Chapter 147: Chapter 147: It Seems I’m a Little Late

At the same time, a low gasp rippled through the surrounding crowd. Staring at the three incense sticks in her hand, now just short stubs, Clara Grant struggled to process what had just happened.

’The incense sticks were the thicker kind, and she hadn’t been holding them tightly. How could they have suddenly broken?’

“Oh dear, this is terrible,” someone in the crowd suddenly sighed. Clara Grant glanced over at the speaker. It was Sandra.

Although Sandra didn’t elaborate on why it was so terrible, everyone present understood what she meant.

The incense-offering segment of the commencement ceremony was meant to be a good omen, a prayer for a successful launch, a smooth production, and for the show to become a massive hit.

If a single incense stick broke for no reason during the offering, it was considered a very bad omen, let alone all three of them.

Didn’t this foretell an inauspicious start, a difficult production, and that the show would ultimately fail?

Once Sandra broke the silence, the people around her began to murmur among themselves. Those joining the discussion were mostly women, and they all followed Sandra’s lead, aiming their comments at Clara Grant.

“Isn’t that Clara Grant? Why is it always her? First, she was late, and now she’s broken the incense. She must have offended some god, right?”

“I know, right? Otherwise, how is she the only one in the entire production having problems, and one after another at that?”

“Being late is one thing, at least she had a reason for it—traffic. But how does the incense just break for no reason? These are high-quality sticks. Besides, none of ours broke, only hers.”

“It just goes to show she really shouldn’t be on this production. The role of Tina was originally Sandra’s, but she just had to come and snatch it. Sigh.”

“What if she’s a jinx to our production? That would be awful. Wouldn’t she be dragging down this show and all of us with it?”

“If that’s really the case, shouldn’t they strip her of the role and kick her off the production?”

“…”

The gossip grew increasingly vicious, and the mood became more and more charged.

After all, Clara Grant herself had admitted she wasn’t President Quinn’s girlfriend, so they had no reason to hold back.

The reporters, meanwhile, were frantically snapping photos. This was exactly the kind of juicy, eye-catching scoop they lived for.

Filming for A Lifetime of Splendor hadn’t even officially begun, yet it was already plagued by one small incident after another.

Listening to the gossip, Clara Grant bit her lip, unsure whether to throw away the broken stubs in her hand or to keep holding them.

’She didn’t know how to explain. There was no explanation for something like this, and trying to offer one would probably only make things worse.’

Faye Jennings stood there, elegant and poised. Her expression was serene, but her gaze lingered on Sandra’s face for two seconds before shifting to Clara Grant, a flicker of barely perceptible satisfaction in her eyes.

’It seemed this pawn, Sandra, was working out quite well. It made it worth the trouble of condescending to speak to a third-rate actress and adding fuel to the fire by telling her Clara Grant had stolen her role.’

Just as Clara Grant was at a total loss, a deep, steady, and sensual voice reached her ears.

“What, has everyone already made their offerings? It seems I’m a bit late.”

Clara Grant instinctively looked toward the voice and saw Seth Quinn striding over with his long legs.

Clara Grant froze, stunned that Seth Quinn would personally attend the commencement ceremony. A sudden fear washed over her—she didn’t want him to see her in such a pathetic state. In her panic, she instinctively hid the broken incense sticks behind her back.

Seth Quinn took in her action, but his expression remained unchanged.

He strode to the offering table without so much as a glance in her direction.

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