Versatile Superstar Rise In Hollywood

by Stayrr

"To be a star is to own the world and all the people in it." ... Two years ago, Aiden came to the United States to experience the American Dream. But after sleepless nights of struggle, just when he was on the verge of giving up, a translucent screen flashed in front of him - it was a System! A System that would make him embark on a journey to Hollywood. And today, he takes his fir

10. 289

Versatile Superstar: Rise In Hollywood #Chapter 289 - Read Versatile Superstar: Rise In Hollywood Chapter 289 Online - All Page - FREEWN

"The next one is Aiden Silvereye."

An employee said in a hushed tone as he looked at the resume of Aiden. The otters whispered among each other hearing his name.

After a certain amount of fame, a celebrity was well known enough that he didn't need an introduction. Aiden was such a phase and everyone in the room knew about him and his accomplishments.

"What do you think of him?"

Baz McCarthy, the director as he stroked his long, white beard like he was some sage from a cultivation novel. He was looking at Joseph who was present in the auditions.

"He's auditioning for the main role. Probably the hardest role in the movie."

"That's obvious. The whole movie is on Agnas."

"Yeah but I'm interested in him. His music is pretty good and I think some of his songs are good for this age."

Baz felt a bit surprised hearing that. Joseph wasn't the one to compliment any composer until they are pretty good. Or according to him, make music with their souls.

"It seems like he's going to be in our final pick, going by how you like him."

"Acting is different. I won't do that until he's very good and if that's the case, then you yourself would select him."

Baz nodded as Theodore, the producer gestured to them to stay silent.

"He's entering."

In the next second, Aiden entered the room. Several eyes fell on him, some scanning him and some of them trying to glance between his face and the photo of Agnas.

His face suiting the one of Agnas was important for people to see him as him. Making a biopic was difficult due to all these things.

"Aiden, what made you interested in the biopic of Agnas?"

Baz McCarthy was quick to ask a question and although it seemed like a generic question that he had asked everyone in the interview, Aiden answered it a bit differently.

"At first, it was greed."

"Greed?" Theodore raised one of his eyebrows.

"Yeah, when my agent first told me about the role, I thought this won't fail at the box office no matter what. There's an experienced director and a story that is synonymous with Hollywood's golden age. A story that won't fail."

It seemed like Aiden was just trying to butter up the director but he wasn't finished yet.

"But after looking through Agnas's past, my perspective about it changed."

"How?" Joseph asked, curious.

"Well, first of all, I feel like his life didn't seem what many people thought it to be. I saw one of his photos in my research to know more about him and he was smiling in them but there was an internal sadness in his eyes that seemed like he didn't actually want to be here. Then I read one of his interviews and there's one thing he said that really struck me hard."

"What's that?"

Aiden took a look around at the curious faces in front of him before replying.

"He said, 'I'm the servant of the myth that is Agnas'. That line displayed what he was feeling through most of his career very well. People who would reach the top of their fields would also think that. They are not being their real selves but people who the audience wanted them to be and although they would attain an unreachable amount of fame, a lot of things would be lost in the process."

Ads by Pubfuture

The room silenced hearing that.

What Aiden had said was a very deep thing and actually, one of the central storylines in the script was also that.

Becoming a star was as rare as trying to find a needle in the haystack. Sacrifices needed to be made and for someone like Agnas who was bound to be a star, sacrifices were abundant.

One of them was that he lost himself as a musician due to trying to play the part of a superstar.

Aiden had picked that part up quite easily. It was something of a warning for him who wanted to be a star.

Was he also going to lose himself for his persona of a star? Or would he be able to stay the same?

It was an interesting topic to think about.

"You have picked up some interesting things about Agnas." Joseph said. "Other actors talked more about his charisma and his relationship with most people. You didn't focus on that?"

"I did. I just felt like his inner thoughts were more interesting compared to anything else. After all, only someone who has reached the pinnacle of stardom could feel such things."

Aiden talked a bit more about his analysis of Agnas's character. Both Baz and Joseph looked intrigued by his words and were listening closely.

Only Theodore looked like he would come to a conclusion after seeing Aiden's acting.

"Okay, you can start your audition now."

Baz said and the audition started like that.

'I was able to give my best.'

Aiden thought, coming out of the audition room. The scene that he was asked to perform was a monologue of Agnas which he used to do before each of his stage shows.

He had practiced it a lot and although by the expressions of people it was hard to say how it had gone, Aiden was still confident that he hadn't done bad.

He had given a good performance and now, everything was in the hands of the director.

As he walked, his steps suddenly stopped as he saw who was walking towards him.

The man also stopped and gave him a glare. The motion of him squinting his eyes was something he wasn't even trying to hide.

"Liam, what's your problem? Why are you glaring at me for no reason?"

Aiden asked. Even in the waiting room, Liam has glared at him from time to time. For some reason, he wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Are you really asking that? You nearly ruined my career. My respect is already gone! You don't know how it feels when every random person on the street knows how you look naked. They make fun of me behind my back! I even lost most of my teenage fans!"

Liam shouted, his arms shaking with anger but he looked too thin to pose a threat to Aiden.

Aiden suddenly remembered a few photos of Liam and Florence that Tom had shown him. In those photos, both of them were wearing masks to hide their faces like a pandemic was going on.

"You do realise that it wasn't my fault. I didn't ask the media company to spy on you and I think it was common sense to know that one needs to have accountability for their actions."

Ads by Pubfuture

"No, if you had not gotten those photos, my agency would have made a deal, so it would have never come out."

"Well, it did and you are very naive if you think that it's my fault. Next time, think of your image before doing anything."

Liam froze hearing that.

He was clearly not used to taking accountability for his actions. That would happen when one experiences fame very early on in life and was always filled with people who agreed with him.

Aiden moved after saying that, not wanting to have a verbal argument with him. It was simply a waste of time in his eyes.

As he passed Liam, his voice came out.

"I will get the role of Agnas."

"Good luck."

Aiden said and left.

As Aiden was busy in auditions for his next role, his fan group was pretty silent with no activity. From time to time, people would come online to talk about what was going on in Hollywood but aside from that, nothing much was happening.

Aiden had almost gone underground after the Wilde scandal and every rumour of him being in [Stars on the Ground] has dissolved into the ground like it never existed.

So, people were waiting.

The anticipation was worse this time because Aiden had not announced any project or anything for months now. [Sherlock of the Shadows] seemed like a thing of the past.

[Skyneves: Why is everything so boring these days? My boss in my job is making me work day and night and I feel like I'm living in a simulation where everything is repeating daily.]

[Chad Putin: Ah, unlike you, I'm very busy these days. Me and some of my old friends are going to have a go at a fps game and I'm just waiting for them to make the first move.]

[Under the table of a President: I felt a chill run down my spine. I feel like I should shift to Asia from Europe.]

[Harry Styles's spit: I'm busy reading through Morpheus. The novel is becoming better and better. Though, I'm scared the main character is going to become a dark lord.]

[London and I both lost a queen: What is Aiden doing these days? His social media doesn't have any posts other than the occasional endorsements.]

[Moaning Frodo: I heard from my sources that he signed a movie.]

[Hollywood Insider: Your source is me. And yes, I found out. Don't ask how but I did. He signed an action movie with Green movies. I think there will be an announcement about it sooner or later.]

[Areos: Really? What movie is that? Give me more information, Insider?]

[Hollywood Insider: Call me esteemed Insider. My ego is way bigger than anything you have, so treat me with respect.]

[JK Fowling's tweets: A post was just made on his account. The new movie's name is [Action Hero] and it's starting to shoot in a couple of days.]

...

/DreamNote/ (17th Oct 2022)

[Week 1: Review Of The Week]

[Winner: Young_fruit_Smiley]

[Reward: 3-month Seasonal Webnovel Membership]

Please dm any admin in discord server :)

discord.gg/dreamthree

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Ads by Pubfuture

The shooting for [Action Hero] started very quickly as Asano wanted to see the movie on the big screen as soon as possible.

The cast was ensembled to shoot at a school on the outskirts of New York. Asano had specially chosen it because it had a cold atmosphere to it and wasn't really famous.

As they didn't have a lot to prepare, the shooting started in March and a film that was going to be an unique addition in Aiden's filmography began.

"You should go to give those students a few autographs after the shot."

"I was thinking of it. They are continuously looking at us."

Some distance away from where Aiden was sitting, there were rows of students lined up just to see the shooting. It was early morning and the crew was preparing for the first shot.

Some students were pointing at Aiden while others were gawking at the cameras and how the crew moved. They had been told not to come close to the shooting, so all of them were watching from far away.

It was an interesting moment in their otherwise repetitive life, so they were watching it at the expense of their classes.

"In my time, there were enough people to fill up a stadium that would come to watch the shooting. Especially in big productions with multiple famous stars."

Aiden and Wade turned their faces to look at Ned Dweller, an older actor who was standing besides them. He was a short man with a rugged beard. One of Aiden's scenes today was with him.

Although what he said was definitely exaggerated, Aiden was sure that his words did contain a bit of truth. Before the internet, the era of stars reigned.

In that era, just catching a glimpse of celebrities outside their movies was a rare thing. So, such a thing wasn't too uncommon.

"Times have changed sadly." Aiden muttered and Ned nodded. "Stars are a dying breed in Hollywood."

"They say that you find a lot of celebrities but stars don't come down on the earth now." Saying that, Ned looked at his assistant who was standing besides him. He looked in wonder and laughed. "Hey, isn't that a great quote?"

"Yeah, it is."

Both of them seemed to get along well as they talked and after a while, Wade also joined them, showing his extraordinary social skills.

'Stars don't come down on the earth now. It feels like there's no true way to describe current hollywood.'

Aiden thought in his mind.

The current scenario of Hollywood was mostly on studio based big productions with top celebrities acting in them. Collaborating on projects to market it better for the audience.

Stars were the people to make the whole project stand on their shoulders and it didn't matter who the director or supporting actor was.

It felt like a distant dream in the age of the internet.

'Is this even possible? Agnas was probably one.'

"Aiden."

He raised his head to look at Asano standing in front of him. He instantly came out of his thoughts and blinked his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"The shot is ready. You didn't hear me shout?"

"No, sorry. I was spacing out."

Aiden stood up and apologized. Asano clicked his tongue in a bit of disappointment before pointing towards the crew.

"Look at that crew. Do you know they are the true voices in our industry?"

"True voices?"

Asano nodded and his expression was like he was trying to give Aiden some sort of a lesson. After he had managed to impress him, the veteran director had started to treat him as some sort of a disciple.

"Yeah, rather than reporters and paparazzi that are not allowed on the set, the crew is there. They see you in your most vulnerable moments and in your moments of brilliance. Then, they go home, to the bar or anywhere and talk about it. It spreads. Things about you spread and it's on you whether you want to be good or not. Then…"

His finger moved towards a bunch of supporting actors that were sitting around in one place. As [Action Hero] contained fight scenes with over 30 people at once, the cast was very big and a lot of them were just young actors making their debut.

"Do you know how they see you?"

"With admiration."

Aiden muttered. It was clear as a sunny day. When he looked towards those actors, a lot of them were looking at him with sparkling eyes.

He had heard a lot of them say that he was their inspiration.

To make sure that everyone looked teenage, Asano had only casted in the age of 16-20 for the roles. Only Aiden was an exception.

So, these people have seen Aiden's career growth in the last couple of years and probably wanted it to happen to them too.

It was a heavy and great feeling to be admired.

"Yeah, so you can't be spaced out. Look, I'm not the type to talk in circles or be in my own delusions."

When Asano said that, Aiden focused on him. His words seemed to have an effect on him that was hard to ignore.

His voice was deep and calm.

"My last two movies failed. People say I'm washed up and you know, I realised why they failed after they have released. It's a weird thing. Going back to your movies and realising you could do it better now but [Action Hero] isn't like that."

"Why?"

"I'm directing it thinking of how I would direct my last movie. There would be no going back and thinking I could have done it better if I can't do that in the first try. That's why, act like it's your last movie."

Like always, the shoot started with particularly easy scenes. The story of [Action Hero] was basic.

A rebellious teen gets sent into a boys school, a punishment for something he never did. Here, he realised that the school was completely different from what he would imagine.

The first few shots that were shot were of Aiden simply walking into the school and seeing tough looking teenagers all around.

A guy getting punched in the corner and a few guys glaring at him. It was a different atmosphere than a typical American school.

But the world that Asano was creating was enough for the audience to forget the reality. They were about to submerge into a reality that was far more entertaining than theirs.

According to the script, for the first ten minutes of it, the story would be slow as the world is introduced. Ray will try to help out a student who was getting beaten up by a few students and get injured himself.

The school janitor will find him and here, a scene that would set the tone for the whole movie would happen.

A scene which was one of the most impactful ones in the story. The scene in which the janitor played by Ned Dweller would tell Ray to toughen up if he wants to survive the school.

The last scene of the first day was practically that and after careful deliberation, Aiden had finally decided to do what Asano had said.

Act like it was his final movie.

[Action Hero4 March-2018Act 1Scene 4Take 1]

"Does it hurt?"

"It stings."

The janitor looked down on the wounds on the arm and legs of Ray. There was a bruise on his face too. He was a new student and one that had learned the reality of the school in a harsh way.

"You will get used to the pain. Everyone does, here."

"What is this place? There are delinquentes all around. People who don't care what they are doing with others and no one intervenes."

Ray asked, looking at the janitor. He had so many questions in his mind about the kind of place he had found himself in.

"It's a school." The janitor simply said.

"It doesn't seem like it."

"Yeah because the worst students are sent here. Those with bad grades and those who can't think too much into the future. The ones with troubled families and those who simply were unlucky. A bunch of good for nothing in the end and for years, this place has been like the devil's playground."

A devil playground.

Remembering what he had seen till now, Ray was sure that this word fit the place the best.

But his questions haven't ended yet.

"Why is so much bullying happening?"

"Only pushovers are bullied." The janitor said, then saw the frowning expression of Ray and laughed, almost like he was mocking him. "What? You don't like people getting bullied? Are you a self righteous person who believes that it's his duty to save those who are unfortunate."

Ray looked up at the janitor hearing that. He hesitated before replying.

"Those guys look miserable."

"Yes, they are." The janitor agreed. "But don't think that they are some good people. Everyone who finds themselves in here is someone who has done something wrong. Big enough to be sent here and this place is completely different from society. Men are free here. Till they are here, they are free. They don't care about anything and they get adrenaline with fights. It makes them feel alive."

"No one says anything? Not even the authorities?"

"They don't care. It's a boys high school and the one where the delinquents are sent. If they try to contain them, they will be more rowdy. That's why, no one says anything. Now leave. I have other work to do."

The janitor showed Ray the gate. He walked up to it, each step filled with a stinging sensation that would take a while to go away.

As he was about to leave, the janitor opened his mouth again.

"Stay out of trouble until you can. People are going to pick on you sooner or later."

"I hope they don't."

"They will and you can't do anything about it. Just hope that your flesh gets used to punches"

Ray shook his head hearing that.

"You misunderstood me. I'm hoping they don't do anything stupid because if they did, I don't know if I would be able to hold myself back."

Although the janitor didn't know, Ray has a very short temper, resulting in him getting into fights since he was a kid.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

The shooting for [Action Hero] happened in a very quick fashion. But it didn't mean Aiden was able to walk his way through the shooting.

It was a hard job.

Action movies are never easy to shoot. So, the stunt coordinator continuously rehearsed the scenes everyday with his team. Aiden was also there when it was happening as he was doing most of the stunts himself.

Obviously, the harder ones were left to the stunt doubles and Aiden only insisted on doing a stunt when he felt like he would be able to do it.

The movie had several fight scenes one after another and the last half hour was just one big fight scene, containing a lot of people.

From corridor fights to a stairway fight before eventually leading up to a rooftop battle with the main antagonist of the movie.

Wade had called it one of the craziest things in movie history as even in action movies, the climax contained way more than just fist fights.

Currently, the stunt coordinator Heath was explaining one of the scenes to Aiden. It was the stairway fight scene.

"We need to really make it simple in a way that it gives a sense of anxiety to the audience. It's not metahumans or super trained spies punching each other for two minutes before one throws the other from the building. It needs to be grounded and filled with human emotions."

Heath said, looking over the set that was prepared for the scene. His stunt team was going to rehearse it for Aiden.

"Ray needs to look exhausted after taking on so many people." Aiden said and Heath nodded.

The bearded martial artists smiled before replying.

"In normal fights, people are exhausted after taking on a couple of people and I'm talking about trained martial artists. Movies go for coolness but there's something special about the grittiness and realism that they don't try to explore. We are trying to explore it with this scene."

Heath said and looked over at his team. At his gesture, the team got into position and performed the scene in front of Aiden's eyes.

