Chapter 42

The last time Sienna had met Charles at Primerise Cinema, he’d been quite pleased with her. They’d agreed that same day for her to try on makeup and audition for a dance segment. Today was the day. Sienna went barefaced, as she was going to have makeup applied.

Upon arrival, Sienna contacted Derek. "Sienna," Derek said, though he was busy, he came to get her, took her to the makeup room, and found a makeup artist. "Once you’re all done, just join everyone outside."

"Alright, you go on with your work," Sienna replied.

The women trying on makeup were all stand-ins for the female lead; their makeup and costumes were identical. Even though stand-ins only needed to show their figures—their faces weren't in the shots—the makeup artists were amazed by Sienna's face. It was fortunate she was only a stand-in; if she had any speaking role, not even the lead actress could outshine her.

Once the stand-ins were ready, they went outside. Charles was meticulous, so he personally oversaw everything. The stand-ins performed one by one, and he observed each. When it was Sienna's turn, Charles glanced at her profile—a graduate of the prestigious Flirty University of Arts—and her dancing was outstanding. Most importantly, her figure was absolutely stunning.

Charles said, "Derek."

"Yes, Mr. Carter."

Charles gestured towards Sienna. "Call her over."

"Sure thing," Derek replied. He thought Sienna might have a chance; since he'd recommended her, he was delighted and quickly fetched her.

"Mr. Carter, she's here," Derek said, returning with Sienna.

"Okay," Charles flipped through some papers. "Sienna Shaw?"

"Yes, that's me." With her hands held elegantly in front of her, Sienna appeared composed, neither haughty nor conceited. The scrutiny didn't faze her; a dancer's job was to be seen, after all.

"Okay, not bad," Charles said. "Did you learn modern dance?"

"Yes, I did."

"Besides dancing, do you have any other plans?"

"Huh?" Sienna was momentarily confused. "What, Mr.…"

"Nothing," Charles chuckled, changing the subject. Although he was quite pleased with her appearance, it was too early to say anything definitive. He needed to see if she could perform well as a dance substitute.

He tapped the papers on the table. "Okay, you're in."

Sienna was taken aback, unable to stop smiling. "Thank you, sir."

Charles waved his hand. "Derek will tell you about the details."

"Alright, have a good day," Sienna replied.

As Sienna left, Charles called Derek over and took out Sienna's file. "She's our priority."

Derek asked, "Mr. Carter, what do you mean?"

Charles made it clear. "As long as she has time, let her come."

"Great," Derek said, delighted, nodding with a smile. "If Sienna knew, she'd be thrilled."

Charles chuckled, unable to resist praising her. "Her potential is quite good. Very photogenic." The people who auditioned today were all dance majors, and many were truly skilled. But film is an art form; some people looked great on camera, and that charisma was undeniable—Sienna was one of those people.

Charles said, "I've given her the chance; the rest depends on herself."

"Don't worry," Derek said. "I recommended her, so I'll keep an eye on her." Turning around, Derek went to find Sienna to tell her the news. "Sienna, you've got to seize this opportunity."

Derek spoke cautiously. Since the future was uncertain, he didn't want to overpromise. "If this shoot goes well, Mr. Carter will surely look out for you again."

"I understand; thank you," Sienna said.

"You're welcome."

With a bounce in her step, Sienna walked out with this good news. Her happiness persisted until that evening when she went to Maze.

After a long day at work, Zach came in with definitive news for Josiah. "Mr. Flynn, it's confirmed that Sienna indeed lives on 19th Avenue."

As soon as he said this, Josiah's face darkened.

"Heh," Josiah let out a short chuckle. He found it interesting.

"I've sent the exact address to your phone," Zach said, swallowing hard, reluctant to meet his eyes.

"Go on," Josiah said, picking up his phone to check.

Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Yosef.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Mr. Flynn," Yosef teased. "Where are you? Let's chill out at Maze tonight."

"I'm not going," Josiah replied. He wasn't in the mood tonight; he had more important matters to attend to.

"Come on, I've heard that you haven't been…"

Too lazy to listen to his nonsense, Josiah interrupted him. "I have things to do; I can't join you. Goodbye."

After ending the call, he looked at Zach. "Tell the driver to rest. I'll drive tonight."

"Sure thing, Mr. Flynn." Zach guessed that the boss wanted to find Sienna himself.

Josiah picked up his car keys, took the private elevator from the lounge to the underground parking, and drove straight to 19th Avenue. Just like that night, after passing Lyceum Street, the car got stuck at the alley entrance and couldn't go further. Josiah got out and started walking. With the address Zach had given him, he found where Sienna lived.

Josiah couldn't believe his eyes when he saw such a dilapidated apartment building with no elevator. The hallway was pitch black, with an indescribable smell in the air. He wondered how people actually lived there.

Standing at the door, Josiah hesitated for a long time, a trace of anger in his expression, before knocking. But there was no answer.

Josiah had to give up and called her instead. No one picked up.

Frowning, slightly agitated, Josiah muttered, "Sienna! You better give me a reasonable explanation!"

At Maze, Yosef and Thomas sat facing each other, with Cedric sitting beside them.

"Interesting," Yosef said. "We come here today, but Josiah avoids us!"

"Guess he's afraid we'll make fun of him," Thomas chuckled.

Cedric didn't understand. "Why would he be afraid you'd make fun of him?"

"Kid, you didn't know, did you?" Yosef glanced at his cousin. "Josiah has been really smitten with a girl lately."

"Oh, really?" Curiosity piqued, Cedric asked, "Who is she?"

"Look there," Thomas pointed to the stage. "That lady over there… Silver Fox."

For a moment, Cedric's eyes darkened. Fortunately, the lighting wasn't very bright, so they couldn't really notice the change in his expression. Cedric paused and smiled. "Doesn't Josiah already have someone he likes?"

"What's the use of liking someone?" Yosef shook his head. "It's been so many years; he can't be with her due to their different backgrounds."

"Alas," Thomas sighed. "Actually, they were happy for Josiah." After all these years, finally, there was a woman who could catch his attention. It was better than him getting stuck on Yvette.

The two exchanged glances. "Since he's not here tonight, we should keep an eye on this girl for him, right?"

"Absolutely," Yosef nodded seriously and picked up his phone. "Yeah, deliver some stuff over… right… using Josiah’s name.”