Chapter 9

Bianca had a look of triumph plastered on her face when she saw the director making his way to her. She prepared herself to tell her side of the story, flashing him a beautiful smile.

“Director!”She called out, raising her hand to catch his attention. “I need to speak to you about...”

The director walked past her, treating her like air, which shocked her to her core.

“Olivia! There you are. “ He walked towards Olivia and greeted her warmly. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you tonight. You're the most important guest here.”

“What?” Bianca's confidence evaporated into smoke. She was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was happening. “But I thought...”

“Shut up.” He silenced her with a glare, then his gaze landed on Michael. His expression brightened up when he saw his boss, but as he made a move to greet him, Michael subtly shook his head. The message was clear: Michael did not want to expose his true identity. He quickly composed himself, turning his attention back to Olivia as if nothing happened.

“Olivia, I've been meaning to discuss something with you tonight. I'm glad you could make it.”He said it with a warm tone, as if addressing an old friend.

Bianca's perplexed expression morphed into fury when she watched the interaction. What the heck was going on? Why was he talking to Olivia as if she were his bestie or something?

With clenched fists, she took a step forward towards their direction. “Director, you can't seriously be ignoring me for... for her! I'm the lead actress; I'm the star of this show! If you don't kick these two out right now, I'll pull out of the new movie this instant. Let's see how it does without me!” She folded her arms around her bosom chest with a smug smile, thinking that the director would surely grant her request.

.

However, it wasn't to be the case. Her heart began to sink when she heard an amused chuckle coming from the director's lips. It was low at first before it sounded out loudly, clearly mocking Bianca.

After laughing for a few minutes, his face darkened, and he looked at Bianca with a cold glare that sent shivers down her spine. A tense silence descended between them as he let her threat hang in the air for a moment, to give her time to reconsider her stance. When she didn't seem to back down, he responded with a calm voice.

“Bianca, your contributions to the movie are far less than you think. In fact, your acting skills are quite mediocre to be honest; I was wondering why I didn't realize that up until now.” He said it ruthlessly, not an ounce of sympathy to be seen on his face. 

“Wh...what do you mean?” Bianca’s face was white with shock.

“What I mean is...” he paused dramatically as his gaze landed on Olivia. “I was just about to offer the lead role to Olivia, and you even made my job that much easier, so bravo!”

*Her pale face twisted in disbelief, and she spluttered, “You..you can't be serious! You think you can just replace me? This is a fucking joke!”

“What are you doing, director? You can't remove her from the lead role position; this is madness!” Gerald added, supporting his lover.

“I can and I will!” The director yawned and raised a hand, signaling the nearby security. “Escort Ms. Bianca and Mr. Gerald out of the premises. They are no longer welcome.”

Bianca's eyes widened in horror as the security guards approached. She blinked her eyes, questioning whether this was a dream, but when the guards laid their hands on her, she knew that the director wasn't joking; her dream role was about to be snatched before her very eyes.

“You...you..let me go! Let me go this instant!” Bianca screamed like a banshee on steroids, but the guards were deaf to get commands as they guided her and Gerald out of the mansion like expert shepherds.

“You'll regret this! You can't treat me like this! I'm the star! You'll regret this!” She turned back to scream at the director, but his only response was a vulgar middle finger.

Finally, the guards ushered them out of the mansion, and the commotion died down.

“Good riddance,” the director snorted and turned back to Olivia, staring at her like some sort of treasure he unearthed. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes—Olivia. I’d like to offer you the lead role in the movie. You're exactly who we need, and I believe you will take this movie to new heights.”

Olivia’s expression was blank. Never had she expected this turn of events to favor her in such magnificent ways. She turned back to look at Michael. Ever since she met him, good things had been happening to her, and although she didn't know the truth about Michael's identity, she felt a strong sense of gratitude for his presence. Michael gave her a reassuring nod, and she smiled and turned back to the director.

“I would be honored.”