The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 96: Stunning the Audience

Renee Jennings’s expression flickered, and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes formed on her face. "You’re right. I was reckless. But you need to have the strength to back up your ambition. All that grit is just going to make you a laughingstock if you don’t. Don’t you agree?"

Naomi Kenway nodded in agreement. "If you have such a clear understanding of yourself, why are you still here?"

Renee Jennings’s smile froze. Staring at Naomi Kenway’s dead-serious expression, she couldn’t tell if the woman was genuinely clueless or just playing dumb.

With a few heavy sighs of frustration, Renee Jennings decided she didn’t want to be anywhere near Naomi Kenway and returned to her original seat.

Renee Jennings had been personally escorted to the audition by an award-winning actor, and with her famously pleasant personality, many of the other actors were eager to get close to her.

"Rachel, stop wasting your kindness. Naomi Kenway isn’t one of us. Her backers are incredibly powerful."

Someone sighed, their tone full of insinuation. "Naomi Kenway is just here for show. We probably don’t stand a chance of getting this role. It was likely promised to someone before auditions even started."

"I’m so jealous of Naomi Kenway. She has zero acting talent but still lands roles in major productions time and again. Who cares if she gets hate online? The woman was probably just born with a silver spoon in her mouth!"

Renee Jennings scoffed. "Born with a silver spoon? Luck runs out. Besides, Director Ruby Preston is famously incorruptible. There’s zero chance she could be bribed. Everyone should just relax and focus on their auditions."

Renee Jennings knew better than anyone just how fair Ruby Preston could be. The memory of it made her cringe. ’I just hope she doesn’t decide to make things difficult for me later,’ she thought darkly.

"Number 28!"

Renee Jennings composed herself. ’My turn already.’

The audition scenes were chosen by random draw, so luck played a part. Renee Jennings took a slip of paper from a staff member, and her expression tightened as she unfolded it.

The scene she had drawn was arguably the most difficult one to perform. It depicted Hugh Chandler after she had been forced to drop out of school, working odd jobs and tasting the bitterness of the world. After being maliciously framed by a coworker, she gets thrown out by the restaurant owner. Stumbling through a rainy night, lost and confused, her wallet is stolen in the chaos. It contained everything she had: her rent money and her sister’s tuition fees.

It was her breaking point.

Renee Jennings felt a pang of nervousness, but she had studied this particular scene in depth. There shouldn’t be any major issues.

As her wallet was snatched, Renee Jennings cried out and gave chase, but to no avail. She collapsed helplessly to the ground, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with bitter resentment.

"Cut!"

Renee Jennings stood up, wiping the tears from her face.

Several of the judges nodded in approval. Ruby Preston was also somewhat surprised; Renee Jennings was indeed a talented actress with impressive intensity.

"We’ll be in touch," said Ruby Preston.

After thanking them, Renee Jennings didn’t leave immediately. She wanted to see how Naomi Kenway’s audition would go. She waved off the staff member trying to guide her out, explaining, "I’d like to watch the other actors perform and learn from them. If I get in the way, I’ll leave right away."

The staff member, however, shook their head. "I’m sorry, but that’s against the rules. Please cooperate."

Renee Jennings nodded and reluctantly shuffled out of the room. With a final glance back, she saw that it still wasn’t Naomi Kenway’s turn.

Nathaniel was waiting for her right outside the door. When he saw her, he immediately pulled her into a hug. "How did it go, Rachel?"

Renee Jennings was beaming with confidence. "I saw the judges nodding. I think I’ve pretty much got it."

Nathaniel was happy for her too. "In that case, let’s go celebrate early."

The door creaked open. Luke Lowell, having finished his own audition, had returned to the room where they were casting for Hugh Chandler. He was on good terms with one of the judges, so a staff member brought in an extra chair for him.

Luke Lowell scanned the room and quickly spotted Naomi Kenway. It seemed she hadn’t performed yet.

"Number 32!"

Naomi Kenway let out a breath and stepped forward to draw a slip of paper from the staff member.

Luke Lowell watched, feeling nervous for Naomi. ’I hope she draws an easy scene,’ he thought. ’That way, even if she gets eliminated, it won’t be too humiliating. If she completely bombs a hard scene, won’t that be a total loss of face?’

He’d heard the rumors that Naomi Kenway was completely expressionless when she acted, just mechanically reciting numbers instead of her lines. Luke Lowell was curious enough to come have a look for himself.

Naomi Kenway unfolded the slip of paper. It was the same scene Renee Jennings had performed.

This scene was incredibly difficult, but the harder the scene, the easier it was to shine. A run-of-the-mill performance would make it impossible to stand out from the other actors.

"Hello, judges. I’m Naomi Kenway, and I will be auditioning with Scene 73."

When Naomi Kenway’s name was called, the attitudes of the judges—everyone except Ruby Preston—grew noticeably more lax. They had all heard about her acting abilities and held no expectations.

Luke Lowell glanced at the script for Scene 73 over a judge’s shoulder, then sucked in a sharp breath.

’Naomi Kenway is so screwed...’

Ruby Preston’s expression flickered when she heard "Scene 73," but she noticed that Naomi Kenway didn’t seem flustered at all. A flicker of anticipation for Naomi’s performance sparked within her.

’Naomi Kenway’s personality has quite a few similarities to the character, Hugh Chandler,’ she mused. ’As long as her portrayal isn’t completely off-base, it should work. The fit between actor and character is crucial, and I’m quite looking forward to seeing what Naomi does.’

Recalling the script she had studied, Naomi Kenway completely immersed herself in the role.

At the staff member’s call of "Action," Naomi Kenway slipped into character in an instant. The calm composure on her face vanished, replaced by panic and helplessness. She frantically argued that she hadn’t stolen money from the shop, her voice choked with a sob from being falsely accused.

Luke Lowell’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ’So Naomi Kenway actually has some tricks up her sleeve.’

It was an audition without props or scene partners, a pure test of performance.

After having her wallet stolen and failing to get it back, Naomi Kenway sank to the ground. Her long eyelashes fluttered, as if cold raindrops were truly streaking down her cheeks. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

In that instant, she broke, utterly lost in despair.

Suddenly, a piece of candy fell to the ground. A faint light sparked in Naomi Kenway’s lifeless eyes. She picked up the candy, tucking it preciously into her palm.

It was a piece of candy her sister had given her that morning, a wish for sweetness and a life free from illness and misfortune.

As if her will to fight had been rekindled, Naomi Kenway staggered to her feet and continued on her way home.

"Cut!"

As her performance concluded, the judges all stared in disbelief. They couldn’t fathom that this was the level of skill Naomi Kenway possessed.

Ruby Preston gripped the microphone, her excitement palpable. "I recall... that part at the end where you picked up the candy. That wasn’t in the script, was it? Did you add that yourself?"

Naomi Kenway had already smoothed her clothes and composed herself. She nodded. "Yes. I brought the candy with me. In the story I portrayed, the candy is from Hugh Chandler’s sister. Based on my understanding of the character, Hugh Chandler is incredibly resilient. She won’t be broken by hardship, because she’s an optimist who always holds out hope for the future. Her sister is the source of her courage, and this detail echoes the later scene in the rented apartment."

Ruby Preston nodded enthusiastically. "That’s a very good change. In comparison, the original script’s transition feels a bit abrupt. The scene you added makes it much more natural."

"It’s clear you’ve really done your research on the character," Ruby Preston said with a smile. "We’ll be in touch, Nicole."