Unique performance

"But, Director, please give me a chance, won't you? I really need this opportunity!" Julia Avery pleaded.

If she wasn't chosen because of her skills, she could accept that. But being sabotaged and arriving late? That was something she couldn't swallow.

"Young lady, look around. Who here doesn't need this opportunity?" one of the directors said dismissively, tapping the stack of papers in his hand.

"Young lady, consider this a lesson about the rules of this industry. Learn from it, and your trip won't be in vain." Without even looking up, the director exchanged a glance with another director, and both stood up with their papers.

"Director, please, I really..."

The two directors ignored her, not even sparing her a glance as they walked past. As assistant directors, they had seen countless girls like her.

Julia Avery could only watch helplessly as the two assistant directors left.

Just then, Royce Butler walked over and noticed the disappointment in Julia's eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Julia shook her head. "The audition is over. I missed my chance. Let's go."

Royce frowned. "Where's the restroom around here?"

Julia pointed to the left. "Just keep walking straight, then turn left at the end."

"Alright, wait here for me. Don't run off! I saved you today, and if you ditch me, that'd be heartless!" With that, Royce walked off in the direction Julia had pointed.

Julia sighed. She had no intention of running off. Even though she knew Royce wasn't exactly a good guy, he had saved her today.

She understood the importance of gratitude. Besides, he still had those compromising photos of her.

She found a chair and sat down, quietly waiting for Royce Butler to return.

Who knew what the man was doing in the bathroom for twenty minutes? Julia Avery was beginning to wonder if he had left when he finally reappeared in her sight.

"I thought you fell into the toilet! Took you long enough!" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I'm too big to fall in!" Royce Butler replied with a grin.

"Let's go."

As they were about to leave together, a staff member approached them. "Are you Julia Avery?" Julia nodded.

"Here's the thing, the role of the third female lead hasn't been filled yet. After discussing it with the director team and hearing from the assistant director about you, we've decided to give you a chance."

Julia was taken aback. The last time she was offered an "extra opportunity," it turned out to be a trap, and she was a bit wary.

"Is this another trap?"

"What are you afraid of? I'll go with you!" Royce Butler placed a reassuring hand on Julia's shoulder.

Julia quickly shrugged off his hand. "Alright then."

The staff member led Julia and Royce upstairs. They stopped in front of a room, and the staff member said, "Miss Avery, please go in. The directors are waiting for you." Julia instinctively looked at Royce.

"It's okay! I'll be right here at the door. If anything happens, just scream for help, and I'll come rushing in."

Julia Avery nodded. They were on the third floor, and the sun was shining brightly outside. There shouldn't be any trouble, especially with the man standing guard outside.

She pushed the door open and walked in, immediately spotting Director Blithe sitting in the center, discussing something with the two assistant directors she had seen earlier.

Oh my god, Director Blithe himself was going to audition her! Julia's heart leaped into her throat.

The assistant next to Director Blithe noticed Julia's entrance and quickly walked over to her, handing her a piece of paper. "These are your lines. Take a look. You have three minutes to prepare."

Julia took the paper, her hands trembling. Seeing her nervousness, the assistant shook his head. If she couldn't even handle this, she probably wouldn't make it.

Julia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and started memorizing the lines on the paper.

The lines were short and lacked any scene descriptions, leaving her to infer the context from the dialogue alone.

Three minutes flew by quickly. The assistant reminded Director Blithe, who then paused his discussion with the assistant directors.

"Alright, you can start now. Don't be nervous, just go with the flow," Director Blithe said.

Julia nodded and stepped into the center of the room.

No costumes, no music, no scene descriptions—just a few lines of dialogue.

For any actor, this was a huge challenge but also an opportunity. After all, it allowed for a lot of creative freedom.

The two assistant directors, who had just spoken rudely to Julia Avery, also looked up. Just as everyone was waiting for Julia Avery's performance, she suddenly collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Not only were the two assistant directors startled, but even Director Blithe was taken aback, unsure of what was happening.

After falling to the ground, Julia Avery's body trembled slightly. She then slowly got up, her arms barely supporting her shaky frame, as if she might collapse again at any moment.

"I grew up with Miles. We were childhood sweethearts, inseparable. He was always so kind to me, always giving in to me. I love him, I love him so much, and only him..."

Tears glistened in Julia Avery's eyes, but they didn't fall, making her eyes especially captivating and giving her gaze a stubborn quality. As she delivered her lines, she bit her lip tightly.

After finishing her lines, she closed her eyes in pain, and only then did the tears slowly start to flow.

Director Blithe looked at the girl. Her hair was a bit messy, and she seemed to have some wounds on her body, which made the scene even more poignant in light of her lines.

Though the performance lasted only two minutes, the three directors were left in a daze, as if their emotions had been swept away by her portrayal.

Julia Avery wiped her face and stood up. "Director, I've finished my performance."

Director Blithe stroked his beard. "Your performance was quite unique. Some people delivered these lines with great joy, and others with pitiful tears. You chose a middle path."

Julia Avery smiled. "Director, to be honest, I might have taken a shortcut. I read the novel this script is based on, and when I saw these lines, I remembered the part where Tiffany gets beaten. That's why I performed it this way."

This historical drama was adapted from a novel, so Julia Avery had stayed up all night to finish reading it.

"That novel is over two million words long. You read the whole thing?" Director Blithe asked, astonished.

Julia Avery nodded. "Yes, I've read it all."

"Then tell me your understanding of this character."

"Tiffany is the male lead, Miles's, first love and childhood friend. Her humble background makes her somewhat insecure.

In the novel, she often comes across as gentle and fragile, but in reality, she has a quiet strength and a stubborn streak. I think the author named her Tiffany to hint at her hidden sharpness."