The person playing the role of Ray saw the stairway pull of students who were ready to block his way. If he wanted to go upstairs, he needed to go through them.

There were a total of five people.

The stunt artist moved, jabbing at the first student's neck and then throwing him down the stairs before moving onto the next. A punch came his way as he tried to parry it and push the second student down.

In the whole scene, the stunt artists feets kept moving and they didn't stop. Moreover, after dealing with every student, he looked more and more exhausted.

He sat down when he reached the top, having dealt with so many people.

Aiden was observing every minute detail of it and one thing he noticed was that it didn't look impossible. He felt like any well trained martial artist with heightened senses would be able to do it.

Maybe that was the thing that Asano was going for.

"How's it?" Heath asked after the rehearsal was over.

"I would like to take part in the rehearsals. After that, I feel like I would be able to do it. It's a very well choreographed scene."

Heath smiled at the compliment. He was the type to enjoy people praising his work and Aiden was very respectful to everyone on the crew, a habit that not a lot of celebrities retain.

Because of that, a good impression was bound to be made around Aiden.

"Yeah, I tried to incorporate the styles of Hong Kong and Korean movies in it. It's a pity that Hollywood is straying more and more away from good action."

"Action movies do earn billions."

"That's VFX. True action isn't just a spectacle. It's more than that. You need to feel what the main character is feeling. We are behind in that in Hollywood just because not a lot of projects like [Action Hero] are made here."

Heath ranted like he was letting out his frustration. Aiden had heard from Asano that Heath was the one to approach him to work on him, only because he wanted to work on a grounded action movie that breaks the norm.

He was clearly very passionate about his work.

His words also gave Aiden more insight into action movies.

[Your knowledge of action scenes is increasing.]

[You would be able to do action more efficiently.]

[You have gained experience.]

Aiden smiled seeing the messages. To better understand action movies, he was studying up a lot of old classics these days. He was also spending a lot of time with Heath, just listening as he talked about action.

Those things are now helping him in the form of experience.

'It would take a long time before I reach the next level.'

Currently Aiden was in Intermediate Grade 6 which was a pretty high one according to the level of actors in the industry. But Aiden wanted to improve more to break through to the next grade.

He hoped that he would be able to reach there by the end of the year.

"So, shall we start the rehearsal?" Heath asked and Aiden nodded.

"Yeah."

[Action Hero9 March-2018Act 4Scene 4Take 4]

Ray moved through the hallway. He had just finished up a fight in his battle against the delinquent gang that ruled the school. Now, he was moving onto the rooftop where the leader of the gang was present.

His steps stopped as he was climbing the stairs. Five students blocked the way and they were looking down on him with a menacing smile on their faces.

"You are not going anywhere."

Ray didn't say anything at that and just took a deep breath.

He moved as the five students prepared themselves. Punching the first guy, he knocked him down on the ground, his head hitting the edge of the stair. Then, he blocked the punch of the second guy as the third tried to push him down.

He tried to move between them while keeping them at bay.

Then, kicked at his knee, making him roll down on the ground. Someone grabbed him from behind and tried to suffocate him but he bit his hand and hit his head with the knee while kicking the person in front of him.

The person in front of him stopped his leg and slammed down on it. Then, punched his chest.

Ray groaned in pain as he got himself out of the lock and threw the third student down the stairs. Then, he kicked the guy who had hit him, eventually defeating him after a couple of punches.

His whole body felt like it was in pain. He had taken a lot of hits and his stamina was depleting. His face looked like he needed water and wouldn't be able to stand for long.

The fifth student tried to take advantage of this but letting out a low grunting sound, Ray held the last person by the collar, taking advantage of his height and slammed him on the wall, the body rolling down from the floor.

He took a few steps to reach the top floor before submerging to the ground. His legs were given up and he was exhausted. He touched his lips.

His lip had been torn due to the fight and there was blood in his mouth. A taste he didn't particularly like.

But there was a lot to do still. For now, Ray just wanted to take a break.

"Cut. Okay! This is a great take. Everyone did a phenomenal job."

Asano's voice came out, ending the scene for good.

"We have gone through most of the candidates that came to audition. We need to select the cast. Especially the role of Agnas. I don't think we should delay too much."

Theodere said, looking at everyone in the meeting room. Presentations about each actor and the public interest in the movie and some other statistics were on the screen.

Theodere's eyes were locked on Baz.

"Baz?"

The only reason they have not been able to come to a conclusion was because Baz was taking too much time.

"I know we need to make a decision but the image of Agnas doesn't come to mind when I see these actors."

He looked at the photos of the actors that were going through. Aiden's photo was there alongside Liam. Unfortunately, Cameron's audition wasn't that great and he was instead being looked for one of the supporting roles.

"Which one is the closest? Aiden?"

Theodore asked and a couple people in the room felt like it was a good choice.

"I saw his audition. It was one of the better ones."

"I feel like he understands Agnas better mentally. What he said about him holds true and it was like he was able to relate with him."

"He's good looking too."

Baz didn't give those words much attention and after thinking for a bit, he shook his head.

"He's good but…"

"But?"

"He just doesn't fit in my eyes. Moreover, we wanted to go for newer actors. I feel like I've been seeing him a lot everywhere for a few years."

"He rarely takes breaks and has been in some impactful movies."

"Maybe because of that."

The eyes moved to the photo of Liam. He should have been rejected just on the basis of his scandal but Liam's agency has pushed for him and they have a good relationship with Zero International.

Moreover, Baz wasn't someone who minded scandals. Unless someone was a murderer, he would work with them if they know how to act.

"So, should we go with Liam Wilde?"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

[Action Hero17 March-2018Act 6Scene 2Take 3]

"You again got into a fight? You are coming here everyday now? This place ain't an infirmary. Do you see me as a doctor?"

The janitor looked at Ray who was standing in front of him, his face was bruised again.

The same kid who was beaten up two months ago had started going against the big gangs in the school. As a result, it was rare to see his face without bruises.

At the same time, everyday, Ray would come to his room to get himself fixed.

"I just like this place. It's calming."

Ray said, sitting down and frowning, the janitor shook his head.

"You have started a war in the school and it's getting dangerous. You do know that someone could die. It's not small things anymore."

"They are going to die if these gangs keep being the dominant forces anyway. Their members, all of them bully the people who can't fight. Do you really think no one would feel like they can't take it anymore? Do you think no one had felt like that in the past?"

Something flashed in Ray's eyes as he said that. The only way he saw out of this problem was to stand on top of the gangs.

To eradicate something, you need to get to the core of it.

"It doesn't mean you are trying to do something. You are going to regret it if you go too far. If karma really existed, then we wouldn't have rich people controlling the lives of others. You trying to be heroic means nothing. You are going to regret it."

The janitor said, advising again despite knowing that Ray wasn't going to listen to him.

"I'm going to regret it if I don't do anything. I have done so in the past."

Ray said, thinking back to the reason why he was here. In the god forsaken school.

Looking at the janitor, he again opened his mouth.

"I used to have a friend. I didn't know back then but he was being bullied. One day, I got to know about it but I didn't do anything. I thought it's not my place. I was already getting in too much trouble due to my temper. That guy… wasn't able to take it one day and jumped off a bridge."

The room's temperature seemed to have cooled down suddenly as the janitor didn't know what to say.

"I regret it every day. Every single day. The people who bullied him… there was no proof against them. It was a small group and the leader of it was the son of the sheriff. He got saved because a father ignored a dead body to save his son but I wasn't able to stay silent."

The janitor suddenly remembered why Ray was sent here. He had beaten up a person so badly that people were scared and ran away from the scene.

Sighing, the old man put a hand on his forehead.

"Just remember, every fight has its end. Know when to end it."

"Okay, that was a good shot, Ned and Aiden. Let's take a small break."

Asano said as Aiden and Ned walked out of the camera's field vision. The old actor gave him a few words of encouragement before going down to sit with his assistant.

Everyone on the set looked busy.

A few crew members were getting instructed by Asano on the next shot. There was excitement and tiredness on the faces of everyone.

People say that a crew member was the best person to ask if a movie would be a hit or not as no one liked working on a movie that they think won't do well.

By their faces, it seemed like they were enjoying the process.

'Now, a few other fight scenes for today and then, tomorrow, there's the classroom brawler scene.'

Aiden thought, flipping through his script and sitting on a chair. His back felt a bit sore as he had fallen down during an action scene but it was a small injury.

Something like this was very common on the set of an action movie.

"Aiden."

As he was flipping through the script, Wade's voice made him look his way. Tom was following him.

'Something is wrong.'

Aiden thought looking at their faces. It was like they had heard bad news. Their faces were dropped and something they had feared had turned true.

"What happened?"

"Check this article. Vanity Magazine posted it an hour ago and the internet is riled up about it."

Wade showed him his phone and just by reading the first half of the article, Aiden was able to understand what was going on.

Breaking news! It is rumoured that Liam Wilde, the star singer who had a big scandal just a while back is going to play Agnas in his biopic.

The article went on to quote an anonymous person who's working on Agnas and he said, "Liam was one of the best actors among everyone we auditioned. He surprised everyone and fit right in what we were looking for. His career as a singer would help him get in the skin of Agnas and show the side of himself that hasn't been revealed to the public yet."

Aiden didn't know who this anonymous source was but he hasn't mentioned anything about the scandal that had happened.

Further reading, he realised that the article was praising the producers decision and calling it 'A brave move that no one saw coming'. It also states how the decision was also taken because the director wanted a complete fresh face.

The article was treating what it called a rumour as a fact.

It also talked about how the internet had taken this news and the reaction was pretty mixed.

After completing the article, he looked at Wade and Tom.

"What is this news? Is Zero International really going to get embroiled in a controversy?"

If he was being honest, he didn't know if Liam was a good actor as he never bothered to check his stats. Even if he was good, this decision seemed pretty weird.

Agnas's biopic wasn't something that required controversy to be in the news.

"I can't say. I got no news about it until I saw the article." Wade muttered before clicking his tongue. "But it seems like Intra Entertainment is behind it."

For the record, Intra Entertainment was the UK's top agency and the one that Liam was contracted with.

"It's a type of force tactic. They leaked this and probably used their contacts in Vanity Magazine to make the news sound as positive as possible."

Wade explained and Tom was quick to ask a question.

"Then, isn't it something we don't have to worry about? It's a rumour being passed as the real deal but it's still a rumour. Zero International hasn't said anything about it."

"No." Aiden shook his head. "Intra Entertainment won't do something like this until Liam actually is close to getting the role. These types of things are done at the very end. With so many people talking about it online, they are trying to show Zero International that this move would be enough to gain attention. Negative or positive don't matter here."

One more thing was that Intra Entertainment wouldn't do this until they are actually confident about Liam's acting skills.

It seemed like they wanted him to be the next big thing. A true global star.

"Yeah, a lot of people are bashing for obvious reasons. One just doesn't associate with someone who had a huge scandal a couple months ago but a lot of his fangirls are defending it and saying that it's the best decision ever."

"Over obsession with someone is a very fatal thing."

Tom muttered. Even his obsession with Hollywood was not on the level where he would defend people who have done wrong things in the past.

But Hollywood has a history of giving work to people with criminal cases going on. Some top stars are even accused of being in cults.

But they still get work until it's something super serious. The rule 'No one minds if you do it, just keep it a secret' applies to the industry.

"I still don't understand. I thought Liam wouldn't make it past the first round just because of his scandal. Not like it's even been a year."

Aiden said, feeling like something was still missing in the puzzle. Every actor in the audition didn't treat Liam as a competition because of the scandal.

"Let me answer that for you. My friend who works in Zero International gave me a hint of why this is happening."

Wade said, checking up his phone. It seemed like a message had arrived from someone.

"Why?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Intra Entertainment had dealings with Zero International in the past. They probably pushed for him. Most rich people know each other after all. So, he wasn't rejected in the first round itself. They are told to treat it like the scandal never existed, probably thinking that Agnas is too big to get affected by such things."

Wade shook his head and the question of what next lingered in everyone's mind.

Aiden didn't wanted to lose the role because of stupid politics. But he didn't know what to do to make a case where he would be seen as the perfect candidate to play Agnas.

As he was wondering about it and asking Wade for a solution, his phone vibrated and he got a message.

[Cameron: Are you free? My grandpa wanted to meet you. We are currently in New York.]

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Aiden and Wade talked a bit more about the problem but a solution was hard to find as they didn't have enough power to interfere between big companies like Intra Entertainment and Zero International.

They just hoped that in the end, they would go with what the public wanted. Unfortunately, politics in these types of big roles was always a constant.

In the end, he ignored what was going on for the time being and focused on the shooting. After it was over for the day, he sat in Wade's car to go meet Cameron and his grandpa.

As Joseph Bryce was working closely on the Agnas biopic, he guessed that he would be able to get more news.

At the same time, it was also a very exciting prospect to meet personally with one of the top film composers of all time.

On the way there, Aiden received a message from Ava.

[Ava: You auditioned for Agnas biopic, right? Did you see the rumours spread by Intra Entertainment online?]

[Aiden: I did.]

[Ava: What are you going to do about it? If they are spreading rumours about it, then they are pretty serious about getting him the role. Intra don't often do that.]

[Aiden: I don't really know. I'm still counting my options but I don't think it would be in my hands.]

Aiden typed and a text that made him widen his eyes came right away.

[Ava: Want me to help you out?]

[Aiden: How?]

[Ava: I can give a few calls to Zero International and some other people. It won't take a lot of time.]

He didn't type for a while as he contemplated those words. He was sure that if Ava vouched for him to get the role, it would help him immensely.

By the way she hadn't even hesitated to offer help, she must have a plan already.

But…

'I can't rely on her. I told her I would prove to her that I'm good enough to carry a franchise. I need to do it on my own.'

He thought in his mind and wrote back a reply.

[Aiden: I will ask you if there's really no option. Thanks anyway.]

[Ava: Good luck.]

The conversation ended after that and until the car stopped, Aiden was in a thought, thinking whether he would really be able to get his hand on the role of Agnas.

Getting out of the car, he looked at the house in front of him. Rather than a house, it was almost a small mansion.

'Cameron's really from a lot of money.'

He thought. He had once told him that his family was also in real estate and had tons of properties.

"Let's go inside." Wade said and walked in with Aiden. There were guards standing outside the main gate and as soon as they saw Aiden, they let him in.

It seemed like they were already notified of his visit.

As he walked inside the house, Cameron's image in Aiden's mind began to change bit by bit. From a foul mouthed guy who had matured to someone that could pose as a british noble and he won't be surprised.

The whole house was filled with servants and it was a bit surprising, considering Cameron didn't live in New York.

Finally, after a while, he saw Cameron waiting in front of the stairs that led to the first floor.

"You grew your hair."

Cameron commented, his eyes going towards Aiden's hair that was tied up in a ponytail.

"Yeah. It's for the movie I'm shooting. What are you doing in New York?"

"I have a few shows here and a meeting for Agnas biopic. I lost the main role."

Cameron shrugged as he gestured towards the stairs, prompting him to climb them. Aiden wasn't surprised that he lost the role. After all, not all singers could act.

Even the singers who would make their acting debuts would do it in a musical, a genre that they are more likely to succeed in.

"That's unfortunate." Aiden said and Cameron smiled.

"I got a supporting role though." Both Aiden and Wade were surprised to hear that. "It seemed like they thought that I would better suit the role of my grandpa because I resemble his appearance a lot."

As it was a biopic, most of the characters were going to be real life people. One of them was obviously Joseph Bryce as he was a close friend and a work partner.

Cameron playing the role of his grandpa made a lot of sense.

They walked for a while before Aiden asked the reason behind Joseph wanting to meet him. They have never talked in private before after all.

"Why did Joseph want to meet me?"

"He has a habit of meeting every musician who impresses him. I think he liked your album and wanted to see you for a long time. When he heard you were in New York too, he asked me to bring you."

They walked to the room in which Joseph was staying. Cameron entered first, followed by Wade and Aiden.

As soon as they entered, they stopped as a peculiar tune entered their ears.

'I have never heard of this tune.'

In the room, a piano was there in the corner and on it, Joseph was playing a tune that seemed like something straight out of heaven. The sound of it was mesmerizing and calming.

At the same time, it felt a bit sad.

No one disturbed Joseph as his fingers pressed on the piano and his hand manipulated the notes. Experience was clearly visible in his moments and it was a performance that was at a level that was hard to match.

'He's truly a master.'

Aiden thought in his mind as the performance ended. Even after it ended, the song that Joseph was playing stayed in his mind.

He wasn't able to remember which song it was. The tune was very unfamiliar and it was good enough to be very popular. At least Aiden was sure of it.

"You are here."

