Irene alighted off the van and was greeted by a fifty story building.
Housed by this architectural structure were multiple A-listers, and the original Irene Blake was one of them. Entering the edifice, the elegant lettering of "Bright Star Entertainment" oozed an intimidating aura. Anyone who wished to be at the top strived to enter its threshold.
Together with Alex, she strutted toward the elevator.
A fervor of whispers befell.
"Isn't that Irene?"
"Yup. That last movie she made raked almost a billion dollars, catapulting her higher."
"Hattie has been on the edge lately because of this."
"Really? When will she know her place?"
"Stop it. Whether you like it or not she does have some talent."
"But she's way below Irene. All she's doing is just a futile attempt."
"Welp, I don't care. She can jump all she wants but she'll never catch up."
"Hey, do you think Irene will sign me an autograph if I ask her?"
"You better not. I heard that during filming an advertisement today, sparks ensued between her and the director. She's in a bad mood. Besides, you have plenty of time later. Come on, let's go home."
The subject of their chatters surprised Alex. It looked like news traveled fast. It hasn't even been a couple of hours since they left and passersby were already discussing today's confrontation.
Behind the hubbub was a brunette dressed in neutral tones. She sat on the couch; her innocent temperament was shown light.
She was in her early twenties, full of youthful vigor. Her plump cheeks were so supple to look at, as if water would come out just by pinching them.
As more people took note of her presence, the topic of the discussions naturally shifted to her.
Starring in the hit TV series "Looking At You", Lilian Chambers finally got her big break. After years of muddling in the bottom of this industry, Lilian, at last, got the recognition she deserved. She went from nothing to straight up to the B-list rank.
Irene strolled past her.
Lilian's fangirl mode switched on! Her eyes shined and sparkled.
In these muddy waters, Irene became the one she looked up to. To see someone fight and be at the top without a background planted hope in her heart.
Irene's journey motivated her and made her dream that she, too, could reach the summit.
So, she badgered her manager for a myriad of gigs for her.
Searching high and low, accepting any role that she could take so she could get enough exposure to be noticed by some bigwigs. She was up to her knees by that point. But she couldn't care less.
She knew through playing different roles that acting was her passion.
After a long walk in the desert, she found her oasis.
Her era of walking in the furrows has concluded.
Driven by motivation and grit, she ended up being the female lead of the series "Looking At You". Now, here she was, able to stretch her hand toward her idol.
Inside the elevator, Irene recognized an exigent presence.
A brunette girl with a lovable expression entered her field of view. Lilian.
The protagonist of the novel, Lilian Chambers. True to her character, her disposition evoked a sense of helplessness, but was contradicted by her vigorous eyes.
Suddenly, the cacophony of the lobby became distant prattles in Irene's ears. Lilian's magnetic eyes could draw people and make them feel at peace.
Just as she was getting drowned, Alex pressed the 40th floor. She got out of the trance. The closing door eclipsed her view.
It would be a lie to say that she didn't get nervous when she saw how captivating the protagonist was. But right now wasn't the time to mull over this.
The greeting was the last thing she heard from the system. Except for the memory of the original and a few things about the male and female lead, she was trekking a labyrinth blindly. She needed to contact it to get a clear picture of what she was going to do. She has to go home.
A ding sounded inside the elevator, then it opened its doors.
"Alex!" shouted Carl, also a manager of the company. He waved at Alex, looking somewhat troubled.
The management had already set their foot down regarding the transfer of one of his artists. It surprised him when he found out that Alex was the one they chose.
It was known that Alex was opposed to handling other artists, as proven by him vehemently disagreeing with similar arrangements done in the past.
Besides checking his friend's stand on this, he was also looking for him to hand in the transfer documents. What more could he do? The top has already spoken.
All he had to do now was complete the process, regardless of how he or anyone felt.
Noticing a tall lady by his side, his gaze moved and met Irene's.
He was preoccupied with his thoughts earlier that he missed her completely. He turned and greeted her.
Irene nodded in return.
Alex and Carl have a good relationship, but this didn't extend to the original Irene. Irene and Carl, at most, were acquaintances. So his casual approach to her was normal.
Meanwhile, Alex knew his intent on approaching him. He didn't mind it. He thought that he could use this to finally get on with this troublesome transfer. As much as he hated it, the jury has been set. He enthusiastically waved back and said, "Sup."
Carl currently has three artists in his hands. Unlike Alex, who was focusing on one—which was about to change—he liked to hustle more.
Carl took note of the uninterested look of Irene and guessed that she didn't know about the additional family member that they were about to have. He asked, "Do you have time? I need your help with something." It was better if Alex said it himself.
"Of course. But wait for a bit. I'll just give Irene some documents."
"Sure, I got time." Carl sat on a chair and watched as Alex led Irene into his office.
None of the celebrities he knew could match the aura of these two.
Luckily for the others—the male gender specifically—one of them was already satisfied being in the background.
***
For someone like Alex, a minimalist office wouldn't come to mind when thinking of him. But against all expectations, it was. Irene saw a sleek and modern interior design.
Irene sat on the couch examining the details in the room. Alex took a stack of documents from his drawer. He put the papers on the coffee table and sat beside her.
Irene scrunched up her eyebrows when she looked at them. She felt a little unsure how to approach this situation with no background information.
Witnessing her facial expression change from stoic to exasperated, weirdly amused Alex.
His face turned soft, and he chuckled. "In the next three days, you can choose which script you prefer."
Those words brightened Irene's gloomy face. An opportunity!
This was the time that she needed. It wasn't necessary to run to the company or shoot anything. She schooled her emotions, but a curve on her lips still escaped. "Thanks."
Her surprised face pulled someone's heart strings. How cute.
The corner of Alex's lips went up. He said, "A smile finally graced our goddess's face."
Irene realized what he meant and lowered her head.
In this "vacation", she must find ways to contact the system if it wouldn't contact her first. She lamented, What a lousy employer.
She replied guiltily to Alex, "I'm just exhausted."
"And that's why I gave you this. Take this time to unwind. When you're back, be ready to make some money for me again," Alex joked.
Irene chortled. The ceiling lights highlighted her curved eyes, creating a dazzling view. "Naturally."
Their conversation lasted for fifteen minutes before reaching the end.
Alex waited for Irene to organize her stuff and walked with her to see her out.
Near the door, they stood face to face. Irene's head barely reached the tip of Alex's nose. He affectionately ruffled her hair. "I won't be able to send you back. But I already instructed Simon to wait for you. The van is still downstairs."
She knew he was just caring for the original Irene, even so, his consideration implanted a sense of gratitude in her.
Walking out, she sincerely said, "Thank you."
***
Irene stepped into her house.
She didn't bother to turn the lights on and went straight to her room.
In fact, no matter how she covered it up, she was too overwhelmed with the experience she had.
It put a heavy burden on her mind. Right now, all she craved was sleep.
She plopped herself onto the queen sized mattress—dead tired. Her tense shoulders could now take the break they deserved.
On her first night, the brilliance of the full moon and the chilly breeze of spring accompanied Irene.
In this concrete jungle, a lonely tear leaked out in the corner of a foreign soul's eye.
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