A Night of Desire

Chapter 195 - 193: You Teased Her in Public?

The scene was supposed to be simple. Tina, played by Clara Grant, just needed to look affectionately at Young Master Kingston, played by Miles Quinn, and say, "Young Master Kingston, I love you."

Then, she was to give him a shy kiss on the lips before turning and running off. The whole scene could be wrapped up in a single take.

Director Liam Keane, and indeed everyone on set, thought that with Clara Grant’s skill, she’d nail it in one take.

But who could have guessed...

The first take.

After the director called "action," Clara Grant stammered through her line, "Y-Young Master Kingston, I... I lo..."

Watching from behind the monitor, Director Liam Keane frowned and yelled, "Cut!"

He spoke into the loudspeaker, his voice directed at Clara. "Clara, your emotional delivery is off. Tina is a woman who is bold in love. She might be shy, but she’s resolute when she says that line. Come on, let’s go again."

Clara Grant bit her lip uneasily and nodded at the director, forcing herself to get back into character.

"Alright, departments, stand by! Action!"

"Young Master Kingston, I love you." Clara Grant rushed through the line this time, but...

Director Keane called "cut" again.

"Clara, the emotion is still off. Your tone should be firm, not just a rush to get the line out without any feeling. Come on, one more time."

Clara Grant discreetly clenched her fists, a wave of frustration washing over her. ’She hadn’t been worried at all before. Sure, the thought of a kiss scene with Miles Quinn made her heart flutter a little, but it wasn’t enough to cause her to get an NG.’

But Seth Quinn’s arrival had completely thrown her off her rhythm, causing her—an actress who always nailed her scenes in one take—to get two NGs in a row.

With two NGs in a row, the onlookers began to grow restless. Although no one dared to gossip aloud with Seth Quinn present, they were all wondering the same thing. ’What’s wrong with Clara Grant today? This isn’t her style at all. She usually nails much harder scenes in one take, so why is she getting repeated NGs on a simple scene like this?’

Faye Jennings, who was also among the onlookers, was surprised at first, then gloated inwardly. ’So, Clara Grant isn’t so perfect after all.’

And so, she crossed her arms, waiting for the drama to unfold.

Although Miles Quinn could also feel his older brother’s scorching gaze—a look so intense it felt like it could burn a hole right through him—he put on a calm front and whispered encouragingly to Clara, "Clara, don’t be nervous. Just pretend no one else is here. It’s just a little kiss scene, nothing to worry about."

Clara knew it too. ’Since I accepted this role, I have a professional duty to see every scene through, no matter what it entails.’

’Continuing like this isn’t just wasting everyone’s time; it’s wasting the production’s resources.’

’What is Seth afraid of? He’s the one who wanted me to take this role, isn’t he? So why should I be scared of a stupid kiss scene?’

Clara Grant gritted her teeth. She nodded at Miles Quinn, took a deep breath, and then gave Director Keane another firm nod.

Director Keane: "Action!"

Clara Grant became Tina, delivering her heartfelt confession to Miles Quinn. "Young Master Kingston, I love you."

And then...

Clara Grant leaned toward Miles Quinn’s lips several times, but in the end, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it!

’Damn it! Kissing my brother-in-law right in front of my own husband... Even if it’s just for a movie, I can’t do it!’

"Clara, just kiss him already!" Director Keane was starting to lose his cool. "Clara, what is going on with you? You always get it in one take, and now you’ve had three NGs."

Once Director Keane was in work mode, he didn’t spare a thought for the fact that Clara’s off-day was purely because of Seth Quinn’s presence. Even if he was aware of Clara and Seth’s relationship, he believed an actor must possess the professionalism and dedication to focus entirely on their performance, no matter the scene or the situation.

He had thought that, given Clara’s talent, they could wrap this up quickly. That’s why he’d scheduled it as the last scene of the morning, so they wouldn’t be late for lunch. But who could have predicted this mess?

Clara couldn’t take it anymore. She ran up to Director Keane and, bracing herself, pleaded, "Director, can we change the scene just a little? Can I kiss his cheek instead of his lips?"

...

Seth Quinn, watching coolly from the sidelines, was not the least bit displeased by Clara’s consecutive NGs. On the contrary, he seemed rather satisfied.

’It seems she still has some inhibitions when it comes to her husband,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, why would she be so unable to go through with the kiss?’

River Sterling and Linden Jennings sat on either side of Seth Quinn, watching the drama unfold between the couple. The one acting was a picture of nervous restraint, racking up NGs. The one watching pretended not to care at all, but was actually invested to an obsessive degree.

They were trying so hard not to laugh it felt like they were going to get an internal injury. ’Wow, this "show" today really is spectacular!’