He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did-Chapter 103 - 92: Dirty Trick

The next day, Isla Prescott moved into the dorms arranged by the production team.

She was the first to arrive. After her, the other contestants moved in one by one.

Genevieve Quincy’s room was right next to Isla’s. When Genevieve moved in, she went to every room to say hello and give gifts, but she skipped Isla’s.

Of course, Isla couldn’t care less.

She wasn’t a kindergartener who would get upset over such childish ostracism.

Thanks to her expensive gifts, Genevieve gained a group of followers. She was surrounded by an entourage wherever she went. Even the sullen and difficult Iris Tierney became her loyal fan, constantly calling her "Genevieve this" and "Genevieve that."

Isla ignored the clique Genevieve had formed. She kept to herself, and outside of the official filming schedule, she spent most of her time practicing in the dance studio.

Her goal was clear. She knew she wasn’t on this show to make friends, so she had no intention of wasting time on phony relationships.

The filming for *Dance Whisperer* would last three months, with a total of twelve episodes released weekly, following an elimination format.

Her hard work paid off. After the first episode was filmed, Isla’s score was miles ahead of everyone else’s, putting her in first place.

Genevieve couldn’t keep her cool that night. Under the guise of "offering some suggestions to the production team," she cornered the director, Evan Shaw, in the conference room and proceeded to give him a piece of her mind.

Evan Shaw, likely wary of Shane Sterling’s investment, caved to Genevieve’s pressure. The very next day, he gathered the production team, changed the competition rules, and announced that the first recording was null and void.

It was blatant manipulation.

Isla was furious and tried to argue her case with Evan Shaw. But he claimed that after some discussion, the directing team had discovered some genuine problems with the rules. To ensure a smoother recording process later on, they had decided to make changes, even if it meant wasting a week’s worth of budget.

Evan Shaw painted himself as a pitiable victim, implying that the production team was also suffering because of the rule change. With no other options, Isla had to let it go.

However, after the first recording, Isla had gotten a good sense of Genevieve’s dance skills. Without her connections, Genevieve’s amateurish moves wouldn’t have even earned her a spot on this show. So, no matter how the rules changed, Isla was confident she could still beat her.

Genevieve probably thought the same thing. So, in addition to coercing the director to change the rules, she started plotting something more sinister behind the scenes.

On Wednesday, the day before the re-shoot, Isla had just arrived at the dance studio and was about to start practicing when Sophie King suddenly approached her.

"Isla, can we talk for a minute?"

Sophie King was the only other lone wolf among the contestants besides Isla. She used to be close with Iris Tierney, who was also an actress. But after Iris became Genevieve’s lackey, Sophie started eating and practicing alone. She hadn’t tried to suck up to Genevieve like Iris had, so Isla had a decent impression of her.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"For tomorrow’s re-shoot, are you still doing the same dance?"

"Yes. I’ve been practicing it for a long time, so I’m not planning to change it."

"I think your dance is great, too. It’s challenging and very creative." As Sophie King praised her, she stepped closer to Isla and lowered her voice. "But you need to be careful during makeup tomorrow. I just overheard Genevieve telling Iris to tamper with your cosmetics so your face breaks out and you can’t perform."

Isla was shocked. ’I knew Genevieve was malicious, but I never thought she’d be this vile.’

"Why are you telling me this?"

Sophie King took a deep breath. "I just came here to focus on the show. I have no intention of getting involved in these disputes. But since I heard it, I can’t pretend I didn’t."

Staying silent would be the same as being complicit.

Sophie King didn’t want to be complicit.

"Thank you." Isla was a little touched.

"Don’t mention it. Just don’t say I was the one who told you, and be careful."

After saying her piece, Sophie King left.

Isla watched Sophie’s retreating back, lost in thought for a moment, then picked up her phone and sent a message to Justin Wyatt.

"Assistant Vaughn, I need your help."

--

「The next day, for the re-shoot」, everyone arrived at the makeup room two hours early as required by the production team to get their hair and makeup done.

Except for Genevieve Quincy, who brought her own makeup artist, the other contestants used the ones provided by the show. They were assigned two to an artist, so Isla Prescott and Iris Tierney shared one.

