Chapter 28: The Troublemakers Looked… Unique.

Chapter 28: The Troublemakers Looked... Unique. "What’s going on here?" Everyone turned their heads to the voice, catching a bulky man stepping out of the door. It was the same bouncer who had shooed Lola away earlier. The bouncer frowned as he caught Melissa holding Lola’s arm. But that wasn’t what made him frown; it was Lola herself. He’d already told this woman not to come here, but it seemed Lola had returned and was now causing a problem. "Good Uncle!" Suddenly, an adorable call from below snapped his attention. The bouncer gazed down and saw the twins waving at him with wide smiles. He furrowed his brow. "You two are still here?" he asked, thinking the twins had already left since they had just disappeared earlier. "Ahem!" The short-haired lady walked closer to the bouncer. "Sir, you see, that woman is causing trouble for us!" Hearing this, Melissa suddenly released Lola’s hand and took a step back. The blonde girl chimed in. "We’re just trying to stop her from interrupting the audition, but she’s very persistent!" "They’re right!" another voice from the distance yelled. "That mother and kids want to go in because they said they should be there!" More and more of them spoke, summarizing the unfolding situation. Then, Melissa, with her signature gentle voice, spoke up. "I’m sorry for the trouble," she said to the bouncer. "She’s my sister, and she’s only here to support me. Please, let me talk to her a bit more, and we’ll clear things up." She lowered her head. "I’m sorry for this. She’s really not trying to create a commotion." Everyone frowned at Melissa’s sudden action. Why would she cover up for Lola, when everyone knew that it was Lola and her children who had been causing trouble? But Lola and the twins watched her coldly, reading her like an open book. "Melissa, this is why she’s always causing trouble for you," the short-haired woman frowned and glared at Lola. "Can’t you see what you’re doing? Even now, Melissa has to bow her head and apologize because you’re just too stubborn!" "For crying out loud, can you just please leave?" the blonde one hissed, growing more impatient with Lola. "You’ve already caused enough commotion and inconvenience for everyone!" Melissa raised her head and turned to everyone, jumping in. "Lola, please..." she begged, almost whimpering. "Just turn around and leave. I’ll do whatever you want, just stop causing more trouble for everyone." "My mommy never caused anyone trouble," Second blinked. "You’re the one who doesn’t let her go." Chacha frowned, pointing at Melissa while turning her head to the bouncer. "Big Good Uncle, they’re the ones who have been causing my mommy trouble and wouldn’t let her work!" The bouncer’s frown deepened before he sighed heavily. "I’m sorry, kids, but aside from the staff and the artists, I cannot allow you to get in," he said as he raised his hand in surrender, marching forward. "I’ll have to ask you to leave this area, or I’ll be forced to escort you out myself." Unlike earlier, his tone was kinder and gentler because there were children around. Even so, this was his job, and even if he felt pity for the twins, he had no choice. He was simply doing his job, and he had a family to feed. The twins frowned and looked up at Lola. The man also shifted his eyes to Lola. "Miss, think of your kids," he said, motioning with his hand. "Don’t force me to remove you from the area." **** Meanwhile, inside Function Hall Three: Audition Hall, everyone on the casting panel watched a man play a scene from the script. But while everyone seemed invested in his impeccable acting, Director Sarian was not nearly impressed. His mouth curved down deeper and deeper with every actor who came in front of them. He had already seen their video recordings, but somehow, watching them live was upsetting. Or was it because Taz was not yet here? I guess it’s a good thing that she’s not here, he thought. It’ll only be embarrassing to invite her here when all these artists are just going to disappoint us. Director Sarian was already strict with all of his projects, and he was known for that. It was why most of his projects were hits. Many series or movies were promoted by the artist, but his name was often included in the promotions because everyone knew that if it was his work, people would see it. But for him, Taz was more meticulous and stricter. She was something of a perfectionist, and with him and Taz working together, Director Sarian wanted this project to be his last masterpiece before retiring—a film he would direct last, and also, a film that could set off Taz as his prodigy. Even if she didn’t seem interested in filmmaking, it would be a waste of talent. Director Sarian shook his head as he moved his eyes to the corner where Ida, his assistant, was pacing around. Ida was busy on her phone, calling someone, and he knew who she was trying to reach. There is no point in contacting Taz since this will only waste her time... His thoughts trailed off when he noticed that the corner where the next auditionee should be waiting for their turn was almost empty. They had strict rules, and that was to let people in in small batches. "Is that all?" he blurted out, distracting the actor in the front as he pointed at the empty seats. "Is she the last one?" Everyone on the panel looked at him and then turned in the direction he was pointing. There was only one actor left. "That’s strange. The next batch should’ve been here," the person next to him furrowed her brows. "Is there a problem outside?" Director Sarian didn’t want to ask, so he raised a hand, completely ignoring the distracted artist in front of him, to call for a staff member. Once the staff approached their table, he leaned in. "Where are the rest of the artists?" he asked. The staff glanced at the empty waiting monoblocs before lowering his head. "Director, there seemed to be a commotion outside," said the staff. "The security is already handling it." "A commotion?" One of the panel members frowned. "What is it this time?" "It seemed someone was trying to get in here even though they were not part of the artists’ list or a staff member," the staff explained. "Don’t worry. The situation is already being settled." Director Sarian and the other two with him frowned deeply. This was not something new to them. After being in the industry, there were still those shameless ones who would take their chances through begging or, worse, by offering sexual favors. "Fix it," Director Sarian ordered, and watched the staff nod. But then, somehow, just as the staff turned around, he spoke again. "Wait." "Yes, Director?" "The person outside... is it a woman?" His question made the other panel members furrow their brows, while it confused the staff. "Yes, Director," the staff still answered, only to hear Director Sarian’s next question: "What does she look like?" His question made the staff even more confused. "Director, is it important to know what the troublemaker looks like?" one who was with him asked, but the director just kept his gaze on the staff. The staff thought about it and carefully chose their words. "Well, from what I heard and saw... the troublemakers outside looked... unique." The second the word "unique" reached Director Sarian’s ears, he rose from his seat. His teeth clenched as he glared at the staff. "How can you—" he hissed, anger quickly swelling in his chest. "Director, what’s wrong?" The other casting member furrowed his brows while the actor in the front had already stopped his audition since the panel wasn’t even paying attention. "What’s wrong?" Director Sarian grumbled as he started marching away. "What’s wrong is that everyone here is not giving access to the most important person on this panel—Taz!" The staff and the casting members froze for a second, eyes on the director’s storming figure. "Oh, no!" the staff gasped, and quickly, they followed Director Sarian outside the hall to see the situation. Ida, who was in the other corner, saw that the panel members were leaving. Hence, she jogged and followed them. Much to their dismay, the second they stepped out, Lola and the twins were already being escorted away. Seeing this, Director Sarian’s eyes burned as his shouts echoed in the hall’s lobby. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE ALL DOING?!"