Joseph looked at Aiden after noticing his presence in the room. He woke up from his seat and walked up to shake hands with him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"We weren't able to talk during the audition. You have very interesting thoughts about Agnas and I enjoy your music. Anyway, let's sit down before talking."

He gestured towards the sofa and like he was getting a signal, Cameron left with Wade, giving privacy to Aiden and Joseph. It seemed like the old composer wanted to talk to him alone.

"You know it's very rare to find stories in music these days. Back then, every song used to contain a life story and now, the environment is different. I won't say it's bad but I do miss the old times."

Joseph said as Aiden sat down. He guessed that he was hinting at pop music which was an easier form of music compared to others, simply because musicians focus more on making it catchy than the core of it.

"That's why, I was surprised when I heard your songs. Although a few of them didn't impress me, some did. You are a good storyteller. How did you come up with 'Lost in the Sky'?"

Joseph asked. That was his favourite song from Aiden and the one that had made him notice him.

"It was a song for a movie so it was more or less the thoughts of the main character of that movie. I related to him obviously and I wanted to explore topics like the reason for existence and if things actually matter in this world."

Aiden explained and he and Joseph went on to talk in detail about the song. In the first place, 'Lost in the Sky' was very subtle in what it wanted to portray.

It was more than a love song and the personification of thoughts of a person about the world that a lot of people would connect with.

Joseph asked more questions from Aiden and even asked about his journey. He was able to see that the old man was a good listener and was genuinely interested in his story.

He also talked about how his career started back in the 60s and 70s. How he was discovered by a manager from a record label in a cheap pub and how midway through his third album, he shifted completely to making scores for movies.

It was because he felt like he would be able to tell more stories like that and seemed more interesting.

Finally, the conversation shifted to the Agnas biopic.

"I'm pretty sure you have heard of the rumours circulating on social media?"

Joseph asked and Aiden nodded.

"Yeah, is it confirmed?"

"Not yet. The studio is still deliberating about who to cast as Agnas. In the end, the call is on the head of Baz."

"What do you want though? Is Liam a good choice in your eyes?"

Aiden asked, being very curious about it. Joseph was someone who was one of the closest people to Agnas. So, he would know if Liam suited the role.

Joseph took a while to answer the question.

"I don't know to be honest. I don't really enjoy his music. He has a good voice but I don't know if he would be able to do justice to his songs. As for acting, it's not my profession. Though, I would know for sure if I heard him sing 'Joker'."

"'Joker'?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow. Was it a song?

"Yeah, it was the tune I was playing when you came into the room. The last song of Agnas."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

'The tune he was playing.'

Aiden's mind immediately went to the tune he had heard. The music was on the back of his mind throughout the conversation with Joseph.

He was even going to ask him about it but hearing that it was the last song of Agnas was very surprising.

He had researched Agnas to prepare for the audition and had listened to each of his songs. Even the covers he had done when he was relatively new in his career and had read books about him.

But he never found anything about a song named 'Joker'.

If it was really the famed musician's last song, then won't it be famous? Aiden had such thoughts in his mind as he blinked his eyes in wonder.

"I never heard of that song before."

"Yeah." Joseph nodded. "It was never revealed to the public and only few people who are close to Agnas knew about it."

"Why wasn't it released to the public? I'm pretty sure Agnas's fans would appreciate that."

Joseph shook his head with a grimace on his face.

"It's incomplete. The song that is." He frowned, telling everything about it to Aiden. "No one was able to finish the song after Agnas's death. I tried a lot too but I failed. I don't think anyone could finish it in this world."

Hearing that, Aiden quickly checked the skill level of Joseph and like he had expected, it was at the peak.

'Level 9.'

It was the same skill level as Richard Allen, the author who had helped Aiden with his first book. He wondered if no human had reached Level 10 but in the first place, only geniuses could reach Level 9.

Not everyone has a system.

At the same time, he wondered about Agnas's skill levels. He was said to be at the pinnacle of what humans could achieve.

"That song? Can I hear it?"

Aiden asked, very curious about hearing the original version and thankfully, Joseph nodded his head.

"Sure."

He took out his phone and opened up an audio file on it. It was titled 'Joker' and then with a tap of his finger, he played it.

For the next one minute, Aiden felt like he was experiencing something that was magical. Hard to describe.

The pain and melancholy in each note was hard to ignore and Agnas's voice was revealing what he had concealed inside of him for so long.

In the pursuit of stardom, he had become a joker. The employee of his own myth who was overworked and just wanted to leave his job.

The incomplete song revealed all of it and Aiden felt it with every fibre of his being.

'I understand why Joseph said he would know for sure if Liam sang it.'

It was hard to emulate the feeling of the song until one was in a certain emotional range and if Liam mastered it, even Aiden wouldn't mind him doing the role.

It took a while for him to gather his thoughts. Joseph enjoyed his reaction and asked.

"How was it?"

"It's really hard to describe it."

"Most people say that."

Joseph laughed. It was always a sight to see when people would hear 'Joker' for the first time. It had feelings that would make people want to brawl their eyes out.

"Anyway, I won't hold you for too long. I heard you are busy shooting a movie. You must be very tired."

He changed the subject to better the mood but Aiden suddenly asked a strange question.

"Can I keep a copy of the song?" He asked, knowing that the song was something very precious and could help him get inspiration.

"Yeah, I can send you a copy. But you can't share it with anyone."

"I won't."

Aiden spent a bit of time with Cameron before leaving. He and Wade parted ways after that as the latter was heading straight to the office to know more about the situation with the casting for the biopic.

Wade was going to see if he could get more information on how the casting meetings were going on at Zero International and try to push Aiden's name.

At least, there was a small chance since Aiden was one of the few candidates that had reached the final selection.

As for Aiden, he went straight to his home. The shooting for [Action Hero] was daunting on his body, so he needed to sleep on time to give his body ample rest.

But no matter how much he tried, he was unable to sleep.

It was because his mind kept going to 'Joker'.

The song that truly captivated him and made him unable to focus on anything else.

He was repeatedly listening to it on repeat and feeling a new wave of emotions every single time. It was like his mind was filled with new inspiration for his next songs.

He also felt dejected that such a song was left incomplete. From what Joseph had told him, even he wasn't able to complete it.

'He's probably at the last stages of Level 9. Yet he was unable to do it. I'm still in the early phases of Level 8.'

Aiden thought in his mind.

Even then, when he had leveled up way back when his album had been released, the system had notified him that it would be extremely hard for him to level up again.

Level 8 was already a stage that most composers aren't able to touch.

'I don't think I would be able to complete it even if I tried.'

As Aiden thought about it, his phone suddenly started ringing.

—Du Du Du Du

It was Wade. Aiden quickly picked it up.

"Aiden, I thought you would be sleeping. Nevermind, it's good you are awake."

"What happened? Your voice seems a bit odd."

Wade's voice sounded a bit sombre and he was also hesitating in his tone. Something was wrong.

"It's just… I think we can't do anything about the Agnas role. I found out Intra Entertainment is very serious about getting Liam the role. The CEO of Intra met with Zero International CEO in the evening. The issue is out of our hands now, I think. It's hard to stand against corporations, you know."

Aiden frowned hearing that. His mood completely fell and he didn't know what to do now.

Even if he had prepared for such a situation, it still felt bitter to him.

"Okay. I understand, Wade. These things happen."

He said in a dejected tone.

"Yeah, don't worry, I would get a way better project for you. I'm pretty sure the public reception won't be any good if Liam really got the role."

They talked a bit more before Aiden cut the call. He sat down after putting his phone away and sighed.

His mind was thinking of a lot of things. Getting rejected for a role was common but it never felt good, especially when he had finally gotten interested in portraying Agnas.

It made him strengthen his resolve to become so big that all roles in Hollywood go through him.

To keep his mind away from thinking about this, he again played the audio file that he had received from Joseph.

For a minute, his mind was completely away, seemingly in some other plane, basking in the sadness and wonder of a song.

When it finished, Aiden wasn't able to say anything for a while. A reaction that had become very repetitive.

Suddenly, an idea struck his mind.

'What if I can complete 'Joker'?'

It felt like an absurd thought, considering that he wasn't good enough yet.

But he didn't really have any other option.

Even if he was thinking of something absurd, it was still better than doing nothing.

'Not like I have reached this place without doing absurd things.'

Aiden thought and looked at the time. It seemed like the night was going to be long.

"Are you sure that I'm going to get the role, right? I worked extremely hard for it."

Liam looked at the scrawny looking man in front of him. He had a face like a rat but Liam still treated him well as he was his assistant.

"Yes, sir. I tried to get information about it and it seemed like the CEO met with Zero International executives to ask for a favour for you. There's no way they are going to reject you now."

"Good."

A smile plastered on Liam's face hearing that. Agnas was his idol since childhood and it was an extreme honour for him to play him in the biopic.

Suddenly, a woman snuggled up to Liam and hugged his arm. She was Florence Levine.

Surprisingly, they were still together after the scandal.

"Babe, don't worry. The role will be yours no matter what. As a director, I could tell that you are the best actor I have seen."

She complimented, almost in a honeyed manner. Then, her smile became a bit vicious.

"I would love to see Aiden's face after he lost out on the role. Because of him, my career nearly finished."

"Are you sure I need to focus on him? I thought about stuff and it didn't seem like—"

"Yes, you need to. You are naive, Liam. In this industry, you need to completely crush anyone who stands against you or it will be a problem for a long term. You don't want that, right? Aiden is an arrogant guy who's high on his success and he won't hesitate to go against you."

"If you say so."

Liam said as Florence snuggled closer to him.

Watching all this, the rat faced assistant was finding it hard to keep his poker face. In his mind, his expressions had already become ugly.

'Bitch.'

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Since deciding to complete 'Joker', Aiden felt like he was going crazy.

No matter what he tried or how he tried, nothing was working. He wasn't even close to finding the right inspiration to complete the song.

Everytime he tried a melody, a tune or any instrument, it didn't fit. He had prepared for this since he knew that it was way harder to complete someone else's work.

For example, he had once heard about a writer who had passed away while writing a novel series and his son had completed it but his son was never able to reach the level of his father and the last part of the novel was disliked by readers and critics.

Actually, the son of the writer wasn't a bad writer himself and despite that, he wasn't able to give the novel a deserving end.

Just because it wasn't his creation.

Aiden was feeling the same. He didn't want to ruin the song by doing a job that was just not good enough. The problem was that a lot of times the light he would see would be silver, meaning that he was on the right track.

But it would still feel lacking. Like a piece of it was missing.

He had even started doubting himself as a musician in the last few days because of that.

'Can I even do it?'

That was the thought in his mind all the time.

"What are you doing?"

Aiden came out of his trance as he heard the familiar voice of Asano. He blinked his eyes, looking over from the book he was reading.

The sound of the busy set made him realise where he was.

They were shooting the climax of [Action Hero].

"Just reading a book."

Aiden said, looking up at Asano. The director squinted his eyes and looked at the cover of the book.

"The Saga of a Broken artist. Isn't that book about Agnas?"

"Yeah it is. Have you read it?"

"Yeah, I am a fan. I made a movie about a singer back in my early director days. That was partly inspired by Agnas." Asano smiled. "Why are you reading it?"

"I auditioned for his biopic. It made me interested in knowing about his life. So I have been going through every book and article I could find about him online. A lot of it is just how the media portrayed him, so I don't know how he was exactly."

To complete 'Joker', he had decided to take a different route in the end as his skill was not enough. He instead decided to understand Agnas first then complete his song.

Because of that, Aiden started reading up more on him. Every book or article he could find about him, he was going through it.

But the media portrayed him in various ways and his story seems distorted.

It was like there were several versions of it, making it difficult to know which one was real.

"It's very difficult to know everything about him. Some people just become more than mortals in the eyes of people and people start thinking of them how they like."

Asano shook his head and Aiden couldn't help asking.

"Do you know a book that would help me know the real him?"

"Can't say. You have better luck asking people who were close to him. The biopic about him, it's not adapted from some book but by interviewing people who used to know him. Talk with them if you really want to know more about Agnas."

Aiden nodded his head hearing that, wondering if he should meet Joseph again to ask about Agnas.

As he was thinking that, Asano clapped his hands.

"Anyway, you are on the set, so focus on filming for now."

The shooting for [Action Hero] was now at the end. Like Asano had promised, the shooting was progressing very fast.

Normally, it was better to take your time with the shooting. But Asano felt like it was fine to finish fast if there's enough preparations and people are invested in the project.

He had been planning this movie for a year now and as it was a different movie with more emphasis on action than anything else, they didn't have to follow what's normal.

Speaking of action, Aiden was feeling more and more confident that the action scenes were going to be well liked by the viewers. They weren't something that people have not seen before.

It was more about how they were planning to show them.

Every fight scene was filled with tense moments and some have goosebumps inducing moments. There were ones with 50 people and ones that seemed straight from an anime.

A live action anime — Maybe that was how the movie was going to be perceived in the future.

Although Aiden wasn't having a lot of problems with the action scenes thanks to the stunt doubles, he still needed to portray a confident, borderline arrogant body language.

It was a very hard thing for Aiden, especially when he was shooting the last act of the movie.

Throughout the movie, Ray would change as a part of him would start taking a liking to the fights that he was getting involved in. In the past, he had always been scolded after getting into a fight.

But here in this school, he was celebrated and admired. That made his whole self transform bit by bit and it truly manifested when he started his own gang in the school.

To perfectly portray that kind of body language, Aiden got helped from body language coaches and started adding little things about his walk and postures.

Maybe it was what evolving with the movie meant.

"Are you missing me a lot these days? I didn't expect the workaholic you to come meet me when we saw each other a few days ago."

Cameron said in a snarky tone and Aiden glared at him.

"I'm here to see Joseph."

The shooting for today had just ended an hour ago and without wasting any time, he had decided to come meet Joseph.

"Why?" Cameron raised an eyebrow.

"I have something to ask him about Agnas."

Hearing that, Cameron ruffled his blonde hair and nodded, like he didn't have to ask more questions.

He accompanied Aiden to his grandpa's room and along the way, he just talked about how he was getting action lessons for the biopic and would be staying in New York for a while.

"My grandpa's pretty free, so just go in. He would appreciate some company."

"Okay."

Aiden entered the room without knocking and saw that Joseph was sitting on the sofa, reading what looked like a tragic romance by the cover.

Hearing footsteps, he turned his head, surprised but pleased to see Aiden.

"Aiden, I didn't expected to see you today. Come, sit here."

"Joseph, I came to see you because I wanted to ask you something. More like, about someone."

Aiden said, sitting down and getting straight to the point.

"Who?"

"Agnas, I really wanted to know more about him. I read books and articles about him but I think you would be able to tell me more about him."

"Aiden, I think you should do that after you sign the role—"

Aiden shook his head, interrupting Joseph. Hesitating a bit, he told him about how he's trying to complete 'Joker' and because of that, he wanted to know more about him.

Joseph's reaction was not out of ordinary when he heard that. He simply gave Aiden an advice that he had given to a lot of musicians before.

"You know, Aiden. A lot of musicians, some Grammy winners even, had tried to complete it after listening to it. They weren't able to do it. It's simply akin to walking on the ground filled with landmines."

"I understand that but I still want to try. I feel like I would be able to do it. If I can't, then I just join the list of musicians who have tried to do the same."

"Whatever fits you." Joseph shrugged, knowing by Aiden's eyes that he won't give up. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Everything you can tell me. Especially the last few years of his life. I wanted to know what type of mindset he was in while making 'Joker'."

Aiden asked. He wondered if it was too much to ask of Joseph but the old man didn't seem like he would reject him.

"That's hard to say. His personal life was in shambles with a lot of tragic incidents happening. We were always worried about him. Maybe not enough or he wouldn't have—"

His voice turned sombre as he sighed. Aiden wondered if he was making Joseph remember bad memories by asking such questions but the old man shook his head.

Thinking of something, he opened his mouth again.

"You know what. I think you would know more if I just show you the letters he used to send me."

"Letters?" Aiden asked, tilting his head.

"Agnas used to send me letters. He liked writing letters, so he would always send them to me if he was touring or if I was touring. He did that to a lot of other people too. You can read them.

"Won't they be something very private?"

Aiden asked. He felt like he would breaching a boundary if he really read the letters.

Joseph simply smiled.

"I'm in my last few years. I don't have anything to hide and who knows you might actually be able to complete 'Joker'. It would be the best thing in the world for me if you can."

He said it like he himself didn't believed that Aiden would be able to do it as he stood up to take out the letters.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Joseph looked at the young man in front of him with wonder.

Aiden was someone who reminded him a lot of all the great musicians he had met. He had qualities that are common in a lot of great musicians.

A sense of music and a curiosity for stories.

Both of these were extremely important to any musician. Maybe because of that, he had taken a liking to him.

