"Give me a role to act," Estrella suggested.
Maverick was surprised by her request. Most actors and actresses he knew usually asked to perform roles they were comfortable with. Very few were willing to have a role assigned to them.
However, his face remained calm.
"Imagine you're at a party and you've just been told by the man you love that he never loved you. But you're a top socialite. You have ten seconds. No tears. Show me."
Estrella's eyes flickered.
It seemed fate was on her side.
He had unknowingly asked her to act out a situation she had once lived through.
Maverick noticed the change in her expression and mistook it for hesitation.
Willow also grew worried.
She didn't understand how someone could portray heartbreak without shedding tears.
Still, she couldn't interfere.
She could only watch Estrella with concern.
"Your time starts now," Maverick announced as he started a timer.
For the first three seconds, Estrella showed no reaction.
Willow became even more worried.
It seemed Estrella couldn't get into character quickly enough.
Then Estrella smiled.
It was a beautiful and charming smile.
She shrugged casually.
"Thank you for letting me know."
It was as though she had just received a compliment.
But anyone paying close attention would notice the slight tremble in her lips and the pain hidden in her eyes.
Willow became so immersed in Estrella's emotions that she didn't even notice when the timer rang.
The moment it ended, Estrella's expression returned to normal.
"How was it?" she asked.
Maverick nodded vigorously.
A broad smile appeared on his face.
"Very good."
Estrella's tense shoulders relaxed.
In truth, she had simply acted out what she had always wished she could do if a man ever broke her heart.
Pretend she didn't care.
Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to do that with Martins.
"You're a natural," Maverick praised. "You didn't try to act. You placed yourself in the situation. That's what good actors do."
Willow pumped her fist excitedly.
She looked even happier than Estrella.
Estrella smiled.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Well, I have a movie that's about to enter production, and we're still selecting actors for the cast. I don't know if you'd be interested."
"I am," Estrella replied immediately. If she wasn't interested, she wouldn't have come here.
"I'll recommend you for the second female lead audition. Whether you get it depends on your performance tomorrow."
Happiness blossomed inside Estrella.
Second female lead?
For her first movie?
She had been expecting a minor role.
"Okay," she nodded.
Maverick opened a drawer and pulled out a script.
"This is the script."
Estrella accepted it.
Maverick then told her the time and location of the audition.
"I'll be expecting you."
"Thank you," Estrella replied sincerely.
She stood up to leave.
Willow waved goodbye to Maverick before following Estrella out.
As they walked through the lobby, they passed Sophia, who immediately hissed at them.
Willow ignored her completely and continued walking.
"Gosh, I can't wait to see you on screen!" Willow said excitedly. "I was completely immersed in your acting just now. You're going to have so many fans."
Then she added with a grin,
"I'll definitely be one of them."
Estrella could only smile.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Seeing how impressed Willow was by her performance, Estrella couldn't help but think:
Maybe I really am cut out for acting.
It was still early afternoon.
She wanted to read through the script, but she had no desire to return to Luciano's mansion.
Instead, she headed back to the apartment she used to share with Stella.
She still had a spare key, so getting inside wasn't difficult.
The first thing Estrella did was pour herself a glass of water.
She was extremely thirsty.
After finishing the water, she lay down on the couch and pulled out her phone.
The first thing she searched was Maverick.
According to several articles, he was one of the youngest successful directors in the industry.
Every movie he directed became a hit and consistently attracted impressive viewership.
Most of those movies were ones Estrella had watched herself.
She could personally vouch for their quality.
Next, she searched for the movie she would be auditioning for:
Counsellor Mitchell.
She quickly found the synopsis.
The story followed a young counsellor named Mitchell.
She had a successful career and helped countless people find happiness in their lives.
She also appeared to have a perfect family.
Or so she thought.
Her husband had been seduced by his secretary, who drugged him and became pregnant. Now the secretary was using the pregnancy to manipulate him.
Meanwhile, Mitchell's parents were on the verge of divorce, and her younger sister, who had recently won a ten-million-dollar lottery, was dying.
Mitchell knew nothing about any of it.
All her energy was devoted to making her clients happy.
After reading the synopsis, Estrella found herself hooked.
It was a compelling story.
The role she would be auditioning for was the younger sister.
There were already countless discussions online about the cast.
No matter how good a story was, the actors needed to bring genuine emotion for the audience to truly connect with it.
Many people were already predicting that the movie would become another success for Director Maverick.
Estrella lowered her phone and looked at the script in her hands.
What she held wasn't just a script.
It was a golden opportunity to change her life.
And she intended to give it everything she had.