Chapter 142: Chapter 142: How Could She Let Her Off So Easily?

“Out of the car?” The driver didn’t seem to expect her to be in such a hurry. “Miss, it’s only a few minutes by car, but if you’re on foot, it’ll take a lot longer than that.”

Of course, Clara Grant understood, but at this point, it was her only option.

“Yeah, I get it. But there’s no telling how long I’ll be stuck waiting here. If I get out and run, I might not make it by ten, but it’s still faster than just waiting.”

As Clara spoke, she started to push the door open, but the driver seemed to remember something and spoke up again. “Oh, right, miss. A little ways up ahead, you’ll see a small path forking to the left. It’s a shortcut. A car can’t pass, but you can get through on foot.

Take that way; it’ll be much faster. It’s a dirt road, though, so it might be a rough walk.”

Right now, Clara couldn’t care less if the road was good or bad. As long as it was faster, that’s all that mattered.

She quickly thanked the driver, got out, opened the trunk to get her suitcase, and took off running.

In a car behind her, a woman watched her figure vanish among the vehicles and quickly picked up her phone to make a call.

“Hey, Sis, Clara Grant got out of the car. It looks like she’s going to walk. What do we do now?”

A cold, disdainful voice came from the other end of the line. “Don’t bother. Just let her. We’ve already held her up for more than half an hour, and the opening ceremony starts in ten minutes. With that much distance to cover, I refuse to believe she can make it. Not unless she can fly.”

…

Just as the taxi driver had warned, the path was treacherous. It was riddled with potholes, and pools of standing water had turned the dirt to thick mud.

Clara was in such a rush that she hurried on without a care. By the time she emerged from the muddy path, her shoes and pant cuffs were caked with mud. There were even specks of muddy water splattered on her thighs and the hem of her T-shirt.

Fortunately, the shortcut was truly short, and because she’d rushed on with no regard for the mess, she made it just in the nick of time.

When Clara Grant arrived, everyone on set was already in their places. The cast and crew, led by the director, screenwriter, and the male and female leads, stood in several rows, surrounded by a crowd of reporters taking pictures and filming.

Clara tossed her suitcase aside and, taking advantage of the chaotic crowd, tried to quietly slip into the lines.

Because she was dressed plainly and discreetly, the reporters’ attention was focused on the director and the leads, so they didn’t notice her.

However, someone did notice her. Director Liam Keane was the first to see her. He showed no major reaction to her sudden arrival, simply offering her a kind smile.

Clara knew she must look a mess. Flustered and embarrassed, she smiled back at him.

Next to notice her was Faye Jennings, who was standing beside Director Keane. She had spotted Clara by following the director’s gaze.

When she saw her, the smile on Faye Jennings’s face froze for an instant. ’Didn’t they say Clara Grant got out to walk here?’

’It should’ve taken her at least twenty or thirty minutes to run from the traffic jam. How did she get here in just a few minutes?’

’Don’t tell me she actually flew here?’

’And to think I went to all the trouble of engineering a car accident to block her path, hoping she’d get a reputation for being unpunctual and acting like a diva right as she joined the production.’

’To think that still wasn’t enough to stop her. She still made it at the last second.’

’Seriously. All that effort for nothing.’

’But after putting in so much effort, how could I possibly let her off this easily?’

An idea flashed through Faye Jennings’s mind. With a beaming smile, she waved at Clara Grant, who was trying to sneak to the very back. “Clara, Clara Grant.”

That one call was all it took to draw the eyes of everyone who hadn’t yet noticed Clara Grant.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep