Left for Dead Came Back for Everything novel Chapter 182

"Figured it out myself," Eliza said without looking up.

"I've been a stunt coordinator for fifteen years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a choreographer map out kinetic energy frame by frame." Mr. Roth took a loud sip of coffee from his travel mug. "I'm officially impressed."

The corners of Eliza's lips twitched upward, but she didn't reply, her pen still flying across the page.

It wasn't until three in the afternoon that she finally emerged from the monitor room for a breather, heading to the pantry at the end of the hall for a glass of warm water.

As she passed the corridor connecting Studios A and B, she noticed the rolling doors to B were shut, but the familiar rhythmic thumping of music seeped out from underneath.

The stunt double auditions for Fragrant Moon were still in full swing.

Eliza walked right past with her paper cup, not pausing for a second.

She returned to her desk to continue tweaking her storyboards.

By five-thirty in the evening, the day's blocking alignment was complete, the stunt doubles wrapped up, and the lighting crew began dismantling the rigs.

It was then that Eliza suddenly remembered her most crucial task of the day was still pending. She hastily packed her things and headed straight for the production office.

Jane York was sitting inside, buried behind a mountain of paperwork, a stone-cold cup of coffee sitting at her elbow.

"Ms. York."

Jane looked up.

"What's up?"

Eliza stood in the doorway, taking two seconds to choose her words.

"I'd like to request a half-day off tomorrow morning."

"Time off?" Jane's pen stopped moving, an eyebrow ticking upward. "You're asking for time off on your second day?"

"Personal matters," Eliza stated smoothly. "I have to go to city hall to finalize my divorce."

Jane's expression locked into a state of mild shock for three full seconds.

Her gaze swept over Eliza's face—not with nosy gossip, but with a concerned, calculating scrutiny, trying to gauge her emotional stability.

Finally, she set her pen down and leaned back in her chair.

"Is half a day enough?"

"It is," Eliza replied. "Tomorrow marks the end of the thirty-day cooling-off period."

Jane remained silent for a moment.

"Alright." She opened her drawer, pulled out a notepad, jotted down a quick approval, signed it, and handed it to Eliza.

"I'll have Mr. Roth keep an eye on the morning rehearsals for you. What time can you be back?"

"Before one in the afternoon."

"Great. Come straight to me at one, and I'll push the group dance rehearsals to the afternoon."

Jane stood up, walking over to Eliza with a softness that went far beyond basic professional courtesy.

"Eliza, this might be out of line, but please take care of yourself. Don't let yourself get hurt—physically or emotionally."

"Your work on Echoes of the Valley is worth more than any man. Mr. Sherwood already forwarded your storyboards to the tech team's group chat with a single note: 'Execute exactly according to this format.'"

"Do you understand what that means?"

Eliza stayed silent.

"It means he respects you." Jane's gaze was earnest and warm. "And at this studio, when Sean Sherwood respects you, your path is paved in gold."

"Go handle your business tomorrow, and just make sure you're in the rehearsal room at one."

"Nothing else matters."

A lump formed in Eliza's throat.

"Thank you, Jane."

"Go on, get out of here." Jane waved her off, sitting back down and picking up her pen. "Don't try to get emotional with me, I don't buy into that crap."

Eliza let out a soft laugh, turning to walk out of the production office.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify