Chapter 760:
To her, Ainsley was the living shadow of her fears, as though she had been shaped to be the perfect rival.
“I do have talent. I know I have some charm,” Fiona whispered. “But I came from nothing and climbed little by little. Without someone backing me, it’s hard to get far. I once wrote to you, hoping we could meet. I had a script in play, She-Wolf. The director was torn between me and Ainsley. I wanted your help to tip the choice in my favor.”
At the time, Rylie had been buried in work and never responded. The script slipped into Ainsley’s hands instead. Her youth and the favoritism of those in charge had carried her through.
“In this field, powerful allies decide who stands out,” Fiona said in a low voice. “And I’m on my own.”
Rylie looked at the woman before her, remembering the Fiona she had first met, a woman audacious enough to stand up to Deandre. But less than a year of limited chances had eroded that confidence, leaving her meek and withdrawn.
“Before Deandre,” Rylie asked, “did anyone else support you?”
Fiona shook her head without thinking. “He was the first. I really believed we would be together.”
Rylie pressed further. “How were things before him?”
Fiona hesitated, then answered slowly. “I had just been nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Everything seemed to be going well.”
“So that nomination wasn’t handed to you by any backer,” Rylie said. Her tone gave nothing away.
Kyla spoke suddenly. “I noticed her even then. She was driven and fearless. That light in her eyes sparked the music I wrote.”
Fiona blinked in surprise. The truth settled over her. She had been moving forward on her own. Deandre had shown her the glittering world of the elite, and she had lost herself in it.
Step into fiction with gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․𝒸o𝗺
Surrounded by privilege, she had grown used to top scripts and endorsements falling into her lap.
She had grown lazy.
“I see my mistake now,” Fiona said quietly. “Thank you.”
Kyla gave her a steady look. “It’s not too late. You’re still young.”
Rylie glanced at the clock. “Time’s running. You have one hour to finish the look.”
Once everyone settled in, Rylie told Alyssa to review the hallway footage of the incident. The worker in the monitoring room explained that the camera had been out of order.
Alyssa gave a dry laugh. “What a coincidence.”
Rylie’s brows pinched. “She’s learning to cover her tracks.”
“But,” Alyssa said, pulling something from her pocket, “a guard handed me this on my way back. He said it was what we needed.”
Rylie plugged the USB drive into her phone. The video sprang to life, showing the hallway that was supposed to be under repair.
“A guard gave this to you? Did he say more?” Rylie asked, her frown deepening.
Someone was helping them from the shadows.
.
.
.