Esther forced a smile while responding to Winona's remarks, though she couldn't hide her uneasiness. Winona's unfriendly gaze made Esther
apprehensive, but she concealed her true feelings.
When the director yelled "action," they began their scene as scripted, engaging in a heated argument. Winona wore a sinister grin as she warned
Esther, "I'm warning you. Stay away from the prince."
Esther, looking frail, retorted, "I am his first wife. Have you forgotten your place?"
Winona, wanting to provoke Esther, mocked her. "You? You're just a country girl who appeared out of nowhere, yet you dare to dream of winning the
prince's heart."
Esther's expression suddenly changed, and a glint of determination appeared in her eyes. "Country girl?"
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Winona, taken aback by Esther's calm response, decided to teach her a lesson. "Then, allowto teach you a lesson today and remind you who's in
charge here."
While speaking, Winona slapped Esther forcefully, creating a loud "pa!" that echoed in the hall.
Pearl noticed that Winona had gone unnecessarily hard, likely as a way to exact revenge on Pearl since she couldn't target her directly. Unable to
bully Pearl, Winona turned to Esther instead.
Esther widened her eyes in shock, unable to comprehend why Winona had slapped her so brutally.
"Director, can we pause for a moment?" Winona smiled and signaled the director to cut the camera. "Este is supposed to givea cold look here,
but she seems too helpless. It doesn't suit her character.”
As a result, they decided to reshoot the scene. The director nodded in agreement, "You're right. Let's take it again.”
Winona then suggested, "Director, | think my slap wasn't convincing enough. It might look weak. How about | slap her again?" Despite her seemingly
gentle face, Winona's tone was harsh.
The director hesitated briefly, glancing at Esther, whose face was now red and swollen. "Este's face has already swollen. If you slap her again, her
face might—"
"Director, a true actress must be willing to face challenges,” Winona asserted, making her argument difficult to refute.
After a moment of contemplation, the director asked Esther for her opinion. "Este, would you like to do another take?"
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Esther shot Winona a cold glare. "Let's do it again."
The second slap was just as brutal as the first one.
Esther's lips were now bleeding, but she persevered through the pain, maintaining her character's expression.
The shoot continued, but Winona requested another pause. "Director, please stop."
Even the director found something wrong here. He asked impatiently, "What is it again?"
"| think the camera angle wasn't ideal in the previous take. Could we try shooting it from a different angle?" Winona requested openly, causing
everyone on set to recognize her ill intentions.
"But Este's face is already..."
Winona covered her face and snickered. "Director, | invested 15 million in this film. If you do this, then..."