Chapter 55: You don’t even look convincing
Thirty minutes later, the meeting finally wrapped up. Ethan and Wilsmith remained in the room, still discussing details, while Anna slipped out after offering a polite goodbye.
"Phew... it’s finally over," she muttered under her breath the second she stepped outside the studio. Her chest expanded with relief as if she had been holding her breath the entire time. It was suffocating enough to sit across from Fiona pretending everything was normal when all Anna wanted to do was grab her by the hair, spin her around, and launch her straight to another planet.
Sadly, she lacked those kinds of superpowers.
But then reality hit her like a hammer. She would have to see Fiona again. Not once, not twice, but almost every day now that they are cast together.
Anna groaned aloud, throwing her hands up at the sky. "Why is God so unfair to me!"
Her dramatic wail earned more than a few stares from strangers passing by.
"Why is she yelling at the sky like that?" someone whispered.
"Is she... okay?" another murmured.
Anna froze mid-rant, her eyes darting to the people staring at her as though she’d grown two heads. Heat crawled up her neck.
"Hehe... it’s fine, I’m just... too happy!" She blurted awkwardly, forcing a laugh. One older woman gave her a pitying glance, as though she’d just seen a lunatic on the loose.
Mortification slammed into Anna like a truck. She slapped a hand over her face. "Ah... this is so embarrassing."
She was about to make her escape when someone deliberately stepped into her path, blocking her.
Anna lowered her hand. Her eyes narrowed.
Fiona.
The fake smile she had worn during the meeting was gone. In its place lingered a sharp, mocking smirk that sent a chill down Anna’s spine.
"So, you really did get the role, huh?" Fiona’s tone dripped with venom, each word laced with disdain.
Anna’s lips twitched into a humorless sneer. She wasn’t surprised. This—this—was the real Fiona. The mask she wore inside the studio wasn’t for Anna. It was for everyone else.
And Anna knew better than anyone how cruel the woman could be when no one was watching.
Memories flashed—like shards of broken glass stabbing her one by one.
Haha, look at her! She looks like a joke!
Who wears a clown outfit to a birthday party?
The laughter, the jeering faces, the humiliation—it all rang in her ears. And there, always at the center of it, had been Fiona. Smiling. Laughing. Whispering the sharpest daggers into the crowd’s ears.
’You look so ugly, Anna. Like a fat little elephant trying too hard to make everyone happy.’
Anna’s jaw clenched, her nails digging into her palms. The pain grounded her, but the fire in her chest was harder to contain.
This time, she wouldn’t let Fiona see her break.
"Of course I had to—despite how badly someone tried to stop me." Anna’s gaze locked with Fiona’s, her meaning clear.
How could she have forgotten? Fiona had been there that day. And knowing how much she despised her, it wasn’t a mystery anymore who had locked her in the restroom.
Fiona’s lips curled into a mocking laugh. "You’ve grown sharper, Anna. But do you really think you can outshine me? Look at yourself—still oversized, still ugly. Clothes barely fit you. Do you honestly think people will notice you, let alone like you? You’re just a supporting character, one the audience will forget before they even learn your name. Me? I’ll be the one they remember."
Anna’s eyes narrowed, her lips twitching into the faintest smirk. "Don’t tell me you’re already scared I might steal the spotlight?"
Fiona’s smile froze.
"Ha! You think you could ever outshine me with that face?" she snapped, venom dripping from every word. "Don’t delude yourself, Anna. We both know who’s prettier. No wonder even your parents preferred your sister over you. Maybe they’re ashamed of ever having a daughter like you."
The jab hit hard, but Anna didn’t let it show. Her lips curled in defiance.
"My parents might favor Kathrine, but ashamed?" she scoffed. "No, Fiona. They’re still my parents. And unlike you, I don’t need to beg for validation. No matter how hard you try to poison their minds, they’ll always choose me over some desperate, jealous freak."
The words landed like a slap. Fiona’s face twisted, her polished mask cracking. But before she could snap back, her eyes flicked past Anna and straight to Ethan, who had just stepped out of the studio.
And then—
"AH! Miss Anna, why did you push me?" Fiona suddenly cried, clutching her ankle as she dramatically collapsed onto the pavement.
Anna blinked, stunned. "Seriously?"
Fiona whimpered louder, writhing on the ground as if she were mortally wounded.
’Not again. Isn’t she tired of recycling the same trick?’ Anna thought dryly, her arms folding across her chest. Then her gaze flicked toward Ethan.
’Oh. So this is for him.’
Anna snorted. "Pathetic. This scheme is so outdated, Fiona. Haven’t you learned anything from all those side roles? You don’t even look convincing. See?" She gestured at Ethan, who stood rooted in place, his expression unreadable. "The man you’re trying to impress hasn’t even moved."
Fiona’s eyes widened. She darted a glance at Ethan, expecting him to rush to her aid. Her lips trembled when he didn’t.
’Why isn’t he coming?’
Then finally—finally—Ethan stepped forward. Fiona’s chest swelled with triumph.
’Yes. That’s it. He’s coming to me. Now I will show you what it is to mess with me’
She continued her pitiful act, clutching her ankle tighter, certain she had won.
However, Ethan completely ignored Fiona and walked straight to Anna’s side.
"Good. You haven’t left yet," he said, his voice calm and steady. "I still need to discuss a few things with you."
Fiona: "..."
Anna: "..."
Fiona’s face drained of color. Her outstretched hand trembled before she forced a pitiful tone. "Ethan... can you please help me?"
For the briefest moment, Ethan glanced down at her—but his eyes were flat, cold. "Do it yourself."
"Pfft—" Anna almost burst into laughter but quickly bit her lip, holding it in. Even so, she couldn’t hide the sparkle of amusement in her eyes as she glanced at Fiona.
Fiona’s face twisted with humiliation. The fake tears she had summoned clung to her lashes, now utterly wasted. She had never—never imagined such disgrace in front of the very man she had tried to impress.
’But didn’t she bring this on herself?’ Anna thought, smug satisfaction curling at her lips. Pathetic. Always has been.
Without sparing Fiona another glance, Anna followed Ethan, leaving Fiona stranded on the ground, her hand still pathetically outstretched to no one.
"That bitch—how dare she laugh at me?" Fiona spat, forcing herself upright. Her cheeks burned with humiliation more than pain.
"Madam, are you all right?" her assistant asked, rushing over. Fiona brushed the hand away like it was nothing.
"Did you get the shots?" Fiona demanded instead. The girl fumbled in her pocket, then handed over the phone.
Fiona swiped through the photos—carefully angled snaps of Anna and hers and then the dramatic fall, making it appear like she pushed her each frame shot mindfully. A slow, cruel smile spread across her face. "Good. These will be useful."
She turned her gaze back toward the direction Ethan and Anna had gone, eyes cold as glass. "You think you can beat me, Anna? Not even in your dreams." Her voice dropped, low and hard. "Before your so-called career even takes off, I’ll make sure everyone sees you the way I want them to: ridiculous, desperate, laughable."
Her assistant swallowed. "How—how will you do that, Madam?"
Fiona’s smile sharpened. "Oh, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to make a rumor grow—one whisper, one well-placed picture, one cruel caption. By the time they’re done talking, she’ll be the joke. Then we’ll see who shines and who’s forgotten."
The plan felt deliciously inevitable to her, cruelty dressed as strategy and Fiona savored it like a victory already won.