Price of Dignity

After finishing their meal, David and Amelia took a break at the Golden Leaf Hotel. David relaxed in the chairman's office while Amelia enjoyed a presidential suite. Luckily, the chairman was present, so Amelia didn't have to spend any money. Later, they returned to campus together for afternoon classes, but not before taking a two to three-hour lunch break that sparked the imagination of their peers.

During the afternoon, David strolled around campus, and as Amelia predicted, people's attitudes towards him changed from disdain to envy. When he returned to the hotel, the attendants greeted him as usual. In the lobby, the newly appointed manager rushed over to greet him. "Mr. Lidell, hello!"

"Don't be so formal with me next time. We're family," David replied. "You can carry on with your duties, and I'll go up myself."

"Very well, Mr. Lidell," the manager said before bowing and stepping back. David headed for the elevator and disappeared from the lobby without noticing Tara Smith, a beautiful third-year student in the Acting Department of South River Multimedia University, watching him from the guest lounge.

Tara had been sitting in the lounge for about an hour. As a student in the Acting Department, she was expected to use her resources to secure roles in movies during her third year. Her classmates were already starting to land supporting roles and gain popularity, but Tara had not been cast in anything. It wasn't because she wasn't stunning, as she was one of the most attractive students in the department. Unfortunately, her looks couldn't compensate for her lack of acting ability.

She refused to go and grovel to those directors and investors just for a chance at a role. Sure, money was important, but she had never lacked for it growing up. Her parents were businesspeople and, even if their business wasn't that big, they had assets worth tens of millions. She had too much dignity to betray herself for a role, unlike the less well-off students who not only gave up their dignity but sometimes even sold their bodies.

In her third year, a director had set his sights on her and was about to give her a supporting role in his movie. However, he insisted that she have dinner with the investors. Inexperienced and not thinking much of it, she agreed, assuming it was just dinner. But the director and investors kept insisting she drink with them, and when she refused, the investor even touched her thigh. She responded by pouring a glass of water on his face, and the director was so furious that he swore to shut her out. Since then, not many directors asked her to join their movies.

Today, however, a famous director called her and offered her the supporting role in a movie with an investment of 100 million. He wanted to meet her in person to discuss it, and after considering it for a while, she agreed to meet him. When she arrived at the Golden Leaf Hotel, she waited in the lounge for the director's call. It was then that David's arrival caught her attention.

As soon as David stepped through the door, four attendants immediately bowed before him. Tara couldn't hear what they said from where she sat, but their gestures were clearly ones of utmost respect. Even the lobby manager hurried over to offer his own bow. Tara had been waiting in the lounge for over an hour, during which time she had seen twenty or thirty different groups of people come and go from the hotel. Yet, none of the other guests had been accorded such deferential treatment. Tara began to wonder whether David might have some kind of remarkable background, or perhaps he was the hotel owner's son, or even descended from one of the shareholders. Not that it mattered to her, of course – she was just curious. At the moment, all she could do was continue waiting for that call.

About half an hour later, Tara's phone finally rang. "Hello, Director Peters. Where are you? I'm already at the hotel," she said as she picked up. "Miss Smith, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Please come to Room 15-1. I'll be waiting for you there," came the director's voice from the other end of the line. "What's the matter, Director Peters? Can't we talk out here?"

"Miss Smith, you must understand that we are about to discuss trade secrets. What if word gets out and our investors withdraw their support?"

"Director Peters, I think it's better if we talk out here. We can get a private room if necessary. No one will overhear us."

"For heaven's sake, Miss Smith, this is a movie with an investment pool of a hundred million dollars! The supporting role is a crucial part, and there are many people competing for it. I've put in a lot of effort to secure it for you. You need to seize this opportunity. If you don't come, I'll find someone else."

"In that case, please do find someone else. Goodbye," Tara replied before ending the call. What a joke. She wasn't some naive rookie who didn't know what was what. It was almost dark outside now. Would it be safe for her to enter that room?

After hanging up the phone, Tara quickly gathered her things and left the hotel. She called for a ride back to campus and contemplated the ridiculous offer that had just been presented to her.

"Sell out her body for a supporting role? Dream on!" Tara thought to herself, feeling disgusted.

The Golden Leaf Hotel's presidential suite on the 15th floor was luxurious, but outrageously priced at $66,666 a night. Inside the opulent room were Simon Peters, a man in his thirties, a middle-aged man in his forties, and a woman in her twenties who appeared to be a secretary.

