The door to her queen-sized room swung open and no other than Mrs. Celeste Konstatinos, award-winning fashion designer and mom extraordinaire, strolled in with an excited smile eating up her timelessly beautiful face. Adonia always wondered where her mother got her own energy from because if you were to leave it to Adonia, she would rather lay in bed all day than leave her room at all. Her sad reality was that she had a lie to leave and it doesn’t revolve around her bedroom. She used to wish she didn’t belong to this planet and she was an alien or something. That way, she wouldn't have to leave her bed all day and she would sleep without having to do anything at all.
“Oh, you won’t believe it, darling,” she said as she walked up to Adonia’s form, wrapped comfortably between her blanket and the bed. “Simone Powers just tweeted about a surprise she has for her fans, and the hashtag was #HS. Something tells me this has to do with Heart Strings. Have you checked your emails?” Her mom asked before pulling down the blanket Adonia wrapped herself in and she took her to sit right beside Adonia’s head. Adoniamknew there was no escaping this so the only thing to do was the answer. The truth is that she had removed her mind from getting a role on heartstrings because she was hundred percent sure she delivered a rubbish performance. Adonia only groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. She knew her mom had always been an early bird, but for god’s sake, it was barely 7 in the morning. With how much crying she had been doing these days, the least Adonia could ask for was a peaceful and uninterrupted sleep. She didn’t know if her mental health was that invisible and they all couldn’t see how much she was crumbling on the inside and outside. She groaned before she pulled herself deeper into the blankets and she snuggled herself against it. However, Mrs. Celeste wasn’t one to take the hint, or maybe she was, but she just couldn’t care less either way. So when she got no response from her daughter, she didn’t waste another second before she yanked the blanket off her body, placing her hands at akimbo. Adonia folded her legs to her chest instantly as the cold wave hit her and she groaned, she should have known the older woman wouldn’t give up. She counted one to five in her head before the scolding would start, it was a routine she was used to already and she didn’t doubt that she was going to get scolded again. Unlike her mother, she didn’t have enough energy to be bubbly in the morning when the only thing she wanted to do was sleep, considering she barely got any sleep during the night. “Adonia Konstatinos, you will not ignore me. Didn’t you hear a word I just said? The Simone Powers just made a tweet about a movie you auditioned in, and all you want to do is sleep?” Her tone was both amused and annoyed, and Adonia could already imagine her mom’s frowning face with an inkling of a smile on the edge of her lips. She sighed in defeat and she knew she couldn’t win with the way her mom was both determined and optimistic about her audition. At times, the way the older woman believed in her so much was mind boggling. With another groan, Adonia sat up and took a moment to yawn and stretch her sore muscles. She heard her mom loud and clear, but honestly, she couldn’t be the least excited. Every time her mom mentioned ‘Heart Strings’ or Simone Powers, all those names ever did was plunge her mind back to the nightmare of an audition that she had. Not one word could describe how unenthusiastic she was about finding out if she made the cast or not, and deep down, she feared disappointing the eager woman in front of her. After everything that had gone down in the last few months, the last thing Adonia wanted was to disappoint her again.“Mom…” Adonia groaned when Mrs. Celeste went ahead to swing open the grand decorative curtain to her room, allowing light rays to rush in. “Does the concept of ‘beauty sleep’ mean nothing to you?” She already stood up from her sleep and her mom opening the blinds was unnecessary but this was her mom, she always went extra mile for everything. It was that annoying at times. The woman only chuckled and made her way back to Adonia’s sides. She picked up her daughter’s phone from the bedside table before she plopped down on the bed and handed the phone over to her with an encouraging smile.“C’mon, go on and check. If you didn’t make it, we’d just get you another audition….” Her mom trailed off, and Adonia could easily pick up the hesitance those words carried. Being her manager, Adonia knew the length her mom went in securing her that audition. It wasn’t an easy job at all, given the fact that only a few people knew about the movie. If not for her family’s top-ranking status and her own large social media following, she wouldn’t have had a chance. Sometimes she hated that her father’s name was the only thing that would give her a good chance at something she really logged, the main thing she was trying to fight but was galring her face so loud. This only made Adonia’s heart sink further as she took the cell phone from her mom. Dread washed all over, and her mind slowly called to memory all the reasons she wouldn’t take the role. She was a complete mess on that stage on the day of the audition, and indeed, it was a sight to see the regal Adonia Konstatinos, daughter of multi-billionaire Christopher Konstatinos and world-class designer Celeste Konstatinos, unhinged and entirely out of the perfect image her parents had desperately carved out for her.Nonetheless, Adonia willed herself to go on and tapped through her phone until she got to her mails. She refreshed the page and died in silent anticipation as the cursor slowly circled for a while. Soon, new mails popped up with a mail from HEARTSTRINGS TEAM topping the list. Her mom’s head poked to stare at the screen with her as Adonia tapped the mail both quickly and dreadfully.Dear Miss Adonia Konstatinos,Congratulations on your appointment!
