FIVE

The morning air was crisp as I stood outside the entrance of the apartment building, eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new female lead, Victoria Montana. The anticipation bubbled inside me, fueled by the knowledge that Victoria's arrival marked the beginning of a new chapter in our film project. A sleek black car pulled up, and my heart skipped a beat as the door swung open, revealing Victoria stepping out. She exuded an aura of excitement and poise as she approached.

"Victoria?" I called out, stepping forward to greet her.

"Yes, that's me," she replied with a warm smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Welcome!" I exclaimed, extending my hand in greeting. "I'm Wendy Banks, the writer. We're thrilled to have you on board."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Banks," Victoria said, returning my handshake with a firm grip.

As we made our way inside the building, Victoria expressed her gratitude for being cast in the film and her eagerness to immerse herself in the role. She was a breath of fresh air, her enthusiasm contagious.

"I can't wait to see what the project has in store," Victoria said, her excitement palpable.

"I'm sure you'll bring a unique perspective to the character," I replied, feeling a surge of optimism.

Victoria beamed at the compliment, her confidence growing with each step. As we reached her apartment, room 15 on the first floor, she marveled at the cozy space, her eyes lighting up with delight. It was a lot smaller than mine but it still looked great, and had the same black and white theme.

"I love it here," Victoria exclaimed, taking in the quaint surroundings.

"It's a charming space," I agreed, pleased to see her settling in comfortably.

"Are you ready to meet Wade Spelman?" I asked, knowing Victoria's eagerness to meet our esteemed collaborator.

"Absolutely," Victoria replied eagerly, a hint of excitement in her voice.

We made our way to my apartment, where I had arranged for Wade to join us for lunch. Wade stood outside my door, a smile playing on his lips as he caught sight of us approaching. "Hey, Wendy," he greeted me with a nod before turning his attention to Victoria. "And you must be Victoria. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Victoria's eyes widened with awe as she took in Wade's presence. "Oh my God! I can't believe I'm looking right at him," she exclaimed, her excitement palpable.

Wade chuckled at her reaction, extending his hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Victoria," he said warmly.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Spelman," Victoria replied, shaking his hand with a mixture of excitement and reverence.

As we settled into my apartment, Wade and Victoria engaged in lively conversation, exchanging anecdotes and sharing their excitement for the upcoming project. Wade's easy charm put Victoria at ease, and soon they were chatting as if they had known each other for years.

"I never realized I was famous enough," Wade jokes, his tone light and playful.

Victoria laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, trust me, you're famous in my book," she said with a playful wink.

As the conversation flowed, Wade took the opportunity to explain the significance of the room assignments in the building hierarchy, shedding light on the nuances of our industry. "So, what room were you put in?" He asked Victoria.

"Room 15". She replied.

"Oh, you were rated that low". He muttered.

"What the room have to do with rating?" I asked, not understanding the correlation.

"Well, the higher the room, the higher your rating," Wade explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "Just as we are in the C section of the building which is for starters like us, section B is for famous celebrities, while A section is for the top-ranked celebrities, the A-list celebrities. It's the same with floors in the building" Victoria and I listened intently, absorbing Wade's words with keen interest.

…

The next two days were a blur of frenzied activity as we raced against the clock to prepare for the much-anticipated table read. With scripts clutched tightly in hand, the cast and crew gathered around the expansive table, each of us brimming with nervous energy and excitement, eager to breathe life into the characters we had spent countless hours crafting.

As the room fell into a hushed silence, a sense of anticipation hung thick in the air, the tension palpable, like a taut string waiting to snap. And then, just as the moment seemed to stretch into eternity, the heavy wooden door swung open with a resounding thud, and Osse Brown strode in, his presence commanding attention like a tempest rolling in from the horizon.

My heart sank like a stone as I watched the storm cloud of Osse's expression darken upon spotting Victoria. His gaze bore into her like a laser, his disdain and hostility practically tangible in the air between them.

"What's she doing here?" His voice sliced through the silence like a knife, each word dripping with contempt as he pointed an accusatory finger in Victoria's direction.

My stomach churned with a sickening knot of dread as I braced myself for the inevitable confrontation. Despite Mr. Milton's unwavering support of my casting choice, I knew all too well the depths of Osse's animosity towards Victoria. It was a simmering resentment that threatened to boil over at any moment, like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Victoria is here because she's our new female lead," I forced the words out, my voice steady but strained with the weight of the situation. "We agreed on this, Mr. Milton did too."

But Osse's scoff cut through the air like a jagged blade, his anger simmering just beneath the surface like molten lava waiting to erupt. "She may be your choice, Wendy, but she's not mine. And I won't stand idly by while you and Mr. Milton ruin this production with your reckless decisions."

Frustration bubbled up inside me like a stormy whirlpool threatening to drag me under, but I fought to maintain my composure, to keep the storm raging inside at bay. "This isn't about personal vendettas, Osse," I countered, my voice tinged with warning. "It's about making the best film possible, and I believe Victoria is more than capable of delivering a great performance."

But Osse remained unmoved, his resolve as unyielding as a fortress wall. With a scowl, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving behind a wake of tension and uncertainty that hung heavy in the air like a suffocating fog. Victoria's disappointment was etched into every line of her face, her excitement extinguished like a flame snuffed out by a gust of wind. I couldn't let this stand.

