Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 317

"Casey, Ryker... there were loads of people sharing the same names in this world and these two ain't got nothing to do with each other. Izabella didn't want to make the same mistake again, the last time she got the wrong person, it cost her her life.

She blankly stared at the photo on Rachel's phone, forcing down the bitterness welling up in her eyes.

"Izabella, what's up..." Rachel asked cautiously. Even though she wasn't the most perceptive, she could tell something was off.

Izabella shook her head, "I just want to meet this guy". Her voice was still a bit raspy, tinged with sorrow.

"That might be a bit of a tough one."

Casey was a famous actor, with tens of millions of fans, a legend of the entertainment industry. Izabella, on the other hand, was just a slightly known actress, and that slight fame was more because of the flak she got.

Hard you said? Not really. As long as he was still alive, there was always a chance to meet.

During the years she spent with Brett, Izabella learned one thing: with power, you could not only control your life but also others'.

She looked away, focusing her attention and emotions on the script in her hands.

Rachel, not quite understanding, murmured, "He is planning to join a talent show called 'Here Comes the Superstars'. It's like a stage show, giving actors around four days to prepare. Maybe you should talk to Graham about joining. It's the first talent show he has joined since becoming famous, and it might be your only chance to meet him."

"He's supposedly joining the show to scout for co-actors," Rachel added casually. She believed in Izabella, but she didn't hold out much hope.

Izabella had only acted in one TV drama about campus life, which rated a measly 25 points. It was nothing to brag about.

However, Izabella's eyes sparkled, a co-actor, huh?

Time flew by, and soon it was two o'clock. Mr. York took this TV drama very seriously. He personally selected the leading roles and even the supporting actors. Normally, the selection of a third female role would be left to the assistant director, but he was personally involved.

The audition process was lengthy. Izabella waited for nearly forty minutes before it was her turn. On average, each person was given ten minutes.

She estimated the time. Vivian had the longest audition, about 15 minutes. She seemed relaxed when she came out. She was the highest-ranking among the auditionees. She was also attractive, with a strong fan base and a powerful company backing her. The role was likely hers.

Mr. York, aka Brad York, was quite famous in the industry. In his forties, he had directed 10 TV dramas, the lowest-rated of which scored an 8 out of 10. He was known as the 'Godfather of TV dramas'.

He had very high standards for actors. He was powerful and had a fiery temper. If someone's acting was poor in front of him, he wouldn't care about their status. He was known to make people cry by blasting them on Twitter.

Once, an actress thought she could get a role because of her company. She performed a 'death stare' in front of him. He had the security escort her out.

They quarreled on Twitter for several days. The actress was at a disadvantage and ended up giving up acting. She decided to appear on reality shows long-term. Her fame was not what it once was, while Brad gained popularity, making the actors in the industry both love and fear him.

"Izabella, get ready. You're up next." A staff member came out to inform her, the disdain in his eyes was clear.

Izabella took off her sunglasses and mask, put them in her bag, and asked Rachel to hold it for her.

She walked in nonchalantly. There were four people sitting across from her. The one in the middle was Mr. York.

"You're Izabella?" he blurted out, his eyes filled with disbelief. He glanced at the photo of Izabella in the actor's information in his hand, on which her makeup was heavy.

He had received this information just an hour ago. Her resume was a mess. If there was any achievement, it was probably that she had topped the list of most disliked actresses for years, with far more votes than the second place.

He had already rejected her in his mind before he even saw her. He drank an extra glass of water before Izabella came in, preparing himself to rant.

But he didn't expect Izabella without makeup to be so beautiful. It was hard to believe she was the same person as in the resume.

He had seen many beautiful women. The entertainment industry was a beauty factory. It wasn't about being pretty, but having a unique charm.

Izabella was precisely that kind of beauty-her delicate features seemed carefully measured with a ruler, and the most striking were her eyes.

He had heard about Izabella and watched her videos on Twitter. When he judged people, he looked at their eyes. Izabella's eyes used to be beautiful but a bit bitter, even dull, as if someone owed her money. In short, she lacked confidence.

But now, Izabella's eyes were sharp. She stood quietly by the window, the sunlight pouring in, casting a glow on her slender figure, but she herself outshone that light.

Even the picky Brad had to admit Izabella met his criteria. This was what you could call a beautiful face.

He was thinking, if there was a role for a dead person in a future TV drama, he would let Izabella lie in a coffin as a background prop. That would be pretty good.

"Hello, I'm Izabella. I'm here to audition for the third female role, Anna." Izabella interrupted his thoughts, her tone indifferent.

Brad asked directly, "Have you read the script?"

"I have."

"Then perform the scene where Anna dies."

Anna died in jail. Before she died, she was tortured, her ten fingers clamped off, covered in burn marks. She was driven mad and saw the female lead, Malia, for the last time, cursing her with her dying breath. This was the climax of the whole play and highly impactful.