You got the role of Claudia McPherson, the female lead of Heartstrings.
We look forward to having you on set and bringing our dear Claudia to life.
Below is an attachment of the necessary documents.
Have a nice day.
- The Heart Strings Team.
An ear-piercing scream tore through the room, and it took Adonia a while to realize that it was from herself. She quickly turned to her mom, and it warmed her heart to bits to see that ever radiant grin settled proudly on her lips. Words couldn’t begin to explain the joy that surged through her heart as she engulfed her mom in a shoulder-crushing hug. Mrs. Celeste embraced her tightly, and for a moment, Adonia was convinced that the last few months had never happened. That hug filled her with particular security that she couldn’t explain. It reminded her of when everything was good. It reminded her of when she was still the renowned supermodel, topping charts and every fashion show she got invited to. It reminded her of when Adonia Konstatinos was a name to be reckoned with. But now, she was only but a shadow of her previous self, dying every day to fix the pieces of her heart and dignity that had been shredded to a thousand and one-pieces.However, perhaps there was still light at the end of the tunnel for her. After all, she had just scored her first acting job! A role in what might be one of the biggest movies of the year and even icons and big movie producers like Simone Powers were involved. This was more than a silver lining; it was a miracle. Just what she needed after her great fall from grace; a gift.«»
That night, after a small celebration with her family and a few close friends courtesy of her mom, Adonia was out by the balcony of her room with a flute of red wine and soft classic music streaming. A genuine smile marked her face as she stared off at the full moon and the twinkling stars that decorated the sky so beautifully. The gentle breeze swayed through her raven black hair and sent a wave of goosebumps to her skin, but the cold didn’t matter to her at that moment.“...then, we’ll have to take a detour to the boutique to get you new clothes for the Heart Strings cast dinner. But, oh wait, we still have to fix you that interview with Grapevine Buzz, and I absolutely have no idea when to schedule that- Adonia, are you even listening to me?” Maxine Stone, her personal assistant, inquired with a frown, and Adonia couldn’t help rolling her eyes.Leisurely, she walked to the lounge chair, relaxed into it with a smile, and crossed her legs elegantly.“Relax for a bit, Maxine. You’re overworking again,” she said to her friend, the amusement in her striking blue eyes apparent. She and Maxine had been friends for as long as she could remember and when she went into the limelight and they were forming a small circle of management so directors would take her seriously, Maxine had lost her job and she volunteered to be her personal assistant till she got a permanent job. The thing is that Maxine never applied for another job and they were both stuck together forever maybe. The other lady’s frown only intensified as she crossed her arms. Even though Maxine had a petite frame, she could intimidate a thousand men with that single look on her face. But not Adonia Konstatinos. She was sued to seeing that face too many times and they definitely had so many memories together and Adonia wouldn’t even be scared one bit. She had seen her at her lowest and when she was at her peak. “For goodness sake, Adonia. All this is important. You’re going back into the social radar, and we both know that we need to work twice as better and efficiently than before,” Maxine said point-blank.Adonia sipped from her wine glass and laughed lightly.“Blah, blah, blah. I’m just asking you to relax for one night, not burn your perfectly planned schedule crisp. Come on, sit with me.”
Maxine sighed, and Adonia could see her consider her words before a look of resignation settled on her face. Even though it was eight at night, Maxine was still clad in her signature feminine suit that screamed the words professional and ethical. She dropped down on the lounge chair beside Adonia, and without another word, Adonia passed her the flute, and she quickly declined.They both sat in silence, with Adonia soaking in the sweet melody of the music playing in the background. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be pleased, but the celebration her mom had quickly pulled together had reminded her of all that. In more ways than one, she was happy with the way everyone seemed proud of her achievement, especially her father. It was all just like before. Before everything went to shits for her. Before he came into her life.Momentarily, her smile faltered, and gravity crushed down on her heart. It felt heavy all over again, and that treacherous day of the audition reemerged, mocking her minor victory. Adonia almost lost her grip on her wine glass.“What’s on your mind?” Adonia turned to Maxine and quickly looked away, her heart suddenly racing, and everything seemed suffocating. Instantly, she downed the rest of the drink in her glass.“Nothing,” came her quick reply. “You?”“I’m thinking about you.” Maxine paused and glanced at Adonia with a softer and concerned look. “Are you sure you’re ready?”Adonia frowned and forced out a small laugh.“For what?”
