Behind The Spotlight Chapter 219
Jennifer exited the room. Her feet moved weakly across the floor, each step slower than the last. All of her confidence, poise, and enthusiasm were gone. She was like a deflated balloon that had lost all its air after burning every ounce of energy.
She exhaled and walked away. The audition was exhausting, far more exhausting than any rehearsal she had experienced. She kept her composure the whole time, but that didn't mean she wasn't nervous. Her heart had been beating fast beneath that calm smile. She had been on edge the entire time!
Heck, her back was actually sweating. Thankfully, she was wearing black sleeves so the sweat wasn't visible, saving her from embarrassment.
"I finished the audition... I did great, right?" she asked herself. Her voice came out smaller.
She was confident in her performance, especially when she left the panelists speechless. She did her best. Every second of practice and every sleepless night led to this moment. All the accumulated experience and hard work were for this audition.
The hallway was silent as Jennifer walked away. No footsteps except her own echoed back. Even the air felt heavy. She would receive the results within a week. She was a bit disappointed they didn't sign her on the spot, but she believed in herself. She forced a smile, whispering, "I did my best."
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"We have a tape of Jennifer hosting The Tonight Show, right?" Patrick, the director, asked the team with interest.
"Yes, sir. It's here." Someone quickly passed the videotape to the panelists. The VHS system was also prepared. Obviously, Patrick wanted to watch Jennifer's performance on The Tonight Show.
The videotape showed Jennifer's interview with Princess Chantal. On the TV screen, the host was poised yet playful, talking to Princess Chantal with humor and making the atmosphere entertaining and lively, the audience's laughter filling the recording.
Patrick and Joel watched the episode seriously. Their eyes never left the screen. In their minds, they already knew Jennifer was the strongest contender.
"It's not a fluke," Patrick murmured.
Once the videotape ended, Patrick confirmed that Jennifer had talent in hosting. She made her guests feel at ease, and the way she conversed with them was engaging. She was natural.
Joel agreed. He then turned to Salvador. He knew Salvador had negotiated with people about today's audition. Joel wasn't surprised. In this business, nothing ever came clean. In fact, one of the women had also offered benefits to Joel.
Joel studied Salvador's reaction. Unexpectedly, Salvador showed none. His expression was normal, too normal. No sadness, no happiness, just a mask of neutrality.
Just like Salvador had said earlier, it didn't matter which woman was chosen, he would receive benefits no matter what. He had already secured his interests, although he didn't expect Jennifer to perform that well. Even Salvador had been caught under her spell.
'Collin's offer is the least beneficial one, but that doesn't mean it's bad,' Salvador thought.
Patrick began reading the information they gathered about Jennifer.
"It says here that The Tonight Show reached its highest viewership of nine million when Jennifer hosted it. All five of her episodes had a steady viewership of six million," Patrick said, impressed. The numbers alone showed her success.
"T-That's amazing," Joel said, surprised. He knew how ratings worked, and talk shows were not the best type of TV shows in terms of viewership, so the fact that The Tonight Show reached an average of six million viewers was impressive.
In fact, there was more to the information. When Ray Reno heard about the nine million viewership, he felt threatened. He watched each episode hosted by Jennifer and knew his position was in danger. He told the production team and director that Jennifer should never step into their studio again, no matter what. Whether as a host or a guest, Jennifer Randon was not allowed on the show.
"I need to know more about Jennifer. Give me everything we have on her. Once I compile everything, we will make a decision," Patrick announced, and Joel agreed without hesitation. Both already knew the answer.
Even though the decision was not finalized, it was obvious who would get the position.
Salvador excused himself and left early. The moment he stepped out, the air felt less suffocating. His part was done.
Once he reached his car, he slammed his fist against the steering wheel so hard that the horn cried.
"Fuck! Fucking shit!!"
Salvador roared, his voice echoing inside the car. He was frustrated and had kept it to himself earlier because he didn't want to make a scene. He couldn't believe he had been outplayed like that.
"Collin, you fucking shit! No wonder you're confident, haha, so this is the hidden ace of ANT. The talent agent who recognizes his client's strongest weapons!" His laugh cracked mid-sentence.
Salvador had thought the rumors were nothing but exaggerations. But now that he had experienced it himself, he realized Collin was more than that, he was far more dangerous.
He wasn't mad that Jennifer was chosen. Deep down, he even admired her. He wasn't disappointed with the benefits he received either, 2% voting power was worth it.
What he hated was the fact that Collin had played him like a toy. He couldn't believe Collin treated him like a pawn, as if Salvador had already been sitting in the palm of his hand. That was humiliating, a younger agent had completely outsmarted him.
'And I thought everything was under control. How naive of me.'
He recalled the sensation of being hypnotized by Jennifer earlier. Her presence had pulled him in. He wanted to watch her interview more, he was even disappointed when the alarm clock rang. He hated himself for that. It was disgusting.
"Collin, you fucking bastard."
Salvador laughed out loud. It sounded manic. Fortunately, the windows were up and no one heard his hysterical laughter.
'Collin, make sure to keep your ambition to yourself so that I won't treat you as my enemy. Stay where you are and don't threaten me.' Salvador recognized that Collin was dangerous. He had thought Collin was just lucky for signing talented clients, but now he knew better.
'Jennifer was once an actress, but Collin convinced her to change her career. Truly amazing, Collin. I admit you're better than me at discovering talent.'
Salvador recalled what they talked about last time, and he felt even more humiliated. Each word replayed in his mind, taunting him.
"Thank you, Collin. I'll use your client well." He spat the words like poison.
[Thank you guys for reading this novel.]