The woman happened to be a friend to a reporter, so she texted him the audition location and who she saw. At first, she was doubted; how would an actress who had been blacklisted by three different agencies have the nerve to attend an audition, especially after being involved in a recent scandal that was still circulating all over...
For the woman to prove it was true, she took a selfie making her back face Ivy's direction, capturing herself and a glimpse of Ivy's side view. Ivy might have put on a slight disguise, but it wasn't enough to conceal her distinctive features as her overall features are easily recognized. Her dimples were clearly visible on her face even when she wasn't smiling. Just the movement of her lips was enough to summon the indent. Number 41 was called; it was the girl's turn to audition. Ivy could only wish her good luck on her arrogance; she should prove it out there and not to her face... When the girl entered the audition room, she was told to act out a scene; she quickly adjusted her emotion and the next thing, she froze. The director was taken aback at first, then he waited in anticipation, but nothing happened; she was still stuck in a trance. "Did time stop?" "No, it didn't; she got stage fright," the assistant director responded as he understood her situation. The director could only sigh. "NEXT!" The girl snapped out of her daze and walked out of the room with her head low. According to Ivy's calculation, she spent roughly five minutes in the audition. As she saw her coming out with a gloomy expression, she shook her head in disappointment; she was certain she didn't perform well. She was the one who tried to lecture someone about the character, and she couldn't use her understanding of Daisy to pass the audition. 'What a shame for arrogance,' Ivy scoffed. "Number 42." She took off her black glasses when she stepped into the audition room and put them inside her purse. Standing facing the judges, she struck a pose that personates Daisy, the character from the story. It wasn't fancy; she just stood with her head held high, with one of her feet in front of the other and a strong gaze that carried a sense of pride. She was already acting without a line... When the director saw this, he quickly looked at her information submitted, his eyes caught her experience and skills listed on her résumé, but he brushed it off. After all, résumés can sometimes be exaggerated, especially by freshers who want to make a perfect impression of themselves on paper to get attention. They decided on an open cast call to find new talent. He lifted his head to see what she got. Unknowingly to him, he was about to see a once-famous actress act on an open cast call... She was handed a script by one of the assistants. "Flip to page 25 and act out the scene." When Ivy saw the scene, she returned the script to the assistant, hesitated, and then took it back. 'What was she trying to prove?' He thought. It was not like she was given the entire script beforehand. Ivy did this for a reason. She didn't come there to try her luck; she was there to get the role. In her eyes, it was a simple scene she could pull off without holding the script; after all, it wasn't the first time she was auditioning for a related role. It was a scene where Daisy thought she was chosen as the bride for the son of a wealthy family, where she ridiculed her stepsister. She began by walking forward and then stopped, tilting her head with a smirk on her face. "It seems you were shoved to the corner." She smacked her lips and changed to a serious expression, ready to unleash her inner thoughts which she knew would hurt the sister. "You don't deserve him," bringing her face closer. "I do. And I can't wait to walk down that aisle and say those two words." The assistant director and senior director exchanged looks before turning to Ivy. "Open page 45 and act out that scene." He wanted to observe more of her acting to see how far she could go to portray the character. Ivy took the script, flipped the pages, then took a deep breath and changed her facial expression as she sat in the chair. With a bold face and slight trembling, she spoke. "Wha... what do you want, huh? Why did you come here?" She paused. "Please, sis, help me, I... I... didn't kill him, I swear. Believe me, someone set me up." This was the scene where Daisy dropped her arrogance, resorting to the only thing she could do to get out of prison - begging her sister for help, explaining her innocence. "The role is yours; you are Daisy," the director declared, impressed with her acting. "But shouldn't we decide after we complete the audition?" the assistant director asked, surprised. "There is no need; we've found Daisy." The assistant director could only nod in agreement. It was actually the first time he saw his partner so impressed. "We will notify you when filming begins." Ivy smiled; it was so much better than she expected. "Thank you; I won't disappoint." "Such talent, but I wonder where I have seen her before," the director thought, as he didn't notice another candidate had entered the room. "Eh... eh." The assistant director tapped the director as his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. "Director Scott, look." The director snapped out of his thoughts. "Flip to page... Wait, I don't understand. Didn't you audition just now?" "No, I just got here," Candidate 43 replied. The director looked back at the list of candidates for the audition and the information provided. "How is this...?" He was speechless, looked at the candidate again, and turned to the producer. He was about to ask him if he was seeing it too before he responded. "I can see it too." Now that he was certain his eyes were not failing him, he stared at the woman in front of them. "What the... how can the name and the... wait, what is your name?" "My name is Ivy Hale." ******* Dear readers, Don't forget to leave a comments, I'd like to know how you feel about this book. Thank