It was late in the evenig when Rina decided to return home. She had stayed at a coffee shop after leaving Mr Bellamy’s office. And seeing as someone had trailed her to the director’s, who was to say there weren’t others reporters lurkinng around her. With her current reputation, she had angered a lot of internet users. If her address were to be found out and shared on the internet…she shivered at the thought of what they’d do.
In the entertainment industry, there’s been cases where celebrities have angered netizens. Like four years ago, after Rina had quit on her career to focus on her marriage, netizens had longed for another capable face and talent to grace their screens and soon found her. Jennifer Viagro, one of the industry prinncesses. She was a very great talent, diverse in her field and if not for Rina’s extraordinary skills, she would have easily become a competition. She was a great actress who could easily play any role given to her. With her talent and Rina’s retirement from the industry, netizens had decided the seat of Queen couldn’t stay vacant for too long and had crowned Jennifer Viagro as Queen of the industry over her immediate competitor, Kayla Reese.She has stayed queen for three years. Everyone had loved her so much for her talent and beauty. To her fellow artists, she was an inspiration and to netizens, she was a goddess. With a slate as clean as snow, a face as beautiful as that of a mermaid’s and a gift from the creator himself, she was the perfect queen. But then one day, a scandal broke out. A high budget movie director was casting two princesses, the past princess now turned queen, and the present in his film. The movie was a historical film about love and war and had a budget of over ten billion dollars and was scheduled to break the international market. The storyline of the movie was good, and with two famous actresses as female leads, and an all time award winning young star, Jason Stone as male lead, Movie lovers highly anticipated the release and followed news about the ongoing production. Jennifer Viagro was to play the lead female role and Kayla was to play the second female lead. The movie productions had been going well, and running smoothly until one day, a video of Jennifer hitting Kayla outside the movie scene had surfaced online. In the video, Kayla was seen crying after being hit. "Jennifer, I told you I didn't sleep with anyone to get this role. With my reputation, I think I am qualified to be a part of this production." Apparently, the two women had had an argument, but only that one video had been posted online. No one had cared to investigate to do an investigation. They had all concluded based on Kayla's words. The new queen was trying to surpress a princess. How tables turn. When she was a princess she had been meek and lovely and now she had become a queen, she dared to surpress someone and that too, a popular name like Kayla Reese? Who did she think she was? The guts to think Kayla slept with anyone just to get a role. In case Jennifer had forgotten, Kayla was a Princess in the entertainment industry and to get to that position, one had to have talent. Plus, Kayla was the only child of one of the wealthiest families in the country. She had the backing of her family. How dare Jennifer, a common actress with no backing accuse her of sleeping with someone to get a role? Netizens had been furious and Kayla's fans had been mad. They had called her names, threatened to boycott the production of the movie if she wasn't removed and had also stripped her off her title as queen of the entertainment industry. The fallout was swift and brutal. Jennifer Viagro's reputation plummeted overnight. Fans who once adored her had turned into her harshest critics, flooding social media with vitriol. The production company, under immense pressure, had no choice but to drop Jennifer from the film. The role was hastily recast, and the project moved forward, but the shadow of the scandal lingered. Jennifer's career took a nosedive. She was dropped by her agency and lost endorsement deals. Invitations to premieres and award shows dried up. Even her closest friends in the industry began to distance themselves, wary of being tainted by association. And as if that wasn't enough, someone had shared Jennifer's home address on Kayla's fan page and some of her crazy fans had gone ahead to visit Jennifer's home. They vandalized her property, leaving threatening messages and destroying her garden. The police were called, but the damage was done. Rina had watched the entire debacle unfold from the sidelines. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Jennifer. The industry could be ruthless, and public opinion even more so. Two years ago, Rina had faced her own share of controversies, and backlash from netizens. Yet, the fear of being in Jennifer's shoes was ever-present, especially now with her own situation becoming increasingly precarious. Now that she thought about it, that incident had seemed planned. Kayla wasn't one to act weak in any situation, especially not in the face of competition. The streets were nearly empty as she made her way home, the city wrapped in the quiet hush of late evening. She kept her head down, her senses on high alert for any sign of being followed. When she finally reached her apartment, she quickly slipped inside, bolting the door behind her. The darkness of her living room was a small comfort, a brief respite from the chaos outside. She turned the light switch on and went to her room. After Mr. Bellamy's attempt at touching her, she felt filthy and desperate for a bath. When she stepped out of the shower, she got dressed into comfortable home wear and wanted to make dinner when she remembered she had nothing at home. She returned to her room, grabbed a coat and her wallet. The night was cold as it was nearing autumn. She stepped outside and locked the door. Her phone rang in her pocket, startling her. She pulled it out and saw that it was George calling. She breathed a relieved sigh and answered the call. "George..." "Rina, how are you?" George's voice, tired, came from the other end. "I'm fine!" Rina replied softly. "I tried speaking with a few directors on your