Lilah pondered, meeting Saul's gaze. He shared his thoughts. "Effie's quite talented. Though less experienced than Tess, her performance is more impressive. Tess, despite her accolades, didn't shine as much.

But her fame would certainly attract attention to our series."

Lilah countered, "Mr. Campbell, do you think our show needs a star to draw viewers?"

Saul grasped her implication instantly.

This was A Fond Dream, whose debut had skyrocketed to fame. The drama adapted from her first novel had made a lot of actors popular.

She didn't need star power to garner interest.

"Understood. We'll go with Effie," Saul decided.

Lilah agreed, feeling a stiffness in her back from the morning's sitting. After lunch with Saul, she returned to her office.

The afternoon sky was clear, the weather perfect.

Yet online, a storm brewed.

The news of Effie and Tess competing for the lead in A Fond Dream's project had gone viral. Many dismissed Effie, doubting her ability to match her acclaimed rival.

Despite her rising popularity as a young actress, she paled in comparison to an award-winning actress. It seemed a futile effort, like chipping at a boulder with a mere pebble.

The consensus was that the production team would inevitably opt for Tess.

Convinced of her victory, Tess spent the afternoon at home, indulging in a leisurely tea, mindful of her health.

As her servant came to refill her cup, Tess suddenly smashed the cup to the floor, narrowly missing the servant. Tess, usually composed, showed a rare moment of agitation, her usually serene face twisted in alarm.

The servant nearly jumped out of her skin and barely kept the tea tray from crashing to the floor. She quickly put it down and hurried out of the room.

Tess paid the servant no mind. She was too busy trying to make sense of the shocking news she just got. Gripping the phone tightly, she demanded, “Are you sure of what you are saying?"

"Yes, it's absolutely true. The news was released by Saul and it's everywhere on the Internet," the assistant replied in a shaky voice.

Saul actually chose Effie!

It wasn't the fact that she lost the role of female lead that upset Tess, but the fact that she lost it to Effie. As an accomplished actress who had won the best actress of an important award, it was outrageous to be defeated by a new actress.

Tess needed to confirm her assistant's words for herself, so she quickly surfed the Internet. As expected, the news was trending on social media.

Naturally, her fans were dissatisfied and questioned Saul's judgment.

They were agitated and kept making all kinds of assumptions. Someone in the fans' chat group even tagged Tess and asked if she was okay.

“Tess, are you okay? Anyway, you are the best in our hearts."