Chapter 3: Bluffed Her Way Through
Isabella had only been transmigrated for half a month, so she naturally didn't have much affection for her family, but she could feel the kindness her mother and sister showed her. Therefore, she would shoulder the responsibilities she needed to.
At first, she also felt like she had a terrible start.
If classified by wealth in later generations, their family would at least be an A8.5 in the UK. If her father hadn't failed in his investments, Eric, with his old money resources, could have even pushed the family to A9.
How could she possibly stop such a degree of class decline?
Isabella knew her limits. If she had that ability, she would have achieved financial freedom in her previous life.
Therefore, after realizing her future was bleak, she was very depressed for a long time after transmigrating. She tried to find familiar patterns in an unfamiliar world, hoping to gain a sliver of pathetic security in a gray world.
Then, she saw the boy who lived.
Isabella admitted that after learning that the casting for the movie version of “Harry Potter” had yielded nothing, her heart immediately pounded. This was not only because becoming a star was the fastest way for ordinary people to change their fate, but also because HP was the second most successful film series in cinematic history; only SW, “Star Wars,” could surpass it in box office.
As long as she could get involved, even if it didn't solve all of her family's problems, their current lifestyle could still be guaranteed.
As for the fact that she had never acted in her previous life?
Putting aside that she was already here, what harm was there in trying? The classification of HP alone could solve all problems.
HP is Young Adult.
In the publishing and film industries, it specifically refers to young adult literature or TV series; no one demands exceptional acting skills here.
In Isabella's eyes, HP was the best opportunity to change her fate. In Catherine's world, her first reaction was also ecstasy. HP was currently the most popular best-selling book in the UK and even the world. As soon as news of its adaptation into film came out, all age-appropriate children wanted to try their luck. No one would deny the excellence of HP.
Her second reaction, however, was no, because Isabella was too beautiful.
Ten-year-old Isabella had thick, naturally curly blonde hair. Although she was still childish and had some baby fat, paired with a high nose bridge and three-dimensional features, she was the epitome of cuteness.
Not only that, she also had a pair of blue eyes that sparkled like stars, like the vast and boundless sea, deep and charming.
Although an invincible appearance could conquer everything in the entertainment industry, when it came to HP, it might be a bit tricky.
Because the characters in HP all had rather ordinary looks.
For example, the female lead, Hermione Granger, was described in the book as having:
She had brown eyes, bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.
She was nicknamed Miss Beaver.
“I think your chances of being chosen are very small.”
After briefly recalling the original text of HP, Catherine returned to her dejected state.
“Because you are simply too beautiful. Auntie Rowling is unwilling to compromise on the nationality of the actors in order to restore the novel, so when you are excessively beautiful, I think Auntie Rowling might not like you.”
Isabella wasn't worried about this at all.
In her previous life, there were simply too many OOC (out of character) things in the HP movies.
Like Luna, she wasn't beautiful in the book: 'She had waist-length, straggly, dirty-blonde hair, pale skin, very faint eyebrows, and protuberant eyes.' And the actress, Evanna Lynch…
When she acted in HP, her looks shouldn't have been a problem, right?
“The opportunity is right in front of me; am I supposed to just wait to die at home if I don't try?”
Isabella said, “Catha, you don't want Mom to gradually fall into despair, do you?”
“...”
Catherine stared at her sister; that serious look made her a little moved, but at the same time, she also didn't understand why her sister had been acting so strange lately. She always liked to retort with a very strange tone?
And that tone sounded quite annoying.
However, compared to the difficulties the family faced, this was actually a minor issue.
So she nodded and said, “Okay, I think what you said makes sense, so what do you want me to help you with?”
Catherine was convinced.
Isabella was satisfied and said decisively, “I need you to help me hide it from Mom and then accompany me to sneak off to the HP office.”
“What???”
The bizarre idea made Catherine raise her voice.
Isabella gestured for her to be quiet, “You know, Mom doesn't like the entertainment industry…”
Vivian did indeed grow up in the West End, but from childhood, she only loved performing, or rather, the stage. As for the identity of an actor, or the entertainment circle, she absolutely detested it.
Because few people in the arts were decent, after all.
There were too many rotten things in it to elaborate, suffice it to say that the Roman Polanski case was one of many such instances in Europe.
Having witnessed too much and having been incredibly lucky to escape the fire herself, Vivian was extremely vigilant about her daughters entering the industry. She was excellent at dancing and singing, but she never taught her daughters to dance or sing. HP's casting actually began at the beginning of the year, but Vivian simply wouldn't let age-appropriate Isabella go.
When Vivian could go to such lengths to protect her daughters, now, must her daughter embrace hell to support the family?
Honestly, compared to class decline, this might be even more devastating for Vivian.
But…
All success comes with a price, doesn't it?
“Oh~ Isa~ I suddenly feel like I don't know you.”
Catherine sighed.
“Everyone grows up, and growing up happens overnight.”
Isabella raised an eyebrow.
“Alright, alright, alright, I can't argue with you. Tell me, what do you want to do?”
Catherine was too lazy to delve deeper.
Isabella curved her lips, showing a cute smile: “It's very simple.”
“I need you to tell Mom that she broke the law today…”
At six in the evening, the family gathered around the dining table.
According to A8 standards, all three meals a day would actually be prepared by servants, but Vivian felt it was too empty to do nothing, so since the day she got married, all the meals at home were prepared by her personally.
