"May Sutton is pretty good, Director Shepherd. Why don't we just pick her?"
"Let's wait. We still have more people to see." The man's voice was a bit gruff.
"You're not actually thinking of using that woman the investor forced on us, are you? Her reputation has been terrible lately. It's one thing that her acting sucks, but her character is rotten, too."
Olivia Wynne stood outside the door and paused for a moment before knocking softly.
"Come in," a man's voice called from inside the room.
Olivia Wynne pushed the door open, stepped inside, and closed it behind her. She looked at the four people—three men and one woman—seated before her. "Hello, judges," she greeted them. "My name is Olivia Wynne, and I'm here to audition for the role of the second female lead, Cindy Shaw."
Sean Shepherd flipped through the documents on the table, his expression unreadable. His voice was cool and detached. "Olivia Wynne, is it? Have you read the script?"
Recognizing him from her memory as the director, Sean Shepherd, Olivia Wynne replied softly, "Yes, I have."
"Alright, then. Perform this scene for us."
She glanced at the scene Sean Shepherd wanted her to perform. In a moment, Olivia Wynne's entire demeanor changed.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. She looked up, her hoarse voice filled with boundless sorrow.
"Phoebe Langley, you will regret this."
With those words, she slowly picked up the cup of poisoned wine beside her. After giving it one last, deep look, she tilted her head back and drank it all.
The cup clattered to the floor. The woman staggered backward, her body collapsing to the ground, no longer able to support her. In a choked voice, she rasped, "Phoebe Langley... the empire of Valoria... is ruined..."
With her final words spoken, her hands fell limply to the floor. Her eyes remained wide open, a testament to her unwillingness to die.
*Phoenix* was a drama centered on a powerful female protagonist. It told the story of a woman who, after being reborn, took revenge and ultimately became the Empress, claiming both the empire and a harem of handsome men. The character Cindy Shaw was the only one who could truly rival the protagonist, but she was tragically sentenced to death by the man she loved, her own husband.
The scene Olivia Wynne had just performed was the moment the second female lead, Cindy Shaw, discovered the protagonist's ambition and was sentenced to death by the second male lead. That moment captured not only Cindy Shaw's personal tragedy but also the tragedy of a nation. Valoria was truly doomed.
After Olivia Wynne finished her performance, the room was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard. No one spoke. They hadn't yet snapped out of the sorrowful atmosphere she had created.
Olivia Wynne straightened up, her calm and composed demeanor returning. She looked at Sean Shepherd and the others. "Director Shepherd, I've finished my performance."
Sean Shepherd snapped back to reality. After a moment of silence, he said to Olivia Wynne, "You can go home and wait for our call."
Olivia Wynne gave a slight bow to Sean Shepherd and the other judges. "Alright. Thank you for your time."
Just as Olivia Wynne stepped out of the room, she heard Yvonne Lawson's surprised voice from inside.
"Olivia Wynne's performance was amazing. Unexpectedly good."
"She's an actress with a natural spark," Sean Shepherd replied.
"She really is quite good," said another voice that Olivia Wynne didn't recognize.
A faint smile touched Olivia Wynne's lips as she quickened her pace and left.
'The month she'd spent in the space studying the character of Cindy Shaw hadn't been for nothing.'
After leaving the audition, Olivia Wynne went to the supermarket to buy some fruit and groceries, then took a taxi back to the military compound.
Back at the military compound, Olivia Wynne was humming a song. As she took out her key to unlock the door, she froze, staring at the lock.
The door to her house was unlocked.
Her expression darkened. Olivia Wynne put her key back in her purse and called the gate guard.
"Lawson, it's Olivia Wynne."
The moment she finished speaking, Lawson's voice came through the line.
"Oh, Miss Wynne! Chief Wynne just returned. Have you seen him yet?"
"I'm just getting home now, so I'll probably see him in a minute. Thanks, Lawson. I'm hanging up now."
After hanging up, Olivia Wynne looked toward the house.