Mr. Vance's office was on the top floor of Starlight Media, boasting a panoramic view of the city that was second only to the Sinclair Penthouse.
Currently, the expensive mahogany desk was covered in scripts.
"How about this one?" Mr. Vance suggested, sliding a thick binder across the desk. " 'Tears of the Blue Sky.' It's a tragic romance. You play a blind violinist who dies of leukemia in the arms of her lover. It's perfect for garnering public sympathy."
Aria picked it up, glanced at the logline, and tossed it into the trash can.
Thud.
"Boring," she said flatly. "I spent my last life crying. I don't intend to spend this one doing it for a paycheck."
Mr. Vance adjusted his glasses, looking slightly stressed. "Miss Vale, public opinion is currently... mixed. Half the internet thinks you're a gold digger, the other half thinks you're mentally unstable. A soft, sympathetic role would help rehabilitate your image."
"I don't want sympathy," Aria said, standing up and walking over to the "Rejected" pile on the side table. "Sympathy is cheap. Fear is expensive. I want a role that makes people nervous when I walk into a room."
She began flipping through the stack of scripts that Tony Miller had previously hidden from her—the high-budget productions reserved for A-list talent.
Her fingers paused on a glossy black binder.
[Title: The Empress's Shadow][Genre: Historical Fantasy / Court Politics][Budget: $200 Million][Lead Actress: Bella Vale][Lead Actor: Lucas Sinclair]
Aria's lips curled into a cold smile.
"This one," she said, tapping the black binder.
Mr. Vance paled. "Miss Vale, that's... that's the company's flagship project for the year. But the casting is already locked. Bella is playing the Saintess Empress, and Lucas is playing the Emperor. There are no lead roles left."
"I don't want the lead," Aria said, flipping the script open to the character list.
She ran her finger down the page until she stopped at a name.
Character: Consort Li (The Demon Consort)Description: Ruthless, seductive, and poisonous. She dominates the harem, tortures the Saintess, and seduces the Emperor using dark arts. She dies a gruesome death in the finale.
"This one," Aria said. "Consort Li."
Mr. Vance choked on his coffee. "Consort Li? But... she's the most hated character in the book! She slaps the heroine in Episode 3, poisons the tea in Episode 5, and gets executed by the Emperor in the end! If you play this, the netizens will tear you apart!"
"She slaps the heroine in Episode 3?" Aria's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I'll take it."
"But—"
"Mr. Vance," Aria cut him off, her voice turning steely. "Clause 1 of my new contract states I have creative control. I want this role. Schedule the audition."
Mr. Vance sighed, realizing he couldn't win. "The director is casting supporting roles downstairs right now. Bella and Lucas are there for chemistry reads."
"Excellent," Aria grabbed the script. "I've been dying to test my chemistry with them."
The casting room on the 15th floor was crowded with nervous actors mumbling lines. When Aria stepped out of the elevator, the hallway went silent.
She didn't look like the "fragile sister" Bella had described on TV. She was wearing her own clothes now—high-waisted jeans and a white blouse—but she walked with the stride of someone who owned the building.
She pushed open the double doors to the audition room without knocking.
Inside, a scene was in progress.
Bella, dressed in a soft pastel dress, was weeping beautifully into Lucas's chest. Lucas was stroking her hair, looking heroic.
"Oh, Emperor," Bella sobbed, reciting her lines. "I don't care if the Consort hates me. I only care about your heart."
"Cut!" The Director, a bearded man named Spielberg (no relation, but he wished), clapped his hands. "Beautiful, Bella! The tears were angelic! Truly the nation's First Love!"
"Thank you, Director," Bella wiped her eyes, beaming. "I just really connected with the character's innocence."
"Innocence?" A cool voice echoed from the doorway. "She sounds more like a doormat with a martyr complex."
Everyone spun around.
Aria walked in, tossing the script onto the casting table.
"Aria?" Lucas let go of Bella, his face darkening. "What are you doing here? Did you come to beg for a background role? Security!"
"I'm here to read for Consort Li," Aria announced, ignoring him and looking straight at the Director.
The Director blinked. "You? But... Consort Li is a femme fatale. A seductress. You... you usually play the maid or the sick cousin."
"People change," Aria said. She reached up and unbuttoned the top button of her blouse, revealing the hollow of her throat. She swept her rose-gold hair over one shoulder.
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The air grew heavy.
"Scene 4," Aria commanded. "The first confrontation."
She turned to Bella.
"Sister," Aria smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're already in character as the victim. Let's act."
Bella bristled. "You want to act with me? Aria, you'll just embarrass yourself. You can't handle the pressure—"
"Action," the Director shouted, intrigued by the sudden tension.
Aria moved.
She didn't walk; she glided. In a split second, her posture changed. She wasn't Aria Vale anymore. She was Consort Li, the woman who held the Emperor's court in her iron grip.
She circled Bella, her eyes raking over her sister with utter contempt.
"So," Aria purred, her voice dropping an octave, dripping with disdain. "This is the 'treasure' the Emperor brought back from the countryside?"
She reached out, grabbing Bella's chin with painful force. It wasn't in the script to touch, but Bella was too shocked to pull away.
"Look at you," Aria sneered, her face inches from Bella's. "Eyes full of water, head full of straw. You think your tears are a weapon?"
Aria leaned in, whispering into Bella's ear—but her voice carried to the back of the room.
"In this Palace, tears are just water. And blood... blood is the only ink we use to write history."
She shoved Bella away.
Bella stumbled back, actually tripping over her own feet in fear. She hit the floor with a thud.
"Aria!" Lucas shouted, stepping forward instinctively to defend Bella. "That's not in the script! You pushed her!"
Aria spun on her heel to face him. She didn't break character. She looked at Lucas—the Emperor—with a gaze that was equal parts lust and mockery.
She stepped into his space, placing a hand on his chest. Lucas froze, his breath hitching. The sexual tension rolling off her was suffocating.
"And you, Your Majesty," Aria whispered, walking her fingers up his lapel. "You pick up a stray dog and try to seat it on a throne? Are you blind? Or just easily amused by things that whimper?"
Lucas opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was mesmerized. He had never seen Aria look at him like that. Like he was a toy she wanted to break.
"Cut!" The Director screamed, jumping out of his chair. "Perfect! My god! The tension! The malice! That was Consort Li!"
Aria dropped her hand from Lucas's chest. The "Demon Consort" mask vanished, replaced by her usual bored expression.
She looked down at Bella, who was still sitting on the floor, looking humiliated.
"You should work on your balance, Sister," Aria said dryly. "If you fall that easily, how will you survive 40 episodes with me?"
She turned to the stunned Director.
"I'll expect the contract by noon. And triple the salary. Hazard pay for working with amateurs."
She walked out the door, leaving a dead silence in her wake.
In the hallway, her phone buzzed.
It was the secure black phone.
[Incoming Call: The Wallet]
Aria stared at the contact name. 'The Wallet? Did he name himself that?'
She slid the answer button.
"You're late," Damien's voice came through, low and dangerous.
"Late for what?"
"Lunch. Clause 9. I'm downstairs."
Aria checked her watch. "It's 11:30! Who eats lunch at 11:30?"
"I do," Damien replied. "And since you just traumatized your ex-fiancé on live camera—yes, I have a feed in the casting room—I figured you'd be hungry. Get in the car, Mrs. Sinclair. I bought steak."