It also helped that Aiden was a good friend of his grandson. Cameron had told him a bit about him and that was enough for Joseph to make a good impression of Aiden.

But maybe due to his age, Aiden was a bit reckless.

It wasn't a bad thing, but Joseph was sure that he won't be able to complete 'Joker'. More experienced composers, including him, had tried before.

All of them have given up in the end.

'There's no harm in him trying anyway.'

Joseph thought as he took out a box in which he had kept all the letters that Agnas had sent him.

Picking them one by one, he breathed in, his mind going back to the time when he had received these letters for the first time.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Aiden said as he picked up one of the letters.

"You should." Joseph smiled. "They are precious to me. You can read them here."

"Okay."

Aiden opened up a folded letter and the scent of an old ink entered his nose. The letter looked worn out, like it had been read a lot of times.

One more thing that Aiden noticed was Agnas's handwriting.

'It's pretty.'

It was almost on the level where Aiden won't be surprised if Agnas was a calligraphic on the side.

Taking a deep breath, he started reading them.

[Joseph, I hope you are okay these days. I heard you are in Norway these days. I had a lot of fun when I toured there. The girls could be a bit crazy there but…]

'It's a pretty normal letter.'

Aiden thought as he read through the first letter. He felt a bit disappointed but he quickly shook it away and picked up another.

[I'm sorry I have not been able to talk to you for a long time. I'm currently going through a blank and can't put my mind to making music. I hope we can meet soon and go for drinks…]

Another letter was very normal, just consistently on Agnas writing about his plans with Joseph after he's back in town. He also talked a bit about novels he used to write.

He was particularly a fan of a linguistic author who was treated as the greatest in the fantasy genre.

He picked up another letter but it was at the same time. Letter by letter, it felt very normal.

'Is it useless?'

Although he was getting clues about his relationship with Joseph and a few of his hobbies from the letters, he wasn't finding anything about what he was looking for.

He picked up another letter deciding to give up if it was useless, but when he opened it up, he saw that the beautiful writing was a bit odd in this one.

It looked a bit messy.

[My girlfriend left me. She fucking left! I told you that she was pregnant right but apparently, she didn't want a kid. I thought it was my chance to settle down, have a family but no. You know what's worse. My agent told me that I can't marry. I could have as many girlfriends as I want but my sex appeal among the young females would go down if I settled. I sometimes feel like I have no control over my life…]

Aiden read the letter twice before putting it down. He sighed before picking up another letter. The writing was back to normal in this one but the overall feeling of the letter was the same.

As he read it, Aiden felt like he was reaching close to what he wanted.

[You know, my friend. My momma always used to say that I should smile no matter what and I'm doing that for a long time now. I don't know why but I feel like I have not smiled genuinely in years because of this. I wanted money and fame all my life but I never knew I was going to lose my smile for this. Feels like a tad bit too much to pay for fame…]

The same type of things were written on the next letter too. The writing became more distraught in this one.

[Mary had a miscarriage. I lost my child, Joseph. My own child… I somehow persuaded her to start a family with me but maybe it was never in my fate. Mary left me after it too, telling me to leave. She didn't want to see my face. I lost her. I completely lost her. I sometimes wonder if I'm a bad person. Why do these things always happen to me? Can't I be happy? Maybe not…]

Aiden felt sadness grip his heart as he read that. He had known about the miscarriage part that the letter was talking about, but he had known that Agnas didn't like Mary and it was just a one night stand.

Apparently, it was different.

Now, there was only one more letter left and with a heavy heart, he opened it up and went through the content.

[I don't know if I feel like myself now. Someone told me that I have everything in the world today. I wanted to tell them otherwise, but maybe it's true. I have everything that normal people desire. A man who has everything but nothing. Very ironic but I realised that this is just the life of a musician. A superstar to be exact. I realised I'm the employee of my own myth and I need to play the part till my last breath. After all, a good artist finishes his performance even if his performance is his own life. The show must go on…]

As soon as Aiden read through the letter, an image formed in his mind. The doubts he had about Agnas cleared as the clouds over his judgement moved away.

He felt like Agnas was his worst future.

Becoming so big that your life doesn't remain yours. It won't happen to normal celebrities but a superstar's life was just not his. It belonged to every fan who supports him.

Even if there was a lot of distance between the fan and the star, they can't exist without each other.

''Joker' is just the deepest feelings of Agnas. It perfectly describes his life. A joker who was told to always smile even when his heart was broken. Smile on the stage and sing no matter what's going on. The show must go on.'

As soon as Aiden thought that, his system suddenly opened as notifications shadowed his vision.

[You have managed to gain an affinity of over 70 percent with the character called 'Agnas'.]

[Agnas was one of the Level 10 musicians in the world. You have achieved a rare feat that no one was able to do before. By connecting to a master musician, you have gained the skill 'Connect'.]

[A lot of experience has been given.]

[You have advanced to Intermediate Grade 5 from Intermediate Grade 4 in your singing skill.]

[Congratulations.]

Reading through the notifications, Aiden widened his eyes. He felt like it was one of those moments where he was benefiting from accidentally combining his acting and singing skills.

For a while, he was in a trance and it was only after Joseph shook his shoulder that Aiden came out from his trance.

"Aiden, are you okay? You suddenly froze."

"Ah, yeah. I'm sorry I just zoned out." He looked at the old man. "Joseph, thank you for letting me read through the letters. I feel like I would be able to complete 'Joker' now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Thank you very much. I will leave now."

Saying that, Aiden didn't stay for long and left. His mind was chaotic with what had just happened. He felt like he had grown closer to finishing up 'Joker'.

At the same time, he was excited to use 'Connect' and see what exactly it does.

"He's a weird kid."

Joseph muttered after Aiden left. He didn't feel like he would be able to complete the song, but if he did, that would mean that he could die without regrets.

The old man looked at the letters once before sighing.

In a room, a man was typing on his keyboard with frantic speed. His beard was rough, and he was constantly licking his lips and smiling like he had been struck with an inspiration that was going to create something magical.

If anyone saw him like this, he would be termed as a mad man and maybe it was true as only a mad man could create something like [Black Saints].

He was Zavier Lamb, who was currently writing down the script of [Black Saints 2].

For the sequel, he was going to give Kai the best story arc of all time and something that the audience would be shocked by.

"I can't wait for the audience to see it on the big screen."

He stopped and muttered, his eyes going over to a particular scene.

The dialogues in this scene was something that was his favourite and it was something that Kai constantly talks about.

And it was the most truthful thing about his character.

"There's a freedom in chaos."

Zavier said as he imagined Aiden saying the line on the big screen.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Upon reaching home, Aiden locked himself in his room. There were few messages on his phone, mainly from Wade and his mother but he ignored them for the time being and opened up his system.

'Connect.'

He wanted to know what type of skill it was. As he had gotten it by accidentally mixing both his acting and singing skills at the same time, he felt like it would be something special.

Anyway, every skill from his system was special.

[The ability to connect with a master from any profession that you have a good affinity with. It could only be used once a year.]

That was the description of the skill according to his system and it was also the first skill he had gotten that had come up with restrictions.

But if the skill was really like that, then the restrictions were understandable. Otherwise, it would be too overpowered.

'If I used it, maybe I would be able to complete 'Joker'.'

Aiden thought in his mind and took a deep breath.

A lot of things were going in his mind and his phone was continuously ringing but ignoring that, he muttered.

"Connect."

Rows of notifications immediately appeared in front of him.

[You have used the skill 'Connect'.]

[The only master you have a high affinity with is the master musician 'Agnas'. A connection is being made.]

[You would be experiencing the connection soon.]

[A connection has been made.]

[You are going to experience a whole life now.]

As soon as Aiden read through the notifications, the world around him started to shake. The walls in his room disappeared, the chair and his desk did too.

The next thing he knew was that he was in the middle of a concert. He wasn't the one performing but just a spectator.

It seemed to be the concert of a local band and people were cheering them on. With one look, they seem to look strange, wearing clothes that Aiden would only see in old movies.

'Wait… I feel like I'm suddenly very short.'

He thought as someone picked him up.

"Agnas, are you looking at it? They are cool, right?"

"Yeah, momma."

His mouth moved on its own and Aiden could just stare at the woman in front of him. She looked young.

"Do you want to be like them one day? You like music, right."

"I do. Music makes me happy. I would be like just those people one day. People would love me and we would have money. You would be happy then, right?"

"Yes I will be."

The woman gave the brightest smile Aiden had ever seen and the world changed again.

This time, he was in the bathroom. His body was shaking a bit and he felt anxious and nervous, like he would pass out at any moment.

He was repeatedly splashing water on his face. Someone barged through the door at that moment.

It was an old man.

"What are you doing here? People are waiting for you on the stage."

"I, I can't do it. Mr. Jefferson. I'm very nervous. I feel like I will pass out and my voice won't reach anyone."

"You can't think that, son. You need to perform. Let the music flow through you and everything would be fine. If you back out of this, everything is fucking doomed."

The old man shouted and the vision changed.

It keeps changing.

It was like Aiden was seeing a movie and although everything was too fast to make sense, he was feeling a plethora of emotions. At this point, he had already realised what was going on.

He was experiencing the life of Agnas. He was connected with him.

And he had to say.

It was a sad life. A life he won't even wish for his enemy.

Aiden experienced a scene when Agnas was crying in the bathroom because he lost his mom before doing a show with a smile. He became too big and his agent controlled every aspect of his music.

Even then, he smiled and performed.

His friends died, his relationships broke, his pet dog died. One thing that never died was loneliness in his heart and the smile on his face that he had mastered till that point.

One of the incidents Aiden experienced was something extremely painful. Agnas used to have a girl he loved but she got pregnant in high school and married someone else.

Years later, they met when Agnas was a star. She still treated him the same and he hoped to keep at least a friendship this time, having matured.

But the next day, a newspaper published a scandal about them.

The girl's husband was angered and left her, believing that scandal and she bashed Agnas, telling him that him being a star is a curse. Even when he was not at fault, he kept experiencing bad things.

It was like this was a sacrifice for achieving most of the materialistic things in life.

He kept blaming himself on every part of his life.

Finally, Aiden's vision changed for the final time.

'Where am I now?'

He thought and saw that it was a room. His vision was a bit blurry this time but he was holding a guitar. His hands moved on his own and played a tune.

Time seemed to stop for a moment as the tune resounded in the room.

''Joker'? Is this the time when Agnas made the song?'

He thought as Agnas played the tune for a while until he suddenly threw his guitar on a wall. It was so sudden that Aiden was shocked.

The guitar broke and Agnas stood up from the sofa and walked up to the big mirror on the side of the room.

The next words Agnas spoke froze Aiden.

"Hey, are you still alive inside of me?"

Aiden wondered if he knew that he was there.

"A part of me that genuinely smiles and enjoys music. Is it still alive?"

That calmed him down and Aiden gave all his attention to what was happening.

"I don't think so. Why do I feel so dead everytime I make music? I don't even know if I could smile anymore."

Saying that, Agnas smiled in front of the mirror but it was a distorted one. For the next five minutes, he kept practicing different types of smiles but none of them looked good. It was fake.

Agnas realised it himself and let out a small laugh.

"I guess I lost it. The ability to be happy…"

A tear dropped.

Aiden suddenly realised that Agnas was crying and for the first time in his life, he realised the price of stardom.

The next second, the mirror broke and the vision ended.

Aiden found himself back in his room. The walls, the chair, the desk… everything was back but Aiden was sweating.

His temperature seemed to have dropped and his back was drenched.

For a while, he found it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, a tear dropped.

He looked down on the carpet where the tear had dropped and then, touched his own face.

Aiden was crying.

"Where is Aiden? You know I don't like it. He's not been on the shooting for two days. We won't be able to finish in time if he's like this. I thought he was a very disciplined person."

Asano said as he tapped his leg repeatedly on the back seat of a car. There was annoyance on his face.

"I understand how you are feeling. I don't know what's going on with Aiden either. He's never been like this before. Wade, do you know anything?"

Omar looked at Wade who was driving. As Aiden was not responding to calls or anything, all of them were going to his house.

Wade had tried before but he had rejected him, saying that he was busy with something.

"I don't know. That's why I'm worried. I don't think anything major happened nor did he look weird. The suddenness of it makes me more worried."

Wade said, making the other two wonder what was really going on with Aiden.

He had never acted like that on the set and had a rule of not drinking during shooting as to not miss his schedule due to oversleeping.

That type of person was missing from the shooting for two days now.

"You sure nothing happened on the set?" Omar asked. He had not been on the set a lot.

"No, nothing happened. He was enjoying it and would talk a lot with younger actors."

"Yeah it's strange then."

Omar muttered and soon, the car stopped at Aiden's apartment. All of them got out and made their way up to the floor he used to live on.

"I have keys."

Wade said when they reached the apartment. He opened up the door and entered inside.

Taking a few steps, he saw that there were boxes of pizza besides the sink.

'At least he's eating.'

He thought, moving towards his room.

"Aiden, are you here?" Omar shouted up.

"He must be in his room. He said he's working on something."

Wade walked up to his bedroom and opened up the door. With a glance, his eyes landed on Aiden but he stopped his mouth from saying anything.

It was like he had seen something that shouldn't be disturbed.

Both Asano and Omar were the same.

In the room, Aiden was holding up his guitar. He wasn't playing anything but he looked so focused that no one wanted to disturb him.

Moreover, his eyes looked very different. Almost like he had seen every grief in this world.

'What happened to him?'

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Vanity Magazine was one of the top magazines in America, read by millions around the world and a distance away from where it was situated, a cafe was located.

It was a high class cafe that was frequented a lot by the employees working there. Today, two of the reporters from the Entertainment department were drinking coffee after having lunch.

Their topic of discussion was varied but it soon came to the most talked about topic in Hollywood lately.

The casting for Agnas biopic.

It was discussed and bashed a lot online when initial rumours spread about Liam Wilde playing Agnas, mostly from the musician's fans who were waiting for a movie to honour their idol for a long time.

If this was even a few months ago, it would have been fine and a decision that people would even like as Liam himself was a great musician but after his scandal, everyone felt that it was better for Liam to lie down for a year or two.

The public felt that it was a disgrace for Liam to play Agnas. In the end, it was brushed off as a rumour by Zero International for the time being.

But the people working in Hollywood, especially reporters knew the real picture.

"So, is the information you got true? Is it really confirmed?"

A female reporter asked as she squinted her eyes at her male colleague, like she was warning him to not lie.

"It's the real deal." He said. "Liam Wilde is 90 percent confirmed. Only signing the contract is left."

"I really don't know why they are going with this decision. They don't seem to care about Agnas's legacy."

"It's Hollywood. They probably are making this knowing how much money they could mint. And I'm pretty sure a few of Zero International executives would themselves be a part of the orgy. Only the director and the crew seem to be genuinely interested in the project."

The woman laughed hearing that. By the man's expression, she knew that it was not even a joke.

Hollywood biggies were capable of doing worse things.

"Anyway, could nothing happen? My mom's a huge Agnas fan and I want someone with a bit better image to be playing him. If I watch Liam as Agnas on the big screen, I will keep thinking about his orgy pics."

"You stared at them too much— Okay! Stop glaring at me and I'm not an executive. I just got this information from a contact."

Both of them talked a bit more about the topic, particularly what the male reporter had heard about Liam's acting skills and other things from the biopic and which director they want the story to go too.

There was a simple thing for biopics. A lot of the time they were more of 'biofics' which meant that certain things are changed to make the story more interesting to the audience. After all, the audience needed some spice in the story even if it hadn't happened in reality.

At the end of their discussion, the female colleague just muttered.

"I don't really know how the reaction is going to be when it's officially announced."

"Zero International would have their cyber army ready to tackle it. Then, Liam would just need to give a convincing performance and it's all good when the movie is released." The male colleague said, then added. "Though, I still hope that someone else is chosen. Liam doesn't seem like the right choice for some reason."

"That would need a miracle."

"Okay, the cameras are ready? Check everything. It's going to be the last scene, so we need to finish on top."

"You don't have to worry, director. It's just a small scene."

"It still needs to be perfect so we leave on a high note."

Asano said and looked at Aiden and for a second, the emotions in his eyes changed. Just a few days ago, when he had seen his eyes, they looked so empty but now, they looked different.

More like Ray, the main character for [Action Hero].

'He's really an actor.'

Asano thought in his mind as he gestured to the slate to drop.

The scene started then.

[Action Hero2 April-2018Act 10Scene 6Take 1]

Ray looked at himself in the mirror. Blood was streaking down his head, an injury he had gotten in a fight. His hands were bandaged, a relic of another fight a few days ago and his face seemed like it had been through some rough pounding.

He frowned as he opened up the tap. Water started coming down from it as he splashed it on his face.