Blithe nodded repeatedly. "It seems you really understand the character well. Even those who have read the novel think Tiffany is too weak."

Hearing Director Blithe's praise, the two assistant directors quickly chimed in, "Yes, this young lady may be a newcomer, but her emotional performance was spot on."

"Not only was her emotion on point, but her expressions while delivering the lines were also very rich. Especially those tears that she held back until the very end!"

Blithe nodded again. "Alright, the role is yours. We'll notify your agent later."

Julia Avery gave an awkward smile. "I don't have an agent, and I'm not signed with any company. So, you can just call the number I left when filming starts."

Blithe was quite surprised. Nowadays, most young actors, big or small, are signed with some agency. This young lady had the looks and acting skills, yet she wasn't signed.

"Alright then, wait for our notification."

"Thank you, Director!" Julia Avery bowed deeply. She couldn't believe she had landed the role so dramatically!

As Julia Avery walked out of the room, she still felt like she was floating, as if in a dream.

Royce Butler came up to her. "How did it go?"

Julia Avery looked at Royce Butler with a blank expression. "I got the role! I nailed it!"

Royce Butler finally breathed a sigh of relief and playfully tapped her forehead. "How are you going to thank me?"

Julia Avery patted Royce Butler on the shoulder. "I'll treat you to dinner!"

"Sounds good, but before that, let's head to the hospital." Royce Butler noticed the injuries on Julia Avery's body.

Julia Avery finally noticed that while crawling up and down the basement, she had accidentally scraped her arms and legs in several places, and they were now oozing blood.

"It's nothing serious, just a few scratches. I'll buy some antiseptic on the way back and clean them up."

The two of them walked out together. Royce Butler, as usual, drove his Ferrari LaFerrari, following Julia Avery's directions to a street food stall.

Yes, it was indeed a street food stall. One look at the surroundings, and Royce Butler's brows furrowed tightly.

With his status, he had never set foot in such an environment.

Julia Avery, however, was quite familiar with the place. She greeted the slightly hunched owner and ordered a bunch of skewers and two small clay pots. For her, this meal was already quite a treat.

Royce Butler coughed lightly, "Um, Julia Avery, don't you think my car doesn't quite fit in with this place?"

Julia Avery glanced at the sapphire blue Ferrari LaFerrari parked by the roadside. It indeed looked out of place in this seemingly dirty and chaotic environment.

"But I can't afford to treat you anywhere else!" She shrugged helplessly. "I'm really poor. If I told you my wallet is cleaner than my face, would you believe me?"

Royce Butler let out a slight hum and didn't say anything.

"How do you know my name is Julia Avery?"

Julia Avery remembered that the first time they met, she hadn't told him her name to avoid any future entanglements. The second time they met, it was a brief encounter, and names were never mentioned.

"Well..." Royce Butler was momentarily at a loss for words. He hadn't intended to call her by her name, but in the situation that afternoon, he had no choice.

Thinking back, she indeed hadn't told him her name. "You forgot that in the library, you used your card to get in. I just asked around and found out."

"The lady at the card desk must have been so smitten by a handsome guy that she didn't care about anything else!" Julia Avery couldn't help but complain. "By the way, I still don't know your name."

"Hmm... just call me Royce," Royce Butler said, not wanting her to know just yet that he was actually her husband. After all, he still had things he wanted to figure out.

"Oh, what do you do for a living?" Julia Avery asked.

Royce Butler hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Just as he was about to speak, Julia suddenly slapped the table.

"I got it! You're a gigolo, aren't you?"

"A gigolo?"

"Yeah, look at you driving such a nice car but wearing clothes that look like they came from a thrift store. Plus, you were hanging around in a bar. You're handsome and have a great body, so you must be a gigolo!" Julia said, squinting her eyes at him.

She had heard from her classmates that there were quite a few gigolos in bars. So when she decided she wanted a baby without any strings attached, she went to a bar, thinking it was risky but also that a gigolo wouldn't cling to her.

"Uh..." Royce Butler was at a loss for words. His clothes, though simple, were actually high-end custom pieces from a designer brand. Yes, even his plain T-shirt was custom-made.

"Don't be embarrassed. I don't judge people based on their jobs," Julia said, giving Royce Butler a hearty pat on the shoulder.

Royce Butler didn't bother to correct her. "Thanks a lot for today," Julia said with a bright smile.

Royce Butler waited for her to say more, but when she didn't, he asked, "That's it?"

Julia's eyes darted around. "Yep, that's it."

"What, just a simple 'thank you' and that's it?!" Julia Avery couldn't believe expressing gratitude could be so straightforward.

"Didn't I already treat you to some barbecue skewers?" Royce Butler scoffed, shaking his head dismissively. "Don't forget, I still have your photos. Plus, I saved you this time.

Without me, you might not have landed that role today. So, don't you think you owe me something?"

Julia had hoped that by getting on good terms with this man, she could smooth over the photo issue. But it seemed he hadn't forgotten about it at all.

"So, how do you want me to repay you?" she asked.

"I've made it very clear before," Royce leaned in closer to Julia, "sleep with me one more time."

Julia bit her lip. "You sleep with plenty of people in your line of work, and you get paid for it. What difference does it make if you sleep with me?"

"Of course, it makes a difference. You're young and fresh. The women I usually sleep with are rich but older. What's the fun in that? Besides, I can pay you too!"

She had called him a gigolo, and he didn't mind playing along.

"Can't we just be regular friends?" she sighed.

"That's boring," Royce waved her off, clearly uninterested in that idea. "Julia, didn't you enjoy it last time?

What's the difference between once and twice? Besides, you seemed to have a good time in bed last time." Julia's face turned pale with anger.

If she didn't sleep with him again, her photos would undoubtedly be leaked.

Royce Butler could tell just by looking at Julia Avery's expression that something was up!