“The social media sharks. With you coming back to the limelight, you’re going to have to answer their questions and face their hateful judgment.”Adonia suddenly felt cold and hot and suffocated at the same time.“I…Um- I’m sure I can.”
“Sure. But what about him? Can you handle him?”Her heart drummed loudly into her ears, and the one part that she had tried so desperately hard to ignore since she got news from the Heart Strings team came ringing alarmingly in her head.Him.He’d be there too.Could she handle him? Define ‘handle.’ Was it running like a cry baby for months, as she did? Was it secretly stalking all his socials and sincerely wishing there was a sign of remorse from him? Was it lying alone at night and craving his touch? Was it, maybe, sleeping with tears in her eyes and trying to erase the memories of his existence in her life fruitlessly? If not, then define handle.Adonia shot up from her seat and looked around her with a puzzled look on her face. It was happening all over again. Like she did on the day of her audition, spiraling all because she had sighted his infuriatingly wicked self lounged leisurely behind the judge’s seats. His presence taunted her - mocked the person she had become. Mentally, it had dragged her through the horrors of their relationship all over again. It messed her up and had messed up her pitiful audition acting too. “Adonia…” Maxine stood up too and tried to reach out to her friend, but Adonia flinched away, a faraway look on her face. She shuffled back and headed back inside her room hastily.The reality was dawning quickly on Adonia. The truth is that her minor victory might as well be a one-way ride to hell. After all, he would be there too. He was the very reason she ran from the modeling industry, and yet, here he was, auditioning for a role in the same movie as her. Did he get the part? Adonia couldn’t help wondering, and the anxiety ate her up deeply from the inside.Quincy White.That name had once filled her with so much warmth and lighted her up from the inside, but now, it was all it took to plunge her mind into dread, fear, and maybe, even revenge. Quincy had been the light of her world, her little ray of sunshine, and her personal cheerleader. She had loved everything about him and she couldn't imagine her future without him. Quincy ruined her, he took every of the love she offered and threw it right back at her. She hated him and the much effect he had on her, every of his pictures gave her nightmares and she wanted nothing other than for him to disappear off the face of the earth. The truth was that she had no idea if she is ready to face him now.Powerful, gorgeous, and smart.These were just one of the many elegant words the Konstatinos women were accustomed to. Beyond words, they reeked of class and looked out of place in anything less than the best. To most, it was an enviable quality - being able to eat up the attention in a room the second any of them stepped in, that is.Undoubtedly, Adonia was convinced that those were the thoughts that ran through the minds of the air hostesses that lined up in twos in front of the private jet as they walked down the stairs in the typical Konstatinos power stride. She had grown up watching her mom fill whatever space she walked into it with that same power and light, it didn’t take Adonia to merge into the same lifestyle. It came as a natural thing but the only thing she didn’t have was the way her mother tuned out the rest of the world while she did her thing. She could feel their eyes absorbing every bit of her being and she tried not to let her mind
Adonia took in deep breaths and tried at the very least to calm her rampaging nerves but it was all in vain. Her mind couldn’t stop cooking up the worst of scenarios, including one where she tripped on her red stilettos in front of Simone Powers and the entire cast. ‘Come on, Adonia. Where is that girl who rocked the fashion world with her killer catwalk?’ She thought to herself and summoned all the courage she had lying within her. However, Adonia didn’t have any more time left to overthink cause in a few seconds, the purring limousine she was situated in came to a halt beside the five-star restaurant Simone Powers had invited them all to. It was La Perche Cuisine, famous for its mouthwatering meals and intercontinental dishes. “Miss, we’re here.” The driver spared her a glance from the rearview mirror and she didn’t miss the way his gaze flickered to her partly exposed cleavage. Her eyes narrowed on him and he quickly looked away with a small clearing of his throat. Adonia roll
Adonia continued whatever she was doing on her phone while pretending she overlooked Quincy and his date across her. Her phone chimed, indicating an incoming call from her best friend, Athena. She excused herself from the table to receive the call. She could have ended the call and talked to Athena later, but she needed to catch her breath from all the tension. She walked a bit away from the rest, and she could still feel their eyes on her. Her mom truly made magic with the dress. When she got back, the first course had been served, and she apologized for staying away for that long. In honesty, that call with Athena gave her renewed energy. She had no idea how much she needed that boost from her loved one; she would have broken down right here. Call her weak or anything you like; Adonia decided she was tired of being vital for everyone, she was a baby at heart, and she would take all the time in the world, and she would heal at her own pace. "oh dear, what designer brand is this dr