'I was never going to start fighting mindlessly again but people are monsters here. I can understand it. They are frustrated but it doesn't mean giving up their sanity.'

Thinking of that, he thought back to the scenes he had seen since he had come here. A conversation with a bullied guy particularly came to his mind.

"You know, I have thought a lot about suicide."

"What are you saying?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do that. I tried. Was too tired. When you see death, it's only then you realise how much courage it takes to approach it. I'm a coward. I can't do it."

A trace of anger appeared on his face thinking of it abc the next second, a punch landed on the mirror as Ray screamed.

"Fuck it. The only way to destroy something is to become that."

A voice came out as he said that and immersion broke.

Aiden came back to the real world and heard a lot of whistles and cheers from the crew and other actors. Everyone looked happy as they had finally finished what seemed like an important movie of all of their careers.

It had also only taken a bit more than a month. They have given it their and it was evident in their voices.

"Let's go to a bar and celebrate."

"It's still afternoon so we should all go out for lunch. I'm pretty sure the director won't be stingy today."

"Then, after that, the bar."

"Hey, I have a family unlike you."

Aiden heard all those voices and then turned towards his co actors. A lot of them were young but they were nodding towards him, applauding his performance.

He had truly given a good performance that they could look up to.

'The shooting finally ended. I completed one more movie.'

Aiden felt a surge of positive emotions in his heart. He heard footsteps and saw Asano walking towards him to give him a hug.

They shared a small hug and he looked at him with a smile.

"Thank you for making Ray a reality. I don't know if I have gotten a better actor for this project."

"I hope you say that even if the movie doesn't work." Aiden said, shaking his head.

"Hey, you should not say that. It's bad luck."

"I don't think luck would affect it. I won't say something like this until I'm sure that the movie will do well regardless of anything."

Aiden said and they talked a bit more about the shooting and how Asano was planning to lock himself in a room to edit the movie.

"So, you are coming to the feast I'm holding."

"You already booked a restaurant?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"Obviously. I do it every time with my crew. Need to treat them for the good work or those bastards would just work with someone else when I have a movie coming. Anyway, let's go."

"No, I can't come."

Aiden stopped Asano in his tracks.

"It would be odd if the lead wasn't there."

"I have a meeting. You know the track I sang when you came to my house."

Asano slowly nodded his head, his mind going to the music he had heard. The only thing he could say about it was that he was still desperately waiting for it to release officially everyday.

"It's a track that was originally going to be used for Agnas movie. I'm going to a meeting for the movie."

"Oh." Asano understood what was going on. Although it didn't have every single piece of information, he knew that Aiden had auditioned for it. "Good luck with it. I know it could be a huge opportunity for you."

"Thanks."

Aiden said and walked out of the set while thanking everyone and promising to have a drink with them in the future. Outside, Wade and Tom were already waiting in the car.

"Let's go. I don't think we should make them wait for long."

Aiden said, sitting in the car.

"Don't worry, it's close by."

Wade said and started the car. Through the drive, Tom couldn't help but ask a question that was running in his mind.

He was very worried about Aiden in the last week when he had locked himself in his house to work on something but looking at him now, it seemed like he was perfectly fine.

"How did you actually get a meeting with them? I heard Wade tried before and he failed."

"I got a friend to help me." Aiden smiled. "Anyway, we don't have the meeting with the producer but directly with the director."

"What do you plan to say in it?"

"I'm going to persuade the director to cast me as Agnas."

Aiden said and looked outside the car's window.

These days, all he was thinking of was Agnas and his life and if he didn't got this role, he was going to regret it for life.

'At this point, I'm sure nobody could play this better than me.'

He thought in his mind and hummed the 'Joker' tune throughout the ride.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

In the Zero International New York office, a lot of people were gathered around in a conference room.

"Since the higher ups already had their talks, I don't think there's any suspense that you are selected as the lead to play Agnas. There will be a lot of talks online but we are prepared to handle it now that we are in the same boat."

"I would rather say we are on a cruise with Liam as the lead. If his fangirls stormed the theatres the same way they do during his concerts, then we would be looking for over 40 million dollars opening."

"That would be like a dream come true."

Theodere didn't say anything as the people in the room talked. Being the main producer in the biopic, he needed to have a good relationship with the main lead.

He hadn't liked that the decision wasn't on merit but then again, which decision was in Hollywood? There's always these things involved.

And he had gotten used to it.

Going against something the CEO had decided would be a fool's errand.

'Only Director Baz could do it and he didn't even mind having Liam on board. His acting skills are surprisingly good.'

Theodere thought and took a look around. A few producers and the project manager were talking amiably with Liam who was sitting in the center. He was here to talk with Baz and sign the contract today.

Then, the official announcement would happen tomorrow.

A rat faced guy who was Liam's assistant and a tall guy who was a senior agent from Intra Entertainment were here too. The latter was here to make sure that everything went well.

They were hyping up Liam at every chance they got.

Suddenly, the senior agent looked at Theodore and asked.

"Theo, you ain't talking much today."

"I'm more of the type to observe, you know that. I'm waiting for Baz to come here." Theodore quickly replied with a smile.

"Where is Director Baz?"

Liam looked at him and Theodore glanced back to the door.

"He said someone was going to meet him, so he's in a small meeting area. He will be back soon."

"Who is he meeting?"

"Don't know. Just said he's meeting someone due to a friend and doesn't know what the meeting would be about."

Baz McCarthy was a very experienced director. One of the best in business. A famous magazine called Morbes has even called him, 'One of the pioneers in modern cinema'.

It also meant that he had connections all over Hollywood and any production company would want to work with him. At the same time, he had seen so many wild things in his life that he could write a book named 'Top 100 unbelievable experiences a director goes through'.

Even then, he had never expected an actor to be so blatant while talking to him.

"So, let me go over what you said. You said you want to play Agnas in his biopic and there's no one better than you to play it."

"There might be but I have never come across them."

Baz slammed the table and blinked his eyes at Aiden. Besides him, a burly man who was his agent was sitting.

After calming down a bit, Baz let out a sigh and looked at Aiden who was not even blinking. He looked as serious as a person could get.

"You saw the shiny black Lamborghini in the parking lot."

"Yeah, it looked good." Wade said.

"Liam Wilde owns it. He's in the other room currently, waiting to sign the contract to play Agnas. We are going to announce it and release the posters after his look for the movie is finalised. Do you still think that you stand a chance here?"

Baz had thought that Aiden didn't know about the situation with Liam but instead of backing out, Aiden nodded his head.

"I know about what you said. I obviously did my research before coming here. The CEO of Intra Entertainment and Zero International made a verbal deal. It would take something big to remove Liam from the movie."

"Then, why?"

Baz frowned and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was surely going to write this incident in his biography when he decided to make one.

"Because I heard about an incident." Aiden muttered. "It was your third movie. First two movies have an average box office but you were good enough to get a third. The production company wanted another actor but a new actor had impressed you so much that you got into a fight with the producers."

It was a very famous incident in Hollywood and it takes balls of steel to do something like this. Baz had done it when he was still a young director whose one mistake would send him to make B grade movies.

Baz licked his lips as Aiden recounted that incident.

In the end, Baz had gotten his actor and the movie earned over 150 million dollars at the box office, becoming a huge hit. The actor went on to be a huge star named Ray Hardy.

"You have not impressed me that much." Baz said and looked at Aiden who simply smiled.

"Yet." He said. "I'm here to just do that. Give you something that would be enough of a reason for you to back me to play the role."

It was at that moment that Baz realised that he hadn't seen anyone with that much confidence other than Aiden. There were confident people he had met but a lot of them got over confident and ruined their careers.

With Aiden, there was something very clear in his eyes. A plan.

"What is that?"

"Listen to this."

Aiden said and took out his phone, then he played 'Joker' in the small meeting room.

Ten minutes later when Baz had heard it twice and was dumbstruck, he said.

"Let's go to the conference room. This is… it won't be something easy to solve but I guess it's enough of a reason."

Aiden smiled hearing that.

"Ah, Director Baz, you are finally here."

The senior agent from Intra Entertainment stood up from his chair when the door opened to reveal the director. A few other people did the same, including Liam.

But they froze when they saw who was behind him.

"What is Aiden and his agent doing here?"

Liam muttered and everyone wondered what was going on. Knowing that something interesting was going on, Theodere asked.

"Director, was it Aiden who you were having a meeting with?"

"Yes. It was quite an… interesting meeting."

Baz said under his breath, in a low voice, then looked up at everyone in the room. His eyes glanced at Liam for a second but it was just that. A glance.

"Director, I'm pretty sure the meeting was interesting but can we focus more on Liam signing the contract? I have other appointments later on in the day."

The senior agent looked at the director with a smile but Baz shook his head.

"I'm sorry but that won't happen now."

"What?"

"Aiden here had managed to convince me that there's no one better than him to play Agnas and I also felt that. So, Liam, I'm very sorry but I want Aiden to play the lead role. It's a hard decision but I hope you can understand it."

"What the fuck?"

Liam's assistant — The rat faced guy — muttered. Liam's face was the personification of those lines and a few other people were now giving Aiden weird looks.

They were stunned too. Everyone was.

"What a headache." Theodere put a hand on his head but there was smile on his face. It was interesting. Things were interesting.

The senior agent seemed to think it was a joke and laughed.

"Director Baz, your sense of humour is good. A little dark for my taste but let's be a bit serious."

"I'm serious."

Baz said and someone let out a deep breath that they were holding back.

"Director, on what basis you are saying this. The CEO had already decided everything and I don't think you have the right to decide who could play the lead now. You yourself said Liam would be fine."

"That was before and the CEO had given me the right to final decision if you don't know." Director Baz glared at the senior agent, not liking his tone. "As for why, I'm saying this suddenly. There's a big reason for this."

Baz glanced at Aiden saying it. That was the signal for him to open his mouth but Aiden looked a little lost.

'Why they are not here yet?'

He thought in his mind and turned to look at the door. As if he was commanding it, the door opened.

Joseph and Cameron walked in. There was a look of confusion on their face seeing all the people who were present in the room.

They could tell that the atmosphere wasn't the most ideal.

"Aiden, what is going on? You suddenly called me here."

"Why is Liam here?"

Cameron pointed at Liam who was standing shell shocked. He wasn't even bring able to open his mouth and looked like a lost child at a carnival.

"He's here to sign his contract but I kind of ruined it… Anyway, I will explain it later. It's a pretty complex situation."

Aiden muttered, scratching his hair. He actually didn't knew Liam was going to be here to sign the contract.

It was very unexpected but it had added to the situation.

'I would be lucky if his agent or him don't try to punch me. Need to look out for shoes and phones flying out too.'

He thought in his mind and looked at Joseph.

"Joseph, I did it."

"Did what?" The old man raised an eyebrow.

"I completed 'Joker', Agnas' last song."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"I completed 'Joker', Agnas' last song."

As soon as those words were out of Aiden's mouth, he knew that the reactions were going to be something he had never seen before.

Doubt was the first one out of all the emotions that Joseph was going to feel today.

"What are you saying? You should not joke about anything like that."

"It's not a joke. I won't lie about something like this. I know what it means to you."

Joseph looked into Aiden's eyes.

They were resolute, pure, truthful. Age had made his vision worse but it had given him the ability to see the truth from the lies.

'He's not lying! But how could it be? No one, not even me, was able to complete it. No, first let's see if the quality is intact. I need to hear it to know it.'

He thought in his mind and the senior agent who was already becoming impatient shouted out.

"What the hell is 'Joker'? Are you calling us clowns? Theodore, what is this behaviour? I thought you were a professional. What is this stupid guy and the director is saying? Fix this mess up."

"Hey don't shout! Let me explain. 'Joker' is—"

"Agnas' last song and the reason why I even wanted to direct this biopic."

Baz interrupted Theodore and completed his sentence. Then, he went on to talk about how the idea of the biopic had even come up.

It had happened a long time ago when Baz had heard 'Joker' due to Joseph and had been entranced. He had only listened and talked about the song for the next three days.

In the end, he decided to make an Agnas biopic.

The end of this biopic was actually going to be 'Joker'. The song plays as the credits roll to the tragic death of Agnas but no one was able to complete the song and hence, another ending was used.

But now, Aiden has managed to complete it.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

"Is it really completed? Even Joseph wasn't able to do it and he's arguably one of the best composers in the world."

Theodore asked and glanced between Joseph and Aiden. He was not even 30 and did what a world famous composer wasn't able to do? It was hard to believe.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he just made a mess of it and is now saying that he completed it."

Liam who was silent till now finally opened his mouth. He had heard enough to know what was going on.

Other people in the room were also thinking of the same thing as him.

"I heard it."

At that moment, Baz opened his mouth, shutting everyone who was doubting Aiden's claims.

"Are you sure the quality is the same?" Joseph asked.

"It gave me goosebumps."

That was enough of an answer for everyone to turn towards Aiden. Standing next to him, Wade was suddenly feeling like Aiden's plan was working.

He was proud of the actor he had chosen to represent. Tom was the same and he looked like he was happy to be witnessing history happening in front of his eyes.

This was going to be written in golden letters in the future.

"Aiden, can I hear it?"

"Okay."

Aiden said, taking out his phone and putting the volume to the loudest. Then, taking a deep breath, he played the song.

Everyone went silent after that.

If he was being honest, it was probably the hardest song for him to compose. And he didn't even know how he had done it.

He was in such a state where he felt like he was living with a hole in his heart and only completing the song was in his heart.

He finally understood that to complete 'Joker', you needed to be in an emotional range that a few people in life would experience.

That's the reason why no one was able to do it till now.

His skill 'Connect' had helped him in that.

After completing the song, he had written down lyrics on top of it but even if there were no lyrics, the song was emotional enough to make people cry.

Those lyrics were also written in a trance-like state which Aiden could only describe as feeling like you are in an endless grief.

One more thing was that the song didn't have silver light.

'It's the first song from me to have a golden light.'

Yes, the whole room was covered in golden light as the song played. It was a very strong golden light and although Aiden knew that rather than him, it was because of Agnas, he still felt like it was a big achievement for him.

The effects it had on people were very clear too.

Wade and Baz, who had heard the song before, looked a bit emotional and a few people were already unable to stand and have sat down.

Both Cameron and Liam being singers have realised what they were hearing and it looked like they were having chills on their body.

Finally after three minutes, the song ended.

With it, a tear dropped on the ground.

It was Joseph.

"Grandpa, are you okay?"

Cameron quickly rushed to him but Joseph shook his head, telling him that he was fine. His eyes were red and he seemed to be taking deep breaths.

"I'm fine… I'm fine… It's just I never thought that I would be able to hear this in my entire life. I feel like my life has fulfilled its purpose now."

Saying that, Joseph looked at Aiden and slowly walked towards him.

Then, he hugged him.

"Thank you. I underestimated you but you gave me the best gift of my life."

Aiden wasn't able to say anything and just hugged him back.

'This must mean a lot for him.'

He thought in his mind and closed his eyes for a bit.

Theodore also looked a bit emotional and now, he was looking at Aiden with a different light. Infact, everyone was looking at Aiden in a different light.

It was special.

"Okay, he completed the song. It's a good one. I agree but can we come to the main topic now? I like the whole emotional scene but Aiden still can't play Agnas."

The whole atmosphere was broken by the senior agent and Tom wondered for a second how much months he would need to spend in jail if he body slammed him a little.

"We can't do the movie without the song." Theodere said as everyone looked at him. "If Aiden could compose the song, then it's fair to say that—"

"That doesn't mean great acting. If he was that good in acting, you would have selected him on the spot."

"He was among the actors who was nearly casted until Intra Entertainment interfered."

Baz replied and the senior agent shrugged. Next to him, the rat faced assistant was shivering, thinking that the agent was stupid to show this type of attitude to the director.

Even if Liam kept the role, Baz would make his life a hell on the set just because of his grudge against the agent.

"Every agent wants his actor to get the role. That was decided."

The senior agent said firmly. Then, his gaze landed on Aiden and his face showed an evil smirk.

"If it's only about the song, we could just use it. We are using other Agnas' songs in it anyway. We will just put Aiden's name in the credits. It will be fine, right?"

"Bastard."

Wade muttered and glared at the senior agent. He was saying to just get it over with since Aiden completing the song meant good for the movie but it didn't mean that they needed him.

He wanted to throw Aiden out.

Theodere was going to interfere when he suddenly saw Aiden smiling.

'Why's he smiling? Wait a minute…'

He widened his eyes and in the next moment, Aiden looked at the senior agent.

"I don't think you know but the copyright of the song isn't in Agnas' name."

"What?"

"He died while making it. Only people close to him knew about it and his family wanted nothing to do with his music. The song was with Joseph because of that but even he never copyrighted it. No one did. There's no record."

It was a sight to see everyone's face when Aiden revealed that.

