<🎧 Song Recommendation: Hot N*gga by Bobby Shmurda>

...

Later that evening, the Grand Ballroom was completely quiet.

Leviathan had already left to get a drink and celebrate the end of the casting phase, but Marcus remained seated, replaying the recorded clips of the two different auditions.

Unlike what happened in the original novel, Marcus had designed the character of the male lead to be very complex and diverse.

Aiden’s role was just as important to the story as the female lead, so he had to be incredibly careful when picking who to cast for it.

It couldn’t just be a pretty face, and Von would still win if that was the case.

Replaying the two clips side-by-side for one final time, Marcus had made a lot of conclusions.

Sammy was by far the better actor.

But Von was the better Aiden.

And it wasn’t just about his outfit choice.

Marcus could tell, even down to their micro-expressions, it was something very few actors were able to do: emulating a character exactly how the director envisioned it in his head.

Von carried an invisible weight on his shoulders when he walked. His eyes looked genuinely exhausted like a sick person.

That raw connection was exactly why a director would guide actors over many things even after they got the role.

You could teach technique, but you couldn’t teach that level of pure empathy.

"Von would equally need the guidance, he might be better at playing Aiden but he’s still green to acting."

Marcus had kept quiet on purpose when he auditioned them. Looking at the footage now, he noticed the technical flaws in the rookie.

Von hadn’t considered the camera and lighting positions when he played out his role.

He didn’t hit his exact marks on the floor, drifting slightly out of focus during his dramatic exit.

Maybe he didn’t consider that at the moment, or maybe he didn’t have that skill in him at all yet.

Sammy, on the other hand, had naturally caught the perfect lighting angle even while yelling at the empty air.

Looking over the two options, an artistic director like Marcus would always pick Von.

He never really cared about money anyways. It was always those corporate suits backing the movies that would pressure him to pick the more influential, guaranteed artist to secure the box office.

But it was extremely difficult this time, because he was co-producing the indie movie out of his own pocket, and he had to reap his investments.

If the movie failed, he was financially ruined. Then there was his fellow producer Leviathan, who knew absolutely nothing about movie production and just wanted his music buddy to get the role because they got along well.

"He should be supporting Sam instead, that would make things easier for me. Sigh," Marcus shook his head as he muttered in the empty room.

He watched the two clips simultaneously one final time before finally closing his laptop. He had done enough thinking for the day. His mind was made up.

"It’s really unfortunate and difficult, but it’s a choice I just had to make."

Marcus pulled out his phone and began typing an email to the chosen one.

***

Upstairs in a room a lot more luxurious than what Von had gotten, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Sammy Howkins was sitting on the edge of his massive king-sized bed without a single piece of clothing on his body.

Kneeling before him on the plush carpet was a beautiful brunette maid he had seen earlier in the hallway.

At that moment, her mouth was currently occupied with a part of him.

"You’re really good at this, eh? My wife doesn’t even come close to you."

"Womp~ It’s a pleasure to be... womp~ of your service sir womp~ I enjoy you a lot~ too."

Sammy grinned wickedly seeing her acknowledgment, and he placed his hands on her head to pat her gently like his pet.

"Of course, you will... Don’t worry, I won’t be going anywhere. You’ll continue to enjoy me for three months. I might even take you with me when we’re done with filming."

"Yes sir~"

The maid had a heavy blush on her face hearing Sammy, and it made her service him with even more intensity and desperation to please the superstar.

"Mm, that’s my girl." Sam felt the dial up with pure ecstasy and held her head tighter with a cocky smile on his face.

But at that exact moment, his phone rang loudly across the bed.

"Don’t stop," Sam instructed her strictly before picking up his phone from the tangled sheets to see who exactly was calling to know if he was going to answer or reject.

The frown on his face softened slightly after seeing it was his agent. That made him pick up immediately, already knowing exactly what the man wanted to say.

"Yo, Kelvin. Any news? How much did you manage to get from them?"

"You lost the role, Sam."

"I did what?!"

Sammy’s voice increased drastically. He couldn’t lose the role. He didn’t even have a worthy competitor in that casting room. It was basically guaranteed. It just wasn’t possible.

"You heard me right. That bastard of a director gave the role out to Von Varley."

"Von Varley?" Sammy narrowed his eyes, trying to remember who it was. "The indie singer guy... So he’s into acting?"

"Yes, and yes." Kelvin replied curtly. "He’s never acted before, so this is basically his first movie and they’re throwing him in as the lead."

They chose a newbie actor over him. How absurd was that!

Sammy got so instantly angry hearing it that his hands twitched. He shoved the maid down forcefully to consume him whole, leaving her suddenly gagging and almost gasping for breath.

Ignoring her muffled struggles entirely, he questioned Kelvin in pure anger.

"Are they that dumb?! It can’t be! Didn’t you remind them that they’re making a massive mistake not picking an A-list actor like me? It’s ridiculous!"

"Calm down, Sammy." Kelvin told him steadily. "Marcus isn’t going back on his decision so it’s useless, and they’ll understand why they needed you later on when their project tanks. It’s normal for newbie producers like them to make such stupid mistakes. But forget them. I got you an even better role."

Hearing the last part of what his agent had to say made Sammy calm down for a while. He eventually released his tight, aggressive grip on the girl he was seconds from choking and potentially killing.

She pulled back, coughing quietly into her hand, her eyes wide with sudden fear. Sammy didn’t even look at her.

"Which movie is that?"

"West World Studios... They’re also doing the bubble filming right now, and their budget is five times that of Marcus’s indie flick. The director is a lot more experienced too, but there’s only one catch."

Sammy caught his agent’s voice trailing off and questioned immediately. "What is it?!"

"It’s not for a lead role. You’ll be the major villain... The media and public thinks West is planning a boring romance movie, but he’s actually dropping a crime thriller. Now it’s up to you."

Sammy thought long and hard about this. He had never played a villain before. He had always been the charming, handsome leading man that saved the day.

But he believed he was more than capable of pulling off a darker persona.

There was only one thing bothering him.

"Why can’t I be the male lead? Being a villain will ruin my image, won’t it?"

"The male lead is Rayan West’s son already and there’s no changing that," Kelvin explained.

"But who knows, Sam? This could be your chance to finally win the Oscars by playing a dark, twisted villain."

"Hmm."

Sammy didn’t actually think he had what it took to deliver an Oscar-worthy performance, but he let his massive ego get the better of him.

He was still an A-list actor. He wasn’t small by any means. He believed he was an acting genius.

Who needed intense months of preparation and character study? He was going to give out the best acting of his entire career on talent alone and prove that he couldn’t be looked over again.

Sammy grinned mischievously, the anger fading into a dark, vindictive anticipation.

"In that case, I’m in. I’ll depart from this damned place first thing in the morning. And Kelvin... this rejection? Make them regret it. I’ll do my part on screen, but you should do yours in the press."

Kelvin understood his assignment perfectly and smirked from where he was. "Of course, they definitely will."

Sammy hung up the call afterward and tossed the phone onto the bed. He looked down at the maid, who had stopped sucking him out for a while now, still kneeling on the floor and looking up at him nervously.

"You’re... leaving?" she asked with a small, trembling voice.

Sammy didn’t respond. He simply stood up from the edge of the bed and grabbed her roughly by the hair.

"Climb the bed."