behalf, but, no one would hear your name. Let's give it a rest, you're currently trending once again, no one wants to hear a thing I have to say." Rina nodded. "How about the higher ups... we could talk to them. All I'm asking is that the ban is lifted, I can help myself from there." George sighed. Why was this girl being stubborn. Speaking to the higher ups on her behalf was impossible, lifting her ban was impossible and making a comeback? That was an unrealistic request. "Rina, you can't make a comeback. You are multi talented, you could always venture into other things." George couldn't understand why she was being adamant about it. "George, we can make it possible, we just have to..." The blaring of car horns and the screeching of tires assaulted Rina's senses as she stumbled through the dimly lit streets. And then it happened—a blinding glare of headlights, the roar of a powerful engine, and the screech of brakes. Before she could react, a luxurious car swerved dangerously close, narrowly missing her. Fear gripped her heart, and she tried to jump out of the way, but her tired legs betrayed her. In the seconds that followed, Rina felt herself being pulled away from the path of the oncoming vehicle. The world spun, and she lost consciousness.The sterile white walls of the Medical Hospital seemed to close in on Rina as she sat in the cold, sterile room. The doctor's words echoed in her mind, a relentless refrain of despair. "I'm sorry, Ms. Powers, but you've lost the baby."Her vision blurred as tears welled up, blinding her to the world around her. Rina had been so full of hope, she had been so certain that this pregnancy would be the new beginning she desperately needed in her marriage. She had clung to that hope, nurtured it with dreams of a family reunion, of a second chance at happiness.But now, all those dreams were shattered like fragile glass, leaving nothing but a painful ache in her chest. She clutched the edge of the hospital bed, her knuckles white, her heart heavy. "No," she sobbed, weakly denying the harsh reality.As she left the hospital, her steps were slow and heavy, as if the weight of the world was pressing down on her shoulders. The taxi ride home was a blur of city lights and rain-slicked streets. Ri
The woman was dressed in a long bright red dress that accentuated her curves, and her honey brown hair highlighted her elegance. Her every move exuded the aura of an international star.She was Kayla, Rina's best friend and the only daughter of the top third family in Country G, Rayer. She was also currently the most popular actress in the country - Kayla Rayer. Kayla Rayer had invited her two nights ago to celebrate her birthday.Kayla strode into the room, her high heels tapping on the marble floor like a warning. She was a vision of beauty, her features delicate and her smile as sharp as a knife. With a cruel glint in her eyes, her presence oozed confidence, and she reveled in Rina's vulnerable state."Rina, are you okay?"Seeing her best friend, Rina broke into more tears. "Kay, what do I do? Why did things turn out this way? I remember not taking any alcohol, how was there a man in my bed?" "Because someone spiked your juice!" Kayla said."What?" Rina suddenly raised her head,
The night air was chilly as Rina walked away from the imposing three-story mansion that stood as a proof to her past generosity. She had once held the keys to that house, and had been welcomed with open arms as the beloved daughter-in-law of the family. But now, she was nothing more than an outcast.Her footsteps echoed in the silence of the empty street, each one a painful reminder of the life she had lost. She clutched the divorce papers in her hand, the inked signature a stark symbol of her shattered dreams. The tears that had dried on her cheeks left a trail of salt in their wake.As Rina walked further from the mansion, she couldn't help but replay the scene in her mind. She had arrived at her in-laws' home, her last hope for a place to stay, and had mustered the courage to explain her situation. The divorce, the betrayal, the plea for shelter.But instead of compassion or understanding, what she had received was cold indifference. Her in-laws, the people who had once smiled upon
The following morning, she sat down for breakfast, her mind filled with determination. Slipping into a floral white dress, she couldn't help but feel the sharp contrast it posed to the somber occasion ahead. White, a symbol of purity, now took on new meaning. Today marked the beginning of her transformation, a rebirth of sorts. For herself and the memory of her tragically lost child, she vowed to reclaim her life and find solace once more.She put on a white sun hat and slipped into a pair of white stilettos. Gave herself a once over in front of the mirror, then picked a designer bag she hadn’t used in a long while. She took a cab to the city hall.On getting there, Finn and his lawyer were yet to arrive. She glanced at her wrist watch. It was almost Ten PM. She picked up her phone and dialed the lawyer’s number. On the second ring, the call was connected.“Hello, Mr. Attorney!”“Ms Powers, hello! My client is still having breakfast, could you wait a moment, we’ll be there soon.”Rina
"Well..." the director, Mr. Bellamy said, rising from his chair on the other side of the table and slowly walking towards Rina, who was on the verge of hopping out of her chair from discomfort."As you might already know, a lot of things have changed in your five years of being a housewife. So I thought it best to inform you..."Rina cringed as she felt both his hands on her shoulders. Immediately, she hopped out of her seat. "Get your filthy hands off me," she ordered, irritated by the thought of what the man was about to do."Mr. Bellamy," she said, her voice cold and firm. "I came here to discuss a role, not to be propositioned. I won't be part of your sick games."Mr. Bellamy's smile vanished, replaced by a sneer. "You think you're too good for this? Too good for me?" Back then when she was an A-list Actress, maybe. But now...He returned to his seat and leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "With your current reputation, you still dare to act high and mighty? You're no long