Once Sarah Lee finished directing the filming of Yuri and Shawn, she spent some time reviewing the pre-edited footage.
Looking through everything that had been recorded so far, she was pleased with the chemistry and the acting that she saw from all the involved parties.
Although Shawn and Rio were not professional actors like Yuri and Valentina, they had done passably well, and nothing looked out of place.
And she was especially pleased with Valentina.
When Sarah Lee had first seen the girl, although she thought she was beautiful, she wasn't expecting a lot from her, even though her friend, Director Cranston, had recommended her for the role ever since the last actress fell through at the last minute.
Since everything had been booked and it would be excessively expensive to reschedule, she was just happy to find somebody who fit the look she was looking for.
And Valentina seemed like a good fit.
The girl had a pleasant enough personality and seemed to be focused on work.
She hadn't lost any professionalism when interacting with Shawn and even Rio, who frequently had women losing their senses even in professional settings.
Additionally, when she had first seen Valentina in full costume, Sarah Lee was fully entranced.
With blond hair and a pure white outfit, she believed she had seen an angel walking on earth.
With a beautiful yet detached expression, Valentina gave off an ethereal aura as if she were from a different plane.
Sarah Lee even swore that she could see pure white angelic wings behind her, as if she would fly into the sky at any moment.
Throughout the filming endeavor, Valentina had executed every scene perfectly with no issues, and as Sarah Lee reviewed the footage, she found herself drawn to scenes with her in them.
There was just something about the girl that made her want to keep looking.
And watching the scenes Valentina had filmed with Rio, she could see the chemistry and emotional tension between them.
An angel who willingly corrupted herself and a demon, unaware of his feelings, who would sacrifice everything to save her.
The ultimate love story.
Perfectly portrayed between two strangers.
It was hard to believe that this was a girl with bad rumors about her and almost zero acting experience.
Compared to Yuri, who was a bit more well-known and polished, although Valentina had been in fewer things, there was something about her that just attracted people.
It was something intangible that separated good actors from the truly great ones.
Sarah Lee nodded to herself in satisfaction as she replayed a particular frame of Valentina lazily looking around and Rio's eyes that refused to leave her body.
Cranston had discovered a gem, and she just knew that this short film would surprise everyone.
Thinking that enough time had passed for them to change, Sarah Lee decided to go check on her actors.
First, she went to check on Rio in his private dressing room, but realized he wasn't there.
She then went to the women's dressing area.
Yuri was still in the process of costume removal, but Valentina wasn't there either.
Confused, Sarah Lee went to find a staff member to ask where the two were.
Although she had complete trust in Rio, it was a bit curious that the two of them couldn't be found.
Taking into account that he seemed to be moderately interested in Valentina, she hoped that nothing serious was happening and if it was, that they two would keep it discreet for their own sakes.
It didn't take much for rumors to start between a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and generally, the woman bore the brunt of the backlash.
She wanted to protect the integrity of the people working for her.
"Director!" a voice called out.
Turning, Sarah Lee saw that it was the coordinator, Gia, running towards her.
"What's wrong?" Sarah Lee asked the panicked woman.
"Director, I've been looking for you. Uhm, I have something to show you and I'm not sure what to do." Gia confessed.
Sarah Lee was confused, but she gestured for Gia to lead the way.
Gia led her to a remote corner where a partition screen had been placed around a sofa.
Immediately wary, Sarah Lee turned to look at Gia for clarification.
The woman gestured for her to be silent and quickly led her to the sofa for a clearer look.
It was Rio and Valentina taking a nap on the couch.
Which wouldn't be a problem except that Valentina was lying on his chest while his arm was around her.
No matter how she looked at it, this was an intimate position.
Did these two know each other?
Sarah Lee started going through the two's interactions over the past couple of days.
Rio expressed approval of her, sitting next to her, removing her shoes, him carrying her, Valentina's casual way of treating him, and the chemistry on film.
!!!!!!!!!!!!
Were they dating???
"Uhmm, director? What should I do?" Gia whispered.
"First good job blocking it off." Sarah Lee told her coordinator with a thumbs-up.
"Just let them sleep and continue to keep people away from them. Better yet, go get me a camera, let me record this. This is great behind-the-scenes footage."
The coordinator just looked at her in confusion, but Sarah Lee shooed her away.
Sarah Lee wasn't a director who believed artists should put their love lives on hold for their careers.
It tended to cause a buildup of frustration and usually led to reckless actions.
Everything should be done in moderation, including relationships among the youth.
Pulling out her cell phone, she leaned over the two and took a couple of pictures and a video.
If she didn't know any better, she would have thought it was a planned shot.
Rio was lying on his back in his standard all-black outfit with one hand behind his head.
His dark hair gently fell on his forehead while his long lashes cast shadows on his high cheekbones.
His generally stoic expression had softened while he slept.
In contrast, Valentina's blond hair was splayed all around her and draped on his chest and body.
Her small face was resting on his chest while one arm held onto his shirt in a tight grip.
Her body was tucked against him firmly as he held her, and the contrast of her white clothing and blond hair with Rio's darkness really was like an innocent angel and a demon resting together.
Valentina's face was flushed pink, and her cherry lips were slightly open, while her long curly lashes quivered as she moved around a little bit as if she was uncomfortable.
Before Valentina could move too much, Rio's hand that was wrapped around her shoulders patted her back until she settled down again with a satisfied sigh.
Looking at the romantic scene in front of her, Sarah Lee was convinced that the two were definitely dating.
Look, it was a stoic demonic man comforting his sweet angelic girlfriend.
It was a secret that only a few people knew, but Sarah Lee was a secret die-hard romantic at heart.
From rom coms to romantic fantasy, to even fanfiction.
She was a fiendish consumer of all things romance.
Anytime she saw romance, she immediately lost her head and was engrossed in capturing the moment.
Lost in her own delusions, Sarah Lee continued taking more pictures and videos until she noticed that Rio's eyes were open and staring at her coldly.