Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Traffic Jam

The next morning, Clara Grant wasn’t fazed by her restless night. She got up early, had breakfast, and said goodbye to her mother.

Although the show was being filmed in Novaria, the set was at a film studio in the suburbs. Commuting between the city and the suburbs wasn’t exactly convenient, so the production team had booked hotel rooms at the studio.

She would be gone for nearly three months, so Clara Grant reminded her mother once more to take good care of herself before she left, suitcase in hand.

She went downstairs, hailed a cab, and headed straight for the film studio.

The notice she’d received stated that the opening ceremony was scheduled for ten in the morning. The drive from her home to the suburbs should take just under two and a half hours.

Clara Grant glanced at the time. It was exactly seven o’clock. She had plenty of time.

Since she hadn’t slept well, she simply asked the taxi driver to wake her when they arrived. Then she leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes, and decided to use the two-hour-plus drive to get some more rest.

With her eyes closed, it wasn’t long before Clara Grant truly drifted off to sleep.

…

An unknown amount of time later, Clara Grant’s eyes snapped open.

She saw the car was stopped, but the driver hadn’t woken her. Assuming they had just arrived, she sat up and asked, “Sir, are we here?”

As she spoke, she reached for the door to get out. But the driver turned to look at her, sighed, and said, “Not yet, miss. There’s a traffic jam up ahead. We’ve been stopped here for almost half an hour.”

“A traffic jam?” Clara Grant froze, her hand on the door. Only then did she notice the long line of cars queued up outside her window.

“Yeah. There usually isn’t much traffic heading out to the suburbs, so this stretch of road is normally clear. Looks like there was an accident up ahead today. This road is pretty narrow, too, which is why we’ve been stuck for so long. I have no idea what’s going on up there, or how much longer this will take…”

The driver muttered, staring out the window, clearly growing anxious from the wait.

Clara Grant lifted her wrist to check the time. The sight of it made her nearly jump out of her seat.

9:48. There were only twelve minutes left before the opening ceremony began.

“Sir, where are we? How far are we from the film studio?” Clara Grant grew frantic. She was just a rookie. Being late to the opening ceremony would inevitably leave a bad impression and give people ammunition for gossip.

What’s more, there would be reporters at the event. Today’s entertainment journalists were masters of sensationalism, writing any old thing to grab the public’s attention.

’What if they write something about me? “Unknown Z-list actress late to her very first opening ceremony. No sense of professionalism, acting like a diva before she’s even a star.” That would be disastrous.’

’I can’t afford to be bogged down by negative press before I’ve even set foot in the entertainment industry.’

“It’s not far now. If the traffic clears, it’s only a few minutes away. The problem is, we still have no idea when they’ll get things sorted out up ahead…”

While the driver was talking, Clara Grant rolled down her window and leaned out to look ahead. The line of cars hadn’t budged an inch.

She was filled with self-reproach and frustration. ’I planned for everything but a traffic jam, and I never stressed to the driver that I absolutely had to be there before ten.’

’It’s all my fault for sleeping so soundly and not noticing the traffic sooner.’

But self-blame and regret wouldn’t help now.

Clara Grant glanced at her watch. Almost another minute had passed.

’No! If I just sit here and wait, the opening ceremony might be over before the traffic even starts moving.’

Clara Grant gritted her teeth, pulled the fare out of her backpack, and handed it to the driver. “Sir, I’m getting out here.”

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