Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
He sat back, legs crossed, directing a provocative scene with exaggerated arrogance.
Dissatisfied with the male actor’s performance, Gerry shouted, “Strip! All of it! What’s there to be afraid of? You’re a man! Show me what you’ve got!”
The bold words Gerry uttered were almost unbearable.
The driver walked up to Gerry to see what was going on, but Gerry didn’t take kindly to the interruption. He yanked the sunglasses off his face and demanded, “Who the hell are you?”
The driver’s expression turned stern. “This is Mr. Hampton’s villa. What do you think you’re doing?”
Gerry tossed him a permit notice. “Mr. Hampton, eh? We rented this place.”
The driver crouched down to pick up the piece of paper. Before he could even read it properly, Corey strode over and snatched it from his hands.
“Mr. Hopkins,” Corey said, looking Gerry directly in the eye. “When have I ever offended you?”
Gerry chuckled. “I’m sorry, do we even know each other? What makes you think you’ve offended me in some way?”
Corey glanced at the nearly nude actors and actresses. “Then, would you care to explain what all this is, Mr. Hopkins?”
“Well, your place has a great ambiance – it’s spacious, has lovely decor, and plenty of light. It’s very ideal for filming,” Gerry said, chewing gum nonchalantly. “Why, do you have a problem with that?”
It was then that Corey realized speaking to the man was pointless. He would only be wasting his breath.
So, dropping the pretense, he said, “This is breaking and entering. I never gave you permission to film on my property. I’ll have to call the police.”
Gerry shrugged, unfazed. “Go ahead. You should know I have a lot of friends in the police force, though.”
He was lying through his teeth, but his confidence made the claim sound convincing.
Not to be outdone, Corey whipped out his phone and made the call.
Meanwhile, Gerry turned away and continued with his work. He instructed the male actor to remove his pants and prepare for the next scene.
Although most of the effects were added in postproduction, the sounds and actions involved were jarring to an innocent bystander.
In this case, it was Corey, whose temples were throbbing with irritation.
“Don’t actually put it in, alright?” Gerry barked loudly. “We’ll use camera tricks to make it look like the real thing.”
At that point, Corey was utterly at a loss.
He stomped away in anger.
He had never seen this coming and regretted not bringing his bodyguards with him. He was outnumbered.
Corey had no choice but to endure the nonsense until the authorities arrived.
Even then, Gerry persisted in provoking him. “Do you like pornography, Mr. Hampton?” he called out. “I can send you the uncut version once we’re done with the editing. No charge.”
“Have you no shame?” Corey retorted.
Gerry burst out laughing. “What’s this now? You were sneaking around, committing robbery in broad daylight, but I’m not allowed to make a film that everyone likes? By the way, your house is perfect for outdoor scenes. I might shoot a late-night movie here later.”
Something clicked in Corey’s mind when he heard that. Gerry was doing this to avenge Caden.
“What an admirable friendship,” Corey sneered. “I see you’re willing to go to great lengths for your friend.”
Gerry puffed out his chest. “It’s a good thing I enjoy it. I wonder… do you have someone who would do the same for you?”
He was still acting pompous and shameless when the police finally arrived.
Since he was clearly in the wrong, the lead officer stepped forward and attempted to apprehend him.
Gerry tried to put up a strong front. “Do you know who I am? How dare you lay a finger on me?”
“We don’t care who you are,” the officer replied steadily. “Our service is to the community, not to specific personalities.”
“Ah, then you must not want your jobs anymore. Do you have any idea who my father is? What about my brother?”
The officer cuffed Gerry, ignoring his rants as he deposited him into the police car. “Stop talking and cooperate.”
Gerry gaped at the man.
Why were they being so rough with him today?
Whenever Caden went to the police station, they were all very polite to him. Why was he getting such different treatment?
Even as he was subdued inside the car, Gerry was still defiant. He looked out the window at Corey and stuck his middle finger out.
Corey simply rolled his eyes and walked back into the villa.
As the car began to move, Gerry couldn’t help but complain. “You guys could have gone along with it for a bit, you know. Believe it or not, I’ll speak to your chief and get you all fired.”
