Nina winced slightly, the professional mask slipping for just an instant. Her shoulders tensed, preparing for dismissal.
"But..." he continued, and she held her breath."...Seraphina Valmont has been the hardest role to cast." His tone carried the weight of weeks of frustration. "We've seen established actresses, rising stars, trained theater performers. None of them understood her."
He exchanged meaningful looks with the others, a silent consensus forming.
Finally, he said simply, "The role is yours."
Nina blinked, certain she had misheard. Her carefully constructed composure cracked."Wait... what? Just like that?"
The assistant director shrugged, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth."You already gave the right performance. We've been searching for someone who could embody Seraphina's duality… the transformation from loyal defender to calculated destroyer. You just showed us that shift in thirty seconds."
Nina looked confused, her mind racing to catch up with what had just happened."I didn't perform anything. I didn't even read for you."
Screenwriter Locke chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction."You did," he said, gesturing toward her with an open palm. "That look you gave just now? That quiet confidence, that edge beneath the surface, that's exactly who Seraphina Valmont is."
Producer Crowhurst leaned forward, her expression thoughtful. "Most actresses who auditioned came in trying to play seductive villains, all sultry glances and dramatic gestures. But Seraphina isn't a villain, not at the start. She's a hero who becomes something else entirely, and that transformation needs to feel inevitable, not theatrical."
Director Valmort clapped his hands once, the sound sharp and final. "Prepare well. We begin filming next month."
Nina stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs as the reality of what had just happened began to sink in. She bowed quickly, perhaps too quickly, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "Thank you, Director Valmort. I won't disappoint you."
As she left the building, her legs feeling unsteady beneath her, Director Valmort watched her retreating figure with a contemplative expression. "I almost overlooked her completely," he admitted, a hint of self-reproach in his tone.
Screenwriter Locke nodded, a knowing smile crossing his face. "And yet she was the perfect choice all along."
Meanwhile, at St. Aurelius Metropolitan Medical Center… Top Floor, Private Pediatric Wing, inside the luxury hospital suite, chaos had erupted.
A small figure stood barefoot on the wide windowsill, seven floors above the ground, his tiny frame silhouetted against the afternoon light.
Doctors, nurses, and staff members stood frozen nearby, their faces pale with terror.
No one dared move. One wrong step, one sudden sound, and the child might slip. "Ethan," one nurse ventured gently, her voice barely above a whisper, "please come down, sweetheart."
The little boy ignored her completely. His tiny hands clutched the window frame with surprising strength, his knuckles white from the pressure. His dark eyes, usually so bright and curious, were now filled with panic and determination… a dangerous combination in a child so young.
Across the room, Axel rubbed his temples, feeling a headache building behind his eyes. "Ethan," he said carefully, keeping his voice measured and calm despite the anxiety coursing through him, "you're giving everyone heart attacks. Including me."
Ethan didn't move. He didn't even acknowledge that anyone had spoken. He only shouted one word repeatedly, his small voice cracking with desperation: "Nina!"
Axel sighed heavily, the weight of the situation settling on his shoulders. "Well… this is unfortunate."
The hospital staff looked ready to faint. Several nurses clutched each other's hands, and one doctor had gone so pale he appeared ready to collapse himself.
Unfortunately, the only person who could handle this situation, the only person Ethan would listen to was currently somewhere across the city.
Axel pulled out his phone with deliberate slowness, careful not to make any sudden movements that might startle the child. He dialed a number he knew by heart.
The call connected quickly.
On the other end of the line, a calm voice answered, steady and composed. "Yes?"
Axel exhaled slowly, choosing his words with care. "Ethan is attempting to escape through a seventh-floor hospital window. He's been calling for that woman."
Silence stretched across the line, heavy with unspoken concern.
Then, the voice came again, no longer quite so calm: "…I'm on my way."
Axel looked back at Ethan.
The child was still shouting Nina's name.
He sighed.
"Well."
He muttered to himself.
"That girl made quite an impression."