Irene paid her a visit at the apartment as promised. It took Kate roughly five minutes for her to open the door. Irene, seeing the expression plastered on her face, knew something must have gone wrong. Whatever it is, she was going to find out….
Without coming in, she asked, “Tell me the real reasons you haven’t posted that video, Kate.”
Kate sighed. There was nothing she could do to avoid the question. “I’m sorry, I don’t have it anymore.”
“What?!” Irene closed the door behind her and sat on the sofa. “What the hell of a joke is that?”
Kate sighed again. She had been sighing since the start of the day. Here comes the hard part. She would have to explain how it disappeared and listen to how she chose to fix it, because she knew Irene would stop at nothing to achieve what she wants.
“Zack Anderson made me delete it. I swear it’s the truth. He knew about the video and I don’t know how…”
If Kate had told her those exact words before the family get-together, she would have doubted. She had firsthand experience of Zack Anderson frightening anger after Ivy was offended, and he had also mentioned he met Ivy at a club. Was Kate caught in the act?
“Did you really delete it?”
Kate nodded in response, and Irene bit her lips in anger.
“You are useless to me now.”
“Irene, please, I’ll do anything. Don’t put my mother’s treatment on hold.” Kate felt like kneeling to show her sincerity. Irene had been paying for her mother’s medical bills, since she had no way of providing money for the treatment. Irene offered to help, and she knew her friend wouldn’t help without wanting something in return.
“Go find a job and leave my apartment. I can’t keep paying the rent. After all, I owe you nothing.”
“Please…” Even if she found a job, she wouldn’t be able to sustain herself before her first pay. “Irene, please, I beg you, give me another chance.” She coaxed her, stroking her hand.
“I give one month, and I want something much better than that video….” What choice did she have? She would have to play someone’s dirty game.
“Why do you hate your sister so much?”
Irene frowned at the question. “It’s none of your business. Would you prefer me throwing you out on the street…”
“I’m sorry.” Kate just wanted to at least defame someone for a good reason, and Irene wasn’t giving her enough reason why she hates her sister to that extent.
“Get to work, and yes, don’t shy away from using extreme means. I want her to never have a place in the industry.”
“What makes you so sure she would revive her career? I mean she might never go back. She was blacklisted after….” Kate squirmed when she met her glare.
“I want her to have no place of hiding and even Zack Anderson will abandon her….”
As they were conspiring against her, she was preparing for the audition. In her room, she was facing the mirror and changing between different facial expressions to test her skills to fit into the character she signed up for the audition.
Her skill didn’t fail her, even though she hadn’t acted for three years. Smiling in satisfaction, she gave a quick skim of the little description of the character and plotline.
A young female aged between 20 to 25, who was the stepsister to the lead character. Daisy, the character, had an arrogant personality and was envious of her sister’s fortune. She was mistaken as the killer of the groom on the wedding day and was arrested, as all evidence pointed towards her. Unknowingly to her sister, she was not the real villain, she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Ivy chose Daisy as she could easily portray her personality and switch between her different emotions before and after the main storyline.
In a few days, she was invited for the audition. She arrived at the venue dressed in a simple red dress with her long hair loose. Of course, she didn’t forget to wear black glasses to conceal her identity. She hadn’t been seen for a long time, and they would want to get her interview on the recent scandal that was still hot in the search rank. She wasn’t giving them any chances to attack and ignite gossip.
“I might probably be there for only an hour or two, so I prefer you wait for me,” she told her driver. In case her identity gets leaked, her driver might be there at the last minute to pull her out. But she hoped her glasses would be able to do their work of disguise. Anyhow, she went inside to give it a shot. Not everyone might remember how she looked with only her figure without a clear view of her eyes. She just wanted to audition for the role successfully before the media found out.
Over 50 candidates showed up at the audition, as it was a good means for starters to place a foot at the door of the industry, and for her, it was a means to regain visibility in the industry.
Most of the candidates were nervously rehearsing a monologue, while a handful were calmly tapping their feet on the ground awaiting their turns. Ivy, on the other hand, was busy adjusting her glasses and avoiding eye contact with whoever looked her way. Being recognized might spark an uproar she wasn’t ready for yet.
“Number 22 was called inside the audition room, leaving Ivy with twenty more people before her turn.
“Hi,” a girl with a bun in front of her smiled, showing her white set of teeth. “Which role are you auditioning for?”
With a slight smile, she replied, “Daisy.” There was no need to get hooked into a conversation with the stranger.
“You don’t seem nervous. In fact, you seem confident you will get the role,” the girl said, with her lips curled up as she scrutinized her from top to bottom. “There are a lot of competitors if you’re not aware.”
‘Is she also auditioning for the same role?’ She smiled in realization. She hadn’t gone in there to prove herself, and she was already this arrogant. No wonder she wanted to play the role of Daisy; it quite suited her personality…
“I’ll be honest with you. You don’t match the description of the character. Daisy is someone who….”
“Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to you if you fix your eyes on where you’ve got the audition to do? So, focus on yourself first before observing others,” Ivy replied abruptly.
Her words were too direct for the girl to react. She turned away in embarrassment as others heard their conversation.
She didn’t know she created attention for herself from the small conversation with the girl.
“Why does she sound familiar?” The woman’s mouth formed an ‘O’ as she remembered. Quickly taking out her phone, she texted someone who could put the new information into good use…