Reborn With a Money-Making System: Ruined Actress to Nation's Treasure-Chapter 91: When Acting Feels Too Real

"You were awful to me, Dion," I began reciting the first line of the monologue.

I stood right in front of the camera while the judges watched my performance through a monitor, allowing them to observe even the smallest changes in my expression.

Somewhere in the background, I faintly heard someone whisper that I looked completely different once I started acting, as if the girl they saw on the screen and the cheerful woman from earlier were two completely different people.

For my first take, I chose to show sadness because I’ve always preferred to cry first and save the anger for last.

Since Mia was the kind of girl who had a heart as soft as silk, I had to make sure I could deliver that fragility through my voice, making her sound vulnerable, but not the kind of vulnerability that frustrates people.

"You laughed when I cried, pushed me away when all I ever did was try to understand you," I said in a half-whisper, as if I were too exhausted to argue with the bastard standing before me.

A faint smile formed on my lips, but I lowered my gaze slightly, turning that smile into a fragile mask trying to hide the pain underneath.

My shoulders dropped slightly as I let out a tired breath. My lips parted just a little, just enough to show that Mia was fighting the urge to spill all the cruel words she wanted to say.

After a moment, a single tear slipped down from the corner of my eye. Just one, but paired with the bitter smile on my face, it looked heartbreakingly dramatic.

I drew another shaky breath and whispered, "Do you know how small I felt every time you pretended I didn’t exist?"

Click.

The staff member standing near the camera lifted the clapperboard. "Reset, take two, different emotions."

Without wiping away my tears, I repeated the line, but this time, I changed my expression into something colder. I relaxed every muscle in my face, staring blankly at the imaginary man in front of me.

"You were awful to me, Dion," I said in a cold, detached voice, as if I had already stopped caring about anything or anyone in this world.

I continued until I finally shifted into the last emotion; anger.

"Do you even remember how cruel you were to me back then, Dion?!" I shouted, slightly changing the line so it flowed better with the fury rising inside me.

My voice cracked midway, not from weakness, but from how real it felt. My hands clenched at my sides, and for a split second, it didn’t feel like I was acting anymore. It felt like I was Mia, someone who had been ignored, betrayed, and broken.

The camera zoomed in, catching every detail: the trembling of my shoulders, the tears that hadn’t fallen yet, the rage burning in my eyes.

"Oh, you laughed when I cried, you always laughed at me!" I exclaimed, frustration written all over my face. My eyelids trembled, showing just how much effort it took to hold back the storm of anger in my chest.

I stared into the camera for a moment, letting them see the fury, sadness, and disappointment in my eyes at the same time. Even the staff seemed to forget to click the clapperboard.

"C-cut!" the staff member stammered as he finally snapped the clapperboard in front of the camera.

Within seconds, the sound of applause filled the entire studio, making me smile shyly, even though I was genuinely thrilled. Everyone looked utterly stunned, and I knew they were already considering me for the role of Mia.

"Good! Good! That was an incredible performance, Ms. Orszebet!" the judge in the middle clapped his hands the hardest and even stood up from his seat. "Probably the best one I’ve seen today."

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully completed your mission: Audition in the enemy’s territory!]

[Reward: $35,000 has been credited to your account.]

[Remaining Balance: $255,915]

I almost jumped out of my seat when I saw my balance skyrocketing. Since my debt had officially been frozen, it meant I could finally use this money however I wanted. I was definitely going to buy something nice for myself when I got home, maybe even treat Marissa to some cake or something sweet.

Unfortunately, before I could think more about what fun thing I wanted to do next, the judge’s voice echoed through the room again.

"We just want to let you know that your performance has exceeded our expectations, and we’ve decided to let you move on to the next stage."

"Congratulations, Ms. Orszebet. We’ll be waiting for more good news from you."

What the hell... I honestly didn’t expect to pass to the next round this fast. I thought I’d have to wait at least a week or two for the results.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I said brightly, bowing several times with a huge smile on my face. "This result has also surpassed my expectations!"

The judges chuckled softly. "You deserve it, Ms. Orszebet," one of them said warmly. "Miss Benita will let you know when the next stage begins. See you soon, Ms. Orszebet."

I gave them one last smile before walking out with one of the staff members, Benita.

"The next stage will be divided into three batches," Benita explained as she scribbled my name on the paper clipped to her board. "Since you passed today, I’ll put you in the first batch. It’ll take place three days from now. If you can’t make it, I can move you to another batch."

I shook my head with a smile. "I’m good with the first batch. Thank you, Miss Benita."

After saying goodbye, I left the waiting room feeling completely over the moon, and judging by the smiles I got along the hallway, everyone could probably tell that my audition had gone well.

As soon as I stepped out of that war zone, I called Marissa.

"I got it!" I said in a whispery shout, covering my mouth so no one could overhear. "Marissa, I made it to the next stage!"