CHAPTER 140: WHEN HIS WORDS HELD ME TOGETHER (1)

"Do you trust me?" Lando suddenly asked.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised he would even ask that. "Yes," I said again, firmer this time. "Of course I trust you."

"Then you should believe me when I say you have real potential to become a great actress one day," Lando said gently. "People may have different opinions, but Helcia, I’m very honest when it comes to judging talent. And Marissa also keeps saying you have natural talent."

I went silent for a moment, but my heart was beating so fast it felt like it wanted to jump out of my chest. His words sounded so gentle and sincere, which meant he wasn’t joking at all.

"That’s why, Helcia," he continued, "I truly believe you don’t need help from anyone to pass an audition. Besides, didn’t you pass the audition for that other drama even though no one from the Brixton family was connected to it?"

I finally took a deep breath and closed my eyes so I could focus more on his words. I had no idea that someone’s words could bring me back to the ground like this, making me realize that all the hate I had received was nothing but useless noise.

All this time, I used to swallow every hateful comment, and nobody ever told me that those words didn’t define me.

Maybe because of that, I kept taking in negativity until it shaped the way I thought.

"You’re right," I sighed, opening my eyes again. I smiled a little, even though he couldn’t see it. "Thank you, husband. You really made me feel better."

We talked again for around five more minutes before I ended the call because Lando told me to eat my lunch before going back to script reading.

Yeah... maybe hunger was also one of the reasons I couldn’t think positively.

I stood up from the stairs and made my way to the cafeteria. Since I was late, everyone had already formed their own groups, and I didn’t feel like trying to join people who had laughed at me earlier.

So I sat by the window, ate a quick meal, and went back to the script-reading room ten minutes before the break ended.

Only a few people were sitting in the room, and one of them was Tommy. He smiled and waved at me.

"Helcia, do you still want to practice with me before the reading starts again?" he asked while walking toward me.

I smiled brightly and said, "Yes, let’s do it."

Tommy’s real personality was so different from the role he played. Dion, his character, was the male lead, but sometimes he honestly disgusted me. Tommy, on the other hand, had such a kind and warm presence.

More than that, he didn’t join in when others laughed at me earlier after the director kept commenting on my performance.

At least this way, I could build good chemistry with him for the drama.

"Do you think I should make my tone sharper?" he asked.

I thought about it for a moment before replying, "No, I think your current intonation is already good." I added, "But maybe you can try making the ’tch’ sound a bit sharper..."

We gave each other feedback for about five minutes or so, until the executives began entering the room again.

After talking to Lando and rehearsing with Tommy, I felt much more confident. And honestly, I didn’t feel bothered anymore when people stared at me like they were judging me.

Director Brian clapped his hands lightly. "Alright, let’s get back to work." He glanced at me. "Helcia, it gets more emotional from here. Can you handle it?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes! I’m fine. I can do it!"

Since I had gotten my confidence back, my acting improved a lot. My voice no longer sounded unsure, and every line I delivered finally had the right tone.

Brian still gave me a few comments, but with a clearer and more positive mind, I didn’t feel drained or hopeless anymore. I told myself that he only pointed things out because I was one of the main characters, and he genuinely wanted me to get better.

"Okay, cut for a moment," Brian said, raising one hand halfway while flipping through the script with the other. "Keep that emotion, and now I want you to read scene one-ninety-eight—the moment you break down after Agnes throws your grandmother’s necklace out the window."

My breath caught for a moment. Scene 198 was one of the hardest scenes for me. It wasn’t because of the lines, but because the emotion in that moment was so raw. The grandmother’s necklace wasn’t just a prop, but it held so much meaning for my character.

Tommy glanced at me from the side, giving me an encouraging nod. "You can do it," he whispered softly.

I nodded back and took a slow breath, gripping the script a little tighter. To make this scene real, I needed to feel the pain of losing something precious... something that could break a person from the inside.

I let my mind slip into the story. I pictured the necklace flying out of the window, the shock, the panic, the helplessness Mia would feel in that moment. It hurt just imagining it, but I knew I needed something even more personal to make the crash-out scene truly come alive.

So, I reached into my own memories.

I remembered how, back in middle school, the caretaker at the orphanage burned my sketchbook. She said I should use my time to study for a scholarship instead of wasting it on "useless drawings."

Well, yeah, I didn’t have much talent in painting, but honestly, I never wanted to be a professional artist anyway. I just scribbled on paper because it calmed my mind a little, especially since I grew up in such a noisy place.

Every time I drew, I would zone out, and for a moment, I was finally able to block out all the noise around me. Unfortunately, the only thing that made me feel alive in the middle of that chaotic life was taken away from me by force.