11 Chapter 11

Madeline knew Lance Grant was serious when he gave her his personal card with a phone number. But she was unsure if his intention would harm her in the long run.

After all, she had experienced a terrible love life that ruined her career once, so she became extremely paranoid when dealing with men now, especially the powerful ones who could ruin her life even worse. 

"Alright, there's no point thinking about it right now. I need to clear my head first," Madeline told herself. She put his business card inside her bag, cleaned her make-up, and changed her clothes.

She dragged her suitcase out of the studio and drove away. She had nowhere to go after the talk show ended. She wouldn't have another talk show in five more days and didn't know if she could stay relevant after this.

After all, she was a washed-up actress using shock factors to earn money. These people would eventually grow bored of her. 

"Well, maybe I should start accepting endorsements on my Instagram. That should help, right?" Madeline had recently made a new Instagram account and had amassed three million followers in just the span of a month.

But hate comments would flood the comment section whenever she posted something.

Even her DMs were filled with people telling her to kill herself.

It didn't affect her, honestly. She got used to it after four years of constant hate, but all these hate comments stopped her from getting any endorsements, let alone sponsorships.

She had been turned into a public punching bag with little benefit on social media.

'Then what should I do to stay relevant? This won't last long, and the bills are piling up,' Madeline thought. She entered the McDonald's driveway and bought her lunch there, then went to Echo Park, where she usually spent her day sitting on the grass while staring at the lake. 

She ate her late lunch, staring emptily while thinking about her next move.

'Should I call Director Gomez for a role? ' Madeline pondered. Director Gomez was the director of The Last Spring. He was a kind old man who appreciated Madeline's talent and told her she could come to him if she needed an acting gig.

She didn't know if he still remembered that promise. But it was best to try calling him first.

So she scrolled through her contact list and stared at his phone number for a while before taking a deep breath and bracing herself.

She pressed the call button and waited until it connected.

—

"Hello? Who's this?"

The croaky voice of an old man was like music in Madeline's ears. She tried to soften her voice to make herself sound more polite. 

"Hello, good afternoon, Mr. Gomez. This is Madeline Rose, the actress who played Erina in The Last—"

Beep.

—

Madeline was stunned when the phone call was cut short. She thought it was because of a bad connection, so she called again.

—

"What do you want?" Mr. Gomez asked curtly, which was quite shocking for Madeline as she remembered how kind and gentle this old man was four years ago.

"I… I'm just wondering if there's any acting gig that I can do. I need some money, Director," Madeline said politely.

"I can't give you any job. You've been blacklisted in Hollywood, and I don't want to fight with my wife just because I'm hiring a shameless homewrecker like you," Mr. Gomez said. "Don't you realize that nobody wants you now?"

His words were like a knife that stabbed her right in the heart. "B—But you said that you'd help me get an acting gig if I ever need one."

"Do you think that offer still stands when you've been parading yourself as a slut on TV? Come on now, Madeline Rose, you have no more worth," Mr. Gomez said harshly. "Even my wife saw your talk show and cursed you. She said that you should kill yourself. Do you think it's wise for me to hire you after what you've done?" 

…

Madeline had expected the conversation to end up like this. But she was still hoping there could be a miracle and that this old man would at least give her another chance. 

"Sir, I am a good actress, you know it. I can prove it to you if you give me a chance."

"I'm sorry, Madeline Rose. There's no point in your talent when you have no worth right now, but if you're so desperate for money, you can start… uh… what's that called again? OnlyFans? Just sell yourself to the porn site. I heard many young women are doing it right now."

Beep.

—

Madeline was the one who ended the call this time. To say that she was angry was an understatement. She was FURIOUS!

Of course, she knew she had no worth in Hollywood after her scandal. But she believed that her acting talent shouldn't go to waste. She was so much more than the image she portrayed!

'I can't believe I wished that old wack was kinder. I should've known nobody would ever be kind to someone like me,' Madeline thought.

…

'Should I sell myself to a porn site? I'm sure that people would buy my naked picture…' Madeline considered for a moment. But when she imagined herself getting naked and demeaned as a mere sex doll for those men, she felt sick in the stomach.

'Okay, scrap that. I can't. I just can't. It's too much for me,' Madeline refused. 

She stared at the lake for a while, thinking of a way out of this difficult situation. Then she accidentally overheard two teenagers walking past her while gossiping about 'Madeline Rose.'

"Have you seen Madeline Rose's interview on the Oleana Show? Gosh, I want her dead. I don't know how, probably in a car crash or something!"

"I know, right? I can't believe I was a fan four years ago!" the other girl responded. "I hope I won't see her anywhere after this. She deserves to be boycotted for the rest of her life!"

"Ugh, Jon and Vivian must be suffering a lot because of that bitch!"