" Meeting tomorrow by 10am. Office of the Director, Royal Arts Academy. "
The message was sent to the selected candidates for the production that evening, and the recipients were excited, hoping to finally get Intel on the status of the project after a while of silence.
Amongst the recipients of the invitation were Stella, Aaron and Deloise. On Stella's side, she prepared herself, going through the script once more in case they decided to begin filming.
The role was hers after all.
Meanwhile, on the side of Aaron, he proposed to talk to Mr Austin about his decision to continue with the job. He didn't know how he was going to feel about it and hoped it wasn't too late to retract his previous demands.
Deloise didn't know what to expect. It was the first time she was receiving word from the management since her settling in.
Early the next day, she got up very early, had her bath and prepared herself for the ' meeting ' with the director. By the time she was done preparing, Layla was only stirring up from sleep.
" You've got to be kidding me. Where on earth are you going so early in the morning?" She asked, wondering how on earth someone could be up and doing so early.
" I have to see the director today, he requested a meeting."
" Yeah, I thought it was by 10 am, this is still… seven fifteen? "
" I wanted to be early. I'll hang around the area till it's time."
Layla sat up on her bed, her eyebrows raised in wonder.
" You mean to say you're going to hang around for approximately three hours?" She asked in bewilderment. " You've got to be kidding me. "
When she saw that Deloise's face was unchanging, her face morphed into that of concern.
" You are not about to leave a room as comfortable as this to go hang around in some area, Deloise. I know you're probably itching to know the reason for your being summoned but I promise you… even the director is asleep."
Deloise broke out in laughter upon taking in the look on Layla's face. One would think she was about to commit bloody murder with the way she was looking at her.
" You think I don't know that? I'm just going to feel the area a bit before the meeting. I was finding it difficult to sleep, so I figured, why not head out early? '' She said with a shrug, hoping it was enough to set her mind at ease.
" You are probably the only one who can't sleep in the whole of Royal Arts. Maybe because you haven't really been inaugurated into the school system." She remarked, "Trust me, the moment you begin school proper, you'd be begging to get a bit more sleep in."
" Until then, I have to go." Deloise said with a smile, finding her roommate's concern cute.
Deloise sauntered out of the room, clad in an off shoulder semi formal dress. Her hair was up in a ponytail, accentuating her high cheekbones and trimmed eyebrows. Nothing about her seemed out of place and she felt confident as she took easy steps towards the school area.
For the meantime, she was going to find a spot where she could get some light meal before finding an empty area to wait out the time until she was needed.
Fair enough, she found a spot , purchased an early breakfast and hung around watching a movie until it was well past ten. As soon as the credits of the movie rolled, she was made aware of the fact that she was ten minutes late!
' oh shit shit shit! '
Deloise couldn't believe she was late! Having prepared so early and ended up losing herself to a movie didn't sit quite well with her. Without a second thought, she rushed out of the now scanty breakfast spot and headed straight for the directors office.
She couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Layla getting wind of the fact that she ended up late. She was definitely getting roasted for days!
With a short sprint, Deloise was able to get to the office building without breaking a sweat. In times like these, she appreciated the little athletic stamina she built from years of running from her problems.
The fact that the last time she felt like running now seemed like ages ago wasn't lost on her. She felt more free in one week at Royal arts than she'd felt her whole life, and she wasn't about to let all of that go down the drain.
She proceeded to the second floor of the building where the office was located and upon climbing the last step to the huge corridor, she was almost brought down by a human brick wall.
A huge, bulky and broad chested individual.
For a tiny second, she fumbled from the unexpected impact but was secured by a very strong arm which held her by the waist, preventing her from falling to her death.
Or rather, down a couple stairs.
The delicious scent of the individual assaulted her senses, causing her to momentarily take out time to appreciate the firmness of his arm and his body structure.
So far, the man before her was looking edible and if she wasn't already full from breakfast, she'd definitely take him up on the offer. He looked and smelled delicious afterall.
" If you're done eye fucking me, get your desperate self off my body and out of the way. "
A clipped and masculine voice said, efficiently putting an end to Deloise's little reverie.
