Silence filled the vast hall, broken only by the frantic pounding of Anna's heart inside her chest.
She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous—hell, she was terrified. But between walking out without ever being given a chance and walking out after at least trying, she knew which one she could live with. If no one liked her performance, so be it. But being dismissed without a voice? That, she couldn't bear.
Drawing a shaky breath, Anna closed her eyes for a moment. She let the tension bleed out, forcing herself to steady. When she finally opened them, her gaze lifted and met the men watching her—Wilsmith's sharp, assessing eyes and Ethan's quiet, encouraging ones.
Anna had practiced her lines countless times, enough to know them by heart. But she also knew this wasn't just about reciting dialogue. Acting wasn't about the words—it was about the weight of the emotions beneath them. The story was about a woman trapped in unrequited love, bound to a man who never truly saw her.
