CHAPTER 81: THE HARD SCENE

The next day, Elara entered the Li Productions Company for the second round of the contest.

Antonio walked hot on her tail. He was a little pissed off because she hadn’t allowed him to follow her to the party where she got hurt. But when she told him about what she did there, he was visibly happy for her.

"Miss Elara," The director nodded at her as he made his way towards the center of the lobby, where all the contestants were present.

Elara nodded in return, her gaze subtly moving to where Beatrice stood with Carla, who had a smug look on her face.

"May I have your attention, please?" The director clapped his hands to catch everyone’s attention, and once the selected contestants looked at him, he raised a file in the air.

"This file here contains the scripts that I’ll distribute amongst everyone. Everyone will get a different scene. No one is supposed to tell others what scene they got or complain. The rules are clear, right? No retakes," the director said.

Everyone nodded in understanding, and the contestants were asked to move to the adjacent building, where the preparations for the second round were made.

Andrew, who didn’t want to delay his work for this stupid contest, walked to the audience aisle of the auditorium, not because Beatrice invited him. Nope.

For the first time in his life, he was here to see Elara, to support her silently, something he never did.

With her talented voice, he really wished she had gotten the role. He looked at the stage, about to ask Jason when it would start, when he felt his phone vibrate.

"Won’t you say all the best to me?"

He could practically feel Beatrice’s excitement through the screen and narrowed his eyes.

"What for? You are already the female lead," he replied.

Beatrice’s smile faltered for a second as she watched Andrew’s annoyed expression from behind the curtains.

"Hey. I know I forced you to come here. Don’t be so peachy." She typed jokingly before stuffing her phone in her pocket and turning to the assistants behind her.

Ekara looked at the decorations on the stage from behind the curtain, feeling a bit nervous.

The second stage of the contest carried a different kind of tension among peers. Because this time, they couldn’t hide their anxiousness behind the veil as they did in the singing phase. This time, they were supposed to perform live for the audience watching the stream.

And the worst part was, there would be no retakes, no rehearsals, and no mercy.

There was only one chance, one impression, and only one shot to prove your worth for the show.

This chance would decide whether they would rise to immediate stardom or go home empty-handed. After all, with the kind of hype this show was getting, this was going to be a blockbuster, no doubt.

Elara tightened her finger around the phone, wondering what kind of scene would be given to her. The director refused to provide them with the scene even five minutes earlier, leaving no time to prep.

"Here," The assistant’s voice caught her attention, and she looked at the token number. She was third in the queue.

"Thank you," Elara said with a smile before she walked behind the stage to sit in the queue. The first contestant was already gone.

"All the best, Elara. Though I hardly think the scene would be hard for you. After all, you have a knack for acting like a saint, no?" Carla scoffed, the scenes from the last night still fresh in her mind.

Elara ignored the girl and noticed how this time Carla had her queue number after her.

"Focus on yours," Elara said before she stood to walk forward. Her chance was about to come since the second contestant had already left for their chance.

"This is your script." The assistant handed the script to Elara, and she quickly opened it to familiarize herself. She had spent quite a good time reading the major scenes; thus, she was sure getting into the role wouldn’t be hard.

However, once Elara read the lines, her body froze.

She looked at the scene quietly, her eyes moving across the words as if reading them repetitively would change the script.

The words didn’t make any sense at all. This wasn’t supposed to be her scene. It was the female lead’s scene.

It wasn’t the lighthearted, comedic scene she was supposed to portray. This was something else entirely, something too intimate for her.

A mother.

A lifeless child.

Her breath hitched, and she flipped the pages again and again. This wasn’t supposed to be the scene of a side character.

Beatrice, who had been watching her from the opposite mirror, feigning ignorance, leaned back in her chair when she saw the panic in the woman’s eyes.

She didn’t even bother hiding the smugness on her lips; it was all because of the superiority she felt and the delight in her heart when she saw Elara panicking.

She was ready to see Elara crumble and break on the stage. She made her kneel before that old man, dragged her by her hair, and humiliated her before everyone, as if she were no less than a maid. This was her revenge for making her cry.

Today, she will see how loud Elara’s cry will be.

"Contestant Elara, be ready." The assistant said, and Elara inhaled sharply. She tried to compose herself, but her hands couldn’t stop shaking.

Was this deliberate? Pure coincidence? This was indeed a scene in the drama. But it was for the female lead, who was Beatrice.

Was she even ready to cry before the world? Elara gulped as she walked on the stage. She looked at all the cameras before her, her heart beating erratically as she saw everyone looking at her... And she? She couldn’t utter a word.

One minute passed, then five, but she couldn’t move, just inhaling deeply.

Then, with gathered courage, she was about to start when Beatrice walked on the stage and looked directly at the director.

"Sir, she is hesitating. We don’t have a whole day to waste. Shouldn’t we disqualify her? It would only be fair to others," Beatrice smirked.

"The rules are the same for everyone, no? This is a live stream that can’t afford delays. One chance only, and she blew it. If she can’t act immediately, doesn’t this just prove that she is incapable?" Carla came and added.

Andrew pressed his lips into a thin line. For the first time in his life, he really wanted to go and smack Carla’s head for constantly interrupting. Elara wasn’t born an actor. She was nervous. Everyone could see it.

He looked at the director, hoping he wouldn’t let Carla’s words affect his decision.

Elara’s throat tightened.