Chapter 3 The role of a lifetime

Aether Entertainment

The casting hall at Aether Entertainment pulsed with tense, electric energy.

Dozens of hopefuls milled about, each clutching number tags, adjusting makeup, nerves barely hidden behind forced poise and bright smiles. In this world, one misstep could cost you your reputation. And Aether was infamous for its brutal audition rounds - your downfall here wouldn't just ruin your career, it would follow you everywhere.

Ixora Laurent sat quietly in a corner chair, number 024 pinned to her chest, wine-red hair tied loosely, deep blue eyes unreadable. The morning sun spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows set her hair aflame, a striking contrast against her pale skin. She wasn't here for fairy tales. She'd stopped believing in those years ago.

It was Rita who pressed the flyer into her hand last night at The Desert shop with a grin sharp as glass.

"Aether's dangerous, but it's your kind of dangerous," she'd said. "Forget Star Academy's petty rules. Here, if you're good - you get it."

And so, on her birthday, when most would celebrate with champagne and cake, Ixora walked willingly into the lion's den also a place where their star are protected and secure.

The Audition

When her number was called, Ixora rose with quiet grace, stepping onto the slick black stage.

A panel of judges watched from below, but it was Madam Lin, silver-haired and cold-eyed, who made the room's temperature drop. Beside her, Elliot Zhao sat in tailored black, Aether's infamous creative director. Barely thirty, with a reputation for talent - and ruin. His eyes were scalpel-sharp as they sized her up.

What are you waiting for, Elliot asked coldly and sharply.

She tense up,she can do it,she practice early, it's just a dance

Ixora delivered the Black Swan ballet routine she'd been assigned, her movements sharp, clean, eerily beautiful. The hall had gone still, though she didn't notice.

As she turned to leave, Madam Lin raised a hand.

"Wait."

Ixora froze mid-step.

A hushed conversation passed between Madam Lin and Zhao. An assistant darted off, tension thickening the air.

Murmurs rippled through the room like poison in water.

Moments later, a breathless staffer appeared, whispering urgently into Madam Lin's ear. The sharp-featured woman's gaze swung to Ixora, lingering.

"There's been an incident," she said, voice clipped. "Our Swan Princess lead, Celeste Ran, was in an accident this morning."

Gasps bloomed in the room like firecrackers.

Madam Lin's expression didn't soften. "You - with that hair and those eyes - you fit the original concept exactly."

Zhao rose from his seat and approached. He circled Ixora once, hawk-eyed, assessing every angle of her face and posture.

"I need more than a pretty face and good feet," Zhao said curtly. "Can you act?"

Ixora lifted her chin. "Yes."she lied, actually it's not a lie also,she was once part of the lead in school drama days,but her passion has always been ballet.

He motioned to an assistant, who handed her a short script - a pivotal confrontation scene from the film's final act.

"Let's see if your mouth can keep up with your legs," Zhao said coldly.

The room watched, hungry for failure.

Ixora inhaled. It's just a character I had to survive,she murmured. Then she began.

Her voice, when it came, was low, measured, the words wrapping around the room with an icy bite.

"I wasn't made to be anyone's shadow. I was made to devour the light."

The entire hall seemed to exhale as one.

Zhao's eyes flickered, and for a fleeting second, something that almost resembled approval crossed his face.

"Final screen test tomorrow," he said. "If you deliver, the role is yours."

The others whispered behind manicured hands. A few glared openly - particularly one tall, sharp-boned girl with jet-black hair and cold green eyes.

Valeria Song, a notorious rival from a well known industry that signed her it's known as "Star Entertainment known for breaking spirits and a daughter of the powerful Song Group that has 50% of Star entertainment shares.

Valeria brushed past Ixora with a smirk. "Careful, Ixora," she hissed. "Girls like you fall hardest." unless you become the next Celeste Ran

Ixora didn't flinch. She was past breaking.

She can't let a mere threat determined her future

Later - The Midsummer Club

That night, the neon glow of Midsummer Club painted the streets in sharp pink and violet. Ixora found Rita at the bar, waving two fingers in the air like she owned the place.

"There she is!" Rita shouted over the thrum of bass-heavy music. "I was about to send a search party!"

"I got the lead," Ixora said quietly.

Rita's drink paused halfway to her mouth. "Wait - what?"

"They switched me in. Celeste had an accident."

Rita blinked, then broke into a grin. "You're kidding me. Holy hell, I told you! Look at you. That face. That hair. Those damn eyes. Born for it, babe."

Moreso, Aether doesn't care about background when choosing cast for their script,all they want is talent and the best

"I haven't even started. Tomorrow's screen test decides everything."

Rita shook her head. "Doesn't matter. You've got the fire now. They can't fake that."

They ordered drinks. Rita rattled off studio gossip, celebrity scandals, a director's divorce. But Ixora's mind kept drifting - to Madam Lin's sharp stare, to Elliot Zhao's ruthless challenge, to the way Valeria's words slid like knives.

Meanwhile - Jayden's Apartment

Jayden lounged on his leather couch, phone in hand, half-watching a drama rerun. A Weibo post caught his eye.

Diana Chen had uploaded a photo collage.

"Happy Birthday, my favorite wine-haired, blue-eyed troublemaker. May you rise like the star you are."

Old photos. School days. A blurry club selfie.

And one image of Ixora holding a casting number.

Jayden's stomach lurched. He zoomed in.

The logo behind her: Aether Entertainment.

His pulse kicked.

He hadn't heard from her in days. More like he deliberately ignored her test and calls,he totally forgot that yesterday was her birthday due to Hera trip.

He tries calling and text her, his calls went nowhere. His texts unread. And now she was at Aether - without telling him.

He called Diana.

"Yo, Jayden. Didn't expect your call," she answered lazily.

"Where's Ixora?"

"Why? You care now?"

"Don't start with me, Diana."

Diana's voice cooled. "She's fine. Better than fine."

"She's at Aether?"What is she doing there,that place is not a playground, Jayden said .

A pause. "I didn't tell you anything."

Click., Diana cut the call

Jayden stared at the ceiling, a gnawing unease creeping in.

His phone vibrated. A message from an unknown number.

"Dinner? Belated birthday celebration? Just you and me."

Jayden smirked, thinking Ixora had finally come around.

But she hadn't., it's Hera same usual excuse.

And he didn't know yet - she'd seen everything.

Elsewhere - Florence, Italy

In a private villa overlooking the Arno River, Domenico Vincenzo Augustos Marchese, known to the underworld as Marchese Nero, sipped his espresso in the morning sun.

His personal assistant, a sharp-eyed woman named Viola Santini, approached with a file.

"Signore Marchese. We have... an unexpected connection at Aether Entertainment."

Domenico raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

Viola slid a photo across the table - Ixora Laurent, frozen mid-audition, hair catching fire in the stage lights.

"A new name, sir. She appeared yesterday. Background unknown, but her face matches the old file you flagged five years ago. The Saviour."

Domenico's gaze darkened. "Investigate everything. Quietly."

"Yes, Signore."

He set down his cup. In the distance, church bells rang.

"Aether belongs to me," he murmured. "And no one moves inside it without my knowing."

But he didn't know yet - Ixora Laurent was already inside.