Hollywood: Behind The SpotLight Chapter 20

Behind The Spotlight Chapter 20

"Here's your change. Here's your pizza."

"T-Thank you... Ahh~"

Esralda forced a smile as the fat man in front of her leaned forward and inhaled the change she gave him like it was so kind of holy relic.

She had been working at this pizzeria for two years now, ever since she first set foot in Los Angeles. She was an aspiring actress who had left her hotown filled with dreams and hope, thinking she'd beco the next big star. Hoping to find success in Hollywood.

The outco of that brave decision? She was now a cashier at this pizzeria, serving greasy pizza and dealing with freaks instead of walking red carpets.

The fat guy, who was now deeply inhaling the scent of the pennies, stared at her with a lewd, lustful gaze that made her skin crawl and her stomach churn.

Esralda felt disgusted but held herself back from vomiting right then and there on the counter. She had t her fair share of creeps in her two years here, but people who inhaled pennies like they were drugs belonged in a special place.

The man finally left after grabbing a box of pizza, without even thanking her, leaving behind a trail of stench. There was a stain on his crotch for so reason, and she prayed to every deity she knew that she'd never have to find out why.

"Phew, that guy's been visiting our shop for days now like so cursed spirit. God, why do you give these hard battles? I feel like I'm going to be assaulted a few days from now... Please don't let that be foreshadowing."

While muttering to herself, the phone rang abruptly, jolting her out of her spiraling thoughts. Esralda answered the call.

"Domihoes Pizzeria, the best pizza in Hollywood according to our drunk custors. Hello, can I take your order? What, you're not calling to order? You're from ANT? Isn't that a huge talent agency? Yes, yes, I'll call Lawrence right now!"

Being an "actress," Esralda of course knew about ANT. How could she not? It was practically every struggling actor's dream to be represented by ANT.

Apex Network Talent was one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood. She had applied there last month using a heavily exaggerated resu, and she still hadn't heard back.

So when she heard that the caller was an agent from ANT, her heart skipped a beat, even if the call wasn't for her.

"Lawrence! Soone from ANT is looking for you!"

Esralda yelled more loudly than she intended, drawing curious glances from the other staff. Even though the call wasn't for her, she was still thrilled.

Lawrence, with flour dust on his shoulders, ca rushing out of the kitchen. He didn't have a phone of his own, so he used the shop's landline as his only contact. He had been waiting anxiously since yesterday, the longest 24 hours of his life.

He'd barely slept, tossing and turning all night, praying for a miracle he wasn't sure would co.

Even though the project he'd auditioned for was a small-budget one, it ant everything to him. It could determine his future and whether he would finally escape this current life.

Lawrence grabbed the phone with trembling, excited fingers.

"Hello, yes, that's . You want to et ? Of course, of course! I'm off work around 3 p.m. I'll head to your agency as fast as I can. Thank you, thank you so much!"

The person who had called him was Collin East, one of the panel judges from the audition who had shown interest in him.

Lawrence had no idea why a talent agent wanted to et him in person, but he knew it had to be good news. Bad news didn't usually co with polite scheduling.

Most of the ti, Lawrence just received a cold call saying he didn't pass, or worse, no call at all, the cruelest rejection.

But this was different. And his gut told him that ant sothing good was coming. Maybe he really did have a shot.

Grinning from ear to ear, Lawrence returned to the kitchen.

"Wait, Lawrence. That call was about your audition yesterday, right?" Esralda asked, eyes wide and cheeks slightly flushed.

"That's right," Lawrence replied proudly, with a nod. No point in hiding it.

"Then..." Esralda looked down shyly, twirling her hair. "Are you single?"

...

...

...

At exactly 3:45 p.m., Lawrence arrived at the ANT building after taking two buses and walking five blocks. His hands still slled faintly of pepperoni and dish soap, a scent that stubbornly clung despite three washes. He adjusted his secondhand jacket.

Nerves twitching, he stepped into the sleek, tiled lobby.

He approached the receptionist, who verified his identity and directed him to the reception area on the ground floor.

The lounge had several tables and chairs, and sunlight stread gently through the windows. The place was lively, with agents talking to stunning n and won, perhaps trying to sign them.

Lawrence scanned the room and quickly spotted Collin, already seated at a table, flipping through a magazine. He recognized the man imdiately from the audition.

Collin had shown great interest in him, especially in the fact that he was a freelance actor. Still, Lawrence hadn't expected him to be a talent agent.

With that chiseled face, black hair, sharp green eyes, and model-like posture, Collin looked like soone who should be in the magazines, not flipping through them.

"Sir," Lawrence managed to say as he approached.

"Lawrence, sit down."

Collin smiled with a calm confidence that made Lawrence even more nervous.

Subconsciously, Collin glanced above Lawrence's head, but there were no floating words glowing like yesterday.

That ant Lawrence wasn't currently using his talent. He was just in "normal" mode.

Collin nodded as Lawrence sat down carefully.

"According to your resu, you're a theater actor."

"That's right. I was in the theater club back in high school and even directed a play during my senior year," Lawrence explained, pride and nervousness mixing in his voice.

"I see, I see..." Collin had already morized most of the resu, having read it multiple tis.

"You probably have an idea why I invited you here today."

Lawrence swallowed hard, the sound echoing in his own head.

"I want to be your agent and help you climb the slippery ladder of showbiz. I'll help you find your place in Hollywood, no matter how long it takes."

'You're going to be a staple in Cody and Romance films once you find your rhythm... Heck, you'll dominate RomComs too, since they blend both genres,' Collin thought with a knowing smile.

Lawrence possessed a golden talent as a Romance Box Office Hit Actor, and a yellow talent as a Cody Actor. That rare combination scread "leading man."

Collin hadn't stopped thinking about it since yesterday. It was rare to find such a specific, standout talent in this cutthroat industry.

To prove his point, Collin glanced around at the other agents pitching to innocent actors with practiced smiles. Words floated above many of their heads. Most had white talents in Negotiation or Communication. Useful, but far from exceptional.

None of them had a golden talent. That alone spoke volus about how rare it was.

'Especially a specific talent that screams imdiate success. I have no idea what exactly "Romance Box Office Hit Actor" ans... but I trust what I saw.'

For now, Collin had one goal. To convince Lawrence to sign with him.

That was the first step in what could be a career-defining partnership for both of them.

[Please support this novel by giving it Power Stones on . I want to see if it's possible to break into the Top 10 in the Last 30 Days ranking. This ranking is for new novels that are not a month old.]