CHAPTER 30: BLEH!

"Taz?!" the blonde woman blurted out, while the short-haired woman opened and closed her mouth in shock.

"The creator of..." one of the bystanders trailed off, wide-eyed at Lola.

Others stood with their mouths agape, unable to process what Ida had just revealed.

As for Melissa, her mind went blank for a second.

"Lola... is... Taz?" she whispered, her breath hitching in her dry throat. Her wide eyes stared at Lola, who was standing beside Director Sarian.

How is that possible?

Everyone thought the same thing, completely dumbfounded by this revelation. How could the brilliant Taz be Lola? That visually painful-looking woman?!

Then again, no one really knew what Taz looked like. All they knew were a few rumors. Many people believed Taz was a man, not a "unique"-looking creature. They had also heard that Taz was eccentric and didn’t always show himself in front of others.

Was this the eccentric part people were talking about?

As realization slowly dawned on everyone, people started to turn their gaze toward Melissa and her two lackeys. Those who were still wide-eyed quickly moved their attention elsewhere.

"Pfft—" someone in the crowd snorted. "Goodness, I can’t believe I bought into all that."

"Sabotage?" another laughed, loud enough for Melissa to hear. "Who’s sabotaging who now?"

"I thought Lola Young was just as they say, but it seems she’s not so arrogant after all," another shrugged. "Why stoop so low when she’s already paid to be here?"

"One is pouring every dime just to be a part of this, and the other doesn’t need to do anything to be a part of something she created herself."

"Didn’t they say Taz is trying to beg her way into the project?" someone muttered, eyeing Melissa and the others with ridicule. "Considering the money and effort everyone’s pouring into Melissa to get a role, I wonder if that’s also called begging in another form?"

Melissa stood rooted to the spot as she heard the ridicule from the crowd. Even her lackeys couldn’t say anything anymore, standing there like statues, doused with a cold bucket of ice water.

What did we just do? The lackeys wondered in horror.

Thinking back on their actions—how they confronted Lola and even locked her in the restroom—their knees wobbled. Yet somehow their knees wouldn’t give in, no matter how they trembled.

No, Melissa gulped, her shoulders trembling as her gaze fixed on Lola.

How could... Lola be Taz? How did that woman... didn’t she want to become an actress? When and how...

Then, her thoughts stopped as she remembered that Lola actually had a knack for art. After all, Taz not only wrote her works but also illustrated them. That’s how it all started. Taz would illustrate scenes from her work or create character sheets before transitioning into drawing comics.

Director Sarian clicked his tongue, displeased with Melissa and everyone there. However, they had work to do, and they needed to stick to their schedule.

"That’s enough now," Director Sarian’s expression darkened, eyeing everyone before his sharp gaze settled on Melissa and the other two. "The three of you, since you’ve caused too much trouble and almost sabotaged this day, don’t even think about going in that door. Stay here—you’re better suited as guards!"

"Think of this as Director Sarian’s mercy," Ida added sharply, her tone cold. "We’re already behind schedule, and you three aren’t helping. Be grateful this is all you’re getting... for now."

Ida emphasized the last two words of her sentence, ensuring the three understood that this wouldn’t end with just them leaving. Such behavior was never tolerated—especially not in the kind of environment they maintained during productions.

Such problematic actions would only make things hell for everyone once filming started, and it was better to filter that out now.

Hearing all of this, Melissa’s face instantly turned pale, while the other two finally felt their knees give way.

Lola studied the three of them before she smacked her lips. She smiled and turned to Director Sarian.

"Director, if you’re doing this for me, then please... give these ladies a chance," she mused, causing Director Sarian to frown. "I did tell them earlier that I’m fair and rarely biased. I don’t want to go back on my word—not in front of my children."

"Taz..."

"The Angel’s Revenge is expected to be a hit, so we’re giving everyone a chance," Lola shrugged, her smile stretching so that her eyes squinted. "We’re looking for talent and perfect people for each role."

She then shifted her eyes to Melissa. "If one is talented enough, I can overlook this matter for the sake of art. Besides, Melissa is my sister. Although I’m not biased and can’t guarantee she’ll get in, I do have a soft spot for her~! So, I hope you’ll give her a chance, Director."

Melissa’s hand clenched into a tight fist as she held her breath, her neck taut with tension.

Director Sarian sighed and shook his head, clearly not pleased with Lola’s request. However, Lola seemed to uphold his own integrity in this situation rather than her own feelings.

This was why he admired Lola more and more.

"Fine," Director Sarian huffed, then glared at Melissa and the others. "Ida, give them a new number and call the next group. They’ve caused trouble, but thanks to Taz, they’ll still get their chance. However, I’m not just going to let this slide."

His expression darkened. "You better make sure you’re all worth watching. Wait for your turn."

That meant Melissa and her lackeys would be the last to go. And with this long line? They’d be waiting forever.

With that, Director Sarian turned to Lola and nodded. "Is that enough, Taz?"

"Thank you, Director."

"Let’s go in."

Lola nodded and followed him. But as they walked past Melissa and the others, she cast them a cold side-eye. "Good luck, Melissa. I hope you don’t disappoint... and you’re welcome, sister."

Melissa trembled because now it seemed she had to thank Lola for this chance. But then...

"Bleh!" Second and Chacha pulled the skin under their eyes and stuck their tongues out as they passed the three women.

These kids!!

Melissa secretly seethed at the twins, but they just kept teasing her.

Meanwhile, Ida turned to the bouncer and glared at him. "I’m going to talk with you later," she said before quickly following behind Lola.

The bouncer lowered his head; his face, however, twisted in disbelief. He and the other members of the security were told about Taz, but the pictures they were given were a stunning photo of a woman!

"Lola, why weren’t you answering your phone?" Unaware of the bouncer’s thoughts, Ida asked Lola. "I’ve been calling since you messaged me. Why weren’t you answering?"

"Oh!" Lola halted as she finally remembered her phone. She smiled and glanced over her shoulder. "It was actually..."

She trailed off, watching the horror spread across Melissa and her lackeys’ faces. Director Sarian was already livid that they had stopped Lola from entering. If Lola told them that they had locked her in the restroom, going back to the end of the line wouldn’t just be the punishment they were looking at.

They would be banned from the entertainment industry! And that was for sure. After all, they wouldn’t underestimate the director’s connections in the industry.

Lola chuckled, amused by their uniform expressions. "I probably forgot it in the bathroom or somewhere. Maybe I’ll look for it in the lost and found later."

The duo — Melissa’s lackeys — felt their breath hitch. They looked at Lola with wide eyes, relieved but also confused.

Did she just save them and told them where to return her phone?

"Goodness, you," Ida sighed as they resumed walking.

When they were out of sight, everyone stared at the shut doors for a moment before shifting their eyes to Melissa and the others. They shook their heads, sneering and smirking, knowing that even if Lola had given them a chance, only the foolish would believe it.

It was simply Lola’s clever way of telling them, "You can try, you can pray, you can do whatever you want, but your fates are already sealed."

There was no way those three would get in after what they did.

Little did they know, those three weren’t the only ones. Those who had joined, fueled the fire, or simply watched everything unfold out of their own pleasure? They weren’t part of the audition as they were either managers or assistants of actors who came to audition.

So, those actors and actresses were given new numbers and were sent back to the end of the line. And all of them would be stuck here the whole day and night... if they’re lucky. If not, then they might as well come back the next day.