NOVEL NEXT Chapter 410: A Duel 1
"Yes!" Deborah's smirk slowly curved into a mocking smile, her eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction at Magdalene's words. She considered herself superior to Sarah for her position as the fiancée and not an intruder.
It felt like a perfect irony of their current reality, with Sarah being the intruder in the audition room.
"The stage is yours, ladies," Magdalene announced in a steely tone and a hush fell over the room.
Deborah wasted no time switching into her character. She stepped forward with elegant grace, her confidence intimidating. Then she grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her close enough, so that they were standing eye to eye, a venomous smile stretching across her lips.
"You tramp.... How dare you come between my man and me? Get out of this place right now." She pushed Sarah, almost causing her to lose her balance. "You don't belong in his world."
Sarah almost flinched but was able to control her nerves.
But Deborah was only getting warmed up as she took it to the next level making everything personal. She sneered, her voice very low but sharp and magnetic.
"Luther loves me and only me. You may have seduced him with your cheap and worthless body. But he has eyes for only me. You are nothing both a mere passing shadow... A toy to be used and trashed in the gutters where you belong. I..."
She strutted forward, striking an elegant pose while gesturing beautifully.
"...I am his past, his present and his future. I am the recognized future daughter-in-law. And if you think he'd risk everything, including his family and dignity, to be with a trash like you, then you're nothing but a pathetic dreamer, who will end up alone and disgraced."
The room buzzed with murmurs of awe as Deborah wowed the judges with her commanding and breathtaking performances.
Most of the newbies cheered her on. Even Magdalene was caught smiling at some point.
Henry, on the other hand, didn't show any flicker of interest in Deborah's acting prowess as he waited breathlessly for Sarah to outshine her.
Although this was meant to be pure acting, Sarah took every word personally. She placed herself in her character's role, placing Henry as the man they were fighting for.
As she stepped forward, her heels rooted to the stage floor, a sudden hush fell in the room.
Her pulse hammered in her veins as she met Deborah's ridiculing gaze.
"You are very wrong about me, Miss high and mighty." Sarah started softly, her voice subtle but sharp enough to cut through steel.
"I may not be perfect. I may not be his parents' choice. I may not even fit into your world of red carpets and flashing lights..." Her voice, though shaky, slowly rose with a fire that threatened to consume Deborah.
"...But love isn't about crowns and titles. It isn't boastful or weak. It is not a possession and neither is it blind. Love..." Sarah turned away from Deborah her gaze sweeping through the room and narrowing at Henry.
"...is freedom. It gives you the strength to conquer. It makes you whole and fills you with purpose. That is the kind of love I have for him."
Sarah finally tilted her gaze to Deborah one last time, her sweet honey voice coated with poison. "I don't have to prove to you that Luther loves me. Just wait and see who he chooses. And when that time comes, you realize that I'm not the shadow. You are."
Deborah's body stiffened, her eyes blazing with fire.
Wild gasps swept across the room as Sarah continued her performance.
Although her delivery lacked Deborah's polished acting skills, it struck everyone with the right amount of unrefined emotion.
Instead of the natural hate directed towards the intruder in a relationship, Sarah made everyone in the room see reasons with the intruder's vulnerability and her point of view.
From where Henry stood, he felt like floating over to Sarah and giving her a passionate kiss in front of everyone. He was amazed at how fierce and fragile she was in the face of Magdalene's scorn and Deborah's notable brilliance.
When Sarah and Deborah finally concluded their jaw-dropping performance, the entire room erupted in applause and cheers, with more people cheering for Deborah and some for Sarah.
"Quiet everyone." Magdalene's sharp voice silenced all the murmuring and side comments. Her expression remained unreadable as she addressed the two auditioning actresses.
"I must say, this was an interesting performance. It almost felt as though I was watching a soap opera." She tapped her pen slowly but decisively on her notepad as she called Deborah's name.
"I love your technicality and your showmanship. You were controlled, versatile and believable. You absolutely know your craft and you used it to your advantage. Good job."
"Thank you so much, ma'am. That means a lot coming from you." Deborah smiled as if her victory had already been sealed by Magdalene's words. She tilted her gaze to Sarah as if to say. "Sorry loser. Better luck next time."
However, Magdalene wasn't done with her verdict as she tilted her gaze to Sarah.
"And as for you... I'm not going to deny the fact that you were good. Though untrained and unpolished– a necessary criteria in the movie industry–you gave us emotions that I have never felt before. I could count some sloppy performance here and there, but your fire and audacity are something no amount of training can give an actor."
A deafening hush filled the room at Magdalene's contradicting judgments.
Smiling feverishly, Sarah could feel her heart banging against her chest like a war drum as she waited for the final verdict.
"I know I said only one person would make it out of this round but considering both your performances, I am left with a difficult decision to make."
Magdalene looked up at both expectant ladies, her lips curved in a cold smile.
"I want both of you to return here first thing tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM sharp for a head-on battle. Go home, take a good night's rest and prepare. The judging will be fierce and there will be no room for errors. Whoever, amongst the two of you, succeeds in the second and final stage will win the female lead role in our Blockbuster romantic trilogy...The Billionaire's Trillion Dollar Sweetheart'. I wish the both of you good luck."
"Thank you, ma'am." Sarah beamed, chirping happily as she spared Henry a victorious glance before turning to the other newbies.
"Congratulations Sarah." The guy with dreadlocks came up to her and hugged her before she could stop him. "I already knew you were a superstar from the moment I saw you."
"Thanks." Sarah quickly pulled away from him, worried that Henry might take this personally.
"Way to go Sarah."
"You nailed it."
"I'm rooting for you for the female lead role."
Other newbies commented excitedly.
Deborah –barely able to contain her rage and jealousy– brushed past Sarah with a hissed whisper.
"Enjoy your moment now, rookie. Tomorrow, I'll crush you to dust in front of everyone."
"It's game on." Sarah retorted, refusing to give Deborah the satisfaction of seeing her shaken.
Outside the auditioning room, Annabelle almost screamed out of her lungs in excitement after Sarah broke the good news to her.
"I told you you were a born Superstar." She chimed.
"When exactly did you tell me that?" Sarah raised a brow as they both walked out of the studio. "You that almost wet your panties when I opted to go for the audition?"
"Well, my darling... You shouldn't be living in the past. Welcome to the present." Annabelle wiggled her brows and both best friends erupted in laughter.