FIVE - The Hibiscus Media Gala

ONE MONTH LATER

“Ugh-ghk–!”

The sound of violent retching echoed through the tiny bathroom.

Aurora clutched the toilet bowl as her body bent forward, everything in her stomach coming up at once. Her throat burned. Her head spun. It felt like her insides were being twisted and wrung out without mercy. When she finally thought it was over, she staggered to her feet.

Only for another wave to hit.

“Urgh-!”

She barely made it back in time before throwing up again.

Her hands trembled as she flushed and leaned weakly against the wall. Her whole body felt tired, For weeks now, the fever had come and gone, leaving her dizzy, aching and exhausted. No matter how much she slept, she woke up feeling worse.

When it finally stopped, Aurora sat on the cold bathroom floor hugging herself as her body shook. After a long moment, she forced herself up and shuffled to the kitchen. She opened the fridge.

Empty. Completely empty.

Only a half-open packet of crackers sat on the top shelf, stale and broken. Aurora stared at them for a long second before letting out a tired sigh and pulling them out.

She dropped onto her couch and looked around.

The apartment was small and cramped, really. Peeling paint. A couch that sagged in the middle. A tiny coffee table with one uneven leg. Clothes folded neatly in a corner because there was no closet space.

This was the price. Cutting herself off from the Valenmoor name meant cutting off everything that came with it - money, connections, protection. No more large rooms or servants. Just this. Four walls that barely fit her life inside them.

Aurora bit into a cracker, chewing slowly. At least I can breathe here, she thought. Then her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen and answered immediately. “Hello?”

“Aurora! It didn’t go through,” a voice burst through the line.

Aurora’s shoulders slumped. “I figured,” she said quietly.

The caller was Mina Joseph her agent and her only real friend. Mina was her confidant , the only person who ever sounded tired, never sounded defeated, even when the world was actively falling apart.

“First of all,” Mia rushed on, “how are you feeling? Are you alive? Are you breathing? Please tell me you’re not dead.”

Aurora smiled weakly. “Barely alive. Definitely breathing. Fever’s still bad.”

Mia gasped dramatically. “I told you to go to the hospital! You can’t just survive alone!”

Aurora leaned back against the couch. “I’ll be fine.”

“Aurora swear, I pushed so hard,” Mina continued rapidly. “I talked to casting twice, emailed three times, even cornered the assistant director in the hallway but the moment your name came up, their faces just bam! Shut down.”

Aurora closed her eyes. Of course they did. The scandal had poisoned everything. Every audition canceled. Every script “suddenly unavailable.” No callbacks. No chances.

She was blacklisted. Permanently, she thought bitterly.

“I haven’t landed a single role in a month” Aurora said softly. “Not even background work.” There was a pause on the line and that was rare for Mina.

“Hey,” Mina said. “You’re not done. Don’t talk like that.”

Aurora laughed weakly. “Mina… maybe this is it. Maybe I should give up on my dreams”

Silence Then suddenly mina screamed “WAIT. HOLD ON.”

Aurora blinked. “What?"

“I have an idea!” Mina practically shouted. “A brilliant one. A genius one. A ‘save-your-career-and-make-everyone-choke-on-their-regret’ kind of idea.”

Aurora raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid.”

“Listen,” Mina said rapidly. “The Hibiscus Media Gala is happening tomorrow afternoon. All the big shots will be there. Producers, directors, investors the whole terrifying buffet.”

Aurora’s heart stirred faintly. “So?”

“So,” Mina continued triumphantly, “ I just remembered my cousin Eli is the personal assistant to the CEO of Blackwood Entertainment.”

Aurora’s heart skipped. “The CEO?”

“Yes! Reuben Blackwood himself will be there. All the big shots will."

Aurora swallowed nervously. Blackwood Entertainment. The core of the industry. The place where careers were made or erased. The Reuben Blackwood wasn’t just powerful. He was untouchable. If he said yes, the industry would follow. If he said no, no one would dare challenge it.

“Mina…” Aurora hesitated. “That’s impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible,” Mina shot back. “You just need one chance. One conversation. Let me get you in. We’ll figure out the rest.”

