The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 97: She’s Married, and Her Child Is 4 Years Old

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: She’s Married, and Her Child Is 4 Years Old

Naomi Kenway let out a sigh of relief.

"Wait." A director to Ruby Preston’s right spoke up, the lenses of his glasses reflecting a cold light. "In this performance, the contestant added a scene of her own. The change was good, but for the sake of fairness, I suggest we add another round."

"Director Sawyer, what do you mean by that?" Ruby Preston turned her head to look at him.

Director Sawyer put down the thermos in his hand, his voice filled with sincerity. "I’ve auditioned Naomi Kenway for many roles in the past, and her performance then was vastly different from what we see now... I’m not trying to give her a hard time. How about this: I’ll randomly pick a scene. If she can still pass, I’ll give her the highest score."

Zeke Sawyer’s gaze shifted to Naomi Kenway below the stage. "What do you think, Ms. Kenway?"

"I have no objections," Naomi Kenway’s calm voice rang out.

’Just as Zeke Sawyer said, my past reputation is terrible. For the others here, my performance just now probably sparked more doubt than approval. They must suspect I got the audition material in advance. Since Zeke Sawyer has raised this issue, I can use this opportunity to prove myself.’

Zeke Sawyer was a little surprised. "Alright." He closed his eyes to think for a moment, then slowly opened them. "Let’s do the scene where Hugh Chandler and Theodore Rhodes confirm their feelings for each other."

He then pointed to a young man sitting leisurely nearby. "You, go play Theodore Rhodes. You’ll be her scene partner."

The person he pointed at, Wayne Wyatt, looked completely bewildered. He uncrossed his legs. "Uncle Sawyer, I... I haven’t read the script, and I don’t know how to act."

"Didn’t your mother tell you to come here with me to learn the ropes? The son of an award-winning actor and actress, yet you know nothing about acting. Does that seem right to you? You don’t have to do much. Just stand there. What I want to see..." Zeke Sawyer pointed at Naomi Kenway. "...is her performance and how she handles her body language."

A staff member handed a script to Naomi Kenway to help her recall the plot, but the scene was already fully formed in her mind.

She glanced over it twice more. "I’m ready."

"So soon?" Zeke Sawyer looked up at her. "Alright, then begin."

Naomi Kenway slipped into character in an instant. She acted as if she were holding a bouquet, her gaze shifting from the imaginary flowers to Theodore Rhodes. Her voice was a mix of joy and awkwardness. "Are... are these for me? Roses are so expensive. Are you giving them to me as a thank-you gift?"

Wayne Wyatt stood before Naomi Kenway, playing Theodore Rhodes. He frantically tried to recall the script he’d just seen, but when he spoke, his lines were halting and disjointed.

But Naomi Kenway seemed completely unaffected by him. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes, only to dim in an instant. "Do you have any idea what you’re saying? My... my family’s situation is really bad right now. I have a younger sister to support through school. I can’t let my sister end up useless like me."

Her eyelashes lowered, lending a fragile beauty to her delicate profile.

Wayne Wyatt stared blankly at Naomi Kenway. Without realizing it, he was being drawn into the scene by her performance. The lines he struggled with now came out naturally. "You’re wonderful. In my eyes, you’re the best! Hugh Chandler, I really want to be with you..."

His tone was a mixture of heartache and solemnity, as if he were truly speaking to the Hugh Chandler who had pried open his heart. "I’m not joking."

"Cut!" Zeke Sawyer shouted.

The performance was forced to a halt. Naomi Kenway looked over, confused. ’What does he mean by that? Was my acting that bad?’

Wayne Wyatt was also a bit lost. He looked toward the judges’ table. "What’s wrong, Uncle Sawyer?"

Zeke Sawyer looked at Naomi Kenway, the suspicion in his eyes fading. He smiled slightly. "There’s no need to continue. We just discussed it amongst ourselves, and we have a clear understanding of your control over the character."

"You performed very well."

Ruby Preston was strict and serious when it came to work, but in private, she was a straightforward and approachable person. Zeke Sawyer was her opposite. As one of the judges for this audition, he was known by all the artists as cold-faced and hard-hearted, and the number of times he had praised an artist could be counted on one hand.

Ruby Preston smiled and nodded. "Nicole, go home and wait for our notice."

Naomi Kenway understood. She bowed and then left.

Wayne Wyatt reluctantly returned to Zeke Sawyer’s side. "Uncle Sawyer, I was just getting into it! How could you do that? You tell me to go up there, and then you just yell ’cut’ and call me back."

"Your eyes were practically glued to her. Your mother sent you here to learn acting, not to stare at pretty women," Zeke Sawyer snorted.

Wayne Wyatt raised his eyebrows in disbelief. He covered his mouth with his hand and coughed a few times, but his ears were a little red. "Was it that obvious?"

An arm draped over his shoulder. Luke Lowell said ominously, "Wayne, don’t get any ideas you shouldn’t. She’s married, and her kid is already four years old."

Wayne Wyatt’s jaw nearly hit the floor. "How is that possible? She looks about our age. How could she be married with a kid..."

"She’s already twenty-eight. She’s on a pretty popular reality show with kids right now. You can check it out if you’re interested. My little neph—... Her son is very cute. He’s incredibly handsome for his age, and even looks a little like me."

Wayne Wyatt froze on the spot, his budding romance ending before it even began.

Luke Lowell chuckled and removed his arm.

’He’ll praise me to death when he finds out I got rid of a love rival for my cousin.’

While Naomi Kenway was performing below, Luke Lowell had been recording the entire thing from the judges’ table. The shock Naomi had given him was just too intense.

He sent the audition video he had just recorded to Ethan Shaw, his words not hiding his astonishment in the slightest.

[Luke Lowell: Naomi Kenway’s improvement is just explosive. ’Incredible’ is the only word I can think of to describe it. Did she get enlightened by a celestial being or something? I’m not being superstitious, but her performance just defies logic.]

[Luke Lowell: Recorded the whole thing, was shocked the whole time (video)(video)]

Knowing Ethan Shaw was a busy man who replied to messages very slowly, he didn’t just wait around. He started chatting with Director Warren, who was nearby, to sound him out.

Halfway through the conversation, he suddenly remembered the issue with how he’d addressed Naomi Kenway. When talking to Ethan Shaw, he couldn’t just use her full name.

Luke Lowell quickly opened his phone. He found the chat window and was about to unsend and retype his message when he was shocked to see it was already marked as "Read."

This was a new record for the fastest Ethan Shaw had ever read a message.

Luke Lowell waited nervously for a while, bracing himself for his cousin’s judgment. But after a long time, there was still no reply. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’What’s with him leaving me on read?’

’Usually, even though my cousin is cold, he’ll at least reply with an "Mm." Now he doesn’t even have an "Mm" for me?!’

[Luke Lowell: Cousin?]

[Luke Lowell: My dearest cousin?]

The message was quickly marked as "Read," making one suspect that Ethan Shaw hadn’t left the chat window at all.

’A cousin’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea.’ Luke Lowell racked his brains, trying to guess what Ethan Shaw was thinking.

The message notification sound chimed. Luke Lowell hurriedly opened his phone to look.

[Ethan Shaw: Who is that man?]

Luke Lowell frowned.