At his signal, one of the maids brought forward a woman who had apparently been standing by the door the whole time.
She looked to be in her mid thirties, dressed in a sharp grey suit, her thick glasses giving her a no-nonsense kind of aura.
Just one look, and I could tell this was the type of woman you did not mess with.
She probably ate dishonest businessmen for breakfast.
“This is Ms.
Sarah Winters,” Thomas said introducing her.
“Young master Damien assigned her as your manager.”
I blinked, completely stunned.
“W-what?” My gaze darted toward Sarah.
She stood beside Thomas, completely silent as though giving me space to absorb the news.
Thomas cleared his throat softly, misinterpreting my shock as me not hearing him.
“This is Ms.
Sarah Winters.
The Young Master arranged for her to manage you.”
Sarah finally stepped forward and extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Ms.
Eliana.
You probably haven’t heard my name before since you’re still new to the industry, but trust me, I’ve managed many popular celebrities, and I can guide you properly.”
Oh, I knew who she was.
Everyone did.
Sarah Winters wasn’t just any manager, she was the manager!
Every celebrity under her wing had flawless careers.
None of them ever picked bad scripts, and their careers always shot straight up.
Even though I still didn’t believe I needed a manager yet as I was still a rookie, I really couldn’t refuse someone like her.
Sarah was a top-tier manager and agent, so many celebrities wanted her on their side.
That was why she often moved from one client to another, and if she thought someone’s career didn’t look bright, she wouldn’t bother renewing their contract.
I’d even heard that being chosen by Sarah was like winning one chance out of a thousand.
That was why I couldn’t believe she had willingly agreed to manage me instead of signing with an A-list celebrity.
Even in my past life as Elena Vance, it had taken months of persistent calls just to get her assistant to review my portfolio.
Damien must have really gone through a lot of extra trouble just to secure Sarah as my manager.
“To tell you the truth, Ms.
Blackwood hadn’t contacted me personally,” Sarah said flatly.
I rubbed the back of my neck, letting out a dry, sheepish laugh.
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
Sarah’s dark eyes swept over my dress, my boots, and finally my face, evaluating me in a single heartbeat.
“That being said, this arrangement is temporary.
I will observe today’s audition, and only then will I decide if you are worth my time.”
”Understood,” I replied, meeting her gaze squarely.
“Thank you for the opportunity, Ms.
Winters.”
”Shall we?” She turned toward the front doors without waiting for a reply.
We boarded the black van parked in the driveway, and the driver smoothly navigated out of the estate toward the city center.
When the vehicle pulled into the underground lot of the commercial complex, I turned to grab my handbag and glanced back at Sarah.
“Aren’t you coming up with me?”
”No,” Sarah said, tapping her tablet screen without looking up.
“I’ll stay here.
I will review your audition footage afterward.
Good luck.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, gave her a quick nod, and stepped out of the van.
Straightening my shoulders and plastering a huge smile on my face.
I headed for the glass doors and rode the elevator up to the fifth floor.
But once I reached the fifth floor, where the audition for Mireille’s beauty advertisement was being held, my smile slowly faded.
There were at least twenty young women waiting their turn outside the audition room.
Each of them had a beautiful, unique face that made my heart thump wildly in my chest.
I thought I was supposed to be the special one here!
Seriously, where did all these stunning girls come from?
Did Mireille Beauty raid a secret beauty academy or something?
Fear started to creep in, whispering that I might not stand a chance at landing this deal.
No.
No.
Get it together!
This wasn’t my first time doing something like this.
I just needed to stay confident and trust that I could pull this off.
“Good morning,” I said politely as I sat beside a young blonde.
My eyes drifted to her face, and that’s when I noticed the sprinkle of adorable freckles across her cheeks.
Oh, come on!
She was way too cute!
Her face looked like it had been designed for a beauty campaign.
“G-Good morning …,” she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Her eyes flicked to my face, and the moment they did, she stiffened, looking even more nervous.
I glanced around at the other women and suddenly realized they were all staring at me.
For a moment, the air felt heavy.
Just like how I had been sizing them up as competition, they were sizing me up too.
To them, my face wasn’t just another contestant’s, it was a threat.
Eliana’s beauty was no joke, after all.
One by one, the other girls were called in.
Some came out looking hopeful, others left with pale faces that made it clear the judges hadn’t been impressed.
After nearly two hours, I finally heard my name.
“Eliana Whitmore?”
“Yes!” I jumped to my feet immediately, flashing such a bright smile that the staff looked a little surprised.
“Come in now.”
I nodded and walked toward the audition room.
The moment I stepped inside, I held my breath, but I made sure not to break eye contact with the people seated there.
Three figures sat at the long table: the CEO, someone from HR, and a creative director surrounded by sketchbooks and mood boards.
All three looked serious, pens in hand, their eyes scanning me from head to toe like they were measuring every inch.
“Good morning, Ms.
Whitmore.
I’m Genevieve Mireille, the CEO of Mireille Beauty,” she said.
Her voice was calm but carried the weight of someone who made decisions that could change lives.
“Please, introduce yourself.”