Sammy was almost out of the door when he caught a smirk on Micheal's face. He clearly enjoyed her humiliation.
"You!" Sammy glared at him. She has a lot of curses to rain on him, but the dude is her only ticket to seeing Brian and she doesn't want to offend him much. Even though he's rude when it comes to Brian's order, he treated her with respect in other aspects.
Brian was like his road to the crazy dimension.
"Please leave." He insisted.
There's no way that she's going to let Emma get the chance she had to really be intimate with Brian, never!
Knowing what she needed to do, Sammy walked out of the room, while bringing out her phone from her purse to contact her manager and make findings about the peanut actress that came to sleep with Brian.
Michael sighed after closing the door, before he started making calls to the directors and other important individuals that will be attending the meeting.
He asked to only get the Ladies ready, that Brian had chosen who he wanted. The director smiled and said he knew that already, but froze when Michael claimed that it wasn't Sammy that he chose.
"Is this some kind of a joke?" He asked in disbelieving.
Not bothering to argue with him, Michael said all he needed to say and call the others. No matter their grumbles, they couldn't go against Brian's decision, scared that he might ditch them and refuse the movie later.
He could withdraw his investment and back out of the role at the same time.
He has done that once. Instead of fans blaming him, since they've seen the thrillers and were glad that it was his movie, before Brian got annoyed over something and refused to proceed with it, they blamed his agency and every related people.
They even sent letters to him, claiming he got bullied and told him not to think too much.
The situation was awkward, because none of the people from the agency tried to clarify things. They didn't want to get into Brian's bad side, because they made him mad in the first place and he was also one of the shareholders of the company.
They planned an intimate scene and didn't include it in the script, trying to trick him into it, thinking he wouldn't have a choice, but they underestimated how much he disliked Sammy, who was the female leading then.
Not only was he a movie star, he was also a singer-songwriter who sang when he felt like it . He's not really interested in singing and gave out his lyrics, and only recorded the ones that he felt connected with.
Within a few minutes, Michael was done with his calls and walked closer to Brian's room, "can I come in?" He asked, but instead of growling at him to leave, "please don't." Brian replied.
"Don't be hard on yourself okay? the fact that the activity happened in your room alone didn't make it a rape. She came on her own because she wanted to and you're human too….. " After speaking on and on Michael turned to leave and heard Brian's voice, "thanks Michael."
Michael smiled, because he knew how fragile Brian's heart was, despite his temper and coldness.
....
Meanwhile.
Getting inside her room, Emma panted heavily and quickly closed the door, before crashing onto the floor and began crying her heart out.
"That was fast," she heard her manager's voice from behind, but kept on crying.
Getting in front of her and seeing the hickeys on her, Charlotte rejoiced inwardly before faking a pitiful face and pulled her into her embrace, "calm down Emma, I'm sure that it will be worth it." She said, patting her back.
Emma shook her head, "he… he… sent me away after sleeping with me. He won't give me the role. It was all for nothing." She said in between tears.
"He will." Charlotte said as a matter of fact. Because sleeping with him alone guaranteed that. The fact that he laid his hand on her and didn't find her unworthy of his body meant that she was someone that he could act the movie with, without restraining from intimacy.
Emma didn't say anything, assuming that Charlotte knew what to do and all that she needed to do was have sex, which she had done.
"Go clean up and get ready for the meeting." Charlotte said after helping her to her feet.
Seeing her walking to the bathroom, Charlotte smiled to herself. She knew Emma is weak and strong. Both sides had triggers, which is her family.
She could become a dummy for them and could become a monster for them. This weakness that she managed to know about, was the master key to controlling her.
...
Sitting around a large conference table, were beautiful ladies. The beauties that were being worshipped on screen. Even Emma, who wasn't inferior to them, felt overwhelmed, because if not for her exceptional beauty and the two movies she was a cast in, she wouldn't be able to get this close to them.
Even though her role wasn't expected to get her attention, she managed to stand out. Which was why she got this chance.
If such a mini role could bring about such an effect, they wondered what would happen if she got a valuable one.
All the actresses that were around the table weren't freaked out over the meeting, because they knew that they wouldn't be chosen, even though it was their heart's desire and they had all auditioned for it.
Emma nearly peed her pants, as she heard silent whispers of the two actresses sitting beside her. They were cursing Sammy for always getting everything, which made her wonder what they would do, if she really got chosen.
For a while there, she really wished that she wouldn't get it. Maybe Brian should just pick someone else. She didn't want to become their enemy.
If someone told her that she would be opportuned to sit beside these ladies in her dream, she would call the person a joker, but here she was, in their midst.
She had acted with two of them, so they've even made body contact. Fear consumed her heart as the door opened and Michael came inside.
He had a stoic expression on his face, which made those that wanted to get closer to him and made him link them with Brian think twice. He didn't get seduced with money and didn't get freaked over beauties.
