Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

The security guard’s tone was laced with disgust, and he was much rougher as he removed her this time. A grown man’s strength was not to be underestimated. Though Shauna Lockwood thrashed and clawed, leaving several deep scratches on his arms, she was ultimately dragged outside.

Shauna Lockwood’s foul-mouthed tirade could still be heard from far away.

A chill entered Joanna Kennedy’s eyes. Seeing the bloody scratches on the security guard’s arms and neck, she asked with concern, ”Are you alright? Should you go to the hospital to get that checked out?”

Her voice was full of genuine concern, with no hint of condescending blame. The guard’s heart warmed, though he also felt a pang of guilt. ”I’m fine, really. It was my mistake for letting an unauthorized person in. I’m just glad you weren’t disturbed, Miss Kennedy.”

”Not at all,” Joanna Kennedy said with a smile, then changed the subject. ”Still, it would be best not to let suspicious strangers like her get near the property in the future.”

”Yes, you’re right, Miss Kennedy,” the guard said. ”We’ll be sure to pay closer attention to anyone who might threaten our homeowners’ safety.”

He mentioned the word ”homeowner” again. Confused, Joanna couldn’t help but ask, ”Why do you call me a homeowner?”

’Isn’t the homeowner the person who paid for the house? Since the guard recognizes me, he must know I’m living in a house that’s in Simon Lockwood’s name.’

’Bypassing Simon Lockwood, the big boss, to call me the homeowner... that was really getting the pecking order wrong. The guard couldn’t possibly make such a rookie mistake.’

The guard gave an awkward chuckle. ”Miss Kennedy, are you pulling my leg? Of course, the owners of the villas here are all our homeowners.”

The guard found her question odd, but he still explained respectfully.

But Joanna Kennedy froze.

’Homeowner... He means me?’

As a thought dawned on her, Joanna’s breathing quickened. ”Is the property deed for Villa A01 in my name?”

”Uh... of course.” The guard was baffled by her question but answered honestly.

Seeing the shifting expressions on her face, he asked, confused, ”Miss Kennedy, is something wrong?”

”...No.”

Back at the villa, Joanna was still in a daze. Her fingers unconsciously tugged at the fur of the cat in her arms. When a paw slapped sharply at the back of her hand, Joanna frowned and beat the cat to the punch. ’Are you crazy?’

166: ’...!!!’

’Who’s the crazy one?! Who’s the one with the grabby hands? Who’s crazy?!’

went berserk, meowing furiously, but was instantly subdued by two words from Joanna: ”spicy strips.”

It was still several hours before Simon Lockwood would be home from work. Joanna couldn’t sit still; she couldn’t even focus on her script.

Just as she was about to ask her bodyguard to drive her to Southland, she got a call from her agent. There was a last-minute gig: an invitation to appear on Aethelburg’s famous mystery reality show, *Investigation Together*.

Joanna was a little surprised. The show got a ton of exposure, so it was extremely picky about its guests. Usually, only the hottest young starlets and male actors, or the leads of blockbuster films and TV series, were qualified to get an invitation.

*The Awakening Petals* had a final box office of 2.56 billion, making it a holiday blockbuster. ’But I wasn’t the lead,’ she thought, ’so why would they invite me?’

She thought this, and she asked it aloud. On the other end of the line, Walter Young was silent for a moment before replying with a hint of exasperation, ”Don’t you realize your current popularity is already on the verge of eclipsing those other starlets?”

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’I really don’t,’ she thought. ’Most of my trending topics are negative.’

As if reading her mind, Walter Young added casually, ”Hate-clicks are still clicks. Infamy is still a kind of fame.”

Besides, public opinion of Joanna had turned around significantly. From the award-swapping incident to her breakout acting performance in *The Awakening Petals*, she was already on the cusp of joining the ranks of A-list starlets.

Furthermore, most of the scripts being sent her way were for leading female roles, meaning she wouldn’t be short on starring projects in the future.

She had buzz, talent, and looks. The seasoned veterans of the entertainment industry naturally understood that Joanna’s potential was limitless.

Before Joanna could even change, Julie had already arrived and was hurriedly pulling her into the car.

”Couldn’t you at least let me change? I’m going to film a show dressed like this?” Joanna was speechless.

Julie glanced at her in the rearview mirror. She was wearing a cream-colored long-sleeved sweatshirt with matching pants. No makeup, yet her lips were red and her teeth were white. Her long, black hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

’She’s this beautiful looking so plain. Why would she need to change?’

”You just don’t get it. This effortless, laid-back look is what’s in right now,” Julie said sagely.

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’No matter how ”laid-back” the style is, you don’t show up to film a show in your loungewear! This isn’t some pajama-party-themed reality show!’

Seeing Joanna’s utterly exasperated expression, Julie comforted her, ”Don’t worry, the production team has costumes. Once you pick your character card, you’ll change into that character’s outfit.”

Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. When they arrived at the filming location, a staff member came out to greet them. In a backstage room, several cards were laid out on a table, each representing a different character role.

”That role has already been picked by another guest, but you can choose any of the others, Ms. Kennedy,” a staff member explained.

Joanna looked at the remaining five cards. There were three male roles and two female roles. The female roles were a ”Popular Influencer” and a ”Guesthouse Owner.”

It didn’t matter which one she picked. Joanna took the ”Guesthouse Owner” role card and flipped it over to read it.

The staffer asked jokingly, ”Did you get the murderer card, Ms. Kennedy?”

A camera was pointed at them from a short distance away. Only a complete idiot would answer that question. Joanna just smiled and said, ”Now, I can’t tell you that.”

They exchanged a few more lines to get enough footage for the show’s opening, then Joanna received her full character briefing.

”The second room on the left down the hall is the guest lounge. You can go there to memorize your character information, Ms. Kennedy. Once filming starts, you won’t be allowed to look at your script,” the staffer explained.

Joanna nodded. ”Got it.”

This kind of immersive role-playing mystery show was like acting; you had to fully get into character. Constantly looking at your script would ruin the viewing experience for the audience.

When Joanna entered the lounge, another guest was already there: Todd Crowe, the second male lead from her previous TV series.

Todd Crowe was the kind of talented actor who was a late bloomer, his success built on years of hard work. The patriotic film he’d recently starred in had done incredibly well at the box office, second only to *The Awakening Petals*.

She had initially kept her distance from Todd Crowe because of Thomas Warren. In truth, it wasn’t really intentional distancing; that’s just how the entertainment industry worked. Once filming wrapped, everyone went their separate ways.

But Todd Crowe apparently didn’t see it that way. He had even booked out an entire theater for a screening of *The Awakening Petals* and tagged Joanna Kennedy on social media to cheer her on.

Thinking about that, Joanna felt she had been a bit unfair to the good-natured man. She took the initiative to greet him. ”Brother Crowe, long time no see.”