D'andre stood in the middle of a small crowd, a composed smile on his face. His lips parted gracefully as he responded to their questions one after another. Some were direct, while others carried a tone of curiosity and gossip.
"Mr. D'andre, what do you think of this entire scandal?"
"Do you know Roberto personally? What kind of person is he behind the screen?"
"Was he really about to punch you just now?"
D'andre smiled lightly, his calmness radiating through the noise as he casually responded. His words were soft but firm, carrying a weight that silenced even the loudest of the reporters.
He handled the crowd like a veteran celebrity, controlling the atmosphere with nothing but his voice and image.
His composure quickly charmed a few of the young female reporters, and their questions gradually turned from serious to flirting.
"Mr. D'andre, are you single?" one of them asked with a shy, slightly pink-cheeked smile.
"You look even more handsome in person. Do you always smile like that, or is it only for us?"
"Have you ever thought of becoming a model?"
"With a face like yours, Hollywood would bow and obey all your words." The female reporters flirted and praised his looks.
A few of Roberto's young fan girls in the room began to question their devotion to their star. Not only was D'andre's face superior, but his calmness and grace were angelic.
Cecilia's heart paused as she watched D'andre.
Had he always been this composed? Why hadn't she noticed?
Right now, he looked like an entirely different person.
If she hadn't messed up, she would be standing beside him. Now, she was on the ground, useless and inferior.
While D'andre responded to the reporters, he turned towards her with a gentle but sharp glint in his gaze.
She shivered. Not because there was a threat in his gaze, but because she felt like she had just stared into the eyes of someone different—someone handsome, godly, a perfect actor.
Her heartbeat increased, fueled not by love or affection, but by all the negative emotions eating away at her.
They grew so intense the more she saw his lips move, the more she saw the beautiful, young female reporters flirting, and the more she realized how messed up her life had become.
They dug so deep that she could not manage it anymore and fainted.
"The whore has fainted!"
"Someone rush her out fast!"
Some of the reporters attended to her, first covering her body properly as she was barely clothed in the towel that revealed most of her private areas.
Unfortunately, they were slower than the camera lenses, which captured dozens of pictures intended to be sold online.
Even if she wasn't a celebrity, her sudden notoriety would make the photos more valuable than a normal woman's.
Roberto was still stuck behind the fence of reporters, bombarded with questions and camera flashes.
D'andre continued to gently handle the crowd around him.
Most of the reporters who had previously been interviewing Cecilia before she fainted moved over to him.
Just as the chaos was ongoing, a figure stepped into the living room, and in a second, the noise died, and camera flashes ceased as every head tilted in her direction.
Standing close to the entrance was a woman, six feet tall, with long blonde hair cascading down her shoulder and blue eyes that captured attention with ease.
She was wearing a beautiful white dress that showcased her hourglass figure in full glory. Both men and women were swooned by her face, not just because of her beauty, but her fame.
"It's Theresa Monroe!"
"THERESA MONROE!"
"The Queen of Hollywood herself is here!"
"Oh my God! I can't breathe, am I really staring at Theresa Monroe?"
"Somebody catch me, I think I'm falling in love!"
The noise in the room erupted once more, and camera flashes flickered very quickly. As she stepped closer, the flashes grew more intense.
Roberto's eyes widened when he saw her—the one actress he had always wished to meet. Even as a rising star, he had never gotten the chance.
Now she was here at the absolute worst moment of his life.
His fervent prayer to Mother Nature to make the ground open and swallow him whole intensified.
Cecilia had already fainted, but if she was conscious, she would have fainted again after seeing her mentor in her house.
On the other hand, D'andre wore a gentle smile, even though his mind was in turmoil.
'That damn Rowan, he said he had made out with a popular actress, but he didn't mention that it was the one and only Queen of Hollywood, Theresa Monroe! How did that madman even manage to strike a conversation with someone like her, let alone sleep with her! Just who the heck is he!'
Of course, his face did not mirror the chaos in his heart.
How could he? This was what Rowan had arranged for him—to give him the perfect revenge on his cheating girlfriend and also help fulfill one of his greatest dreams!
Theresa Monroe stepped closer. She flashed Roberto a glare as she walked past him.
She halted in front of D'andre.
The crowd that had surrounded him parted for her. She flashed him a smile.
"D'andre, how would you like to become the male lead of Singing Roses?" she asked.
The room fell into silence as everyone registered the name she had just mentioned.
Roberto's eyes widened so much they seemed like they would fall off at any second.
'S-singing rose! The king of all movies! T-they are giving the roles t-to him????!' his mind went blank.
So did the others.
"Did she just say Singing Roses? The most anticipated movie in the world?"
"Male lead of Singing Roses! Impossible! I heard they were giving it to the King of Hollywood, Tom Jackson, but now they are giving it to this guy. What kind of luck charm does he have?"
"I heard the estimated salary for even the side characters are over one million! The male lead would definitely earn over two hundred million! One single role and he is made it in life!"
D'andre himself was caught off guard by the incredible offer.
The leading role of the soon-to-be most popular movie of all time.
T-this was even greater than what he had dreamed of.
Becoming an actor. Making a couple of millions. Take care of his sister and live happily ever after.
But now he was going to become the most popular actor of the most popular movie with salary in hundreds of million!
This was his dream fulfilled.
But just as this thought appeared in his heart
Everything began to change around him in magical and bizarre ways.
It was happening!