Silence dominated the office for the next several minutes. After Manager Kang’s brief call with Ida, he found himself slumped on the other couch, his mind blank, staring into nothingness.
"How is this even possible?" he blurted out. "Is Lola Young’s opinion really that important?"
Sure, Lola—or her pen name Taz—was the original creator of The Angel’s Revenge. However, in the adaptation industry, the entire storyline could be altered, and the cast could be changed. The last call was supposed to be with Director Sarian, and Lola’s opinion was supposed to mean nothing. He knew Lola had sponsors for her projects, but compared to Melissa’s investments in this film, they were nothing. Yet, they dared not pick Melissa because of her?
"Damn it..." Simon hissed through his gritted teeth. He irritably ruffled his hair, his head throbbing with stress. "Damn it... damn it!"
Yet, aside from that, he knew there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t the first time he got rejected for a role, or that he auditioned for one role but got a different one. Those things were normal in the industry. However, this was the first time he had to think about the humiliation that awaited him.
Moreover, what made it even worse was that it was Cedrick who got the role.
"Really?" he scoffed. "They chose someone like him over me? Whose reputation has been clean?!"
Melissa drew a deep breath, reining in her frustration. She knew that throwing tantrums wouldn’t change anything. So, she chose to calm down and think of ways to fix this situation.
"Lola is really good at sabotaging my life," she uttered. "She’s always like this, doing everything to make my life miserable—whatever it takes. I’m sure she told Director Sarian something and defamed me in front of the casting panels."
Simon and Manager Kang slowly turned their displeased gazes on her, frowning even deeper. Simon didn’t care about whatever drama she had with her half-sister. All he cared about was himself, and he felt a sense of injustice that he had been dragged into this family feud.
"Don’t worry, though," Melissa nodded, her eyes sharp as she looked them in the eye. "Lola might play underhanded means, but I’m not letting her."
Hearing this, Simon’s brow rose while Manager Kang’s furrowed. They both stared at her, curious about her plan.
Melissa crossed her arms and leaned back, shifting her eyes to Manager Kang. "Manager Kang, I have a plan, but it will only work if you help me."
"What is it?" the manager asked curiously, watching Melissa’s mouth curl into a sly smirk. Just seeing the look on her face, Manager Kang suddenly had a hunch about what Melissa was trying to do.
Determination hardened his eyes as he nodded. "I get it," he said, then moved his gaze back to Simon. "Simon, the production has already made up its mind, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything to change that."
A horrible scandal could force the production to remove an actor. In this industry, it was so easy to ruin someone because knowing their dirt was power.
*****
Hours later, in a fine dining restaurant, Derek happily ordered their food and handed the menu to the server. But when he looked at Melissa, seated opposite him, his smile faded.
"Melissa?" he called, frowning when she flinched back to her senses. "What’s wrong? You’ve been zoning out."
Melissa pursed her lips and smiled very subtly, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. "Nothing, Derek. I’m alright. I just had a lot of things on my mind."
"Really?" His brows furrowed as he reached out to hold her hand. "Melissa, we’re engaged now. So, if something is bothering you, just let me know, alright?"
"I know that, Derek, but I’m really fine."
"Really?" He scanned her face and then nonchalantly shrugged with a smile. "Okay, then!"
Seeing how he had quickly given up, Melissa secretly frowned, mentally clicking her tongue in annoyance. She then pulled her hand from his hold and looked away, slightly annoyed with him.
Was he changing since we got officially engaged? she wondered. He used to do all these grand things for me. But now, he’s just thinking of himself.
My secret admirer even buys me all the limited edition stuff. But him... he wouldn’t even take me to dinner if I didn’t ask him to meet today.
This guy!!
His excitement faltered, replaced by a frown. "Melissa, what do you mean I don’t have to? I’m your fiancé and I want to celebrate your success. I know you don’t like grand stuff like you always say, so I’ve been holding myself back. But this is something we should celebrate, as you have worked so hard for it."
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