Without a second thought, I bolted after Osse, my footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. "Mr. Brown, please!" I called out, my voice echoing off the cold, sterile walls. "You can't do this. Can't you trust me?"

But Osse's response was as cutting as a sharp blade, his words slashing through the air with deadly precision. "Trust you? A novice who stumbled into a book deal? Someone who wouldn't know the first thing about production if it smacked her in the face?"

The sting of his words hit me like a blow, the pain lancing through me like a white-hot dagger to the heart. I had poured my heart and soul into this project, into bringing my vision to life on the silver screen. But to be dismissed so casually, to be reduced to nothing more than a mere amateur playing at being a filmmaker... it was a wound that cut deeper than I cared to admit.

"Then trust Mr. Milton," I pleaded, desperation creeping into my voice. "He wouldn't want this film to fail."

But Osse's skepticism remained unshaken, his contempt a barrier as impenetrable as steel. "Trust a man who makes decisions based on pillow talk? I'm sure he's already regretting it."

I was left speechless, the weight of his accusation crushing down on me like a ton of bricks. To be accused of sleeping my way to success, of trading on my body for a shot at the big time... it was a betrayal that cut to the very core of who I was as a person.

Watching Osse walk away, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor, I felt a surge of anger and determination well up inside me like a raging inferno. I refused to let Osse's prejudice and baseless accusations derail my passion project, to extinguish the flickering flame of hope that burned within me.

I stood alone in the empty hallway, my mind racing with a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, frustration, and hurt battled for dominance within me. But beneath the turmoil, a spark of determination flickered to life, a defiant flame that refused to be snuffed out by Osse's contempt or his baseless accusations. Clenching my fists in silent resolve, I squared my shoulders and made a silent vow to myself: I would not let him or anyone else stand in the way of my dream. With or without him, I was determined to see this film through to the end. And come hell or high water, I would make sure it was a success.

I turned on my heel and marched back into the room, where Victoria stood, her expression a mix of disappointment and uncertainty. Meeting her gaze with a reassuring smile, I reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. My eyes met that of Wade which held an emotion that I couldn't place, it was more of a mix of pain, disappointment, anger, or was it pure contempt? I wasn't sure. Brushing it off, I faced the room with every member of the cast staring at me with anticipation, wanting to hear what I had to say.

"We'll get through this," I whispered, my voice a quiet but unwavering promise. "Together."

Victoria nodded, a flicker of determination sparking in her eyes as she returned my smile with a grateful nod of her own. And in that moment, I knew that no matter what obstacles lay ahead, we would face them head-on, united in our shared passion for bringing our vision to life.

As the rest of the cast gathered around us, murmuring words of encouragement and solidarity, a sense of camaraderie settled over the room. It felt so comforting like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.

I knew that the road ahead would be fraught with challenges and obstacles. But with the unwavering support of the rest of the team, I was confident that we would weather the storm and emerge stronger and more determined than ever before, I knew that together, we would make movie magic.

As the table reading commenced, I watched with a mix of excitement and apprehension as Wade and Victoria slipped effortlessly into their roles as Troy and Ivy. It was a relief to see them connect so well, their chemistry palpable even in these early stages of rehearsal. Perhaps my decision to let them meet earlier and get acquainted was the right one after all.

"No, Ivy," Wade's voice cut through the air, his voice carrying the weight of his character's disdain. He paused, swallowing hard before continuing, "You are not worth it." His words hung in the air, heavy with emotion.

I held my breath, waiting for Victoria's response. Her face fell in sync with her character's disappointment as she read out her next line, but her portrayal was lacking the depth of emotion I had envisioned. "I should have known you were like the rest of them," she muttered, her voice lacking the anguish that the scene demanded.

"Victoria, you need to portray your pain better," I gently intervened, my voice tinged with encouragement. "It's not enough to have the lines in your head."

She nodded in understanding, her determination evident as she took another stab at the scene, this time with more conviction. I couldn't help but smile, relieved to see her rising to the challenge and giving it her all.

But just as we were beginning to find our rhythm, the door burst open with a bang, and Mr. Milton strode into the room, his expression a storm cloud of anger and frustration. It was clear that he had heard about the altercation with Osse, and his presence only added to the tension crackling in the air.

Taking a seat beside me, Mr. Milton's hand came to rest lightly on my shoulder, a silent gesture of reassurance that sent a ripple of warmth through me. But as I felt Wade's eyes linger on the contact, I quickly pulled away, not wanting to give rise to any misunderstandings.

I couldn't shake the nagging fear that rumors would spread, that whispers would circulate about how I had supposedly climbed the ranks through less than honorable means. I had worked tirelessly to get to where I was, pouring my heart and soul into my craft, and I refused to let anyone tarnish my reputation with baseless accusations.

As the reading resumed, I pushed aside my worries, focusing instead on the task at hand. With Mr. Milton's support and the unwavering dedication of the cast and crew, I was determined to see this project through to the end, no matter what challenges lay ahead. And as the scene unfolded before me, I knew that together, we would create something truly extraordinary.