You Cant Blame Her She Was the First to Betray Her
Waiting is the worst part.
The conference room was dead silent, every actor and agent staring at the closed door of the audition room.
After finishing her audition, Avery Hayes had found a seat next to Wyatt Riggs and, like everyone else, settled in to quietly wait for the verdict.
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and Avery felt it too.
But unlike the others, she wasn't staring at the door.
Instead, she'd slipped on her headphones and was already deep into a podcast on criminal case studies.
It was her go-to coping mechanism, the same one she'd used after the car accident, the more nervous she got, the more she needed a complicated distraction to focus on.
It was the only thing that could really calm her down.
Ten minutes later, a decision was made.
The soft click of the door handle turning sent a jolt through the room. Every actress still waiting tensed up, their eyes fixed on the door. Avery, lost in her podcast, didn't hear a thing until Wyatt nudged her.
She looked up just as Director Conrad King emerged, followed by the production team and the two lead actors. Taking off her headphones, she handed them to Wyatt and stood up, falling in line behind her agent, Diana Marks.
While the other agents scrambled to greet the director and producers, Diana didn't budge.
She stood by the conference table with her arms crossed, her sharp black suit making her look every bit the powerhouse she was.
She just arched an eyebrow and offered a wry smile to the producer of *Bones of Mountains and Rivers*.
Once the small talk settled, she finally spoke. "Sterling, long time no see," she said, her tone familiar and completely devoid of the ass-kissing the other agents were laying on thick. "So you're the one running the show on this film."
The man she called Sterling looked to be in his mid-thirties, dressed in a sharp executive jacket, with a lean, capable energy about him.
His face lit up in genuine surprise. "Diana? When did you get back? Are you managing talent again? Is Miss Hayes one of yours?"
he asked, firing off three questions in a row.
After a quick, warm greeting, his eyes swept the room and landed on Avery.
Her resume listed her as an artist from Stellar Media Group, and Diana had been their top agent from the start of her career.
Other companies had tried to poach her for years, but she'd never left.
In the end, she'd only retired from the industry because of the shake-up at Stellar.
Now that she was back, it only made sense she'd be with them.
"I've been back for a little while," Diana said with a slight smile.
"If I'd known you were in charge here, I would've just sent my artist's profile directly to you a few days ago."
As she spoke, she let her gaze drift to the other side of the room, a knowing look in her eyes.
It landed squarely on the middle-aged man who'd pushed for Roman Duke to audition first.
Sterling was a sharp guy. Diana's subtle glance was all it took for him to realize something shady had gone down with the auditions today. He followed her line of sight, his eyes pausing on the man for a fraction of a second, and his friendly expression instantly darkened.
Realizing this wasn't the time or place, he quickly smoothed his features back into a smile and looked at Avery with open admiration. "Well, it seems this role was meant for Miss Hayes. Even if it took a little detour, it was always going to find its way to her."
A flicker of pride showed on Diana's face. "She's got the drive. An opportunity is useless if you don't have what it takes to grab it."
Sterling nodded, his approval clear. "She's incredible. That audition just now stunned Director King. You'd never know she was a newcomer."
Diana met his gaze and smiled. "And we're lucky you and the director are willing to give newcomers a shot."
Sterling stepped closer and lowered his voice. "This one... she's even more brilliant than the last one. You need to watch her back. Don't let another scheme take her down."
At that, Diana's expression turned grim, a cold shadow passing through her eyes.
"She is not a fool like Holden Crane." Her voice was low and steely.
Avery wasn't just smart; she was a master planner who never took a hit without returning it tenfold.
Her methods were more polished than Diana's, and she'd been fighting in the trenches for over a decade.
Though she hadn't known Avery long, Diana had seen enough from her run-ins with the Sterling family to know her style. Someone who could single-handedly drag a major corporation through the mud wasn't going to be taken down by some cheap trick.
Sterling frowned, a hint of concern in his eyes. "Just be careful, both of you. Once she gets famous, those people might try to pull something. Your health can't take any more trouble."
Diana looked at him, silent for a moment before her tone softened almost imperceptibly. "That's kind of you. I have my own plans." Things were different now. If they wanted to make a move, they'd have to see if Julian Shaw was okay with it. And he was no Dexter Reed.
As Diana and Sterling continued their quiet conversation, the other actors in the room got the message. The part was gone. A few of them, looking disappointed, said their goodbyes to the director and quietly filed out.
On his way out, Roman Duke shot Avery a venomous glare. He was convinced she'd stolen his role, and his eyes burned with aggression.
Avery, who had been standing silently behind Diana, met his gaze without flinching. Her expression was completely blank, but there was a weight to her stare that made Roman's heart stutter.
He snorted, tearing his eyes away from her only to fix them on Diana. Seeing the undisguised pride on her face as she spoke about Avery, a deep, bitter resentment churned in his gut.
*Why?*
Why was she so good to everyone but him? She'd moved heaven and earth for Holden Crane, using every resource she had to build his career, but she'd never been willing to do the same for him. And now, for some newcomer she'd known for less than a month, she was pulling out all the stops.
He'd followed her for three years. Three years, and she'd never given him the time of day. To Diana, he was nothing but a joke.
So you couldn't blame him for this. She was the one who betrayed him first.
She wanted to build another star like Holden Crane? Not a chance in hell. He wouldn't let her get what she wanted.
Lost in his dark thoughts, Roman's already tense face twisted into a scowl.
He stormed out of the building and stalked to his car, yanking the door open and dropping heavily into the driver's seat.
Leaning against the window frame, he angrily lit a cigarette and took a long, deep drag, his eyes hidden in the curling smoke.
A cold, calculating smirk touched his lips as he pulled out his phone and sent a text to his agent, Nolan Burke.
Stellar Media Group had been trampled into the mud by powerful investors long ago.
The company was a black hole, and Diana should sink right along with it.
She never should have come back, and she damn sure shouldn't be managing new talent.
Since she'd already fallen into the mud, she should stay there forever.
After sending the message, Roman looked up at the office building and let out a short, crazed laugh before starting the engine and peeling out into traffic.
The moment his car was gone, Shane Croft stepped out from behind a tree in the shade nearby. He stared after the departing car, his expression cold. After a moment, he sent a text to Wyatt, who was still upstairs.
"He's acting strange. We need to keep a close eye on him."