you..............Zack stared at his tablet for what felt like forever, hesitant. He was finally going to see the one who was behind his accident. But now the weight of the moment pressed down on him. He knew this call could change everything, reveal a face he might recognize, or a stranger he would despise. He wasn't sure he was ready for either.Ivy was by his side, squeezing his arm tightly and encouraging him to do it. "Come on, Finn made this possible for you, so... let’s get it over with," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and nudging him to tap on the screen."Alright," he said finally, but as Ivy attempted to speak, a loud cry came out from the room."Lucas again," she growled and got up, placing a soft kiss on Zack's cheek. "Be right back."With that, she left, and Zack decided to get it over with as Ivy had said. He tapped on the screen, and there just what he had feared stared right back at him.Those familiar emerald eyes..."Chris. So it was really you," Zack whispered, disbelief
THE NEXT MORNING, Ivy and Zack made their way downstairs, luggage in tow, with Lucas giggling in his stroller. Lucas was babbling excitedly, clearly sensing the adventure ahead, and Ivy couldn't help but smile at her little boy's enthusiasm. Although she was still a bit hesitant about leaving, Zack's and Lucas's enthusiasm was infectious.But she had to agree a vacation would benefit them all.Just as they were about to head out the door, Xavier, their butler, rushed in, looking flustered."Wait, please!" Xavier exclaimed. "We have a visitor."Ivy's eyes narrowed, her smile faltering. "Who is it?"Xavier hesitated before responding. "It's... your..." Before he could finish, a voice cut in."Zack has woken up all this time, and you didn't bother informing us," Henry walked in, the old man right beside him.The moment he set eyes on Zack, he went straight to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay, son..."Zack, caught off guard, returned the hug, a mix of surprise and conf
"Ivy, remember when I took Roy outside?" Zack said, and Ivy frowned. "Yes, of course." "I thought... I thought I saw Chris. Briefly. Just a glimpse." Ivy's eyes widened in disbelief. "Chris? But... he hasn't called since that day..." "Exactly," Zack said, his brow furrowed. "But what if... what if... I don't know...?" Ivy shook her head, dismissing the idea. "Zack, that's impossible. Didn't you say he was an imposter?" "I'm starting to doubt that 'imposter' theory," Zack said. "It's too convenient the way he operates in the shadows... it's shady." Ivy's eyes narrowed, having a hard time processing everything. If he wasn't an imposter, then why hadn't he reunited with Zack? Why was he hiding? "What if... he has a vendetta? Against you?" Ivy sprang from the bed, her head filled with fear gnawing at her. She knew what it felt like to be wanted dead, and now Zack, this childhood friend... if it's true, then it's even worse than she imagined. "Maybe we should tell Finn every
"Lucas, I'm home!" Zack announced as he stepped into the familiar warmth of their living room. Ivy smiled and quickly got beside him. "Careful, Zack," she cautioned, her hand lightly touching his arm. "Remember, you're still recovering." "Now you want me to be treated like a fragile piece of glass, huh?" Zack said with his usual smirk, and Ivy couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yeah, that's what you are right now." Zack smirked, closing the short distance between them. "Is that so?" Ivy stepped back, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Zack, this isn't the right place to... you know, do your usual thing..." She then said with gritted teeth, "Maria and Lucas are coming." Zack turned to find Maria smiling his way. She bowed slightly and then placed Lucas on the ground. "There he is," Zack said, his voice softening as he knelt down. He extended his arms, a wide, welcoming smile on his face. "Come here, buddy. Daddy's home." Lucas hesitated, his gaze shifting between Zack and
"Zack, tomorrow's a big day. Lucas is hitting nine months," Ivy said, her voice soft as she gently ran her hands over Zack's. "Can you believe it? Nine months already?"She tried hard to grin, but what came out was a pathetic smile. "I... started him on complementary foods, you know. He seems to really like mashed sweet potatoes with a little cinnamon. He makes the funniest face when he tastes something new, but sweet potatoes are definitely his favorite."Ivy chuckled, despite knowing that Zack couldn't hear her. The sound was more for her own benefit, a way to release some of the tension and sadness that had been building up inside.But as she looked at Zack's still face, her expression shifted. Her smile faltered, and her eyes welled up with tears.Ivy's sigh turned into a sob, and she buried her face in her hands, letting the tears flow.She had hoped Zack would wake up before their son turned seven months, but now he was nine months, still trapped in this limbo.He didn't get to
SIX MONTHS LATERIvy's hands trembled as she held the phone, Bryan's voice sounding at the other end."Ma'am, we found him last night," Bryan said, his tone gentle but firm. "The driver who hit Zack. We've got a positive ID."Ivy's breath caught in her throat. Six months of waiting, wondering, and fighting for answers. Finally, she was going to get some justice."Who is it?" Ivy asked, her voice barely above a whisper.There was a pause before Bryan responded, "Marcus Thompson. The police are bringing him in for questioning. They're going to push him hard to see if he'll talk."Ivy's grip on the phone tightened. "Will he talk?""There's a good chance he might," Bryan said. "Thompson's got a history of criminal activity. He's been in and out of jail for various offenses. If the police can leverage that, he might be willing to cooperate."Ivy's mind was racing. "How soon can they get him to talk?" She wanted to wipe that smug look off Albert's face.Bryan hesitated before responding, "W