Chapter 323

Twenty minutes after they left the house, the two cameramen stopped in their tracks, pressing their earpieces tightly as they listened carefully to the latest directions from the director crew. Moments later, they both powered down their cameras, visibly relieved. “No more filming?” Maria Lewis asked, her first words since they’d stepped outside. “The director said you two are too boring. Told us we can stop now,” one of them replied bluntly. Maria blinked, a little speechless. Once the crew was gone, she finally let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. No camera meant no more pretending, no more forcing herself to act buddy-buddy with James Bennett—it was like a weight lifted off her chest. She turned to speak, “Did you—” Before she could finish, James had already taken off his mic and gave a nod toward her collar, signaling her to be quiet. Maria got the message, pulled off her mic too, stuffed it into a canvas tote, and was just about to sling it over her shoulder when J