<🎧 Song Recommendation: Who Told You by J Hus, Drake>

...

"Do you really believe that, eh?" Leviathan asked him, flashing a highly doubting smirk.

But Marcus didn’t break his faith. He tapped his pen on the desk. "You’ll see."

***

(30 minutes later)

"So Sam, what did you notice about Aiden’s character while reading the script?"

The person facing Marcus on the other side of the casting table was a man who looked a lot younger than his real age of thirty-two.

He had a clean-shaven jawline, and his hair was styled in low-cut, giving him a very clean, handsome, but mature look.

Sammy Howkins smiled confidently, crossing his legs.

"Aiden... well, he’s a socially awkward fellow who really loves to write," Sammy answered casually. "And he loves Camila a lot, obviously. He doesn’t have many friends, but underneath it all, he can still be a really fun person to be around."

"Interesting," Marcus said, keeping his face neutral. "Do you have anything else?"

Sammy thought for a brief moment, looking up at the ceiling before shrugging slightly.

"His parents’ deaths still haunt him. That’s why he wants to change his environment and is attending college, just looking for a little spice in his life, you know?"

"Is that all?" Marcus pushed.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Ah. I see."

Marcus felt a sharp pang of disappointment. Seeing that Sammy couldn’t produce an answer anywhere near the depth of Von’s analysis was a letdown.

But Marcus quickly comforted himself. He wasn’t looking to hire an actor solely for their ability to brilliantly deconstruct a script, that was his job as the director.

He needed someone who could perform in front of a camera, and he still had immense faith in Sam’s proven acting chops.

"So, should we begin the chemistry read?" Marcus asked, gesturing for his assistant to walk forward and provide Sammy with the prop bag he would need for the scene.

"Sure, why not?" Sammy took the bag, standing up and walking forward to the center of the room where Chloe was already waiting for him.

It took a minute for the cameras and marks to be established. Once everything was set, Marcus snapped his clapperboard.

"Action."

Chloe immediately shifted her posture, beginning to walk in the opposite direction with Camila’s signature confident stride.

But Sammy didn’t move. He just looked confused, turning his head back toward the casting table.

"Wait, you haven’t handed me the script yet?" Sammy asked.

"Oh, yes. My apologies," Marcus admitted, gesturing for his assistant to quickly hand the man a printed copy of the scene.

It was actually the standard norm in the industry to allow actors to hold and use the script while auditioning, especially during a chemistry read. But Von not needing it at all had indeed spoiled Marcus’s expectations.

After receiving his printed pages, Sammy gave a charming thanks to the assistant before the audition was finally allowed to restart.

Without a surprise, the acting went really well. Marcus found himself smiling while he watched the monitor.

’As expected of an A-list actor like Sammy, he’s technically flawless.’

Sammy was hitting his marks, his voice modulation was great, and he knew exactly how to find the camera’s lens. He was very good at his craft when it mattered.

Thankfully for Marcus, Chloe maintained her utter professionalism. She hadn’t made things difficult for Sammy by purposefully lacking chemistry.

Even though she obviously felt something strong for Von, she gave Sammy the exact same intense energy she had given earlier.

It was something that made Marcus value his friend’s niece even more.

The turning moment, however, came at the very end of the scene.

Chloe decided to repeat the exact same stunt that had happened with Von. Only this time, it was secretly approved by Marcus beforehand just to see how the veteran A-list actor would react to a sudden change in direction.

"Take your shitty homework," Sammy read the line perfectly, throwing the prop papers down.

"I regret every second I wasted doing this for you. Consider it my final favor. I’m done!"

Playing the role of Aiden, Sammy turned and walked away furiously. He kept walking down the imaginary corridor for a few more seconds before he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

He waited for a beat. Then, Sammy suddenly snapped his arm up, violently brushing an imaginary hand off his shoulder.

"DON’T TOUCH ME, CAMILA!" Sammy yelled into the empty air, turning around with a fierce glare.

But looking down at his script, and then looking up ahead, Sammy realized that Chloe was still rooted to her original spot over ten feet away. She hadn’t chased him. She hadn’t even touched his shoulder.

Sammy looked completely ridiculous screaming at the empty air.

He dropped his intense glare, his face twisting into an annoyed expression as he looked at his younger co-star.

"Hey, what’s up with you?" Sammy snapped, breaking character entirely. "Did you get lost in the script or something? You’re supposed to grab me."

Marcus quickly intervened to come to Chloe’s rescue.

"It’s fine, Sam. I was the one who told her to do that. We were testing a silent reaction."

"Ohh," Sammy immediately realized his mistake. His annoyance vanished, replaced by his usual charming smile as he apologized immediately.

"Sorry for the outburst, Marcus. I was just totally in the zone. But... are we done now?"

"Yeah, that’s all," Marcus said smoothly, though he was nodding his head in deep, conflicted thought.

"Oh, great! I did well, didn’t I?" Sammy asked, with absolutely one hundred percent certainty in his tone.

His agent had already made him know that he was absolutely getting this role. The only decent person auditioning against him was Barry, and Barry had to leave due to unfortunate medical reasons.

And even then, this was a relatively small indie production. Even if Leviathan and Marcus were already somewhat big in the entertainment industry, they couldn’t possibly make the stupid mistake of rejecting a guaranteed A-list box office draw like himself.

"About that," Marcus said simply, folding his hands on the table. "We’ll get back to you later."

"Hmm, okay. I’ll be waiting for your call then." Sammy didn’t seem bothered at all. "It will be a real pleasure for both of us to work together, Leviathan."

He gave them a humble, winning smile before waving goodbye and confidently making his way out of the grand hall.

After the heavy doors clicked shut, ensuring Sammy was completely gone, Leviathan got up from his seat.

A massive grin spread across the rapper’s face as he began dancing slowly around Marcus’s chair, singing one of his favorite songs. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Who told you~ Who told you~ hmm."

Chloe sat back in her chair and laughed subtly at her uncle’s gloating attitude. She was incredibly happy with how things had gone.

But Marcus wasn’t interested in what they were saying or doing. The old director just stared down at the two headshots sitting on his desk. Von Varley. Sammy Howkins.

He had still not made up his mind on who to choose for the role. One was raw, undeniable and cared a lot more about the role. The other was safe, technically proficient, and guaranteed money.

"It’s 50-50 now," Marcus muttered to himself with a heavy sigh.