All of them looked at Joseph but going by his face, it was true. Aiden could just say that it's his song and everyone would believe him.

"You copyrighted it?"

"I did. Two days ago," Aiden said. "Of course, my intentions are very pure and I only did it because I knew someone would say something like that. I know the cockroaches in the industry very well. I won't take any credit from Agnas. Don't worry about that."

With that, it was a checkmate.

The game was in Aiden's hand. The senior agent was baffled but before he could say anything, Baz opened his mouth.

"I have already decided that Aiden would be the lead. My decision won't change."

"The CEO—"

"I will talk to him about it personally. I know how to convince the production and distribution company."

It was sealed then.

The senior agent gave a glare to Baz and Theodere before motioning Liam to follow him. The rat faced assistant did the same.

Before Liam could pass Aiden, he stopped him.

"We all try our best to get roles in the industry. I'm not against you nor do I hate you. I just don't have a habit of losing out on something I really want."

"I heard you have a movie coming out. Good luck with it."

Saying that, Liam left the room.

/Dream note/

The 300th chapter! Won't be a better chap for the milestone. Thanks for supporting me till now.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

After the fiasco in the office of Zero International, things moved very quickly. Aiden knew that a lot of noise was going to generate due to what had happened.

It was pretty inevitable.

Wade said that Zero International was pretty abuzz with what had happened. Although the normal employees didn't know what had transpired, there were several rumours.

People like Tom were having a field day with all the rumours.

As Baz had said that he would handle everything, Aiden wasn't worried. Joseph was also going to put in a good word for him by using his connections.

That old man looked like he would even give Aiden the biggest piece in his will from the looks he was giving him.

Even Cameron said that his grandpa was going to treat him very close now and he was already declared a family friend.

He also had meetings with Theodore, the main producer and a few other people on the movie and in the end, they all looked pretty receptive to it.

He knew that it was a lot because of Baz but Aiden didn't mind it.

Even with this, he needed to wait a while to formally sign a contract.

During this time, he just lied and kept a watch on what was going on. He was also a bit tired from shooting [Action Hero, so a break was necessary for him.

Like he had expected, Intra Entertainment quickly acted upon what had transpired and started having meetings with Zero International and making them feel responsible for not keeping their verbal agreement intact.

They were going all out to make sure Liam gets the role.

But Zero International seemed to be going with what Baz had decided.

"A director's word is everything," they told intra Entertainment.

Aiden didn't know what the director had talked with Zero International CEO but it was surely effective and he was easily able to protect himself under the director.

He guessed that it was also because Baz's personal production house was also one of the investors. Every big director normally had one.

A lot of it was also because of the influence a big director had. They enjoyed the top view in the hierarchies in Hollywood.

Moreover, Aiden heard from Wade that Zero International was very confident in Agnas that they didn't really care about the main lead. Their previous support of Liam was mainly due to their deals with Intra Entertainment.

But it seemed like they didn't mind offending them as the deals were expiring soon and they might have gotten better offers.

It also meant that the internet was filled with a lot of rumors. A few of them Aiden felt were planted by Intra Entertainment themselves.

At least the articles seemed to be targeting him.

Liam Wilde who was reportedly going to play Agnas in the superstar's much awaited biopic had been replaced by Aiden Silvereye. The decision has very sudden and Zero International seemed to be silent on it.

Liam Wilde said, "I did my best. It's not in my hands whether I get the role or not." after being asked about the rumours. A big gossip site had mentioned that some politics have been played to get him off the role.

Aiden Silvereye bags the role of Agnas. Fans are not happy about the decision as they feel like it's a disrespect that their idol would be played by a half Indian.

Aside from the articles, there were also a lot of talks online about this.

[Cat-astrophic: Aiden as Agnas? Interesting casting for sure. He proved himself to be a good actor so we will wait and see.]

[K.E.V.I.N: Anything better than Liam Wilde. I don't want him to play such a prestigious figure. At least someone with a good image and good acting ability is chosen. He looks a bit like him anyway.]

[Savlon: I won't believe this until it's confirmed. And Hollywood doesn't even like to make good biopics. They either make it a fiction, sexual or preachy. They should focus more on the aspect of the life of a superstar that only few get to live.]

[A stone faced Rock: I don't care who's playing the role until they do a good job. Baz McCarthy is known to not let his views guide his movies. Otherwise, he would make Agnas a sex fiend or something like half the Hollywood directors do, wanting to show their wet dreams on screen.]

[Aiden's wife: Wow! I'm so excited for it. Aiden is finally working with a top studio with a lead role. He's going to blow up big time after this.]

[I'm a Racist and I know it: I hope this is written by someone who actually researched Agnas and his life. I'm watching [The Witch Hunter] after playing through the games and it's awful. I heard the writers didn't even like the source material and wanted to make it 'better'. Egoistic bastards.]

[Hollywood Insider: Every negative article on this topic ain't even giving any legitimate reasons. These are planted by companies who don't like an outsider getting a great chance. Unlike the 90s, it's way easier to make a person a villain in this age. People! Be careful!]

Aiden mostly ignored whatever was going on online. Wade had told him to stay away from this and not degrade his mental health.

It was an old tactic to do social media attacks and anyone with a little knowledge of how the industry worked would know that.

Aiden followed Wade's advice and kept low, waiting for everything in Zero International to settle.

He had done this part.

It wasn't his place to interfere in what was going on between two big corporations.

At the same time, he also helped out in the post production. A few dubbing sessions were required of him and other than that, there were poster shoots.

[Action Hero] was a special indie movie for him and he was doing his best to make sure that it became a hit.

Before that, he was going to attend a comic con event for Morpheus.

After its release last year, Morpheus had quickly turned out to be a hit out of nowhere in terms of comic book sales.

The graphic novel was continuously in the list of 'Top ten highest selling comic books of the month'.

At the same time, it had repeatedly gotten good, critical reviews from critics. Even a few other comic book writers have praised it.

Aiden had written it even with the shooting and although the release had stagnated and Aiden had missed deadlines, it was still booming due to the fan base it had gotten.

A core fanbase meant that it was a loyal one too. Every person who was reading it would wait for the next issue.

Aiden was also doing a lot of cliffs, making some readers curse him.

With its newfound popularity, Vikings publishing had gotten Aiden and Bruce a signing event in the comic con. They would also be speaking in a panel of emerging comic book writers.

Although he was tired by the shooting and everything else, Aiden didn't reject such an event, knowing that it would be a good chance to say thanks to the fans of the graphic novel.

"A lot of people are here."

He commented, looking around. He was currently standing in the entrance of the event with a mask on, so he didn't get recognised.

People were everywhere and cosplays were also on display. A few people who looked like cosplay influencers were posing and a photographer was taking their pics.

A few were vlogging while most of the people just looked excited.

"It's comic con. It's weird if there's no less people here. Have you ever been here?"

Bruce Morse, the artist working with him on Morpheus, was standing next to him. Wade and Tom were also in some distance with a few other people from Viking publishing.

"I have." Aiden said. "I was stabbed the last time I attended one."

He smiled but Bruce just gave him a weird look. He didn't seem to know about the incident.

"Don't joke."

"I'm not. It's true. You can search for it online."

"I don't need to. You would be dead if you were really stabbed."

Bruce clicked his tongue, not believing what Aiden was saying. He looked a bit radiant after Morpheus had become a success.

He had supposedly managed to impress an employee from Vikings publishing and she had pushed him to exercise, making him look slimmer.

"Anyway, our book signing event would have time. Do you want to go to meet other comic book authors? I heard a few movie studios are going to reveal their future comic book movies here too? Some announcements."

"They do that every year."

"Are you not a fan?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow but Aiden shook his head.

"I'm but they are just becoming a cash cow now. You need more originality in them. They also don't get too many great villains for some reason. A hero is as good as the villain."

Aiden explained. He still watched superhero flicks but there were too many of them and he guessed that they were going to die sooner or later until there's actual originality in them.

But a heavy VFX movie was what everyone wanted to watch. So, he didn't know for sure.

"Anyway, let's go. There's a lot to explore."

Bruce said and Aiden entered the comic con with him, looking around. He hoped that today would be a good day for him.

Meeting fans was always something good after all.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Outside the comic con, a female reporter was standing with a cameraman but there was an annoyed expression on her face.

People were randomly brushing against her from time to time.

"People really don't have any manners."

She muttered as an obsessed guy bumped her shoulder while passing. She stomped her feet in anger as the guy looked apologetically.

"Sorry."

He fled with his friends after that and the cameraman shook his head.

"There's too many people here already. Get used to it."

"I have never been to a comic con. I didn't know."

"Well, now you know."

The female reporter muttered something under her breath and took a deep breath and fixed her hair.

Then she got ready.

The cameraman started to roll the camera.

"Hello, I'm Liz Jones from ETV news and we are here at comic con that's being held in New York this year. As you can see behind me, a lot of people are roaming around. It's jam packed. Let's go ask people what they are looking forward to the most at the comic con."

After the introduction, she looked around and went towards a blonde guy but seeing her, he quickly walked away.

A crack appeared on her face.

'Liz, this is normal. People are always rude. Get used to it.'

Thinking that, she approached another person but it was only on her fourth person that someone agreed to give an interview.

It was a young girl, probably a college student.

"There's going to be a few big reveals today. Among them, what are you excited to see here today?"

She asked and without wasting any time, the girl replied.

"I'm here to get an autograph from the creators of Morpheus."

"Morpheus?"

The reporter was confused and even the cameraman showed a similar reaction.

"Yeah, it's a comic book. There's a book signing event here. So, I'm very excited about it. Moreover, Aiden Silvereye is supposed to be here too. I wanted to meet him and get a hug."

"You mean that actor?"

"Yeah, he's the writer of the comic."

Saying that, the girl showed the female reporter a few issues of the graphic novel. She talked a bit more about it before going on her way.

Thinking that it was a good enough interview, the female reporter moved onto the next person. Then, the next person.

The answers she got to her question were varied.

"I'm here to attend the event to see the reveals of the new superhero movies coming up. I'm a big fan. I really hope we get a momm— I mean a strong female character movie."

"I'm attending for the gaming reveals. Heard that they are making another game for 'The Black Knight'. The movies of it are the worst I have seen but the games are one of the best. Hope they don't ruin the character."

"I'm just dragged here by my friends. Though, there's a lot of people in interesting costumes here."

Aside from these, one thing the female reporter didn't expect was that a lot of people had come to get a signed copy of Morpheus.

The popularity was clearly a lot for a relatively new series.

"I am here for Morpheus. I just love the series. The main character looks gorgeous and the story is very interesting. Especially, because he's more of an anti hero."

,m "I think the comic is more popular among females. They like elegant looking male characters and the story is very interesting. I got hooked after the first chapter and when the main character lost his parents, that was heartbreaking."

"I just like art. It's a good series. Very dark for my tastes but it makes up for it due to the story."

The main reason was obviously that a lot of these people were just Aiden's fans but a lot also genuinely loved the series.

It was a true dark fantasy with a great main character. Everything that the more commercial media choose to avoid these days.

After taking a few more interviews, the female reporter turned towards the cameraman.

"Do you think we should go check out what is this Morpheus?"

"Yeah, it looks interesting."

"Oka— Stop bumping into me."

The female reporter shouted as another person bumped into her.

"The line is very long."

Aiden said as he looked outside the curtains. Their table already had a few people lining up for autographs.

It was a good sign for sure.

"Ah, I'm going to mess up. I'm surely going to mess up."

Next to him, Bruce was quivering, completely opposite to his attitude from before. A few staff members were giggling looking at him like that.

Sighing, Aiden looked at him.

"Be a bit confident. It's going to be fine once you give your first autograph. Haven't you practiced it?"

"I have." Bruce muttered. "All night I practiced but what if something goes wrong? What if someone said to my face that they don't like the comic? I'm going to cry on the spot."

"You are shaking like you are going to propose to your girlfriend."

Aiden clicked his tongue.

"I feel like I would be better off proposing to her. I won't have a lot of fear as I have been rejected enough in life."

Wade laughed out loud hearing that. Everyone else was also smiling.

"Stop thinking so much and go out and give autographs. Remember to shake hands and give hugs, especially if it's a girl. Hugs and handshakes depend on how pretty she is."

Wade smirked and pushed Bruce outside. Aiden also walked out and sat down on the table.

A few fans cheered him and quickly came to their table.

"I'm a big fan of yours. Please sign it."

"I never thought I would see you in the flesh. Please sign this and can I have a hug?"

"Man, I loved your art. I'm an aspiring artist myself."

People came up quickly and for a second, Bruce felt overwhelmed until he heard the last comment. He somehow relaxed hearing that.

A staff member quickly calmed the fans down.

"Please form a proper line and don't try to get ahead of yourself. Please cooperate."

Wade also stood next to Aiden just in case something happened.

One by one, fans kept coming and Aiden signed the copy of the issue of Morpheus that they had bought with them.

It was a very standard procedure.

What made it interesting was the conversation of a minute he would have with the fans. At the same time, just seeing the smile on their face made him happy.

It gave his work a sort of meaning.

"I'm a huge fan of yours. Please sign this. I was there when you made your debut during X-Star in the audience. I loved your comic too."

"You have been supporting me for so long. Thank you very much."

"I actually never thought I would enjoy Morpheus so much. Even my girlfriend loves it. You are very talented."

"Thanks. Here's your signed copy."

Aiden talked nicely with them as he signed autographs. A few people asked for handshakes and selfies alongside a few excited girls asking for hugs.

Bruce also seemed to have relaxed down in his role. He had less people compared to Aiden but he looked very happy with each conversation.

He felt like he was finally in the place where he belonged.

'It's going to be tough work.'

Aiden thought, seeing that the line was just increasing and increasing.

But it was good work.

"So, you can't do it?"

"No, we are already busy with a release. We have given a lot of the marketing budget to it and we can't delay it. If you are not in a hurry, I can adjust it to release in three months."

"No, it's fine. Anyway, good luck with your movie."

Omar finished his call with the CEO of Eternal life movies, the distributor which had distributed [30 days of Happiness] and frowned.

Even though the movie had been completed well, a strange problem had come up.

The distribution company that Omar had gotten a deal with backed out at the last moment. They somehow had gotten into a sort of scam and had lost too much money, making them unable to distribute movies.

It was a very messy situation on their part.

So, suddenly, [Action Hero] was without any distributors. It was not a good situation for the movie.

He had used his contacts but it was hard to get a distributor. He even showed them an unedited version of the movie but a lot of studios backed out just because of the theme.

One even said that it was a good stupid movie with too many fight scenes and it would never work for the American audience who liked more cinematic experiences.

His last option was Eternal life movies but even they have other commitments.

'What can I do about this?'

Omar thought and frowned.

He needed to find a good distributor quickly or there's going to be trouble. Asano wanted to release it in the next two months.

And if he waited for longer, then the Agnas biopic would be released.

Knowing that Aiden was already casted in it, it wasn't a good idea to release two of his movies so close to each other. [Action Hero] was going to be the one at the losing end if that happens.

Moreover, there was always a time for movies to release.

Following a trend was one thing but Omar looked more into it. People have gotten tired of artistic movies that promote realism in the expanse of entertainment.

Superhero movies have also created an exhaustion.

If not released currently, Omar might lose the right opportunity.

'I need to find a distributor as soon as possible.'

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Signing autographs was a very exhausting job for one's hand, especially when signing them nonstop.

At one point, Aiden felt like the line was never going to end.

Sometime during the signing, a lot of people realised that Aiden was there. Celebrities attending comic con was a very common scenario now, but any celebrity would amass more and more people when they were doing such an event.

A lot of people also got to know about Morpheus because of this.

Many had heard of it, but they had never tried it, so knowing Aiden was the writer was something they didn't expect. Only die-hard fans would know it.

Most people see the product, but the writers still keep being the people who are working in the shadows. A lot of them never even get recognition.

Aside from his hand feeling a bit numb, most of the event was pretty peaceful. Though, there was one instance when a girl hugged him and refused to let go.

It was creepy behaviour, and the staff needed to remove her. Aiden had felt like it was very unexpected, but someone told him that these things happen from time to time.

These days, some people would deliberately do it for social media too.

Anyway, Aiden didn't take any action against her, and the guards escorted her out of the comic con. Thinking about what had happened the last time he was at comic con, Aiden wondered if the incident was going to repeat itself.

But in the end, he consoled himself by concluding that he was overthinking.

Those types of things were not an everyday occurrence. Anyway, the girl was out of the event now.

After the comic book signing event closed off, Aiden had a lot of time, and he finally decided to enjoy himself.

"How's this looking on me?"

"Idiotic."

Wade gave a snarky smile at Aiden's question. They were currently in one of the rooms allocated to them, and Aiden had just changed his clothes.

