Chapter 34

Miranda couldn't contain her outrage any longer. "This is absurd!" Her voice cut through the room like shards of ice. "An absolute nobody with zero credentials stealing the lead role from Serena? There's foul play at work here."

The air grew thick with tension.

It appeared Miranda had conveniently forgotten why Adrian had accompanied Serena in the first place - to help her take the role from Vivian, not the other way around.

"Miranda, please," Serena interjected weakly, reaching for her agent's arm in a feeble attempt to calm her.

But her words dissolved into nothingness as her strength failed her.

Without warning, Serena's knees buckled. She clutched at her chest, her body folding like a delicate paper crane as she collapsed toward the floor.

"Serena!" Alarm flashed across Adrian's face as he lunged forward, catching her just in time.

Miranda immediately dialed emergency services.

In the chaos, Miranda managed to procure a chaise lounge where Adrian could lay Serena down. Then she whirled around, pinning Vivian with a venomous glare. "If anything happens to Serena, I'll hold you personally responsible!"

Serena stirred weakly. "Miranda... this isn't Ms. Hartley's fault. My health... it's always been fragile."

She turned glassy eyes toward Vivian, offering a fragile smile. "Ms. Hartley, please don't be alarmed. My condition... it's unpredictable. You bear no responsibility for this."

Miranda's glare remained fixed on Vivian, burning with accusation. "How can you say that? If she hadn't forced this competition, would Serena have pushed herself to exhaustion with rehearsals? If the worst happens, how could someone like her possibly atone?"

The room bristled at Miranda's baseless accusations.

With the A-list star and Blackwood Group's powerful CEO on one side, and an unknown newcomer on the other, the imbalance of power hung heavy in the air.

Even Julian could only offer Vivian a sympathetic glance, subtly shaking his head as if advising her to endure the injustice.

Lydia moved to speak up, but Vivian stopped her with a barely perceptible gesture.

Vivian searched Adrian's face for any sign of recognition, any flicker of defense.

But Adrian's entire focus remained on Serena, his expression taut with concern. The complete dismissal cut deeper than any blade, sending waves of icy pain through Vivian's chest. A bitter smile touched her lips. Foolish, she thought, to expect anything different.

She opened her mouth to respond when Serena's weak voice interrupted. "Adrian... I don't feel well at all. Has the ambulance arrived yet?"

Her trembling fingers plucked at Adrian's sleeve with desperate fragility. The plea seemed to snap Adrian from his thoughts. He turned decisively to the director, his voice ringing with authority. "Double the budget. The Blackwood Group will fund every Parisian location exactly as written in the novel. Serena is the only choice for this role."

The original script had called for sweeping scenes across Paris - the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the grandeur of Versailles. Budget constraints had initially forced production to relocate to the less prestigious Crestwood area.

Though Vivian's talent outshone Serena's, the combination of Serena's star power and Adrian's financial backing once again tipped the scales.