no choice but to support her and play the role of an encouraging husband.
This is the first and the last time I’m allowing her to get things her way! If she brings up a similar request to get herself involved in something hectic in the future, I’m going to turn her down!
Clarissa ended up sleeping throughout their way back to Zen Highlands. Once they reached Zen Highlands, Matthew carried her and brought her into the living room.
Damian sprinted over and was about to yell when he saw them, but Matthew stopped him from rousing Clarissa from sleep.
It was then Damian brought himself to an abrupt halt and made his way upstairs with his parents.
He finally broke the silence and asked in a mellifluous tone after Matthew tucked Clarissa in, “Daddy, is Mommy exhausted?”
“Mmm! Shall we leave her alone for the time being? I’ll keep you company and play your favorite toys with you!”
“Okay!”
On their way down the stairs, Damian said, “Daddy, my teacher has complimented me again! In fact, she has complimented me more than once! When will I get to share my achievement with Mommy?”
“Are you serious? How many times has your teacher complimented you?”
The little boy started counting along on his fingers and announced with his chest held high, “At least six times!”
“Once Mommy’s awake, we’ll share the great news with her! Actually, we need to punish her for missing out on the great news!”
Damian couldn’t suppress his excitement anymore. He asked, “What are we going to do?”
“We’ll get her to spend a day at home with us! What do you think?”
“That sounds like a great idea!”
Damian couldn’t recall the last time Clarissa joined him for a meal or read him a bedtime story anymore. Over the past few weeks, Matthew was the one who would keep him company.
Although he was aware his mother had a lot of things to deal with on her end, he couldn’t stop himself from being overwhelmed by a sense of despair.
Matthew told Damian to show Clarissa his support as she would be able to keep him company again after a few hectic months.
The little boy had been keeping Matthew’s words in mind, but he couldn’t help feeling excited when he figured out he would soon get to spend a day with his mother.
By the time Clarissa roused from her sleep, a brand new day had begun.
The chauffeur and nanny had brought Damian to school.
Matthew told her their son was upset as he couldn’t even get to meet her in person when she was home.
Sighing, guilt was written all over Clarissa’s scrunched-up face.
The heartbroken woman then announced, “I’m afraid of letting Damian down again! I don’t think I can take it anymore!”
Matthew wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, he was slightly thrilled by her announcement. He suggested with a grin, “Why don’t you get others to take over with the production? Since you’re the one handling the script, I’m sure it’s going to turn out just fine! If that’s the case, we’ll finally get to spend some time together! It’s time to bring Damian abroad for a trip with us!”
Staring at Matthew in the eyes, Clarissa went dead silent.
In return, Matthew asked with his brows furrowed, “What’s wrong? Are you against the idea or something?”
She announced with her lips pursed in an aggrieved manner, “I’m not really going to give up just yet, okay? Can’t you say something to keep me motivated?”
Chuckling, he asserted, “Actually, I’m just trying to pull your leg. Go ahead and try your best in the upcoming few months. I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life in regrets. I’m sure Damian won’t blame you for pursuing your dream. Just take all the time you need. We’ll always be here for you.”
Clarissa would be overwhelmed had Matthew brought that up instead of pulling her leg in the first place.
As of then, Clarissa couldn’t be bothered anymore as he didn’t even sound sincere. She responded with her lips twitching involuntarily.
Clarissa, who was in the middle of her meal, gulped everything down after taking a peek at the time. She had no intention to keep the conversation with Matthew going on because it was about time to leave.
However, Matthew got ahead of her and grasped her on the wrist.
Clarissa turned around and asked, “What do you want? I’m actually in a hurry! I’ll really appreciate it if you can do me a favor and let me go!”
“Can you spare me another few minutes and listen to me?”
“What is it? Hurry up and—”
Irked, Clarissa reached for her phone and drafted a text for the assistant director, instructing him to get everything ready as she might be late.
All of a sudden, she felt a racking sensation coming from her lips as he held her in between his arms and lifted her chin against her will, biting her lips with all his might.
When he caught her shrieking, he announced, “As busy as you might be, don’t you think it’s equally important to take your husband’s needs and wants into consideration?”