He was currently wearing a cosplay outfit. A flamboyant blue shirt, brown leather pants and high-heeled boots. Alongside that, he was donning a black coloured bandana that hid half of his face.

Yes, it was a cowboy outfit.

It was from an anime that Aiden had watched, and he had purchased it online, thinking that it was the perfect getup to move around at comic con.

"I thought you would say that it looks cool," Aiden said, wondering if a cowboy outfit didn't just match him.

"Anyone who wears it would look idiotic. It's wacky and out of time."

"It doesn't matter when everyone is wearing something wacky outside." Aiden shrugged. "You are too old for this."

Wade's face cracked hearing that. He frowned, wondering if that was really true. He had never tried anything that was popular in the current times.

Guess he was really old.

As Wade was in that predicament, Aiden walked past him.

"I'm going to go check out a few gaming stalls. Need to get autographs for Uncle Sam too."

Aiden left after that and roamed at the convention. A lot of people were walking in groups, but no one seemed to recognise Aiden.

In such a crowd, he could easily stay hidden with his cosplay outfit.

'Now, I should get done with Uncle Sam's list.'

Apparently, Uncle Sam wanted to be here today, but his aunt had dragged him to a wedding. He had sent Aiden a photo of him standing in front of a wedding cake with a depressed face.

[Uncle Sam: Aiden, if you can please get me autographs from a few game creators, I'll make sure to give you a big piece of my will. By the way, get me a few indie games too. Love you, my favourite and only nephew.]

That was the text he had gotten with a long list of autographs and games his uncle wanted, saying something like a lot of it would be at cheap prices.

'Let's see. What kind of games does my uncle want?'

He thought, taking out his phone and looking at the list.

[Gangster simulator 6 — Finally out after 23 years of wait. Please buy it as I want to play it before dying.]

[Cybertron 3077: It's finally without bugs. Get it. Please ask if there are actual naked mods in it or not just to make sure everything is fine.]

[Pika Girl Fun: Don't ask why I want it.]

'... It's surely a very complicated list.'

He thought, deciding to get them one by one. Quickly, he went towards different stalls to buy the things that Uncle Sam had requested.

He also got the autographs he wanted. Though, it did take a bit of time as Aiden needed to stay in a long line.

The good thing was that no one recognised him.

After doing all this, Aiden was finally free to try something fun.

He roamed around, checking out a few anime stalls and getting some merchandise for himself. He also bought some novels, including one from an author that he's been following for a long time.

That author was a web novelist, and Aiden liked his web novel about a guy trying to make it in Hollywood. Though, his new novels were something different.

In the end, his steps stopped once he came across a stall in the gaming area.

'There's a lot of people here.'

He thought, walking towards it and noticing the logo of Gamescom studios, a company that was famous for its innovative open-world games and fps shooters.

Aiden had played quite a few of them.

"It seems like a showcase of their old games."

Aiden muttered and saw that a lot of people were playing against each other in a multiplayer fps mode. He recognised the game which was called Call of Honour.

It was a pretty old, almost a decade-old game, but its multiplayer was very famous back in the day. Aiden had grinded a lot on it.

"Should I try it?"

He muttered as he saw a character dying in the game. A seat was getting emptied.

Taking his chance, he quickly walked up to a staff member and asked if he could try it.

"Can I try it?"

"Yeah, it's a free showcase of our old games. There's no limit to players. Just go sit and play."

"Thanks."

A bearded man looked over at the people playing the multiplayer mode of Call of Honour. They looked very serious about winning the game, yet they seemed like they were having a lot of fun.

A lot of them also seemed to be lost in the game.

Seeing this, the man couldn't help but smile. He felt happy that people were still enjoying the old games that he had once worked hard to create.

"The reception we have been getting is amazing. People really love these old games."

An employee from Gamescom that he seemed to know suddenly came up to him to strike up a conversation.

"Yeah. They were the rage back in the day. It's already been over 10 years. Technology and graphics have improved a lot, but the vibes of the old games are still unmatched."

"True. I really wonder why there's rarely this type of rage for games these days."

The employee muttered, and the bearded man laughed.

"It's because back in the day, companies focused on quality. There's no such thing as micro transactions and items people could buy with real-life money. They got greedy. Priorities changed. The game market makes more money than movies now due to this."

Saying those words, the man clicked his tongue, having an annoyed expression on his face.

The employee was going to say something when someone shouted in a shocked voice.

"Wow! That guy blew up the whole playing field. He defeated 24 people at the same time."

More voices soon followed it.

"How was he able to do it?"

"Is something like that really possible in multiplayer? Was it a hidden gimmick?"

"Wow! I never knew about it."

"I did hear that certain playing fields in multiplayer have certain gimmicks one could use to kill a lot of people, but I never saw something like this."

The bearded man looked at what was going on in the game. One player had taken advantage of a hidden gimmick that was present in the 'Nazi abandoned base' field.

It was a gimmick through which you could turn on a bomb that would kill everyone in a large range but turning it on was a very hard thing to do.

Almost impossible.

One needed to make sure they tick a lot of boxes for the bomb to even appear, and a player had done it in front of his eyes.

With just that, someone had won the game.

'Is he a professional? How did he know about this?'

The bearded man thought as he looked at the player who had won the match so quickly. He was a man wearing a cowboy outfit with a bandana covering his face.

It was Aiden.

Everyone was clapping and cheering for him.

"Excuse me, can you tell me how you found out about that gimmick?" The bearded man approached Aiden.

"Ah, I found out about it when I was young. I used to play this game a lot and was very surprised by the world in the game. Everything looked very real, so I used to just explore different war sites during campaigns sometimes. It was very fun. I realised that the game was very close to reality then and found these gimmicks."

Aiden said, surprising the bearded man, who gave out a smile.

"It's good to know that someone is exploring my game so much. I'm Cory Daniels, the creator of this game."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Aiden loved gaming.

It was a hobby that he had gotten when he was very young. His Uncle who used to visit from time to time was a major influence for him to like games. He had told him that games have the power to tell stories that movies can't.

But rather than that, Aiden had focused more on the fun parts of a game rather than the narrative.

Back in his adolescence, he finished up a lot of games and at one point, he used to play games all night rather than to study.

Sadly, with time, the habit had died.

It was because gaming is expensive. Knowing that he had responsibilities and better things where he could spend money on, gaming had become something that he had started to ignore.

Especially after he came to New York, he sometimes never even had money to pay rent.

Then, he got more involved in movies and trying to grind different skills, making him only pick up games from time to time on his breaks.

That's why he was excited when he saw the Call of Honour showcase. Though, he had never imagined that he would meet the creator of the game here.

"It's good to know that someone is exploring my game so much. I'm Cory Daniels, the creator of this game."

"I have heard so much about you."

That was Aiden's first response, staring at the bearded man. His naturally black hair had started to grey out and there were a few wrinkles on his face, telling a tale of his age.

He was giving a wide, sunny smile.

"I'm happy to know that players still remember me. It's been a long time since I last made a game."

"Yeah but your old ones are classics."

"Not all of them but yeah."

Cory Daniels seemed pleased at the praise. He had made a lot of games in his career but lately, he had been sidelined.

So, he was happy to know that fans still remembered him.

"Are you going to try more games?"

Cory asked, looking around. A lot of games were at display with people playing their hearts out.

"I don't think so. I wanted to explore more. I have gotten a day off after a long time, so I wanted to see what comic con had to offer."

"Then, do you mind having a coffee with me?"

Cory suddenly asked and at that strange request, Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"I don't mind but why?"

"I have been talking to a lot of players these days, asking them questions on video games for a project I am thinking of. It's just for that. Only if you don't mind talking to an old man for a while."

Cory smiled as Aiden wondered what project he was talking about. A new game? Aiden sure hoped so.

'Well, it would be interesting to know a pioneer of video game development.'

Aiden thought before making his decision.

"Okay, let's go."

Just steps away from the convention centre, there was a coffee shop that Aiden and Cory went to.

It was pretty full with a lot of people in cosplays taking a break from the convention. They still got a seat and sat down before ordering coffee.

When it arrived, the conversation finally started.

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

Cory asked and Aiden looked around in the coffee shop, making sure that everyone was busy in some discussion before pulling down his mask.

He didn't feel like he needed to hide his identity in front of Cory.

"Aiden Silvereye. Just call me Aiden."

Cory gave a surprised expression seeing Aiden. He blinked in his eyes in wonder before calming down. He was a man who knew how to control his emotions.

"Didn't expect to meet a celebrity like this."

"I could say the same for you." Aiden smiled.

"Actually, I'm reading your comic Morpheus. I read a lot of comics monthly and I get the monthly issue of yours too. It's a very fascinating story that you have made."

Cory's eyes shined when he said that. Aiden hadn't expected him to be a reader but it was a good feeling.

For a while, they just talked about the comic book as Cory presented his various thoughts about the book and even talked about his own theories on the story. Aiden listened to them intently and answered appropriately.

It was only after he had finished his coffee that he realised that a long time had gone by and they had not even started the main discussion.

Realising that, Aiden quickly asked.

"Um, what questions did you have for me? And what project were you talking about? Is it your new game?"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, I got lost in our conversation. Anyway, it's just basic gaming questions. As you know, gaming changes every generation with new technology and trends. It's necessary to keep up with the times." He said then smiled. "And yes, it's for my next game."

A Cory Daniels game!

That was a line that would make any gamer excited as every game of Cory had been very good. Some of them have standards in the industry.

Sadly, he had not made a game for years now. His last game was a space exploration game called Lost in the Sky and it had been regarded as a benchmark for exploration with a nonlinear focus and players getting the freedom to go to any planet they want.

After that, he had just worked here and there in small roles.

"What type of a game is it going to be?"

Aiden asked, a bit excited. If his uncle was here, he would have acted like a child.

"An action adventure game but to be really clear, I don't have anything more than that. There's no vision yet as I don't know what kind of story I want to tell but I want it to be epic. That's why, I'm talking to players, trying to know what they would want to play in the genre."

"Well, that genre is almost oversaturated. Moreover, there's not been a lot of epic games lately. It's more like companies are following a formula. Isn't Gamescom studios the same?"

Aiden recalled seeing the last two released games from the studio. They were good games but both of them had several similar side quests with a lot of micro transactions.

Uncle Sam had said that greed had finally seeped into the gaming industry too, making a lot of things mediocre.

"They are. The company policy has changed as they have expanded. It's a complicated situation." Cory admitted. "Anyway, this game doesn't have anything to do with them."

"What?"

"I'm leaving the company next month and opening my own. I think it's the right time. Indie stuff is getting more traction now."

Cory smiled and Aiden felt like it was certainly big news. A big game creator leaving the company he had worked hard to establish as one of the best.

He was sure that there would have been differences between Cory and the company, explaining why he hadn't made any game for a while.

"It's a good step. Might make you a millionaire."

"I'm happy until I present a good enough game. So, tell me, what kind of game would you want to play?"

Aiden didn't immediately answer that question.

It was a hard one.

What type of a game would he like to play? There were various games that he had loved in the past but then, there were only a few who were able to make him a total addict.

'First person shooters are very repetitive and common now. Same with a lot of fantasy games. Moreover, no one really loves grinding out levels and stuff every time, especially if you are doing the same thing. Need to bring in the feeling of exploration too…'

Aiden thought about all these things and in the end, his answer was ready.

"A game that doesn't follow any formula. I will first of all throw away every formula that game developers use. You simply can't make an epic game by formulas."

"Then?"

"Then see what the players actually want. I think most players would like a great narrative game. If you are not even caring for the characters, then do anything really matter. The gameplay is one thing but a game needs a soul and that is a good story."

Hearing that, Cory nodded his head. Actually, Aiden's thoughts were on the same wavelength as him.

A game that feels like a chore wasn't something he wanted to make.

"But every story is already done. There are just variations."

"That's true, especially if you are talking about fantasy. If you really want to create something original, then you need to go to the place where most fantasy ideas came from."

Cory made a confused expression hearing that. Was Aiden talking about a dead English author? It was only after a few seconds that he realised what he was saying.

"Mythology."

"Yup. There are epic stories there. Anyone could create their own versions of it."

"A few games in the recent past have done that though."

Cory muttered, thinking of a few great games. One of them, including a bald guy, was exceptionally great.

"Yeah but you don't need to completely set it there. You can just take inspiration from it and use that in your own world. A world you control."

Aiden said and it was at that moment, he suddenly thought of something. Something that might be a great idea for a video game.

Looking at Cory, he asked.

"Do you know how the world will end?"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"World ending? Probably due to something done by humans? Nuclear war?"

Cory said, tilting his head. It was a very interesting question. The end of the world was discussed a lot and he was one of those who believed that humans are going to end themselves.

History was proof that the top brass of countries have always killed people for their own goals. So, an all out war could wipe out humanity.

But Aiden wasn't talking about that.

"No, I mean in mythology. They talk about the end of the world, right?"

"Ah, yeah. They do."

Cory nodded his head. The word 'Ragnarok' came to his mind. The event that would end the world in Norse mythology.

Hollywood and the video game industry had used it a lot.

"So, why not make a game about it? The end of the world."

"It's an interesting idea but mythology has already been used to make video games a lot. I myself made one such project."

Aiden shook his head hearing that. He wasn't really talking about using everything directly from mythology.

The idea in his mind was a bit different.

"No, just take inspiration from mythology to present an original tale. Your own iteration of how the world is going to end. You can use a lot of mythologies in it. Have you ever heard a ballad's tale?"

"No but I know enough about them."

"Think about how ballads talk about stories. Everything in it is over the top and epic. Normal humans fight wolves in it and get out unscathed. It might or might not happen but they talk about stories like that. In an over the top fashion. In an epic way. You need to make a video game akin to a ballad's tale."

Saying that, Aiden went on to talk about Indian movies because they were closest examples of focusing more on the vibe than logic.

Even if there's something unbelievable happening in it, emotions are portrayed so well that it looks epic and nothing could top that.

Aiden felt like video games have power to tell stories that movies aren't able to sometimes. A truly monstrous story of gods and the end of the world could only be told by video games.

Moreover, a player could actually play them, feeling like the protagonist.

"Your ideas are very interesting."

Cory's eyes were shining, hearing Aiden's thoughts. He felt like the clouds of doubt in his mind were becoming clearer.

Focus more on the vibe than anything else.

That was certainly good advice.

"I'm a writer too. I need to have good ideas." Aiden said, making Cory chuckle. "So, you got anything out of our conversation?"

"I did. I feel like I kind of know what kind of game I want to develop. Originally, I was just going for a simple fantasy with a great emphasis on battles but you opened my eyes. Are you busy these days?'

Cory suddenly asked and Aiden thought a bit before replying.

"My schedule is pretty tight. I have a shooting coming up. It will go for 2-3 months."

"That's unfortunate."

"Well, I can give you my number if you want. We can stay in contact."

Aiden said, looking at Cory's depressed expression. The old man looked like he wanted to talk more about the game with Aiden.

"That would be great."

Cory said, giving off a smile.

They didn't talk much after that as Aiden had to return. Cory also seemed to have other things to do.

Before parting ways, both of them exchanged numbers.

Aiden didn't know at that point that this meeting was going to be another chapter for him in his quest to stardom.

Comic con was pretty eventful for Aiden as he met one of the most acclaimed video game developers. Aside from that, his meeting with fans turned out to be very relaxing too and he saw for himself that Morpheus was truly doing very well.

Wade was also busy dealing with Zero International. They were finally on the stage of negotiating a contract for Aiden.

As the movie was huge, there was no way Aiden wouldn't get a good amount out of it. Wade was furiously negotiating with the corporation and was confident of getting a very good amount for Aiden.

In between this, Aiden got a message from Omar in the morning two days after the comic con.

[Omar: Can you come to my office?]

The text had come in the morning and by the looks of it, it was something about [Action Hero].

So, Aiden and Wade made their way towards Omar's office.

"Why do you think Omar called to see us?"

"Probably marketing. The last time, you gave good ideas and because of you [30 days of Happiness] was able to get a good opening."

Walking in the corridor of Omar's office, both of them talked.

Aiden recalled the marketing meetings of [30 days of Happiness] very well but he didn't feel like he would be able to create a good strategy for [Action Hero].

The movie was something that would make people excited if they watched it. It was filled with cool moments.

Something like this was going to spread easily if it struck a chord with the audience.

'Ah, something is strange.'

When he was close to Omar's office room, Aiden felt a weird vibe. Two employees walked past them and their faces weren't really good.

They didn't even notice Aiden and Wade.

As they came across the door to the office, it suddenly opened up and a guy with glasses walked out.

He stopped, being a bit surprised.

"Ah, hello."

He said, looking at Aiden. He recognised him but Aiden had never seen him before.