****
Ashamed of her shameless act, Deloise quickly tilted her head forward, wanting to get a glimpse of the man she had literally assaulted with her eyes for the longest of seconds.
" I'm sorry– You! " She gasped in shock at the sight of Aaron, almost spitting out blood as a result of how surprised she'd been.
" Yes, me. Now keep your hands to yourself."
Deloise's hand was placed on his chest the entire time, she quickly removed it with the speed of light. One would think that she had been burned by a hot sizzling pot.
She attempted stepping away from him but quickly realized she was locked in by his oh-so-firm grip. She suddenly felt uncomfortable and in dire need of space between them.
" Uhm.. You need to let go of me." She finally spoke, her voice in a low tone.
" Are you sure you want me to let you go? Last I checked, you were lost, and dare I say, undoubtedly taken by me. "
This time around, Aaron smirk was arrogant. He couldn't unsee what he'd seen and he was going to make sure she knew what he saw.
" Yes, I was lost. Wondering how you go through the door with such a large ego." She said with an equal smirk on her face.
Two could play this game.
" You know what people with ego don't do?" He asked with a pondering countenance. " Hold people from plunging to their deaths."
Aaron flashed an almost genuine smile and within a millisecond, retracted his arm from her and watched her helplessly struggle to find her balance, but failing to regain her stance.
Before Deloise could get a grasp on what was going on, she was free-falling down the stairs. Her free fall was brought to a halt by a hand to the railing.
Having watched her regain her footing, Aaron made way to leave but was brought back by the splash of some liquids on his white t-shirt.
Stunned, he turned around to be met with a smiling Deloise and an almost empty bottle of water in her hand.
The bitch actually doused him in water!
" Oh you little–"
" That's for being a heartless asshole!"
" Ass– you must be really crazy, who the fuck raised you?! "
" My single mother clearly did a better job raising me than whoever who raised a mannerless douchebag as yourself! "
" Don't you dare insult–"
Splash!
" That's for insulting my mother, you dick! "
Before he could muster up words, an angry and mumbling Deloise found her way around him, muttering how unfortunate she was to have run into the rude prick.
In no time, she was in front of Mr Austin's office and before she could knock, the door flew open, exposing the little crowd of people who were seated in the office.
*****
Aaron stood dumbfounded. His shirt was ruined and his mood soured. He felt angered at himself for letting her have the last words. At the back of his mind, he knew that he wasn't the most innocent in the situation but he felt angry nonetheless.
No one, not one person had the right to speak to him like that. Pretty or not. He was going to teach her a lesson. Something to remember him by.
" What's going on in that smart head of yours boy? "
The familiar voice of Mr Austin jerked him out of his reverie.
" Are you sweating or something? Did you run all the way here?" He asked, looking at the drenched chest with his hands in his pockets.
" I ran into a situation." He winced, "long story short, I have to talk to you."
" Okay? Let's head on to the office then."
Aaron shook his head at the request before speaking.
" There's a lot of people there. It's about the project."
" Whatever it is, we can always talk about it later. I'm late for a meeting. "
With that, Mr Austin led the way to his office. Aaron trudged behind him, unsure about how he felt, being in the same room with her.
The moment Mr Austin walked into the room, every conversation slowed to a stop and they all said their greetings to him.
" Good morning everyone. Sorry for the delay." Mr Austin began, not bothering to take a seat. Aaron walked in and like everyone else, found a spot to sit.
" Today is the day we announce the roles you all rightfully auditioned for. And yes, the fact that you are all in this meeting means that you have, in one way or the order, bagged a role in the movie production."
At that declaration, the crowd erupted into cheers, each and everyone happy that they had been selected. Soon enough the conversation died down, giving room for him to continue.
" Due to the importance and sensitivity of this project, many of you were given roles other than the one initially auditioned for. In other words, you may not get the actual role competed for, but were given a role nonetheless. "
This time around, there were murmurs flying around. The happy countenance and air slowly fizzled out. Replacing it was a more serious approach to the subject matter. Everyone was eager to know what they've been assigned.
