Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

The studio was nearly empty, with only a few scattered crew members milling about. Linda, who came from a privileged background and was used to getting her way, lacked any sort of filter. "Why don't you jus take her pictures separately and then Photoshop her in next to us?" she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

The photographer broke out in a cold sweat. He had been in showbiz for over a decade and had seen it all, but never had he witnessed such brazen ostracism by an actress.

Sure, there were always those who didn't get along, usually settling for cold shoulders or silent treatments. But Linda was really crossing the line.

Astrid didn't want to make things awkward for the photographer and smiled, "Actually, my promo poster is supposed to be solo. My agent didn't mention anything about a group photo shoot."

The photographer, caught off guard, quickly agreed, "Right, right, that's my mistake. Let's do Ms. Irvine's shoot first." After all, his job was to take the photos. How the posters turned out was the production team's business. With that, he ushered Astrid to one side of the studio.

Linda, arms crossed, fumed silently. "A solo poster? Why does she get to shoot a solo poster?"

"Oh, you're out of the loop," sneered Mamie, another actress. "Sure, Astrid isn't on many shows right now, but her big movie is about to hit the theaters, and she's got a ton of major projects in the pipeline. Plus with her status as a magician, lots of industry bigwigs are rallying behind her."

Linda, tugging at her dress in irritation, had intended only to embarrass Astrid. She hadn't anticipated the solo poster situation. "She must've had some scandalous trick up her sleeve to have a child with Mr. Lampard. If it wasn't for the baby, there's no way he would've fallen for someone like her."

"I" Before Linda could finish, the room's attention shifted as several award-winning actors and actresses walked in, led by the venerable Odell. Though older now, Odell had been the heartthrob of his generation.

The staff nearby couldn't contain their excitement. "It's Mr. Odell! Can't believe he's still got that charm at his age. He's aged like fine wine!"

"Mr. Odell and the others aren't supposed to shoot their promo posters on this floor. What's he doing here? And he's with none other than the Grand Slam Actress, Shirley!"

"I heard he's looking to mentor a newcomer."

Mamie, green with envy, chimed in, "Oh my god, to be personally supported by Mr. Odell... Who could be so lucky? Shirley's connections and resources in the industry are terrifying. Whoever gets on her good side is set for life!"

Upon hearing this, Linda perked up, her voice dripping with haughty pride, "Mr. Odell is here to introduce me!"

Her co-stars exchanged skeptical glances.

Mamie, somewhat exasperatedly, said, "Linda, no offense, but if we're talking introductions, Mr. Odell might be here for Astrid. They seemed pretty glose on that reality show, and he's always vocal about his sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

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admiration for her."

"That's all just polite chitchat, nothing special!" Linda huffed, "Mr. Odell and my father are like brothers. Dad said he'd asked him to look out for me in the biz, and he agreed Even promised to show me the ropes!"

"So obviously, he's brought Ms. Shirley along to introduce me to her."