Once Tara had ended the call, Simon's face transformed from pale to a dark shade of anger. "Director Peters, how could someone dare to reject you with your reputation in the movie industry? Does she not want to be in the industry anymore?" the short and rich-looking middle-aged man asked.

"Mr. Gomez, that girl is still a virgin and doesn't know the rules of the industry. I think her family has money too, which is why she hasn't decided to enter this industry," Simon explained.

"A virgin you say? This is great! I like girls like that. Can you get her for me? I'll invest another 20 million," Hector Gomez eagerly exclaimed.

"Mr. Gomez, that might be a little difficult. You just heard her, this girl will not be swayed," Simon replied, feeling helpless.

"We'll just make her the female lead! I want to see whether she can resist this temptation," Hector insisted.

"But the female lead role was already given to Marie Kent. If we want to change this at the last minute, she'll not be happy," Simon pointed out.

"We haven't signed the contract yet, so we can still change at any time we want! So what if she's not happy?" Hector said nonchalantly.

"I'll do my best," Simon said, feeling uneasy.

"Not your best, you must!" Hector exclaimed, leaving no room for compromise.

Simon seethed with anger as he thought about the capitalists. They always took advantage of others for their own benefit. To make matters worse, Hector had asked a third-year student who had no experience in movies to play the lead role in a $100 million movie, and had even asked an A-lister to play a supporting role. If word got out, Simon would be attacked by Marie's fans. If the girl was talented, then it would be fine, but if not, the whole movie would be ruined. Simon knew that he would be held responsible for it all.

Despite cursing Hector in his heart, Simon maintained a pandering smile and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Gomez. I will definitely find a way to get it done."

He had no choice but to please his wealthy clients. Although Simon was well-known in the industry, he wasn't at a stage where he could ignore the capitalists. Only the best directors had that privilege. Simon dreamed of becoming one of them.

The next afternoon, Patrick informed David that the blind date would take place at the Golden Leaf Hotel and reminded him not to be late. David messaged Pearl, instructing her to treat him like any other guest upon his arrival at the hotel. He didn't want news of the date to spread yet.

After his afternoon class, David went to the Golden Leaf Hotel and waited in the chairman's office. The other three Musketeers still needed to shower and change. Tara arrived at the hotel again, but this time, she was there to attend a dinner treated by her roommate Madison Johnson's new boyfriend.

The four of them stood at the hotel entrance while they waited for Patrick and the gang. "Maddie, is your boyfriend really treating us to dinner here? We were just joking yesterday. Why don't we go to another place?" asked Eliza Goldman, one of Madison's roommates.

Yesterday, they had heard that Madison's new boyfriend wanted to treat them to dinner and had asked them to choose a place. They had casually mentioned the Golden Leaf Hotel, not expecting him to actually treat them to dinner there.

"Liz, it's fine. Just trust me. How can he be my boyfriend if he can't even afford a meal?" Madison responded.

"Maddie, your boyfriend seems great. He must be from a rich family. I'm so envious! Can you ask him whether he has other rich friends who are still single so we can get to know them?" asked Rosalie King, another roommate.

"Even though he's treating us to dinner tonight, he'll also bring a few of his roommates. Then, you can see if there's anyone you like. I can help set you guys up," Madison said.

"Are his roommates as rich as him? Don't tell me they are all poor," Rosalie asked.

"I have no idea," Madison responded.

"Rosie, stop dreaming about getting a rich boyfriend all the time. It's not bad to find one with potential too," Tara interrupted.

"Tara, we're not the same as you. Your family is loaded. If you can't handle the real world, you can go back to your family business and inherit hundreds of millions in assets. How can we compare to you?" Rosalie retorted.

"You have to know that the best ending for people like us is finding a rich guy who loves us. I don't even know how much hardship I have to endure to become a star. I might even end up with nothing," Tara thought to herself.

"Don't be so pessimistic," Tara said out loud.

"I'm not, but students without backgrounds like us will have to have dinner, drinks, or even sleep with someone to get a role. In the end, you might not even be famous after sacrificing yourself. So, I don't want to become a star anymore. I just want to find a rich man and live my life peacefully," Rosalie said.

Tara had no way of retorting anymore because the truth of the matter was just as Rosalie had said.