Yes. The Hansel Ward.
One of the many sons of Adam Ward, born from affairs with secretaries.
The Ward family was the wealthiest and most powerful family in Luxford City. They owned the government; they owned the entertainment industry; they owned everything from the private to the public sector.
They were rarely in the news, and rarely had any squabbles with other wealthy families, except for the occasional claim by random women that they were pregnant with Adam Ward’s or any other man in the family’s child.
Also, the occasional conspiracy theory about their roots, something linked to the supernatural.
To say the least, every man in the Adam Ward family was promiscuous, and they didn’t try to hide that side of themselves.
But Hansel Ward was different.
He was the only Ward in the family who was well above 25 and not married. He’s never been in a relationship—at least a public one—and the only reason he was constantly in the public eye was his reputation as a director.
In fact, he was one of the best directors in Luxford. All of his movies were blockbusters and award-winning. He was a star marker and, by far, brought rare talents into the limelight that the world has never seen.
But he wasn’t a kind man. Hansel Ward was always on a short fuse. He was cold, didn’t give two fucks about anyone and was the last person you’d blackmail with emotions. People in the industry, even Caleb once said, he walks around with a chilly aura and never cares about what people think of him.
He was also the president of Apex Entertainment, which featured award-winning actors, artists, and, literally, the best of the best in the entertainment industry in Luxford.
He was taller than I expected and just as intimidating in real life. Broad shoulders, sharp cheekbones and the iconic Ward ’grey eyes’ that made them stand out. His dark hair was perfectly styled, and he was dressed casually in a shirt which was rolled at his elbows and blue jeans.
The only jewellery he had on was a wristwatch.
I was supposed to seduce Hansel Ward? This man?
The dim light cut shadows across his high cheekbones, his dark hair falling slightly over his eyes. He looked nothing like the monster the tabloids made him out to be. He was more dangerous.
Then a sweet scent wafted into my nostrils.
It was strange at first until it overwhelmed me, filling up all my senses. It was the smell of walking into a forest after rain. Woodsy and clean and somehow masculine. It made my head spin in a way that felt like having ’butterflies in your stomach’.
I’d never smelled anything like it.
"What took you so long?" he asked without looking at me. "You’re the replacement, right?"
Replacement? For what?
"Yes," I said quickly. Because what else could I say? I had no clue what he meant.
He finally looked up, and his eyes swept over me. Dark eyes, emitting a chilling coldness that made me instinctively take a step backwards.
He nodded and turned back to the script. "The actress who was supposed to finish these scenes called in sick this morning. Food poisoning." He gestured to a chair across from him. "Sit."
I sat. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
This wasn’t what I expected. The instructions said to seduce him. Drug his drink and take photos.
But he thought I was an actress.
"The movie is a period romance," He explained, flipping through the script. "Set in the 1800s. The lead actress has already filmed most of her scenes. You’re just here to finish the last two. We’ll shoot from behind, over the shoulder, and close-ups of hands. Your face won’t be shown. So don’t expect any recognition from this."
"Okay." I nodded.
"But you’ll be paid well for your time." He slid the script on the bar. "Ten thousand for the day."
Ten thousand dollars. That was more money than I’d made in months.
"The first scene is simple," he continued. "Your character is confronting the male lead about not loving her. You’ll need to show a lot of emotions here. Can you handle that?"
"I—yes. I can handle it."
"Good." He looked at me. "Come here. Let me look at you."
I just stared at him like I was dumb.
When I didn’t move fast enough, one brow rose slightly, that same flicker of impatience I’d seen in interviews when crew members annoyed him. I stood on shaky legs and forced them to move as I walked over to him.
With every step I took, that scent got stronger. My chest tightened and my palms grew slick.
What was wrong with me?
When I reached him, his gaze dragged from my face down to my shoes and back up again. Then he rose to his feet and slowly circled me like I was a piece of art he was considering buying.
"You’ll do," he said finally. "Read the first scene, the script’s on the bar."
I picked it up with trembling fingers, wondering if all of this was part of the task. My eyes skimmed over the words. It was a romantic confession between a woman confessing love to a man she wasn’t supposed to be with.
I inhaled deeply and tried to remember all the acting lessons from the academy and from watching my mother practice her lines.
I finally cleared my throat and started reading. "How could you keep this from me? After everything we’ve been through, you still don’t trust me?"
The words came out flat and lifeless.
I was so nervous and aware of Hansel watching me. Plus I was confused about what I was suppose to be doing here. I came here on a mission, not to audition for a movie role.
How am I supposed to drug him if we were reading scripts?
Hansel sighed, rubbing his temple like he was trying to hold back. Then he stood again and walked towards me.
"Listen, I’ve had a long day and I want to rest. The reason I asked for a rookie actress was to capture that energy of being a newbie. This is a simple scene, and I need your heart to be in it. This woman is devastated and has just been betrayed by the man she loves. I need you to portray that emotion every time she speaks."
He was close now. Close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his body and God, that darned scent again. I wanted to wrap my hands around him and sniff his neck.
"Try again," he said, going back to his former position.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
I thought about Caleb. About this morning. About standing in that dressing room while he told me he was marrying Isabella and not me. I thought about all the sacrifices... this was a familiar pain.
I opened my eyes and reread the line.
This time, I poured out all my emotions, allowing myself to mourn since I hadn’t had the time.
When I said the last word, silence filled the room. I turned to look at Hansel, and his expression was unreadable. However, there was a strange glitter in his eyes.
"Again," he said quietly.
I repeated the lines.
He nodded. "Good. Move to the next scene."
I flipped the page, and my breath caught. Written boldly on the top of the page was: SOPHIA leans in and kisses WILLIAMS passionately.
There was one more line before the kiss happened. My character was supposed to tell the male lead that she forgave him. That despite everything, she still loved him.
I read the line out loud, then stopped.
Hansel raised an eyebrow. "Why are you stopping?"
"It’s a kiss scene," I said, blushing with embarrassment.
"And?"
"I—uh—there’s no one to practice with so..."
"That is true,’ he agreed and rose to his feet. "But I need you to do that part too. I need to see if you can interpret the correct emotion. The right kind of kiss for this moment."
Before I could reply, he was standing in front of me. That wild scent that had teased me earlier now wrapped around me fully in a dizzying and dangerously sweet way.
He slipped both hands into his pockets. "I’ll run the lines with you. I wrote the script so I can do a little improvisation until you meet with the ML tomorrow."
My mouth went dry. "You want me to kiss you?"