CHAPTER 300: CHAPTER 300: CASTING

Some of the girls looked confused. Others looked annoyed.

But one voice rose above the rest.

"This isn’t how casting is supposed to work!"

Everyone turned toward the girl who had shouted.

Standing near the back of the room, arms crossed, was Maya.

She wore a red designer jacket and sunglasses pushed up on her head. Her makeup was flawless, and her hair was curled perfectly. She looked expensive.

People started whispering her name in surprise. "Is that Maya?"

"The golden newbie?" "I heard her films always become blockbusters."

And it was true.

Maya wasn’t just any actress. She had powerful connections in the industry, all thanks to her rich and mysterious sugar daddy.

Because of him, she had gotten a golden manager, a super smart person who picked only the best scripts for her.

Every film Maya acted in became a hit.

Her looks, her luck, and her powerful manager had earned her the nickname "Golden Newbie."

Maya took off her sunglasses and glared at the casting director.

"You didn’t even let the rest of us finish our auditions," she said, her voice cool and sharp. "You just gave the lead role to someone before seeing everyone else. That’s not fair."

Everyone went silent.

Theodore looked at Maya, then at Chloe, whose face had gone pale.

Chloe looked nervous. She didn’t expect someone to question her win.

The director raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. "Miss Maya," he said calmly.

"I’ve seen enough auditions today. Chloe matched the role better than I could’ve hoped. There’s no need to continue when the perfect Ava has already been found."

"But I didn’t even go in yet," Maya said, her voice sharper now. "If you really want to choose the best actress, you should at least see what I can do. Let me act. Then decide."

She turned her eyes to Chloe, clearly challenging her.

Chloe looked at Maya for a few seconds. Her heart was beating fast. Everyone knew Maya had been trained by top teachers, thanks to her super-rich sugar daddy.

Maya was confident, experienced, and elegant. Chloe didn’t have those things. She had only herself.

But even with the fear in her chest, Chloe took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Let’s do it."

The room stirred. Everyone could feel the tension rising.

The casting director looked at the two girls. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright. Let’s see you both act out the same scene."

They handed both girls a short part of the script.

Chloe and Maya stepped to the front.

Maya went first. She acted with grace and calmness. Her voice was smooth, her face full of sadness. She made Ava look like a gentle, broken woman with deep regrets.

When she finished, a few people clapped. Her acting was good. Smooth and pretty.

Then Chloe stepped forward.

At first, she stood quietly. Then she began. Her voice was low, shaky, filled with hidden anger.

Her eyes were wild, her hands clenched into fists. She looked like a woman who had tried everything to protect herself, and still got betrayed.

She was not gentle.

She was fierce. She was angry. She was real.

When Chloe finished, the room was silent for a long moment.

Then the casting director slowly stood up. "Chloe," he said calmly, "you’ve understood Ava perfectly."

Maya blinked. "What? But... she was too aggressive!"

The casting director shook his head.

"No, Maya. Ava is a paranoid woman. She trusted no one. And even after all that, she still got betrayed. A person like that doesn’t stay gentle. She turns bitter. She turns sharp. That’s why Chloe’s version fits Ava much more than yours."

Maya’s face turned pale.

She looked at Chloe with disbelief.

Then, suddenly, Maya stepped forward again. "I... I can act it like that too!" she said quickly. "Let me try again."

She began to copy Chloe’s aggressive version. Her voice grew louder, her hands shook, her eyes tried to look angry.

It wasn’t bad. In fact, she was good at copying. But something felt... off.

Her anger looked fake. Her pain didn’t feel real. She was acting. Chloe had become Ava.

Even the girls sitting nearby could see it now.

They looked at each other, ashamed. Just a few minutes ago, some of them had whispered that Chloe must’ve used some big connection to get the role.

After all, in the film world, power often mattered more than talent.

But now they saw the truth.

Chloe didn’t win because of luck or connections.

She won because her acting was better. Much better.

The director turned to Maya and asked kindly, "So, Miss Maya. Would you like to audition for the second female lead?"

He gave her a small smile and added, "Your acting isn’t bad. You’re talented. In a few years, if you keep working hard, you could become someone like Chloe, too."

But Maya didn’t smile.

Her face twisted in anger.

Her pride had been crushed.

All her life, she had been told she was the best. Her beauty, talent, and strong manager made her unbeatable. People had always praised her. No one had ever said someone else was better.

And now this director was telling her to take a smaller role?

She clenched her fists and said sharply, "You’ll regret this."

The whole room froze.

She took a step forward. Her voice was cold and loud.

"I will make sure this movie never even starts filming. Let’s see how far you get without me."

Then she turned on her heel and walked away, heels clicking on the floor like gunshots.

The room stayed silent for a moment.

Then whispers began.

"Is she serious?"

"Do you think she can really stop the movie?"

Everyone knew Maya had powerful people behind her. Her sugar daddy was rich and scary.

He could easily call people, cancel deals, and stop the funding. Maya had only been acting for half a year, yet she already had three hits.

That power didn’t come from talent; it came from who she knew.

The girls looked around nervously. Some slowly started picking up their bags. They weren’t sure anymore if they even wanted to stay and audition. What if Maya really ruined the movie? Would it even come out?

Theodore, who had been watching everything, frowned. He leaned toward the casting director. "What now?" he whispered.

The director looked worried, too. He rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Yes, Chloe is better... but Maya has real power. I don’t know what she’ll do next."

One of the girls who knew both Maya and Chloe stepped forward. She looked nervous but raised her voice so that everyone could hear.

She pointed at Chloe and said,

"If you just step back and let Maya have the lead role, then the rest of us might have a chance to get roles without using big connections."

She gave a soft smile. "We’ll all remember your sacrifice, Chloe. Really, we will."

Right away, a few girls nodded and agreed.

"She’s right," one said.

"It’s better if Maya is the lead," another added. "Chloe can take the second female lead. That way, the movie can still be made."

Soon, more girls joined in. They all looked at Chloe, waiting for her to give in.

But Chloe stayed quiet.

Inside, she felt a little sad. She didn’t want others to lose their dreams. But... wasn’t this unfair?

She had worked so hard for this role. She had earned it with her talent, not with money or connections. Why should she give it up just to protect others who had stayed silent the whole time?

Weren’t they being selfish too?

She looked at the girl who spoke first and asked calmly, "If you were in my place... would you step back?"

The girl’s face changed. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

She looked down, embarrassed.

Now, the entire room became quiet.

Because deep down, everyone knew what Chloe said was true.

None of them would give up the lead role if they had earned it. They just didn’t want to fight Maya themselves. They wanted Chloe to be the one who gave in.

The air felt heavy.

Then the casting director clapped his hands and spoke loudly, breaking the silence.

"Don’t worry," he said. "I will talk to the CEO of the production house. I’ll explain everything. We’ll try our best to protect this project."

The girls exchanged glances. They weren’t sure if the production house would support Chloe or cancel the movie completely. But after thinking for a moment, one girl spoke.

"Let’s trust the casting director... just this once."

Others nodded slowly. They didn’t want to lose their chance. This film had a strong script. If it worked, it could be their big break. Maybe their only break.

And so, one by one, the auditions began again.

After a few more hours, the second female lead was selected. The rest of the supporting roles were also decided.

The cast was filled with talented people, most of them without strong connections. They had gotten in through their skills, and they felt truly thankful.