In a residential apartment...July paced around the room, staring at her phone with pursed lips as she muttered, "If only I had gotten a slot in here..."Vivi who sat on the chair behind her watched her pacing for a while before speaking up, "Stop pacing, July. You're making me dizzy."She paused at this and turned to her, clearly irritated, "What do you want me to do then? After that drama that happened at the store, I don't know who leaked to the media that I got arrested. It's been trending for days now."She looked quite irritated and bothered but Vivi clearly didn't think it was so serious. She sniggered, "What are you so bothered about? Only one blogger reposted it and people have even forgotten about it amid all that Noah's drama. You should be thankful that it collided with Noah's scandal."July's expression changed. "What do you mean thankful? He stole my spotlight!""Stole your spotlight?" Vivi looked flabbergasted. "Are you happy that the news got out that you got arrested?
The audition venue was pretty crowded when Max entered. Definitely a lot of people had turned up for the audition but due to the majority that backed out to avoid being affected by Noah's scandal back then, Dawn Entertainment restricted a lot of artists and in the end, majority of the people in present came from the agency itself.When Max walked in with the rest of the agents that came to have a look too, he looked around but couldn't sight any familiar faces immediately. The two agents he spoke to the other day, Jason and Andrew, were right beside him. "Not bad. Quite a large turnout," Jason muttered aloud, looking toward Andrew. "You said Mina wanted to audition too?"Andrew looked unimpressed when he heard that and simply pressed his lips. "She's just being childish, but I won't force her not to anyway. How else will she learn in this industry?"Jason gave a small laugh at that and shook his head. "She's only a rookie. You're her manager, don't be so harsh on her.""I wouldn't be
Lawson hesitated before asking, "Should I eject her from the audition?"Max’s lips curled slightly, but his expression stayed cold. "Never mind."It was too late to make a scene now. Besides, flaunting his influence in front of July wasn’t worth the effort. The only reason he asked Lawson to block her earlier was because she had gotten under his skin with her arrogance. Now that Lawson hadn’t crossed him outright, Max couldn’t be bothered with what happened to her."Understood, Young Master," Lawson replied quickly.As the call ended, Max headed back to the audition hall. Just as he reached the entrance, he spotted July and Vivi chatting by the hallway. They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice him standing there.He was about to pass them without a second thought, but then he heard Vivi mention his name. His steps slowed, curiosity tugging at him.“What’s he doing in the audition room?” Vivi asked, her voice laced with confusion."Who knows?" July huffed, clearly irrita
Max watched, with his arms folded and a rare smile appearing on his lips. He really couldn't be wrong about someone. There was no dramatic music, no special effects, and yet it felt like the air had thickened, filled with tension as though the scene was real. Claire didn’t act like someone pretending to kill her first love—she became that woman, and one could almost believe she was really General Vivian Stone."Thank you," Claire whispered as she stood up, her voice softer now. She bowed her head slightly and stepped back, signaling the end of the performance.There was a beat of stunned silence before one of the judges snapped out of it and began clapping, almost too eagerly. The other judges exchanged looks, nodding in unspoken agreement.Max arched an eyebrow. Even he—someone who knew little of acting could tell it was brilliant. And this is the same woman July claimed couldn't act? The irony wasn’t lost on him, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.He leaned back slightly,
Hunter Group Luxury Event Company...Executives sat around the long oak table, papers shuffled in nervous hands, and laptops glowed with spreadsheets filled with bad news. The company’s financials were in free fall, and no one had answers. They had tried to cut costs severally, but due to the nature of the financial crisis, they were having a hard time stopping the free fall. Not to mention, Alexa had refused to seek any help from the main group.“We need to cut costs,” one of the older men said, rubbing his temples. “Maybe a workforce reduction—”“Great idea,” another interrupted, sarcasm dripping from his words. “Let’s make headlines: Company fires half its staff to save itself. Yeah, that’ll save us.”Just then, the door opened, and Alexa strolled in, her stiletto heels clicking on the marble floor. All heads turned. The moment her sharp, almond-shaped eyes landed on the room, everyone knew—they were in trouble.One thing about Alexa was that she was usually easygoing privately, bu
Max flipped the last page of Oliver's portfolio and clicked his tongue. This artist was really the type most managers would choose to avoid. He was awkward at romance, and his biggest movie was a martial arts movie that earned him a lot of popularity, but because he didn’t play in any other role, he fell from grace. Because of that, he was only earning a few bonuses from the company and was the only artist who had been with the company for more than a year but still staying in the quarters for newbies. Max pressed his lips together. "No agency would mistreat an artist like that unless there was some foul play involved." He didn't know who Oliver's previous manager was, but it was obvious he was majorly responsible for the youth's downfall. Not only did he not fight for any roles for him, but he also abandoned him and didn't help him fight for his bonuses. It was very fishy.Max could tell that Ivan was really hoping to pull him down. Not only was this artist worse than a newbie sinc
Everyone in the booth looked stunned to see him, and it took a couple of seconds before Oliver also came to his senses. He looked irritated and asked snarkily, "Who the hell are you?"His friends also seemed displeased by the sudden intrusion, and they frowned. "What's going on? Why the heck did you barge in like that?""Yeah, who is he?"Max ignored their probing looks, and his gaze fell on Oliver directly. "I'm your manager."Oliver seemed surprised at first as he probably didn't expect Max to come looking for him. But he quickly composed himself and arched a brow, cigarette still hanging loosely between his fingers. “What are you, a stalker now? Don't you know that when someone hangs up on you, they're not interested in whatever you have to say?"Max’s lips quirked into a humorless smile when he heard that, his suit jacket hanging loosely on his arm. "Does it matter whether you hang up on me or not? You'll eventually have to come find me.""Why would I come find you?" Oliver gave a
"Didn’t think they’d let washed-up actors like you into places like this. What are you even doing here, Reed? Trying to beg for work?"Oliver’s jaw tightened as he glared at the smug youth. The guy was none other than Oliver Quinn—a rookie actor who had made it his mission to poke at Oliver every chance he got.He pieced two and two and realized it must be him who was actually selected for the role. That made him even more embarrassed, and he clenched his fists, not refuting.Quinn’s grin widened, and his friends snickered, clearly enjoying the show. Their taunts grew even more, and Quinn muttered, "Don't tell me you came here thinking you were the one selected for the role? I mean, even if we bear the same name, we're clearly world's apart. Don't you even feel embarrassed bearing the same name as me?" He actually hit the nail on the end.Oliver still didn't respond, and veins popped by the side of his head. He was about to walk away when Quinn blocked his path, grinning, "Let's face