Chapter 4

For a moment, gossip and questions from the reporters filled the air, throwing the once-quiet venue into disarray.

Some people even brought up that they would be reconsidering their contract deals with my company.

There were more than a dozen parties who announced that they would be canceling their orders, each one practically spitting the words at my assistant, Alfred Ziegler.

I looked coldly at the main instigator, James, who was looking on smugly as the events unfolded.

"I'm the true male lead of this story, Mia. All of this is rightfully mine, and nobody can take that away. If you beg, I'll help you resolve this crisis," he said confidently.

I couldn't help but sneer at his words. He was being overconfident.

Everyone was demanding to see the list of participants for the exhibition and threatened to sue for compensation otherwise.

"Alright," I said agreeably.

Silence instantly descended upon the venue. Everyone turned their gazes on me.

James was caught off guard, because the ambassador for this event certainly should've been him. If I really managed to produce relevant evidence, he would have as good as stepped on his own foot.

His expression darkened immediately, and he waited to one side for me to embarrass myself. Under the gazes of everyone present, I brought out the original project plan, on which the ambassador's name was clearly written—Zayne Hendrick.

It was James' turn to be stunned. Everyone started accusing him of spreading baseless rumors, their gazes filled with condemnation. They then turned to apologize to me, claiming that they must've been possessed to have believed James just now.

It wasn't their fault, though. The system hadn't finished reassigning the role of male lead to Zayne, so everyone else was just subconsciously siding with James.

"I didn't think someone would rush all the way here just to spread lies. Here I thought he was a good man, but it turns out he's deliberately trying to cause a scene. You're too nice, Ms. Churchill. If it were me, I'd have just kicked him out."

"In my opinion, Mr. Hendrick is a better match for Ms. Churchill. Mr. Linden is getting a little old, after all."

I almost laughed out loud upon hearing these comments.

James used to be the male lead, so both the cast and the plot itself would prioritize his protection. Now that the plot had changed, his privileges as protagonist were gone.

"What nonsense are you people spouting?" James bellowed frantically toward the crowd.

He had lost his usual poise and charisma, but not only were the surrounding people unfazed by his yelling, their disdain for him only grew stronger.

I glanced at Zayne, who nodded in understanding. He walked onto the stage, smiled graciously, and got the situation back under control.

James went mad with jealousy at the sight. He actually declared aloud that he was the actual male lead, which caused everyone to look at him as if he'd grown another head.

"The male lead? You? Dream on."

I couldn't help laughing at that. James turned to stare at me in confusion, the panic in his eyes growing increasingly evident.

He seemed to vaguely sense that something was amiss but didn't have the guts to admit it.

I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "You stopped being the male lead some time ago, so stop expecting to be treated like one, James."

Just as I hoped, I saw his beautiful face turn deathly pale.

"The male lead is now Zayne," I added.

Just as the words left my mouth, the voice of the system rang out in our ears once more. This time, we both heard it loud and clear.

"A change has occurred in the plot. Please take note that Zayne Hendrick is now the male lead."

James' pupils shrank, and his feet gave way under him.

The system continued, "The swap request was made by the female lead, Mia Churchill."