While in the office, Katherine had gone through all of the scandals that Melissa was involved in when Sophia arrived at Specter Entertainment.
Upon noticing the latter’s arrival, Katherine chucked her phone aside. “Did Melissa do anything to you?”
Sophia gave her a side glance. “Do I look like such a pushover to you?”
“Not really. I was actually worried about your treatment toward her.”
Sophia huffed a laugh in exasperation. “She wanted me to talk to Alexander on her behalf.”
Katherine snorted. “Such thick skin she has!”
Sophia chuckled. “That might be true!”
“What prompted her to seek help from you?”
Sophia mulled over the question. “Perhaps it’s because of the three million she mentioned.”
Katherine was startled. “What do you mean by that? Did she offer you three million in the hopes that you would persuade Alexander to stop targeting her?”
Sophia took a sip of coffee from the cup Jonice had handed her before replying, “Yeah.”
Katherine was flabbergasted. “Oh my gosh! Melissa is one of a kind! Did she assume you needed that money?”
Sophia glanced at Katherine. “I would think about it if she offered thirty million.”
“Why would you even consider that? There’s no need to think about it! She was so cocky around you back then! That woman got Alexander involved in scandals the moment she returned from abroad! She even pulled out his cufflink and made you return it! A scheming b*tch like her deserves to be judged! Soph, you’re rich, so show some self-respect. Are you fine with making concessions over thirty million?”
“I don’t mind. I’m not as rich as Ms. Famous, after all.”
Sophia wasn’t so wealthy that she could remain unaffected in the face of thirty million, so she might relent if it meant she would earn that much money without having to even lift a finger.
For a moment, Katherine didn’t know what to say. “I get a feeling that you’re mocking me indirectly.”
Sophia lifted her head to look at her. “I swear that I’m not mocking you. I was being direct with you.”
Katherine was speechless.
I’m unfriending her!
The purpose of Sophia’s visit wasn’t to chat with Katherine. Samuel had informed her the day before that they would be recasting two of the main female supporting roles in Silk Stream that day, so he invited her to drop by if she was free.
Sophia rarely ever attended auditions but figured she would check it out with Katherine since Samuel had invited her to, and both Katherine and she had no prior engagements.
The audition would be happening in the afternoon, so she came to Specter Entertainment early to get updates as well.
They left for Midway Media after lunch. It was likely that Samuel had informed his staff about Sophia’s arrival beforehand as the receptionist treated Sophia politely the moment she came through the main entrance. Such reverence was a stark contrast to the treatment she received several years ago.
Katherine walked beside Sophia with sunglasses and a cap on. Upon noticing the receptionist’s deferential attitude, she tutted in dismay. “Samuel seems to be quite nice to you nowadays.”
Sophia smiled. “His attitude wasn’t too bad in the past.”
It was true that people like Samuel, who disliked her in secret and only stood on the sidelines, were better than those who actively mocked and taunted her.
Katherine turned to check on Sophia. At that moment, she couldn’t determine whether the latter’s words had a positive or negative connotation.
Geez. Talking to smart people is tiring!
Soon, they were led into the hall where the audition would be held.
Befitting Midway Media’s status as one of the two major companies in the entertainment industry, that small hall was way fancier than Specter Entertainment’s main hall.
Katherine’s self-control failed the moment she stepped into it. “Soph, this chair feels so comfortable. Shall we also renovate our halls?”
Sophia took the script while studying her in amusement. “Sure. It’s just going to cost three to five million.”
Katherine got a reality check as soon as money was mentioned. “The chairs we have now are fine! It works wonders for the spine!”
Sophia arched her brows in response. Meanwhile, the director beside them greeted her. “Ms. Yarrow.”
Sophia nodded. “Hello, Mr. Whitehead. This is my friend, Katherine Quinn. Unlike her, I don’t know anything about acting, so would you mind if she watched?”
The director, Jeremy Whitehead, dared not object to it. “It’s absolutely fine!”
Ever since Samuel threw a tantrum, everyone in the film crew knew Sophia was acquainted with Alexander.
While those who didn’t know much about the situation would assume that to be the case due to her being his ex-wife, those who knew better were well aware that it was apparent from Samuel’s words that their relationship was way more complicated than that.
Thus, the writers and main cast of the film crew had a shift in attitude toward Sophia. They were even friendly toward Katherine.
“It’s an honor to finally meet you, Ms. Quinn. Your performance in Emerald Hairpin was great! I’ve been thinking of working with you!”
Although Katherine was an A-list celebrity, she didn’t have as many resources as other A-list celebrities under Midway Media. As a result, since Jeremy was also considered famous in the industry, she was flattered beyond words when she heard such obvious words of flattery.
After some chit-chat, the audition began.
Katherine whispered a question into Sophia’s ear, “How much did you invest in this film? Why are they treating you like you’re a huge investor?”
Sophia found that odd too. “I only invested a-tenth of what Midway Media invested.”
Katherine tutted. “Is it because you’re pretty?”
Sophia smiled and answered, “Perhaps.”
Both of them stopped talking as the actress in front of them started acting.
Sophia didn’t know much about acting, so her thoughts wandered as she watched the actress onstage.
Back when she had a meal with the film crew, their attitude toward her was lukewarm at best.
So what happened to have changed that?
Both roles were important, so they went through a careful selection process even though they only required two actresses. It wasn’t until two hours later that the audition ended.
Sophia glanced at him in amusement before replying, “Yeah, it’s done.”
She figured Samuel must’ve said something to cause such a major change in the film crew’s attitude.
While observing Samuel, she asked, “Mr. Schild, shouldn’t the casting have been done a long time ago? Why are you recasting the actresses for the supporting roles?”
Samuel was slightly embarrassed, for Sophia had cut right to the chase. Already feeling guilty under her stare, he averted his gaze and changed the topic. “Oh, it’s almost six o’clock in the evening! Why don’t we have dinner together? Is Ms. Quinn still on a diet? I know a nice place for dinner!”
Katherine was excited at the mention of dinner. “Where is the place? We were planning to go for dinner too. Since that’s the case, let’s dine together!”
Her response was just what Samuel needed, so he went along with it without hesitation. “Sure!”
After that, Katherine looked at Sophia in a conceited manner. “Someone’s buying us a meal!”
Sophia chided her smilingly, “You dimwit.”
Given how silly she is, she’ll probably even be grateful to the person who sells her out.
Sophia turned to face Samuel. “You wouldn’t happen to have plans with another friend this time, would you?”
“What a coincidence! Actually, I’ve got a mutual acquaintance of ours joining us. It’s fine, right? The more, the merrier!”
It wasn’t until then that Katherine belatedly realized that she had sold Sophia out over a meal.
By then, Samuel had already left. As if worried that they might go back on their word, he told them the address and left for his car at the parking lot downstairs.
Sophia stared at Katherine silently with a smile on her face.
Katherine felt sheepish under her stare. “I didn’t realize that fast enough.”
Sophia heaved a sigh and raised her hand to caress her head. “It’s fine. You never expected Samuel to be so shameless anyway.”
Katherine was righteously angry as well. “Yeah! He used me shamelessly!”
Sophia chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to be this shameless either, selling me out for a meal like that.”
Katherine paused for a moment.
Did she just scold me in a roundabout manner?