Brad had Izabella read a scene, and to everyone there, it seemed like he was intentionally giving her a hard time. After all, he only asked the previous four actresses to portray the character's innocent and naive demeanor when she first appeared.

In reality, Brad had Izabella perform the last scene simply because he heard Izabella say she had read the script and wanted to see if she was telling the truth.

"Can you perform?"

"Yes, but I need someone to do this scene with me..."

"Let me."

A voice suddenly joined, Izabella turned to look and her brain quickly reacted.

It was Kristin.

She just had a similar name to Kaley, and they didn't look alike. Compared to Kaley's delicate face, Kristin's features were much more attractive. But for some reason, staring at her face made Izabella uncomfortable.

Kristin also obviously flinched when she saw Izabella. She also had her manager with her.

Why did Izabella come here without getting makeup done as instructed? This was a question both of them had. If you were a plain Jane, then acted like it, and if you were a supporting role, always stayed in your lane.

Looking at her face, Kristin's expression instantly changed, and Izabella, who was staring at her face, didn't miss this subtle change.

Kristin turned to the director and said, "Mr. York, I introduced Izabella, let me do this scene with her."

"Sure, you're the lead actress anyway, it's definitely suitable as long as you don't mind."

"Thank you." Kristin turned to Izabella and acted innocent, pretending she was considering her, "Izabella, are you okay with me?"

"Whatever you want."

Izabella's expression was flat, which to Kristin, seemed like she was pretending to be calm. She knew Izabella very well and knew that she had only acted in a drama with no real acting skills, and her ability to deliver lines and act were average, it was absolutely impossible for her to portray Anna, a character that had a strong impact.

No one had any hope for Izabella, but that didn't stop them from enjoying the show.

Kristin had broken records with her previous TV show and won awards; her acting skills were not to be underestimated.

After she defeated Izabella, they'd probably get to see Mr. York get angry in person. If Izabella offended Mr. York, she would disappear from this circle completely.

Others might just be throwing stones into a well, but Kristin was trying to replace the water in the well with sulfuric acid.

The staff called for action, Izabella undid her braids, her hair fell behind her, she even purposely messed it up a bit, only revealing her eyes.

Brad instantly sat up straight, Izabella clearly understood the script, a woman who'd been in prison and tortured, how could her appearance still be neat and beautiful?

But they couldn't make her up to look injured on the spot, so she could only mess up her hair and reveal her eyes.

Acting with her eyes, it was easy to capture on camera, but it would be hard to resonate with the audience in person if her emotions weren't enough.

Izabella undid her hair and instantly got into character, she curled up on the ground, looked up at Kristin, and in a moment her eyes were filled with red veins.

"My good friend...you finally came to see me..." she gasped, her voice hoarse.

As soon as Izabella began her lines, the set fell silent. She had great control over her lines, portraying the struggling to survive in a way that gave everyone goosebumps.

Kristin, who was standing in front of her, changed her expression instantly. When did Izabella's line delivery become so good?

Looking at Izabella's limp posture on the ground, if they didn't know she was acting, they would have thought she was seriously ill and on her last breath.

"Anna, don't you still think you did nothing wrong?" Kristin continued the dialogue.

Izabella's gaze suddenly became sharp, that intimidating force was like a sudden jolt, her bloodshot eyes were filled with tears of anger, her expression was grotesque, veins popped on her forehead, she said through gritted teeth.

"I was wrong? I did nothing wrong, I just wanted to live a better life, Malia you're powerful, you're noble, do you know what kind of bullying I've suffered here? You brought me into the palace, said you'd treat me well, and we'd become rich and powerful together. I helped you deal with your enemies. I lost my child to save you back then, and I can't have children ever since."

"How did I treat you, and you? Everyone in the palace praises your kindness, praises your beauty. Bullshit! You're just an ungrateful bitch!" she scolded, with a sarcastic laugh, "I just wanted to survive in this murderous palace, what did I do wrong? I don't want others to bully me, I made it to where I am today step by step on my own! You tell me what I did wrong!"

The atmosphere around them instantly became suffocating, as Izabella's eyes gradually moved closer, Kristin instantly panicked, she was supposed to list all of Anna's mistakes next, but now she forgot her lines.

She awkwardly ended with a line that lacked any persuasive power, "You're still not repenting?"

"Malia, aren't you tired of pretending in front of me? Since you love pretending so much, I curse you to always wear your mask. You'll never be treated sincerely by others. I, Anna, curse you to be tormented by nightmares. My fate will be your fate!"

Kristin stumbled backwards, lost her balance and fell to the ground. In the original script her expression was supposed to be indifferent. Facing Anna's curse, she thought of everything that had happened in the past, feeling pity and regret for her death.

However, what Kristin portrayed was only fear, she even collapsed on the ground, her face pale and whole body shaking.

She was thrown off by Izabella's acting, completely lost her ability to think for herself, and subconsciously became scared of Izabella's performance and lines.

Victory, this was absolute victory!

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