Genuine confusion threaded through his voice. “But today? Today she's just... not. I asked her to handle something at lunch—basic stuff, just get the caterer to do his job properly—and she acted like she didn't even understand what I was asking for."
"I gave her everything. Job, access, stability. She got me, and she can’t even do this one little thing for me."
Caleb kept his face neutral. Letting the silence invite more.
"Now she's being all cold. Playing games. She doesn't get to decide we're done, not after everything I've put into her."
“What happened?"
Chad's hand waved around dismissively, “She saw something she shouldn’t have seen. Made a big deal out of nothing. I told her it was a prank. April Fools, you know? But she’s being completely unreasonable about it.”
She saw you. In another woman.
Caleb had played the field. He wasn’t a saint.
He’d had his share of casual, of complicated.
But he’d never pretended it was something else. Never rewritten the scene afterward.
Chad was still talking. "And the worst part? She's acting like I'm the bad guy. Like I did something wrong when she's the one being crazy about it."
Caleb made an agreeable sound, the noise of a man absolutely on your side.
He wasn't.
Chad's shoulders dropped. "Right? Thank you. Finally, someone who gets it."
Caleb looked at him. Kept looking.The suit wasn't enough.Chad thought he was the lead. Treated unfairly.
So you don’t change anything. You remove the audience that was pretending to be impressed and hold up a mirror.
Caleb had a casting director who owed him a favor. A room with cameras. And an hour before Chad needed to be at the gala.
I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.
"You've got presence," Caleb said, his tone shifting. "That thing you can't fake. The camera either sees it or it doesn't."
Chad's eyes widened theatrically. "Me?"
"I'm serious." Caleb kept his voice light, easy, like he was just making conversation. "Some people have it. The camera likes them. And you’ve got something."
Chad's face changed—hope flooding in, fast and stupid. His chest expanded.
"I mean," Chad said, trying for modest, his voice pitching up, "I've never acted professionally."
"You don't need to," Caleb said. "The camera sees what it sees. And right now, my team is looking for someone with exactly your energy."
He pulled out his phone. Scrolled like he was checking emails, not making a decision.
"We've had a slot open up—casting's scrambling to fill it. Honestly?" He glanced up. Met Chad's eyes. "You might be exactly what they're looking for. If you can get there in the next hour, I'll make sure someone sees you."
Chad's eyes were bright. Too bright. His mouth opened slightly before he caught himself.
"Yes," Chad said. Immediate. No hesitation. "I can clear my schedule. Where do I go?"
Caleb rattled off an address, then clapped Chad on the shoulder. The way he did with extras who needed a confidence boost.
"Wear something comfortable. This is just a read-through, get a feel for the character. Save the power suit for tonight."
