Heather sighed. He was right, it would look too suspicious if Miss H handed her the role out of nowhere.
"It’s already bad enough I brought you in here," Sheng continued, "saved you the trouble of all the paperwork and queues. But if she gives you the role too? That would be worse."
"I don’t need her cleaning up my messes," Heather said flatly. "I can handle Caius."
The door behind them opened. The judges were filing out. One of them smiled politely at Heather. She wanted to smile back—but she couldn’t. Her anger was too strong.
Caius was the last to come out. His eyes met hers, cold and calculated, as he strolled behind the others.
"They’re going to Lauren’s office now," Sheng said, watching them leave. "To decide who should get the lead."
Heather’s eyes locked on them. "Then this is my only chance."
The others were walking ahead quickly. Caius, however, took his time, every step measured. Heather matched his pace, walking beside him.
"Why are you trying to sabotage me?" she demanded.
"I’m not sabotaging anyone," he replied calmly.
"Then what the hell was that in there?"
"You’re not good enough."
She laughed, bitterly. "Coming from someone who knows nothing about acting."
He stopped. "I know potential when I see it. You’ll be a distraction."
"A distraction to who?"
Heather gave a slow, knowing smile. "So you’re saying I’m better than the others."
"Your words, not mine."
"Well let me tell you something," she said, stepping in front of him. "If you think humiliating me is going to make me sign your stupid documents, you’re out of your mind."
"What do you want me to do, then?" he asked.
"Not this, genius. Sabotaging me won’t get you what you want. It’s just the beginning, Caius. Very soon, you won’t have the money or the power to pull stunts . And you sure as hell won’t be anywhere near me."
"Spend your money wisely."
"You want me to suck up to you." he said.
"What’s the point? You want everything from me, but give nothing in return. You hate me."
"I do," she admitted without hesitation. "But maybe—just maybe—if you play your cards right, I might turn a blind eye."
Caius chuckled, coldly. "Why would you do that?"
She forced a smile. "Because I’m a fucking sweetheart." then reached forward and tapped a finger against his forehead, like knocking on hollow wood.
"Mr. Thorne, we’re waiting for you," Lauren called from her office door. Her eyes flicked over to Heather—sharp, suspicious, almost threatening.
Caius glanced at Heather again, her words were still lingering in his mind.
She winked at him before turning away.
It was almost as if Lauren was aiming a silent, invisible gun right between Heather’s eyes.
Heather stood in Lauren’s spacious office. Around her, the director, the judges, and the managers sat in a wide semi-circle. Manager Sheng was among them, silent and still.
She knew it was a bad sign to pop champagne in the office before things were official. And once again, that old myth had proven true.
Penny had told her earlier that she just couldn’t wait when she heard Heather got the lead role. She was so excited, and Heather didn’t blame her.
Now, standing in front of them all, she faced a very different mood.
"Heather, you’re here today because you’ve been given a chance to join the company’s stars," Lauren began. Her voice sounded tired, like she was going through a checklist rather than celebrating someone’s win.
"In this company, each star works with a personal manager. The company funds everything, but your manager is your space—your world, really. This system helps everyone shine without favoritism. It keeps things fair and makes sure no one feels less than the other."
She looked at Heather. "But here’s the thing. A manager has to see your potential and agree to work with you. If no one does, there’s nothing the company can do for you."
Heather already knew how this worked. She had helped come up with the system.
"Let’s start. Manager Rowland, would you like to work with Heather?"
Rowland cleared his throat. "No."
Lauren gave a sweet, fake smile. "Why not?"
"I just don’t see the potential."
Lauren moved on, her smile growing. "Manager Kelly?"
Kelly smiled politely. "I’m sorry, no."
"She doesn’t have that star energy. Don’t get me wrong, Heather—you’re beautiful—"
"That’s enough," Lauren cut in sharply, the moment Heather was complimented.
Heather let out a small sigh. The rejections stung, but did Lauren really have to humiliate her while doing it?
"Manager Howard," Lauren continued. "You’ve raised some of the biggest stars in the industry. What’s your opinion?"
Howard adjusted his glasses, then looked at Heather. "I’d have to say no."
Lauren raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "No? Why?"
"She just doesn’t have what it takes."
He was staring at a self-made star and still couldn’t see her worth.
Lauren skipped over Manager Sheng on purpose and turned to the next person.
One by one, they all said no. Over and over, the same reason: they didn’t see potential.
Lauren turned back to Heather with a rehearsed look of sympathy. "You see, Heather? You just don’t have what it takes. No one wants to work with you..."
"You haven’t asked him," Heather interrupted, pointing to Manager Sheng."
Lauren turned her head. "He already told me he wasn’t interested."
"You didn’t ask him," Heather said again, calmly but firmly.
Lauren gave her a sharp glare, but finally looked at Sheng. "Manager Sheng, didn’t you tell me earlier that you didn’t believe in Heather’s potential?"
Heather turned toward Sheng.
He didn’t meet her eyes.
Then, he cleared his throat. "I said that because you told me that if I agreed to work with her, you’d cut my budget."
The room went still. All eyes turned to Lauren. She looked caught, letting out a scoff but not offering a response.
"I see real potential in Miss Heather," Manager Sheng said. "And I’d be happy to work with her—if that’s allowed."
Heather turned to Lauren. The woman was still speechless.
Lauren picked up a small card and read stiffly, "Congratulations, Miss Heather. You’re officially part of the team. Once you sign the contract, you’ll be shown to your ’star-fice’ shortly. Welcome aboard."
’Star-fice’—a word made up by Miss H. It was like ’office’, but just for stars. She liked to play with words.
Heather smiled as she walked toward the door. Manager Sheng followed behind her.
She leaned close to him and whispered, "Badass."
Once they were out the office;
"You didn’t tell me she threatened to cut your budget," she said.
"I wanted to surprise her, she deserves a little payback," he replied.
"Watch your back," he added quietly. "She’s coming for you now."
Heather smirked. "Let her."
Sheng gestured down the hall. "Come on, I’ll show you to your star-fice. Your contract is on the desk."