Of course, she didn't do the washing, cutting, and prepping. All ingredients came from a company that sold pre-cut vegetables, and everything after the meal was left to the dishwasher. If large items didn't fit? Just make a call and ask a cleaning company to come in for overtime.
To put it more simply, Vivian wasn't cooking; she was enjoying the purest pleasure of cooking.
Today's dinner was a simplified home-cooked meal of one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one staple, after Eric's passing.
The meat was roasted lamb chops. After draining the blood and marinating the lamb ribs, they were put into the oven. After sixty minutes of slow roasting, the delicious flavor emerged. It seemed ordinary, but the raw material used was still Blackface Suffolk.
The vegetable was a cold dish of Romanesco broccoli. Romanesco broccoli is actually a type of green pagoda. Blanch it, then mix it with diced carrots and a little seasoning, and it's ready to eat. The former came from Italy, and the latter was produced in France.
The main course was mashed potatoes mixed with green peas; both are high in carbohydrates.
Honestly, this combination of dishes would only be considered a diet meal in China, but in the British Isles, the price of this meal was not low. The reason is simple: the UK's latitude is too high, and the climate is very poor, making it impossible to grow vegetables.
The most common items in popular recipes are actually potatoes and fish. When leafy greens have to be supplied by continental Europe to be eaten, having leafy greens at every meal and eating until full is the most obvious sign of wealth.
Perhaps she had something on her mind, but it was also possible that Isabella's idea was too outlandish. Even though today's roasted lamb chops were truly delicious, Catherine wasn't in the mood to savor them slowly. After Isabella kicked her four or five times, she finally gathered her courage and spoke.
“Mom, I want to tell you something.”
“Hmm? Is there something you like and want to buy? Mom will go with you tomorrow.”
“Oh… no, no, no… I don't have anything I want to buy for now.”
Catherine shook her head and said with some difficulty, “What I want to say is, can Isa and I stay home tomorrow?”
“What?”
Vivian didn't understand.
Her hand, holding the knife and fork to cut the lamb chop, paused.
“Why?”
She frowned slightly, looking at her eldest daughter with some confusion.
“Uh… it's like this…”
Her mother's gaze made Catherine, who disliked lying, a little flustered. She mentally punched Isabella, who came up with the ridiculous idea, ten thousand times, but outwardly, she forced herself to remain calm, “Because today, after you left, the police came to question us.”
“Didn't you see me outside the car when you came back?”
“That was my way of dealing with the police.”
As an established developed country, the UK's human rights laws are among the leading in the world.
Regarding the protection of minors, British law explicitly states that children under 13 must be accompanied by a guardian to stay in a car; otherwise, it is illegal. Minor offenses result in verbal warnings, while serious ones can lead to lawsuits for deprivation of guardianship.
If a child is injured or dies during this period, it would even constitute child abuse.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, Vivian, who left Isabella in the car this afternoon, had already broken the law.
If Isabella hadn't been quick-witted enough to slip away, the family would be at the police station right now.
Ahem.
These were Isabella's exact words to Catherine just now.
However, on the surface, the UK's “Child Protection Act” seems flawless, but it actually has loopholes. For example, leaving children under 13 and children over 13 but still minors together in a car, and then the guardian briefly leaving.
As long as the temperature inside the car is suitable and rescue can be carried out quickly, in judicial practice, it would at most be considered guardian negligence. As long as the child is fine, even if the police discover it, the most likely outcome is a verbal warning.
So, to reiterate, if Catherine hadn't suddenly gone to the restroom, then even if the two of them were seen in the car by the police, Vivian wouldn't have had a big problem, and the police generally wouldn't make things difficult for single-parent families like theirs.
Hmm.
Anyway, Isabella blamed her own sneaking away on Catherine.
An hour ago, after hearing these words, Catherine was completely stunned.
She never expected her sister to be so shameless.
And now, upon learning that the police had already come, Vivian immediately became nervous.
“The police came? What did they say?”
Vivian had not jumped with her husband for the sake of her two daughters.
She could not accept being deprived of guardianship.
Her mother's stare made Catherine a little nervous. She bit the bullet and said, “Oh… Mom… I told them you left your handbag at the theater, and I lied about my age, saying I was eighteen. They left after realizing the car door could be opened freely.”
“Of course, before leaving, they said you shouldn't do that just because the West End is safe.”
Catherine was indeed only 13 years old, but her height was already 5 feet 4 inches, about 1.63 meters.
Coupled with the fact that Europeans and Americans mature early, when she previously attended parties with her father, Catherine was referred to as a ‘young lady’ by others.
The peaceful outcome made Vivian breathe a sigh of relief. Across the table, her daughters' obedience made her feel a little tired.
She looked at Catherine, then at Isabella, and finally, her gaze fell on her youngest daughter.
“Isa, you'll listen to your sister, right?”
“Yeah~”
Isabella showed a harmless smile.
Bluffed her way through!
Her gaze shifted slightly, staring at her eldest daughter, “Catha, don't mess around with Isa, okay?”
“Okay.”
Catherine felt deeply guilty.
Because she had lied to her mother.
Note: ① In the UK's “Child Protection Act,” leaving minors under 13 alone at home is also not allowed, but compared to leaving minors under 13 in a car, the probability of being prosecuted for leaving them at home is relatively lower. This is because passersby can see you locking a minor in a car, and good Samaritans will report it. However, if they are left at home, passersby cannot easily see them, so they cannot report it. What is written in this chapter about staying at home and not going out refers to reducing the probability of being discovered, not that doing so is fine in the UK. Furthermore, this is also the most common method used by single-parent families there, a last resort.