Chapter 413 - 411: Suitable to Play the Mistress?

’But what’s Aya Winters doing here? And why is she looking our way?’

"Hello, Melody," Aya Winters said, walking over to greet her.

"Hello," Melody replied.

She couldn’t help but think of the recent gossip.

There was the news that Aya Winters had signed with Starfall, as well as the rumors of a scandal between her and Evan Fairchild.

The day Evan Fairchild appeared in Somberfell City, he started trending online.

Aya Winters had also posted a photo, mentioning she was in Somberfell City too. She trended for a short while, but the news was quickly buried, and she ended up becoming a laughingstock.

One entertainment news outlet ran a story directly questioning it: how could a distinguished movie queen, a heavyweight in the entertainment industry, stoop to chasing clout like that?

Aya Winters probably hadn’t expected things to backfire on her like that.

With Aya Winters and Melody Monroe standing together, everyone couldn’t help but compare them.

One was as fiery as a flame, the other as serene as still water.

But Aya’s fire couldn’t outshine Melody’s clear water.

There was, after all, a significant age gap between them; Aya Winters was a good six or seven years older than Melody.

Furthermore, Aya’s makeup was a bit heavy, while Melody wore only light makeup, not even foundation. Based on their skin alone, Melody’s was in a completely different league.

Seen this way, the radiance of the usually luminous Aya Winters seemed to vanish.

This brought a sense of satisfaction to her teammates.

It was the same for anyone who shared a frame with Melody—Aya Winters was no exception.

"Melody, do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you."

Melody was a little surprised.

"Here’s the thing. I have a film that’s about to start shooting, and there’s still an important role that hasn’t been cast. I originally planned to speak with President Shaw, but she was just promoted to CEO of Stellaris and is swamped with work. I happened to hear you were here, so I came to find you directly. I hope this isn’t too forward of me?"

"Not at all," Melody said, shaking her head.

"Why don’t we go to my place so we can talk properly?" Aya Winters invited warmly.

"Sure," Keith Coleman agreed on Melody’s behalf, popping up out of nowhere.

Melody followed Aya toward the villa district. What a coincidence—the villa Aya was renting wasn’t far from Evan Fairchild’s. However, the area offered excellent privacy; you couldn’t see a thing even if the houses were close.

Melody was still filled with doubt. ’Aya Winters is personally inviting me to be in her film?’

’That’s right,’ she recalled, ’Aya Winters followed me a while back, too.’

Once they arrived at the villa, Aya immediately had someone prepare tea.

"This is the script. You can take a look first, and if you’re interested, we can discuss it further."

Melody glanced at it. It was a romance drama set against the backdrop of a wealthy family.

She skimmed through it. Aside from the female lead, none of the female characters were particularly likable. Even the second female lead was a possessive type, secretly in love with the male lead and serving as the biggest obstacle between him and the protagonist.

This felt different from Warm Wind. Here, the supporting female character was a mistress.

"Which role did you want me to play, Miss Winters?" Melody asked directly.

"The role of Noelle Sutton."

’Just as I thought.’ Melody put down the script. "I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in this character. You should find someone else, Miss Winters."

"May I ask why? Is it because of Noelle Sutton’s character profile?" A flicker of confusion crossed Aya’s face. "I feel this role is actually quite suitable for you."

’Suitable?’

’Suitable for playing the other woman?’

Keith Coleman’s brow tightened. ’This Aya Winters,’ he thought, ’it seems she’s been on top for too long and wants a taste of what it’s like to fall from grace.’

"The role that won you the Best Actress award also left a deep impression on audiences, Miss Winters. That’s because you were so well-suited for it," Melody replied calmly.