Emma froze as she recognized Michael. Their eyes locked across the conference table, and sitting at the edge, he had a clear view of everyone in the room.
Emma dropped her gaze to her lap, cheeks burning with embarrassment. Michael, however, didn't miss the fear and unease in her expression. Normally, he wouldn't care, but something about this girl seemed off.
He hadn't seen her before. Who was managing her? he wondered.
If she had truly wanted the role so badly that she slept with Brian, why wasn't she brimming with pride like most actresses would be?
If looks could kill, Emma would have been six feet under by now because her worry came to fruition.
Without hesitation, Michael pointed at her, not knowing her name. Every pair of eyes followed his finger.
Emma trembled, unable to lift her head.
"Wait! Is this some kind of joke?" one of the actresses whispered, disbelief coloring her voice.
It made sense that Sammy might have been chosen, but this girl? They were only just noticing her existence.
Emma bit her lower lip as the surrounding whispers grew sharper with disapproval and jealousy.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Director," Michael said, his tone final. Ignoring the women, he turned and left the room.
The director knew nothing could change Brian's decision. Looking at Emma, he saw a beauty that rivaled any of the women present, innocent yet captivating. He smiled softly. These kinds of girls were magnetic, the type that could shine effortlessly on screen.
With those thoughts in mind, he concluded the meeting and asked Emma to follow him, shielding her from the simmering anger of the other actresses.
---
That night, Emma returned home, her body still trembling from the day. She shared the news with her mother and siblings, tears flowing freely as she clutched her black cat, Nemo.
Nemo was her only true comfort, the one family member to witness her vulnerability. She buried her face in his soft fur, whispering everything that had happened. Though not human, he seemed to understand, allowing her to cuddle him until she drifted into exhausted sleep.
---
A week later, Emma was in the agency's studio, preparing for the indoor shoot alongside Sammy, who had unexpectedly agreed to take the second female lead.
Emma felt a twinge of discomfort as a young assistant, likely nineteen or twenty helped her prepare. Sammy had offered her help, despite Emma insisting she could manage herself. Emma had reluctantly accepted, unsure of the unspoken motives behind the gesture.
Dressed casually in a pink tank top adorned with a SpongeBob print, black knee-length trousers, and her hair in twin ponytails, Emma looked like an ordinary girl amid a sea of glamorous women. The plan was deliberate: make her appear approachable, draw Brian's cast attention, and ignite jealousy among the others.
Sammy watched from the corner, gritting her teeth. Emma was stunning, too stunning to be ignored.
'How dare that girl stay in the same room with me'! Sammy seethed internally, but she had chosen this setup intentionally for her own scheming.
Emma accepted a bottle of water from the assistant, taking a sip before her nude lipstick was applied, carefully maintaining a natural look. She soon started to feel slightly off, but shook it off.
Today is a big day for her, so she assumes anxiety is messing with her.
---
At the photo studio.
Brian entered, dressed in blue jeans and a black shirt, silver hair tousled, light makeup accentuating his sharp features. His effortless smile and casual demeanor made him look both breathtaking and approachable.
He was practicing his script as he got prepared for the photoshoot for the cover of the movie.
Emma's nerves flared, but Brian's calm presence eased them. She watched him move around, changing outfits, preparing for the shoot with a casual efficiency that made her feel both intimidated and comforted.
Soon it was their turn. Emma still felt uneasy and for some reason her concentration started to jarr but she pushed on, hoping to get it over with as soon as possible and leave to check on herself.
During a couple shoot, Emma clutched onto Brian tightly after a camera flash left her vision momentarily blurred. He frowned, assuming she was trying to cling to him deliberately.
She was instructed to lightly hug his waistline and rest her head against his arm, but now, her grip tightened, beads of perspiration forming on her forehead.
Charlotte was conspicuously absent, leaving Emma vulnerable under the watchful eyes of the crew.
"Miss Emma, you don't have to hold him so tight," the cameraman cautioned, but Brian's patience had reached its limit.
He forcibly pried her arms away, about to step back, when suddenly, there was a loud thud.
Emma collapsed, her body limp on the studio floor. Shock froze everyone in place, except for Sammy and her crew. Sammy smirked, typing calmly on her phone, confident that the poison she had administered would take effect without detection.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Brian shouted, kneeling beside her.
No response. Her lips were pale, her cheeks flushed unnaturally.
The cameraman stepped closer, concern etched across his face.
Brian pressed his ear to her chest.
"Is she breathing?!" the cameraman asked urgently.
"She's stopped breathing, damn it!" Brian yelled, refusing to give up. He swept Emma into his arms in a princess carry, ignoring the astonished onlookers, and sprinted out of the studio.
He couldn't believe it. How could someone who has made him a mess for the past days just died without a warning sign.