" As much as I'd like to remind you that small roles matter, you are at liberty to accept or decline whatever offer you are given. I'll immediately announce the roles and the assigned persons for them."
With that, Mr Austin began announcing the cast list, from the least significant up to the most significant roles of the script. At the mention of different names, there were chants of oohs and ahhs up until it was down to the three most important roles.
The female lead role, The Male lead and second female lead.
Everyone else heard their names in one category or the other leaving out three persons.
Aaron, Stella and Deloise.
Every eye was fixed on them, most especially on Deloise who was a new face. They all wondered who she was and how she managed to snag such a high ranking role without showing up at the auditions.
Although they didn't know the exact role she was getting, they knew it was either the female lead or the second female lead. Each of which were pivotal roles for the production in general.
Stella felt confident of getting the role. After all, there wasn't any real competition. No doubt she felt some brewing angst at the fact that the new girl was granted entrance into such delicate and high profile production.
But other than that, she was patiently waiting for her name to be announced as the lead female. She wasn't the only one who shared that thought. As a matter of fact, ninety nine percent of the people held that belief. The other one percent included Aaron and Mr Austin.
Deloise was overtaken by joy, she honestly didn't mind getting the second lead role of the gig. She had heard the gossip on Aaron being the male lead and now that it was confirmed, she didn't exactly feel like working that closely with him.
She had seen a movie of Stella and despite her bitchy character towards her, she couldn't deny the fact that she was talented and good at what she did. She could live with her being the female lead.
" Finally, for the Lead Female category, we have Deloise Tanner for the female lead and Stella Davis for supporting female! The male lead, I believe has been communicated to you, you'll be updated if there are any changes." Mr Austin said, staring directly at Aaron, and oblivious to the bomb dropped on the people.
The room was silent. Unlike the usual round of applause that came after every announcement, there was nothing.
Zilch.
No one could believe their ears. How was Stella the supporting lead and a newbie the main lead?! After some moments of shock, a clap came from someone and soon, the whole room was ringing with applause.
Everyone threw congratulations at Deloise, despite not knowing who she was. It was literally her moment. She had been announced as the face of the project and despite the fact that some people had their reservations, they joined the train anyway.
Stella felt dumbfounded and confused. She stormed out of the office in the midst of the chaos wondering what the hell just happened. Meanwhile, Deloise was in the moment, accepting the many congratulations getting hurled her way.
" Okay, okay, that's it for today. Meeting adjourned. You may all leave now." Mr Austin said to the people who were seconds away from turning the office into a meet and greet session with Deloise.
" Not you, we have to talk, remember?"
Aaron was stopped by the voice of Mr Austin. He was never planning on leaving though. With a head nod, he proceeded towards his target.
" Good to know that there's actually something you are good at."
He said to Deloise who clearly heard the menace in his faux friendly tone. She couldn't be bothered to exchange words with him and left him to his devices.
Soon enough, the room was emptied out, save the presence of Aaron and Mr Austin who had business to handle.
" So tell me, what will it be? " Mr Austin asked from the other end of the table, across from Aaron.
" I'm taking it." Aaron said decisively, staring him square in the eye.
" Okay. Do you mind telling me why?" Mr Austin probed, curious to know the reason for his sudden change of heart.
" I'd rather not."
The moment the words went out of Aaron's mouth, the duo erupted in laughter. It was hard to be professional with how close they'd come to be.
" For real though, what changed?" Mr Austin asked, genuinely interested to know.
" Let's just say I have a good feeling about it and want to try my hands despite the inconveniences."
" Inconveniences that haven't been resolved." Mr Austin added, with a raised eyebrow.
" I don't think they need to be resolved. I just need to get the best out of the situation, do my job and move on. All it took was a visit to Ma's and it all made sense." He explained while Mr Austin nodded.
" Anyways, I'm glad you decided to do it. It's a great opportunity and would be the turning point of your career." He sighed, " he was right Afterall." Mr Austin added. Referring to Mr Daniel's thoughts on
the subject matter at the time.
" Who was right?"
" Did I say that aloud? Nevermind, get yourself prepared. The filming will kick off much sooner than expected. Be on your best."
" I'm always at my best. See you around."