During the last recording, Iris had her makeup done first. This time, she was especially "generous," telling the makeup artist, "Why don’t you do Isla’s makeup first today?"

"Alright."

The makeup artist just assumed Iris was being fair and didn’t think much of it. She walked over to Isla and had just opened her makeup kit when a shout came from the doorway. "Young Mr. Sterling is here to visit the set! He brought coffee for everyone, come and get it!"

When Genevieve Quincy heard that Shane Sterling was visiting, her eyes lit up.

"Everyone, stop what you’re doing for a moment and go get the coffee Sean prepared for you." She called out to everyone as she walked out, acting every bit the hostess.

"Thanks to Genevieve, we get to drink Young Mr. Sterling’s coffee."

"I know, right? This is amazing."

Everyone started heading out.

Isla deliberately moved slowly, only getting up to go out after everyone else had left.

In the main studio, two long tables were set up with the coffee. However, Shane Sterling wasn’t there. The person who had come was his special assistant, Justin Wyatt.

"Assistant Vaughn, where’s Sean?" Genevieve asked.

"Miss Quincy, Young Mr. Sterling is busy and couldn’t find the time to come over. But he specifically arranged for me to deliver coffee to everyone and, by the way, to give you a small gift."

Genevieve had been a little disappointed that Shane Sterling hadn’t come in person, but hearing that he had a gift for her, her face broke into a wide smile. "What gift did Sean get for me?"

Justin Wyatt walked over and handed her an exquisite rectangular wooden box. Inside was a hairpin shimmering with pearls and jade.

"Wow, what a beautiful hairpin!" Genevieve couldn’t put it down. "Sean really knows how to please a girl."

"I’m glad you like it, Miss Quincy. Young Mr. Sterling spent a long time picking it out for you yesterday. He said you must wear it, as this hairpin represents his feelings for you." Justin Wyatt was a master at spouting such cheesy, sweet nothings.

"Genevieve, Young Mr. Sterling must really love you. I’m so jealous."

"Seriously! Which way do I have to bow to find a boyfriend as rich, handsome, and thoughtful as Young Mr. Sterling?"

"You could bow until your head breaks and it wouldn’t matter, because you’re not Genevieve."

Genevieve was bursting with joy. She immediately took the hairpin and stuck it in her hair, instructing her makeup artist to be sure to incorporate it into her look for the day.

Everyone grabbed their coffee and returned to the makeup room.

The makeup artist went back to Isla’s side and began applying her makeup. She had just finished the foundation when Isla suddenly cupped her face and cried out, "It hurts! My face hurts so much..."

Iris Tierney, sitting next to Isla, immediately leaned in. "Isla, are you okay? Oh my god, your face..."

Hearing the commotion, all the staff on site rushed over to Isla. They saw that her face was red and swollen, and the situation didn’t look good.

"Quick, quick, get her to a hospital!" director Evan Shaw shouted.

Sophie King was the first to run over and help Isla up. After helping her out of the makeup room, she couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "Didn’t I warn you? How did you still fall for their trick?"

"It’s fine." Isla patted the back of Sophie’s hand. "Thank you. You should go back, don’t delay the filming."

The production team arranged for a car to take Isla to the hospital.

As Isla walked to the car, she saw some fans with cameras but didn’t try to hide. She even started wiping away tears in front of their lenses.

Seeing this, a staff member hurried over, pulled open the car door, and pushed Isla inside.

"In the future, unexpected incidents like this absolutely cannot be caught on camera," the staff member said sharply. "Injuries to celebrities have been happening frequently these past few years. An artist’s personal safety during a variety show recording is a highly sensitive topic. If pictures of your swollen face get out and cause a public outcry, it will have a negative impact on the show!"

"I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose," Isla apologized.

Seeing as it was her first time on a variety show, the staff member didn’t say anything more.

The car sped towards the hospital. Sitting in the back seat, Isla waited for the staff member to look away, then unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and secretly swallowed a loratadine pill.

The scenery flew past the window. As she thought about what was going to happen next, she couldn’t suppress a thrill of excitement.

Half an hour later, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from the makeup room.

"AH! My face hurts so much..."