Given what had happened, the gathering naturally ended on a sour note.
I sat in the driver's seat, my fingers tightly gripping the steering wheel, my eyes fixed on the phone screen. Vivienne had sent me the video, and it had been played more times than I could count.
Last night, at a film festival awards ceremony, Vivienne had beaten out a number of veteran actresses to win the Best Actress award.
But because her victory was seen as undeserved, she was mocked by her haters as the "Fake Queen." Her fanbase clashed violently with her critics, sending her to second place on the trending list.
The number one trending topic, however, was her heartfelt confession at the award ceremony.
She said:
"I've quietly, fearfully loved someone for so long. For this person, I couldn't bear to remain a shabby drinking companion. I stepped into the entertainment industry, becoming a faceless extra, a stand-in, then a supporting role, and eventually, the female lead."
"This person is my redemption, my faith, my god. I know I'll never be worthy of him, but just one word of affirmation from him is worth more than all the honors in the world."
The comments were filled with admiration for the man this goddess loved.
"Guess who it is?" That morning, I had opened the video too.
At the time, I was stirring a bowl of bland porridge when I glanced up at Aldric, who was sitting beside me silently. He reached out and grabbed my phone. "Your stomach's not good. You should focus on eating breakfast, not watching these gossip videos." Because Aldric interrupted me, I missed the ending.
In the backstage of the award ceremony, a paparazzo captured a man in a black mask handing Vivienne flowers. The distance between them wasn't too close, just far enough to be coy, with only a bouquet of roses between them.
Vivienne seemed to have been crying, and the man couldn't hold back anymore. With a sigh of resignation, he finally embraced her.
The lighting, the filter, the composition—all were perfect. This photo quickly became iconic.
All the powerful men of J City were dragged through the rumor mill by the fans.
Everyone around me became detectives, eager to figure out who the man in the black mask was.
But with just one glance, I immediately recognized him—Aldric.