Today was going to be very bad for Adonia, and she could feel it. Firstly, Maxine woke up with life-threatening cramps, and mom was dead worried over her. Meaning she had to do all her things myself, and she had to remember every single thing and the time it had to be done. Life without Maxine was proving to be hell. She made a doctor’s reservation for Maxine at Beverly Hills, and she proceeded to go to the shooting venue alone since it was the first day of shooting. She had it in mind to make sure she avoided Quincy White; the last thing she wanted was getting her name stained for him. She wasn’t going to let his management use her to trend his name so he would be able to secure more endorsement deals. She wrapped her towel around her before proceeding to go the bathroom, her phone pinged, indicating a notification, and she reached for it. It was a post notification from one of her numerous fake accounts. Quincy just made a new post, curiosity got the best of her, and she clicked it
“Quincy White, I hope you realize you’re not speaking to a set of ladies you want to impress to take to bed and this isn’t a runway. I need action, you either give me that or get down from that stage and you will be replaced” Jordan Wilder announced strictly and Quincy wiped his sweaty palms against his trouser. Other directors of movies he starred in always accepted whatever performance he gave them during both the reading and the main acting. They end up turning out well because his fans would make various edits of his scenes specially and the movie would trend for months. Part of what made him a hot cake amongst movie producers. He knew better than to piss Jordan off or else, he would be out of the set before he could blink his eyes. He has seen it happen twice before his own eyes and he knew Jordan wasn’t a man you mess with. The first time was when Jordan replaced an oscar winner that took months to get him on the movie and replaced him with one of his understudies. It all happe
“Hey, watch this.” Maxine plopped down beside Adonia on the couch. They were currently helping her mom put her things in place for her travel, she has an appointment and she was traveling by the next morning. Adonia dropped the cloth in her hand and she stretched her hands to take the phone from Maxine. She pressed play on the video and she smirked, it was a video of her at the cafeteria yesterday. Maybe the blogger had something positive to say about it after all. Maxine noticed the expression on her face so she scrolled down to show her the caption and the comments. To all the cheating bitches: When a man loves, it’s almost undefeated. He finds himself being constantly drawn o the person who first made his heart flutter or the person who has once been a source of the smile on his phone. In this type of scene, the defaulting partner always has the upper hand. They would wield the power of vulnerability over the other party and make sure they ruin every bit of sanity they have left.
Jordan walked towards the doctor’s office with isn heart in his mouth, he knew he had to go and see him and Dr. Nate rarely had any good news for him in his office. The last time he had been here, it was because June failed to get into a clinical trial because her body won’t react to it and they had no choice but to drop her off it. Jordan had cried his eyes out that day on the same hallway and many watched him break down with pity. Having a daughter that had cancer would do that to you and it was something he hated to have to experience again. He said a short prayer, he wasn’t the religious type but cancer would humble you. He knew he had to start believing in miracles since June made it past the three years the doctors had thought she would die and now she’s five and soon to be six. Majority of those years, she had spent them on the hospital bed either going through one trial or the other. His little girl had gone through a whole lot of shit and it pained him every day that nature
“Adonia, I hope you are prepared to give me what I would consider your very best. After this acne, I will determine if you will still be the main lead of the show or not and If you would be the one to continue the role. I saw the magic you gave at the audition and I’m expecting nothing less.” Jordan asked softly and Adonia nodded. He felt bad for shouting at her the other day but he doesn’t know how to bring up a conversation with her after the shooting. He was definitely not going to apologize to her in front of everyone because some of the cast deserved the shouting he did at them, especially Quincy. He really hoped the young lad knew what he had planned for him in this shooting. The young stars who managed to climb the fame ladder need to be taught the etiquette of how not to behave if you want to last long outside. Adonia’s heart was racing as she took the script in preparation to read it and the last thing she wanted was to be embarrassed especially after Jordan asked her if she