[Chapter 172: Your Things Are So Miraculous]
"Second person, Ms. Lopez."
Another female star stood and went inside.
But not long after, she rushed out clutching her stomach, her face pale, then disappeared in the blink of an eye.
A staff member chased after her from inside, looking completely baffled.
He checked the list.
"Third person, Ms. Mendes."
As soon as Eva Mendes stood, her expression shifted sharply. Her stomach gave a few loud gurgles, she bent over in pain, then quickly fled.
Not just her -- the fourth actress followed right behind.
"This..."
The staff member and Anne Hathaway exchanged confused looks, completely clueless about what had just happened.
"Ms. Hathaway, are you alright?" the staff member asked.
"I'm fine," Anne nodded, showing she was okay.
Just then, a tall, lean Black man with short hair stepped out of the audition room. It was Will Smith.
He looked puzzled and asked, "Can someone tell me what happened?"
The staff member shrugged. "Those ladies seem to have upset stomachs. But Ms. Anne Hathaway is fine. Should we keep going with the audition?"
"An outbreak of upset stomachs?" Will's brow furrowed.
He muttered to himself, "Could it be the lavender honey milk I gave them?"
He turned to Anne. "Ms. Hathaway, did you drink the lavender honey milk?"
"I did," Anne replied with a smile. "It tasted good. Thank you, Mr. Smith."
Will let out a relieved breath.
He patted his chest. "Since you're fine, it must not be the milk I gave them."
"Ms. Hathaway, please come in for your audition. We'll handle the others later."
Will personally invited her.
Anne Hathaway walked into the audition room feeling slightly dazed but quickly gathered herself and gave it her all.
...
After nearly half an hour, Anne emerged. Her agent Molly was waiting anxiously.
Molly's face was full of question marks. "What happened? I heard those other actresses all had upset stomachs?"
Anne glanced toward their seats -- they were still empty. "Haven't they come back yet?"
Molly shook her head. "It looks serious. Someone even called an ambulance."
"Huh?"
Anne was startled.
She couldn't quite grasp how this had all happened. Then, suddenly, she remembered the cup of seal water from that morning.
Could it be?
She thought about how they'd all drunk the milk -- and the others immediately had problems.
Only she was perfectly fine.
'Could it be that I'm really going to get this role?' Anne, who hadn't held much hope before, now felt her heart start to race.
The situation was becoming more and more serious. The other actresses were suffering terrible stomach distress, even collapsing. An ambulance arrived and took all four of them away.
They left looking frustrated.
When Jennifer exited, her agent sought out Will Smith and warned they'd sue him for poisoning.
They blamed the milk he'd given them for their sudden sickness.
Will Smith was shocked.
If they pressed charges for poisoning, things could get serious. He immediately found Anne Hathaway and asked her to testify for him. That way, if it went to court, there'd be a witness to prove the milk was harmless.
Anne smiled brightly. "No problem, Mr. Smith. I'm happy to testify that the milk you gave us was fine."
"Great, Ms. Hathaway."
Will made a quick decision. "I've decided that the role of Sara will be yours."
Anne blinked, then laughed in disbelief. "Thank you. I'll definitely work hard to do the role justice."
"Wait for me a moment. I'm going to convince the others." Will turned and walked back into the audition room.
Anne and Molly exchanged looks, suddenly filled with hopeful anticipation.
A few minutes later, he came out with a big smile. "Ms. Hathaway, have your agent come by to discuss the salary."
"Thank you." Anne quickly expressed her gratitude.
Then she and Molly went to the production office.
...
After more than an hour of negotiations, they finally emerged.
Anne was no newcomer, she already had two Princess Diaries films under her belt. Hitch was a commercial movie. As the female lead, Anne was offered a salary of $3.5 million after taxes.
Though it was far less than the male lead Will Smith's compensation, it was still a great deal for Anne Hathaway.
This was a role completely different from the "Princess" roles she'd been known for. If this movie succeeded, she wouldn't have to strip to reinvent her image.
Of course, when the time did come to shed clothing for a role, she'd do it -- just for Daniel alone.
...
Arriving at the Columbia underground parking garage, Molly's face was still full of disbelief.
"Anne, let me double-check -- we really landed the female lead in a $70 million commercial comedy, Hitch?"
Anne smiled. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure."
Molly shook her head. "But how? How is this even possible?"
Anne made a sipping gesture with her hand.
Molly's eyes widened in sudden realization. "That cup of water..."
Anne nodded. "Now you understand just how powerful Daniel's abilities are."
Molly's eyes lit up with excitement. "Does that mean from now on, no matter what role we want, we can--"
Anne interrupted softly, "I don't know about that. I'd have to ask Daniel. But I feel like in this world, there's no such thing as a free lunch."
Molly nodded eagerly. "Tonight, you have to ask Mr. Cross."
...
That night, Anne perked up again, attacking and pushing forward with determination.
But soon, she was defeated.
How could her physique possibly compare to Daniel's?
He'd taken all the elixirs she'd consumed.
He had powers, which she lacked.
Still, relying on the innate advantage of being a woman, she managed to hold her own for a few rounds before starting to lose ground.
Anne lay draped over Daniel, panting heavily, too exhausted to move.
After a long while, she finally caught her breath.
"Daniel," she said proudly, "I got the female lead for Hitch."
Daniel wasn't surprised. "I could tell the moment you came back."
"Your seal water really is powerful," Anne recalled that morning's audition. "They all had diarrhea and had to be taken to the hospital; but I was perfectly fine."
Daniel shook his head slightly. "It's probably not just the seal water's doing. You took my medicinal elixirs; your physique has long since surpassed that of normal people. Ordinary things won't be enough to give you diarrhea. But it's also part luck."
Only then did Anne remember the elixirs specifically.
"So that's why. Daniel, your things are so miraculous and incredible."
Then Anne asked the question both she and Molly had been dying to know. "Does that mean in the future, I can play whatever role I want?"
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
https://discord.gg/HjHHhUXPn7.