Reborn With a Money-Making System: Ruined Actress to Nation's Treasure-Chapter 99: Facing the Producer From My Past

Even though the charity gala sounded so important, and I still had to figure out what I was going to wear for it, I had something more urgent to focus on right now.

I needed to prepare for the second round of the audition. Maybe, if I did well enough, Lando’s family would finally see that I wasn’t someone to be mocked. And maybe then, they’d stop looking down on my husband too.

But if things didn’t go as planned, I could still try auditioning for another drama. I was even planning to attend two auditions on the same day.

Marissa told me it was too risky, but since both were scheduled for the same day, I didn’t really have much of a choice. Besides, if I suddenly asked to move to the second batch after already confirming, I’d probably look unprofessional.

"The registration for the second audition closes at three in the afternoon. You should at least finish your first audition before one," Marissa said as we sat in the car.

"I know, I know," I replied distractedly, my eyes fixed on the youth drama script in my hands. I was trying hard to memorize every line, repeating them quietly in my head, determined to give my best performance later.

"Helcia," Marissa called, and I only hummed softly in response. "I’m sorry. Because of me, you have to do two auditions on the same day."

She had misread the audition date, thinking it was scheduled for tomorrow, but it turned out to be today, right when my second-round audition was also taking place.

It wasn’t like her to make that kind of mistake, but she’d been exhausted lately after moving into a bigger apartment with her wife.

"Oh, please, stop apologizing," I said, waving my hand with a small smile. "We’ve already figured out a solution. Besides, I’ll finish the first audition quickly since we came so early."

Marissa and I had left the house at seven in the morning, even though the audition wouldn’t start until eight. That way, I’d get one of the earliest numbers and still have enough time to make it to the second one.

Honestly, I was a little annoyed that she made such a big mistake, but as long as we could fix it, there was no point in dwelling on it.

"Alright," Marissa said with a sigh. "I promise I won’t mess up like this again. Just do your best today, okay, Helcia?"

I smiled at her and said, "I will."

Without wasting any more time, as soon as the car stopped at the drop-off area, I quickly got out and walked toward the registration desk, waiting for my turn to check in.

When I signed up for the second-round audition, I ended up getting the third number since two people had arrived even earlier that morning.

I figured they were also auditioning for the lead role, and I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Both of them looked younger than me. The difference in our youth wasn’t that big, but when I accidentally caught a glimpse of their files, I saw they were only 19 and 20, at least four years younger than me.

Even though we all had youthful faces, I wouldn’t be surprised if the producer decided to give the lead role to one of the younger actresses.

I took a soft breath and reminded myself that I wasn’t here to compete with their age. I was here to show my skills, my experience, and everything I’d learned from the years I’d spent on set.

Each actress spent about twenty minutes inside the audition room, probably because they were asked to perform several scenes and listen to feedback from the judges, though I had no idea how many of them there were today.

After waiting for around forty-five minutes, it was finally my turn to go in.

I took a few deep breaths before stepping into the room and saw that there were around eight people sitting in front of me, ready to judge my performance.

The man seated in the center was none other than the producer, Eric Donnelly. I recognized him right away because I had worked on one of his dramas years ago.

"Ms. Helcia Orszebet," Eric spoke first, before anyone else could. "I didn’t get to see your first audition in person, but everyone who did couldn’t stop talking about how great you were."

"Now, I can’t stop wondering whether you’re really as good as they say, or if they were simply too captivated by your beauty."

I froze for a second, surprised that he would say something so openly. But then again, Eric had always been a straightforward man, even back then.

If something was on his mind, he’d say it without hesitation. It wasn’t that he was a bad person, but his honesty could be sharp, and not everyone felt comfortable around him for too long.

I remembered how, years ago, he had made comments about my appearance, not my acting, but my body. I had gained a few pounds before filming his drama because I had just started eating properly again after struggling with bulimia for years.

But because of his words, I ended up forcing myself to throw up again, at least until the filming was over.

That’s why, honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable the moment I saw his face here.

However, I tried my best to stay professional. It had been a long time, after all, and I couldn’t exactly force him to apologize, especially since he wouldn’t even recognize me as Helena Moore anymore.

"I’m not sure if my performance is that good either, Mr. Donnelly," I said with a polite smile. "But I’d be honored if you could see it for yourself."

Eric raised his eyebrows, probably surprised that I didn’t even flinch after becoming the center of attention among all the judges in the room.

"Alright then," he said, leaning back slightly in his chair. "Show me what you’ve got, Ms. Orszebet. Start whenever you’re ready."