“Our chief?” the officer echoed. “Do you even know his name?”
Gerry fell silent.
He didn’t know the chief at all. If anything, he was just going to wait for his family to bail him out.
With that said, he didn’t have the guts to call his father. So, he went for the next best thing and called Cliff. To his shock and dismay, Cliff showed him no mercy.
“Mr. Ward told me not to get involved in your affair. I’m sorry, bro.”
Gerry’s eyes widened. “Caden told you not to help me? Fine, then! That bastard… I was so sincere, yet he spits on my loyalty like this?”
After ending the call with Cliff, Gerry spent the next long while sulking.
When he finally couldn’t take it anymore, he turned to Caden for help.
After getting the gist of what had happened, Caden came down to the police station.
By the time he arrived, it was late, and the lights in the building were dim. Gerry was slumped in the detention room, his earlier arrogance gone.
Caden made arrangements with the police and paid the necessary fine to get Gerry out. Hungry and exhausted, Gerry didn’t have the energy to air out his grievances to Caden.
“Want to grab a bite?” Gerry asked, opening a food app on his phone. “I’m starving. We might as well order a buffet. I feel like I could eat a whole cow.”
“I was in the middle of dinner when you called,” Caden replied coolly.
Gerry paused. “Yeah? Who cooked?”
“Who do you think?”
“Alicia?” Gerry guessed excitedly. “Let’s head back to your place, then. I want to try Alicia’s cooking!”
Caden felt a pang of displeasure at the thought of someone else eating the food Alicia had prepared. “You’d only be getting leftovers.”
“Leftovers are fine. I’m not picky.”
“Leftovers are for pets. Are you trying to compete with a dog now?”
“What are you saying, Caden? I helped you vent your anger by filming an adult movie in Corey’s place, and you won’t even let me have leftovers? Should I just jump out of the car and run into traffic?”
Caden said nothing, but the click of the passenger door unlocking was clear.
Gerry’s jaw dropped open.
Caden glanced sideways at him. “What are you waiting for? Do you need me to open the door and toss you out myself?”
Alicia didn’t need any instructions from Caden; she simply prepared two extra dishes for them.
When Caden left for the police station, he called the officers to find out exactly what Gerry had done to land himself in trouble.
Gerry had gone out of his way to harass Corey-all in support of Caden. Naturally, Alicia felt grateful to him.
When Caden returned home and opened the door, the aroma of freshly cooked food greeted him. He glanced at Alicia. “You don’t have to pamper him like this,” he remarked, though Gerry was already grinning and heading to wash his hands.
As he scrubbed his hands, Gerry grumbled, “Caden, you’re heartless! That dog of yours hasn’t known you nearly as long as I have, and yet you treat him better than me.”
Alicia looked puzzled. “Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Drying his hands, Gerry explained, “I told him I’d come over to eat the leftovers, and he said those were for the dog.”
Alicia stifled a laugh, her lips twitching.
Caden sat down, barely glancing up. “At least the dog wags his tail for me after he eats. What can you do? Direct some lowbrow flick?”
Gerry was momentarily speechless.
Alicia raised an eyebrow, glancing at Gerry. “Mr. Hopkins, what exactly drove you to do all that?”
Gerry, though often shameless, felt a bit awkward being called out in front of others. “I did it to ruffle Corey’s feathers, that’s all.”
Caden shook his head. “You’re just sabotaging yourself to annoy him. He can pack up and move on, but that little stunt of yours will stay online forever. Just look at your social media-your fans are heartbroken.”
Gerry stuffed a chicken wing into his mouth, savoring the tender, fragrant meat as it practically fell off the bone with just a slight press of his lips.
He sighed with contentment. “No need to check my social media. Even if I hadn’t pulled this stupid stunt today, people would still be criticizing me.”
Caden thought back to Gerry’s last movie. Despite its massive budget, it had flopped, and Gerry’s reputation as a director was largely propped up by aggressive marketing.
After eating his fill, Gerry slouched back in his chair, letting the meal settle.