quid pro quo
As a director and a screenwriter themselves, Leo Bell and Clara King had a much keener eye for what makes a good script than the average person.
So even though Avery Hayes had only tweaked the part of the third female lead, the level of professionalism she brought to the table was genuinely stunning.
The truth was, when Clara was writing the script, she'd consulted with the legal department at a friend's company. But their advice was all about the laws themselves; they hadn't been able to help her weave that professional knowledge into the story in a way that felt believable.
Avery, however, had managed to do both, blending legal authenticity and compelling plot into a seamless whole.
Clara was seriously impressed. She shot Leo a look and gave him a slight nod, a silent signal that she was blown away by Avery's revisions. He caught it instantly. That was all it took for him to know exactly what she was thinking.
He smiled at the camera, shifting his tone into one of negotiation.
"Avery, your script revisions are excellent. We can definitely consider the terms you've proposed. However, I'd love for you to be more deeply involved in the script revisions before we officially start filming. We could even give you the title of 'Special Screenwriting Consultant.'"
He said it tactfully, but Avery knew exactly what he was getting at.
She just gave him a polite smile and shut it down. "Leo, you're putting me in a tough spot. I'm not a professional screenwriter. When it comes to the whole show, the only part I can really speak to is the legal logic of the cases. I wouldn't want to step on any toes in other areas."
Yeah, right.
What she wanted was the role of the second female lead in *You Are My Defender,* not some throwaway "consultant" position.
She planned to use this role to break into the mainstream market, turn her online following into a dedicated fanbase with real commercial power, and build leverage for her entire career.
The second female lead in this show was perfect for where she was right now. The character was a career-driven woman with a fantastic arc and a ton of standout scenes. That was exactly what she was after.
As for being a "special screenwriting consultant"? Please. Did he really think she was clueless? That was just a temporary gig for a few thousand bucks to help fix his script.
After she spoke, Avery went quiet, holding Leo's gaze with a calm expression. She had just handed *You Are My Defender* a real shot at getting a network broadcast, and she was confident he knew which choice to make.
Sure enough, Leo was silent for a good thirty seconds before he countered, "Does it have to be the second female lead? I can have Clara add more scenes for the third lead. How about you play that part instead?"
Avery gently shook her head and got straight to the point. "The third female lead is just the main character's daughter. If you just tack on more scenes for her, isn't the whole show going to feel disjointed?"
Forcing in extra scenes for a supporting character while cutting screen time from others always threw the plot out of balance. Once it was filmed, the audience would hate it. Since they were aiming for a network slot, they couldn't afford to pull shady moves like that.
Like she said, she wanted the powerful, standout moments that came with the second female lead's storyline. The role was a perfect fit. Her acting skills weren't polished yet, so picking a part that played to her strengths was the smartest strategy.
Leo and Clara, of course, understood exactly what she was getting at. They exchanged a look, both of them a little hesitant. The thing was, the role of the second female lead had already been promised to someone else by the investors. Replacing her probably wasn't an option.
Diana Marks, who had been listening from the sidelines, saw their hesitation and chimed in at the perfect moment.
"Leo, Clara, you both know the difference between a web series and a network show better than anyone. Besides, with a script this good, do you really think you'll have trouble finding new investors?"
She leaned in slightly. "And you've both heard that shows with our Stellar Media artists always have a huge advantage when it comes to landing ad sponsors. If you agree to Avery's proposal, Stellar Media can make this show a priority for sponsorships when it's released."
As a senior agent, Diana's judgment was just as sharp as theirs.
If this show was actually filmed using Avery's optimized script, its chances of getting picked up by a network were extremely high.
Now that they saw the project's potential, there was no way Stellar Media was going to let it slip through their fingers.
Hearing Diana's offer, Leo seemed to be calculating the power of ad revenue. He lowered his gaze for a moment, then looked up and agreed to the trade. It was a classic quid pro quo.
This was exactly why people said Stellar Media artists got such great opportunities.
The agency didn't produce many of its own shows; instead, they almost always used their connections with advertisers to trade for roles for their other two headlining actors.
But unfortunately, those two just couldn't deliver.
Despite getting chance after chance, their careers never really took off.
If they'd had a little more drive and landed just a few breakout roles, Stellar Media could have turned them into A-listers by now.
Once Leo caved, there was nothing left for Avery to do. Diana said a few words to her, then ended the video call to start hammering out the details of the partnership with him.
The discussion went late into the night.
After finalizing the basic framework of the deal and leaving the Bell residence, Diana let out a long sigh of relief, a spark of excitement in her eyes.
She was starting to understand why Julian Shaw valued Avery so much.
An artist who was smart and level-headed had far more potential for investment than one who was just a pretty face.
During the entire call, Avery had only said a few things, but her calm, calculated approach, letting them take the bait, was the key to closing the deal.
From the very beginning, she'd had the upper hand and never once fell for any of Leo's verbal traps.
Any other actor would have jumped at the chance to rewrite the script the second they heard him say he would "consider" it.
Thinking about it now, Diana realized Stellar Media had really cashed in on Avery's influence. In the deal with Leo, she'd also managed to secure the role of the third female lead for another actress at their agency.
Avery, however, was going to be busy for a while.
She didn't want the extra work of helping with the script anyway.
Leo and Clara were both eager to finalize it quickly so they could find new investors to make up for any shortfall.
After all, since they were replacing the original actress for the second female lead, her backers might pull their funding. They had to be prepared.
Meanwhile, after Avery hung up, she figured she probably wouldn't have time for any more acting gigs for a while. She rubbed her stiff neck, sank into the sofa, put on her headphones, and closed her eyes to listen to an audio recording of Labor Law.
She had signed up for the Bar Exam, and she was determined to get a good score. She'd already finished her studying for the day, but she made sure to review the material whenever she had a spare moment.
After about thirty minutes, her aunt from the twelfth floor called and asked her to come down for dinner.
Avery straightened up, slipped on her shoes, and headed for the elevator.
It had just started its descent when it dinged and slid open on the twenty-second floor.
Avery looked up and saw Leo Foster, Ethan Rhodes, and Caleb Sterling standing outside, their arms slung around each other's shoulders.
Her eyes locked on Caleb. Her breath caught in her throat, her entire body freezing in shock.
Ethan and Leo were childhood friends, so it made sense for Ethan to be here. But what was Caleb doing with them?