“She needed to,” Cassius whispered back, and they both returned their gaze to the screen.
While the movie played, Tatiana could hear the gasps from the audience during the thrilling scenes, the laughter at the funny scenes, and the gushing at the romantic scenes.
However, Cassius wasn’t pleased with the romantic scenes. Damn Gavin. Thank God his character died in the movie.
They were all engrossed until the end, even Tatiana and Cassius. Tatiana finally concluded that she had done an incredible job on this project.
The movie ended after two and a half hours. The audience even stayed to check the name.
The name that appeared wasn’t Tatiana Wallington but Tatiana Karen. Karen was her middle name.
She couldn’t use her new surname, ‘King,’ yet.
One of the audience members suddenly stood up and clapped, and others slowly joined in. As they did, Tatiana’s heart raced with excitement. Her chest heaved as she looked at Cassius.
He smiled and whispered, “I’m proud of you.”
She bit her lower lip.
“You’ve achieved the success you craved. Now it’s time to go for the status. How about you nominate yourself for the Best Actress award?”
Tatiana’s face reddened.
—
“No way! Did you see the amount made from just its release? Billions of dollars! Not only from Australia. This is the highest!” Jolene paced around Hudson’s office.
“Idol was right about you being such a drama queen,” Hudson stated, his eyes focused on the screen.
“Tsk… I wasn’t talking to you. Where’s Tatiana? I can’t be with a grumpy man like you,” Jolene scoffed.
“Gr… umpy?” Hudson’s lips parted.
The door opened, and Jaxon stepped in. His mouth opened to speak, but no words came out when his eyes met Jolene’s.
He hadn’t seen her in a week.
“Mister Jaxon!” Jolene exclaimed and bowed to greet him. “Nice to meet you again. How have you been?”
Jaxon didn’t reply; instead, he gave Hudson a questioning look.
“She’s here to see Idol,” Hudson said, and Jaxon nodded and faced Jolene, who stood like a statue.
‘Why does she have to be so cute?’ Jaxon wondered. Damn! He had planned to avoid her since he wasn’t the type to chase women. It should be the other way around.
He successfully avoided her for a week, and now she was standing before him, smiling. Freaking cute.
“Are you busy?” Jaxon found himself asking, and Jolene blinked once.
“I’m waiting for Tatiana, but I can help you with whatever you need if it won’t take long,” she responded, and Jaxon swallowed.
Did she even know what he really wanted? She’d curse him if she found out what was running through his head at the moment.
“I was about to have lunch. I wanted to ask Hudson, but he seems busy…”
“I’m not busy,” Hudson blurted out, and Jaxon glared at him. This guy!
“Yes, you are. Would you like to join me, Jojo?”
Jolene was dumbstruck. Not only did he want a mere assistant to join him for lunch, but he also called her by her nickname.
“Uh… okay, I guess,” Jolene agreed with an awkward smile. She wondered what the man was up to.
As they left, Hudson’s eyes turned serious as he focused on the screen again. His idol had just reached another level… She had gained a new enemy.
A famous actress from the Crystal Entertainment Industry.
Jemima.
Crystal Entertainment was well known for its resources and strict policies. It was even more resourceful than Stardust Company.
They had produced many great artists, among them Jemima.
—
On her comfortable couch, Jemima slowly sipped her wine as she stared at what Tatiana had achieved. Her movie and Tatiana’s had been released on the same day.
The shocking thing was, her movie didn’t make half of what Tatiana’s movie made.
How preposterous!
Jemima had thought a mere project done within a few months would never beat hers, which took almost a year to complete! She had persuaded her team to release her movie, and in the end, she got a slap in the face.
Tatiana Wallington or Karen, whatever her name is, just crossed the line.
Every Jemima movie always made a hit and became the talk of the town, but this year was different. An actress from nowhere had stolen the spotlight.
Of course, Jemima knew Tatiana years ago; she wasn’t in the industry at that time. She had joined when Tatiana left and had become famous. She even won the Best Actress award last year and was determined to win this year too.
But it seems she now has a competitor.
Her door opened, and her male assistant, Wiley, walked in.
“Ma’am,” he called.
“And?” Jemima glanced over her shoulder.
“She isn’t signed to any company yet.”
Jemima’s hold on her wine glass tightened. She let out a deep breath. Tatiana wasn’t even signed. How in the world did she manage to pull it off?
“Okay. When is the Best Actress award?” she asked, her voice sounding rougher than usual.
“In a month, madam.”
Jemima shut her eyes in annoyance.
“One more thing, Ma’am. Tatiana was invited to the Crystal Entertainment interview. It seems the company might even consider signing her,” Wiley added, and Jemima cursed under her breath.
“And she agreed?”
“Yes,” Wiley responded.
What sane artist wouldn’t agree? This interview opens many doors: exposure, status, and an opportunity to get nominated for the award ceremony.
Jemima was to be interviewed too… and now Tatiana?
Definitely, this woman didn’t do this on her own. She must be sleeping with some powerful men in the industry.
One thing Jemima didn’t know was that Tatiana’s success was due to her own capability. Cassius never used his power to help Tatiana’s status grow.
She did it herself!
“That means Tatiana will be staying at the provided hotel before the interview?” Jemima asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The interview starts at eight, and the guests are to stay at Starline Hotel.
This might be a good opportunity for her.
—
Wiley had gotten information that Tatiana wasn’t in her assigned room. He had asked some of his acquaintances to track her, though they hadn’t given him any feedback yet.
However, he was going to search Tatiana’s room himself, hoping to find something to use against her. She had settled in, so it would be easy.
He opened the door to the room and closed it gently. The room was dark, and he couldn’t turn on the light to avoid suspicion.
He turned on his phone’s flashlight and began to search the drawer he first noticed. His fingers moved quickly, knowing Tatiana might return soon.
He suddenly heard someone clear their throat. A man.
A man?! His mind emphasized. Definitely, the man Tatiana had been sleeping with. But damn! This aura was something else. Its regal bearing was suffocating.
Since he had found something, there was no need to stay any longer. He just needed to inform Jemima about this.
He immediately ran to the door, but his body collided with a hard chest, bouncing him back…
What the…
He tried to turn the flashlight to the man’s face, but the man grabbed him by the neck like a vice. His phone fell to the floor, and the room turned dark again.
“Let me go,” he squeaked, and the man squeezed harder, slamming his back against the wall.
“Pl… ease d.. on’t kill me…” he pleaded, tears cascading down his face. He might die from the way this man gripped him.
Though he couldn’t see the man’s face, he could feel the anger emanating from him, sending a chill down his spine.
“Here’s some advice, Wiley. It won’t take much effort to break your neck right now. I’ll release you just so you can tell that bimbo bitch of yours…
Don’t fuck with my woman, or you’ll face my wrath.”