I grabbed his collar and snarled, “My mother was a hero in research. She died with her data in order, and yet you want someone who can’t even memorize lines to play her? Marina doesn’t deserve that role!”
“How do you know she doesn’t deserve it if you don’t give her a chance?” he shot back.
“She’s my mother! Nobody knows her like I do!” My eyes burned red. “If you let her play my mother, I will ruin her career. I can give up being an actress just so I can do whatever it takes.”
Shock flickered in his gaze.
He was Dominic, the man everyone admired, but if I were determined to burn bridges, I could.
He stubbed the cigar into the ashtray and sighed. “Are you really going to do that?”
“Of course.” I ground my teeth until they ached.
He nodded, then picked up the phone. “Cancel the plan to parachute Marina into that role. Yes, Isla gets the part. Let her daughter play her.”
My muscles finally eased. I forced a sarcastic, grateful smile. “Thanks, Mr. Vale.”
Ignoring the way he looked at me, I walked out.
I was supposed to do the promotional stills the next day, but my private photos were leaked everywhere online instead.
I fell off the bed when I saw them. Hands shaking, I dialed Dominic.
When the phone was picked up, it wasn’t Dominic, but Marina.
“I was the one who told Mr. Vale to leak them,” she said, her tone sharp and mocking. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say you’d ruin me if it meant keeping that role? Well, now it’s your reputation that’s in ruins. How does it feel? Honestly, Isla, you’re pathetic.”
My teeth nearly cracked from how hard I was clenching them. “Marina!”
But then the phone was taken from her. A man’s voice came through the receiver instead. It was Dominic’s.
“You can still play your mother’s role,” he said coldly. “That is… if you don’t mind that whenever the audience sees her on screen, the first thing they’ll remember is you, sprawled out on a bed.”
The phone slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor. My knees buckled, and I crumpled down with it.
The trending page lit up my screen. My name was everywhere, twisted and mocked.
I broke down and cried until my chest ached.
Then my phone buzzed again. This time, it was an old, trembling voice on the other end. “Isla? I heard… your mother’s biopic is finally starting production? When’s the premiere? We want to fly back and watch your first performance.”