Aurora looked around her tiny apartment again. At the crackers in her hand. At the silence. One chance.

“…Okay,” she said finally.

“Yes!” Mina squealed. “That’s the spirit! I’ll handle the invitation. You just rest, okay? Tomorrow changes everything!”

The call ended.Aurora lowered the phone and closed her eyes.She didn’t know if this was hope or just another disappointment waiting to happen. But she would go.

Because she had nothing left to lose.

......S.T........S.T......S.T......

Aurora felt the chatter die down the moment she stepped into the gala hall with Mina beside her. It wasn’t obvious. No one gasped. No one pointed. But she could feel it : The slight turns of heads and the way eyes lingered on her a second too long before looking away.

She knew why.

Since the scandal broke, she had disappeared from the public eye. No red carpets. No interviews. No events. She had vanished quietly, the way people expected disgraced actresses to do. And now here she was, walking into one of the most exclusive gatherings in Hibiscus City as if she still belonged.

They were surprised. They were curious. And they were judging.

Aurora straightened her spine and lifted her chin. She forced her face to show no emotion. She would not shrink. She would not give the media or anyone else the satisfaction of seeing her nervous. Let them stare. Let them wonder how she got in. Let them question who dared invite her back into a place like this.

After all, a true actress knew one thing better than anyone else : attention, whether cruel or kind, was still attention.

Before Aurora could even settle into that thought, the hand gripping her arm suddenly stopped. Mina who was practically vibrating with excitement came to an abrupt stop, so sudden that Aurora nearly walked straight into her back.

They had reached the entrance of the main hall

The space opened up into something breathtaking. Tall glass walls rose from floor to ceiling, divided into clear sections by sleek silver frames. Each section glowed with lights filled with people dressed in expensive gowns and sharp suits.

Aurora took a deep breath.

Mina grabbed her arm excitedly. “Okay,” she whispered, eyes shining. “Quick briefing time.”

Aurora glanced at her. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Obviously,” Mina said cheerfully. “Now listen. The Hibiscus Media Gala is basically a very fancy excuse for rich, powerful people to stare at each other and pretend they’re friends. Those long speeches? Meaningless. Those awards? Political. What actually matters is mingling.”

She leaned closer. “Networking. Being seen. Being remembered.”

Mina continued "You might not notice it at first, but look closely.”

Aurora followed Mina’s gaze. The room wasn’t just one open space. People were all in groups and it all seemed natural.

“This event is divided,” Mina continued. “A-list celebrities near the front. B and C-listers toward the sides. D-listers near the entrance.” She gave Aurora a look. “Where we are.”

Aurora felt a sting but didn’t react.

“Then,” Mina went on, pointing subtly, “VIPs behind the glass partitions. VVIPs closer to the center. And” her voice dropped to a whisper “the main boss.”

Mina tilted her head upward and Aurora followed her eyes to the largest glass section on the upper level. It was elevated, guarded, and far more private than the others.

Aurora’s heart pounded.

“That’s where the CEO of Blackwood Entertainment will be,” Mina said softly. “Reuben Blackwood.”

Aurora hesitated. “Mina, be honest. What are the chances this works?”

Mina looked at her seriously for once. “Slim,” she said. “But not zero. And zero is where you’ve been stuck.”

Aurora nodded. That was fair.

“For now,” Mina continued brightly, switching back to her usual energy, “you network. Smile. Nod. Buy us time until Eli signals me that the Blackwood CEO is in the mood for guests."

Aurora gave a tense smile. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not,” Mina said. “But you’re tougher than all of them.”

Before Aurora could respond, a sharply dressed woman suddenly appeared and grabbed Mina’s arm. “Mina Joseph! There you are!”

Mina turned instantly. “Oh my god, hi! I was just about to find you.”

She shot Aurora a wink. “Duty calls.”

Then she leaned in and whispered, “Good luck. Don’t disappear.”

And just like that, Mina was pulled into the crowd, laughing and talking, already networking. Aurora was left standing alone. But,Unbeknownst to her, from the "main boss" section above, a certain pair of eyes had already found her.