Olivia's pov
My heels clacked against the hallway, the sound filling the air. No one was outside the audition hall and I assumed they had all left except the last batch. Without wasting a second more, I began banging in the door to the audition room.
"Open up!" I shouted, my voice raw from the yelling in the restroom.
A moment later, the door opened to reveal the lady who was organizing the batches. Her sharp eyes narrowed as she glared at me. "What are you doing? This is highly inappropriate!"
Before she could stop me, I sprinted into the audition hall. All eyes were on me. I looked toward the stage and noticed the last batch of contestants lined up and the three girls from before were among. That red head and her minions! I should be standing there not them.
We made eye contact but they quickly turned away their faces to avoid implications. My resolve hardened when I saw how unapologetic they were.
"I was supposed to audition," I said firmly, stepping forward. My voice trembled slightly, but I forced myself to remain calm. "But I was locked in the restroom." I pointed at the three girls, moving my hands from one person to the other. "By them."
The room erupted into murmurs. The head judge raised a hand to silence them. He cleared his throat and looked at me with suspicion, "Are you aware of the gravity of your accusation?"
The red hair girl immediately climbed down from the stage, and as usual, her lackeys followed behind. She stepped forward, her eyes red rimmed as tears ran down her cheeks. Her face was flushed as she ran to the center of the hall.
"This is insane!" she cried, her voice trembling as she turned to the judges. "We didn't do anything to her. She's lying! She missed her batch and wants to ruin it for us! She's just jealous…" she sobbed harder.
"That's right," one of her lackeys added, folding her arms. "She's bitter and trying to sabotage us. Why would we even care about her?"
"I'm not lying," I said, trying to keep my voice steady but I was already breaking from within because I could see that the crowd's favor was with those evil girls. "I was locked in there, and they're the ones who did it. Check the CCTV footage for the restroom if you don't believe me!"
The redhead's expression changed. I saw a glint of fear in her eyes but it was quickly replaced with tears. "This is ridiculous!" she sobbed, covering her face. "I don't deserve this. Why would anyone do such a thing?"
The head judge sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Miss Richardson, this is not the time for tantrums. Missing your batch is your responsibility, not ours. If you wanted this opportunity, you would have done whatever it took to ensure you were here on time."
"I'm not throwing tantrums," I cried out in desperation. "I was here! I was ready but they locked me up in the rest—"
"And why would we lock you up?" The redhead asked with a straight face. Her face was laced with a victorious smirk like she had already won the game. What she didn't know was that this was far from over.
"Because…" I couldn't find my voice. My eyes searched the crowd and I knew this was the end of the road for me. No one here bought my story.
"That's enough," the head judge dismissed me. He then turned to the batch organizer. "Please see her out."
Two security guards stepped forward, and I shook my head not willing to let this end like this. "Please, no! I'm telling the truth!" I begged, but they grabbed my arms and began to lead me away.
I struggled as they pushed me toward the door, bumping into a man entering the room. I couldn't be bothered by the collision but then I heard the man call my name.
(Start!!!!)
"Olivia?" he said, his voice filled with shock and recognition.
I stared at him trying to remember where I've seen him before. His face was very familiar. "Ryan?" I muttered under my breath but he heard it. Ryan and I were class mates in high school. He was the popular handsome boy back then in school. We barely had a conversation back at high school, how did he remember me?
The murmurs in the room grew louder, and the head judge and his assistants quickly rose to their feet. "Mr. Bennet," the head judge stammered, his tone shifting to one of respect and submission.
My jaw dropped as I pieced it together. Ryan Bennett. CEO of Elegance Elite Models. Who would have thought
"What's going on here?" Ryan asked, his piercing gaze sweeping across the room before landing on me. "Why is she being dragged out?"
"She disrupted the audition," the head judge explained hurriedly. "And she's accusing other contestants of sabotaging her because she missed her batch. It's a baseless claim—"
"It's not baseless!" I interrupted, stepping forward despite the guards still holding my arms. I turned to Ryan, pleading with my eyes. "Ryan, I swear I'm telling the truth. Those three girls locked me in the restroom. I missed my batch because of them."
The head judge groaned in frustration. "She's making excuses—"
"I'm not," I said quickly, cutting him off again. "I don't know why they felt the need to sabotage me, but I just want to compete fairly. That's all I'm asking for—a chance to prove myself."
The room fell silent as everyone waited for Ryan's response. He looked at me, his gaze unreadable, then turned to the three girls. They squirmed under his scrutiny.
The head judge cleared his throat, clearly annoyed. "With all due respect, Mr. Bennett, this is highly inappropriate. We can't cater to every contestant's whims—"
Ryan raised a hand, silencing him. "I'd like to see her walk."
The head judge blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?"
Ryan's voice was calm but firm. "I said, I'd like to see her walk. Right here. Right now."