Chapter 10
Sarah was already freaking out. Ryan's voice on the other end of the line, even though he was young, was super calm. She just kinda went along with what he said without thinking.
At the audition spot, Nathan was watching Roxanne and the actress she was with, getting more and more annoyed. Their acting was way over the top, their faces were blank, and their movements were stiff as a board.
Nathan didn't have any faith in Roxanne's acting chops. She had the hype and could pull in viewers, sure. Giving her a shot was his way of paying her back for saving his life years ago.
But a show needed some real talent. Just relying on hype would make for a crappy film. He wanted the shows his company backed to make bank, but that didn't mean he could put up with garbage. Too many bad films would trash the company's rep, and the losses would be brutal.
Nathan watched for over ten minutes. None of the actors trying out had any real skills. Their crying and laughing were way overdone, and even their neutral faces were too much.
Jack, watching from the side, was also getting antsy. Just as he was about to say something, Nathan's phone rang.
Nathan frowned, glanced at the stage, stood up, and walked to a quieter spot.
Seeing Nathan leave, Roxanne immediately stopped and tried to follow him.
Knowing Nathan would be at the audition, she had prepped for a long time. She hadn't finished her performance yet. But she had only taken a couple of steps when Jack stopped her. "Ms. Campbell, don't bug Mr. Kennedy."
Roxanne gritted her teeth in anger but didn't dare to follow. If she really pissed off Nathan, she wouldn't get anything good out of it.
Nathan walked quite a distance before finding a secluded spot. Behind him, two bodyguards immediately secured the area.
After finishing the call and about to leave, he heard a faint woman's cry for help from not far away.
Nathan followed the sound to a door. He tried to listen more closely, but the cries suddenly stopped.
Inside the room, Caroline wiped her face in despair.
The moment her mouth and nose were covered, she instinctively held her breath but still inhaled some of the drug and passed out. When she woke up, she found herself locked in this storage room, with no cell signal.
Caroline closed her eyes, and the voices of her two kids at home suddenly came to mind. Early this morning, they had gotten up just to wish her good luck. She knew she couldn't give up.
Caroline fished out a card from her bag and tried to unlock the door.
Outside, Nathan frowned in confusion, guessing he had heard wrong. He was about to leave when he heard another sound. Someone inside was trying to open the door.
He didn't hesitate any longer, took a few steps back, and rammed into the door. Unexpectedly, the door was suddenly opened from the inside, and he couldn't stop his momentum, falling on top of Caroline.
The body beneath him was soft and emitted a faint orange blossom scent, instantly reminding him of that night five years ago.
Caroline, knocked to the ground, immediately panicked. She struggled hard, but Nathan was heavy, and she couldn't move. "Let go of me. I need to get to the audition."
In the dim storage room, Nathan felt a surge of desire from Caroline's struggles. He tried to prop himself up, but his foot slipped, and he fell back down, pressing against her.
Caroline was both embarrassed and angry. She felt a warm, hard object pressing against her leg.