Before Aiden could say something, the man opened his mouth again.

"I am sorry but I'm in a bit of urgency."

Saying that, he walked away, almost like he was in some sort of hurry. The entire interaction was very weird.

When Aiden walked inside, he saw that Omar was frowning about something. It was clear that something was not going right with him.

"Who was that man?"

"The Vice president of Ligma Pictures. It's a small distribution company. One of the few that showed interest in an indie movie starring you. Due to [30 days of Happiness, some people in the industry think of you as a dependable star to make a successful indie movie."

"But why was he acting strange?"

"Because he's one of the few that rejected [Action Hero]. No one wants to distribute the movie."

Omar went on to explain what was going on after Aiden sat down. How they lost the original distribution company and how every other distribution company in North America refused.

A lot of the indie distributors just didn't want to do something with a movie that has students fighting against each other. They were trying to avoid any controversy.

"They are acting like there's no good messages in the movie. There's even a whole ass monologue about bullying."

Wade muttered after Omar finished.

"Yeah. Hollywood had worse movies over the years. Some of them have teens being nude but they have a problem with this."

Aiden said and Omar also frowned. It was becoming a major issue for them and time was just ticking away.

"Distribution companies have a lot of meetings on any movie. They probably talked a lot about [Action Hero] too and they feel like the way it is shot is going to make it rejected by the audience and it doesn't have any aspect which could make it successful in film festivals."

"So, have you gone through most of the distribution companies?"

Aiden asked, noticing that Omar was looking worse every second. He seemed to be ageing due to stress.

"Mostly. Not every company distributes. It's a complex business and a lot of the screens are allocated to the Big 6. I went through major indie distributors. They are either already releasing a movie or just refused to show [Action Hero]."

"What about the Big 6? You went to them."

Aiden asked. Knowing Omar, he had a lot of connections in major film studios thanks to being an independent investor before starting his own production house.

"I tried to get some meetings with the distribution head in Dream Light pictures. They rejected it straight away. Same with Red Ant studios. Both the Big 6 giants didn't like it, so I don't think others would be interested in it."

He said, every word making Wade and Aiden feel the severity of this matter.

Normally, any Big 6 studio would have a line of movies for release every quarter of the year. They would be announced 1-2 years before and they would always try to be ahead of the industry.

Even Agnas biopic was announced a long time ago to be in development.

There were very slim chances that any of them would accept [Action Hero]. In the first place, they would reject based on the fact that Asano had very bad releases in the last few years.

'What to do now?'

Aiden thought and he felt that there was only one solution to the problem.

There was only one distributor he was in good touch with — Titan studios.

'I can at least get a meeting with Ava.'

He thought and looked up at Omar.

"Omar, do you mind if I try to arrange a distributor?"

"Do you know one?" Omar raised an eyebrow at that, hope lingering on his face.

"Yeah, I do. I don't know how the movie would be received but I'm sure I could arrange a screening of it."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"Ms. Adler, your next appointment would be with Mr. Silvereye. Then, at night, you need to attend the party hosted by Zero International CEO."

"Okay."

In her office room, Ava's assistant was currently going through her schedule for the day. She was an average looking woman with dyed red hair.

Ava simply nodded hearing that but the assistant knew that she wasn't in a great mood.

The corners of her mouth were a bit stiff.

Ava didn't really like these parties. It was full of an old, cunning man talking about everything going on in Hollywood in a haughty manner. It wasn't a fun place for her.

But it was her life.

To change the subject, her assistant focused on something else.

"Ms. Alder, do you really think you should meet Mr. Silvereye? He's coming to talk about the distribution rights of his next movie. The studio doesn't really distribute indie movies."

She asked and Ava gave a small smile.

"I know but we don't have any slots for the next two months. [Stars on the Ground] was going to be released but we fell out. Anyway, we are in talks with more studios to get some movies out. Otherwise, we would need to release some movies from our backlog."

"You are not meeting others personally."

Ava didn't answer the question straightaway. Leaning a bit against her chair, she took time to think of an answer and smiled.

"He's special."

Her assistant didn't know in what sense Ava was telling this. Although she knew that the equation between the two of them was quite good and there was some sort of partnership going on, she didn't know the true nature of their relationship.

It made her mind form some strange scenarios in her head.

"You know what are the components that make a good actor?"

Suddenly, Ava spoke and the assistant blinked her eyes before replying.

"Good acting? Looks? charisma?"

"These things do count but one of the most important things is script sense. A good actor always chooses a good script and it's one of the hardest things to master as you would need to know what type of movie is more likely to succeed in the next two years. Obviously, you need to see your resources too."

Ava explained. A thing that was often said for mediocre projects was that the script was bad but the acting saved it. It also meant that the actors have not chosen that great of a script but have given their all.

"Are you saying that Mr. Silvereye has a great script sense."

"Yeah, even with limited resources, every script of his has made an impact. He managed to get a rom com to earn 100 million dollars in this age and his second project had him play an iconic character. He probably never had a choice in scripts yet he got great ones. He's both lucky and talented."

Ava didn't know about Aiden's skills. So, in her mind, it was all talent and luck.

One more thing that she didn't tell her assistant was the conversation she had with Aiden some months ago.

'I will support you to be the face of a franchise. So, prove that you are good enough to lead one with your projects.'

She wanted to know if [Action Hero] would be one such project that would help him prove his mettle.

"His talents warrant me meeting him personally."

With that, the conversation ended and the red haired assistant bowed her head and left her office.

As soon as the assistant walked out, she squinted her eyes and frowned.

'So, it's really a business meeting. I was hoping for something way more than that considering how chummy they were being. But well, I would actually be happy if she got together with Aiden. He's much better than that blonde idiot in that party last week who was hitting on everything that was moving. Anyway, I got something to update tonight.'

The red haired assistant's name was Zarya Cook. She ran a secret gossip Hollywood sub named 'Zenya'.

"Hey Aiden."

"Yeah?"

"You know the first time we met. You needed me to help you get Tyler Reed out of the movie so you can play a role. You remember how you called me, requesting a meeting."

"It didn't exactly happen like that. You are giving yourself too much credit."

"Still, from that one little guy lost in Hollywood, how do you suddenly have good relations with a top executive from Titan studios. You called once and got us a meeting and a screening."

Omar looked at Aiden with a strange look. He was walking here and there in Los Angeles and New York for a long time, trying to make good connections with the top brass. It took him 10 years to get somewhere.

Now, the person in front of him had suddenly gotten a connection that was worth diamonds in just two years.

"Hey, Wade. You are with him 24/7. How did he do it?"

Omar looked at Wade who was driving the car. Sitting on the front seat, Tom was smiling and scribbling down something on his notebook while his ears were perked up.

"He sold his body. How else?"

"Really? Can you tell me how I can do tha—"

"Don't listen to his nonsense."

Aiden quickly butted in the conversation as Wade and Tom laughed. Shaking his head, he looked at Omar.

"It was out of nowhere. I was at the right place at the right time. Ava likes me, especially because of [Sherlock of the Shadows]. I also helped her not invest in Florence's movie."

"Your relationship with her would help us get a deal with them."

Omar smirked, already thinking of ways to impress everyone present in the screening. It was a golden opportunity for him to get close to Titan studios top brass.

"Just be professional and it will be fine. I'm pretty sure Asano would be able to convince them. He's very passionate while talking about [Action Hero]."

Aiden said and after a while, the car stopped in the parking lot of Titan studios. Asano and a few other crew members were going to meet them at the reception.

Asano's car was already present in the parking lot. So, they headed straight to the reception.

At the reception, they found Asano and were told that they needed to head to the screening room on the 7th floor.

There, Ava was already present with a few other people. A lot of them just looked insignificant but some of them have a different aura about them.

They were important people. Aiden could tell.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Omar Aslaikh, the sole producer of the movie."

"You don't seem to be from America."

"My family is from Dubai."

Omar quickly introduced himself and started chatting nicely with a few people. He was very good at social interactions while Asano was relaxed.

He was in the industry for a long time and didn't fear these types of situations. At his peak, he had seen enough executives.

Aiden also relaxed seeing the two and just stayed in the background. As he was just the actor, he thought that Omar and Asano would handle this better.

After the introduction, Ava opened her mouth.

"We think it's better to have any discussions after watching the movie."

"I think so too." Omar said in a confident tone and they headed in.

A theatre room was installed in the building for these types of screenings. All of them sat down and coincidentally, Aiden sat next to Ava.

"I wanted to say thanks for getting us this screening. All the other distributors cancelled even before seeing it."

"The others were very suspicious too but the director has good experience. Just if the movie is good and we deem it commercially viable, it's going to be okay."

Aiden nodded his head hearing that. Before he could say anything else, the lights dimmed and the movie started.

For the next one and a half hour, no one said anything.

Throughout the screening, Aiden felt like an audience member watched a random voice and he had to say it was good.

The sound design and the overall feel of the movie was top notch. Some of the scenes were very hard to shoot but they looked great on the big screen.

Though, the characters weren't given a lot of background with even good supporting characters not having a lot of information about them. A lot was cut out and it was clear.

Fortunately, the personalities were good enough to make up for it.

The one thing that made Aiden pumped were the fight scenes. Each of them looked gorgeous and smooth. It was like he was watching a high budget spy thriller but it was just teenagers fighting it out.

Several great action sets made it to the final edit and some didn't. But what was shown was truly good enough.

Though, he did see the weak points.

Some scenes looked like they needed better editing while some dialogues seemed out of place and needed dubbing. The colour palette was a bit darker for his taste and there were other such small issues.

He knew that the movie would be edited more, so it wasn't a problem. Every director does screenings and then tries to make his movie better.

At the end of the screening, there were complex faces all around.

Some of them seemed to like the movie while others had expressions like they didn't understand what they had just seen.

It was the perfect iteration of mixed reactions.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"It's a very unique movie."

Someone muttered in the crowd. Maybe those words were the best way to describe the movie.

Soon, others also joined in. Whispers filled the theatre room.

"It's surely a unique experience. I never thought there would be a movie on such a topic. Well, it doesn't really have a lot of plot."

"Yeah, but it caught my attention."

"I think it's great since the director actually tries to break the formula and do something new. It's a good effort."

"But is it something commercially viable?"

"Yeah, that's the question."

Aiden perked his ears to listen to the reactions. He wasn't really surprised seeing the mixed reaction. [Action Hero] was always going to be perceived like this.

Everyone in the room was from Hollywood and rather than just an audience perspective, they were also seeing it from a business one.

One thing was in everyone's mind. Movies like these either become classics or flop hard. There was no inbetween and the chances of the latter were always higher.

'Well, what matters is what Ava and other executives think.'

Aiden thought in his mind and looked at Ava. She didn't have any expressions on her face but throughout the movie, she has a smile on her face, especially during action scenes.

He felt like the movie had impressed her enough.

"Well, I don't know when was the last time I saw someone trying something new? I think it was a horror movie with a guy getting killed in a death loop by his girlfriend."

Suddenly, a few people walked up to them. It was a big man with a pot belly. He looked like one of those people from a real estate advertisement.

Before the screening, Ava had introduced him as the head of distribution department, Benny Cowen.

"Did you like it?" Ava asked him.

"I'm very neutral about it. I loved every action set piece. I can see a lot of thought had gone into it but I'm very apprehensive about there not being much of a great story. Aside from the action, a lot of it is very simple."

Benny said, giving his own thoughts about the movie. Asano and Omar had walked up to them at the moment.

Asano quickly butted in.

"My movie focuses more on the entertainment aspect. As you can see, it's certainly unique and there's more emphasis on some things than the others. I wanted to make it worth the hour and half."

"It was in that aspect but still, we can't ignore the glaring weaknesses something like this movie have. The whole script has parts that seem lackluster and so many action scenes seem like a tad bit too much."

Another aspect that Benny mentioned was how critics were surely going to pan it down. A lot of the reviews would be bad as it goes against what is the normal formula of storytelling.

Anyway, critics focused a lot more on how cinematic a movie is rather than how entertaining.

Hearing the discussion between Benny and Asano, Aiden quickly spoke.

"Mr. Cowen, I'm pretty sure you know that the market has changed now."

Benny looked at Aiden and nodded.

"I won't be in my position if I don't know that. The market changes every few years."

"No, I think in the past few years, a bigger evolution has happened. Streaming platforms have made movie viewing so easy that it killed a few genres. The emergence of superhero movies made it more difficult. People want a visual treat and adrenaline rush. I think studios need to move on from only doing movies that don't give the 'experience'."

Benny raised an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, take your last released movie. [A hint of Blood]. It was a great thriller. I enjoyed it a lot. The investigation and everything was very professional and it gave a great perspective but it didn't even cross 10 million dollars. It was a flop. Not because it's a bad movie but because it didn't give any entertainment. What I'm saying is that studios need to focus more to entertain people. Superhero movies work just because of that."

What Aiden was saying was something that any Hollywood analyst would know. It was time to move on from some genres until one could make it very exciting for the viewers.

Technology was going to advance more and more. Hollywood needs to keep up with the changing times. Sadly, every other movie can't be a 150 million dollars budget extravaganza.

Aiden guessed that in future with the emergence of better VR technology, people would be able to watch movies on them, feeling like they are right next to the characters and watching everything unfold.

This would make horror and thrillers reemerge. But currently, things are different.

"Your point is very interesting."

Benny said, making a face that stated that he was very interested in what Aiden was saying. Maybe with changing times, something like [Action Hero] was the answer.

But suddenly, a grumpy looking man opened his mouth. He had bear-like features with sharp expressions.

"What bullshit!" He said, looking at Aiden. "Changing times don't mean a bad movie will work. This movie doesn't have anything going on for it other than action and even in that, I felt like it was just okay. Nothing exceptional."

Ava frowned hearing that while Aiden struggled to control his emotions. Asano and Omar were also the same.

Showing emotions here would be detrimental.

"I don't think it's a bad movie. It's quite good."

"It doesn't have much of a story. It's just teenagers fighting each other for no reason. There's already a lot of reporting of school violence. We don't want to promote it."

"That's a good point." Benny muttered, suddenly rethinking about the decision.

The doubt in his mind was easily implanted by the bearded guy. Aiden recalled he was another executive named Alberto Dundley.

"Benny, I think it's better if you have meetings on it. From my side, I feel like this is a good project that would be something new. If it works, then we might be able to tell what people really want."

"No one knows which movie would be a hit." Alberto muttered.

"So, [Action Hero] could be a hit."

By this point, Aiden had already realised that Ava and Alberto were against each other. Ava's decision of supporting [Action Hero] was strengthened by the fact that Alberto was against it.

The final decision still was on Benny.

Seeing the argument, he quickly interrupted them.

"I think it's better if we have more meetings on it. If the pros weigh the cons, then we would surely be interested in a distribution deal with you. We just want to see how much the movie could do at the box office."

Everyone quieted down there. His words were good enough for Aiden, Omar and Asano as it meant that they weren't getting rejected straightaway.

Going by how Benny was cautiously impressed, there was a chance.

"Anyway, Aiden, I liked what you said. I do feel like we need to evolve the normal movies that aren't extravaganzas. Either they don't go to theatres or they have enough of an audience pull. I will see you when we decide if we want a partnership in [Action Hero]."

Saying that, Benny left. Alberto seemed a bit angry at his words but he shrugged and was on his way.

It looked like he was going to act like a thorn. Fortunately, Ava was supporting them to get a deal.

The next few days were pretty great for Aiden. Although Titan studios was still going over meetings to decide, Aiden was quickly getting closer and closer to officially play Agnas.

He had a lot of meetings with Baz and Theodore. Both of them became more clearer about Aiden after each meeting.

As he saw Agnas' life himself, he was able to get more in touch with his emotions. That showed in the meetings.

He was very confident about playing a legend and had even started walking and talking like him to get into the character early on.

Finally, it was time for him to sign the contract.

"With this, you are officially Agnas."

Theodore said as Aiden gave multiple signatures on the contract. In a room within the Zero International office, a lot of people were present.

This included Wade and Aiden's legal counsellor. He was getting a high amount of 1.5 million dollars for the role.

It was his highest paycheck till now.

The company had only given him this much because they were very sure of making a lot of the money with the movie.

"Thanks for having me."

Aiden shook hands with Theodore as everyone smiled around him. After so much trouble, he actually got the role.

"We will have a poster shoot tomorrow and then a few others over the next few days. Then we will go straight to shooting."

"That's fine by me."

Aiden said, already anticipating the set.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Aiden Silvereye confirmed to play Agnas in his biopic. The official title has also been announced with a poster. Unsurprisingly, the official title is [Agnas]. The movie is going to be released at the end of the year. Experts are already anticipating a major clash as a few big blockbusters are anticipated to release next year.

Aiden Silvereye — From driving taxis to becoming a star. He's the true embodiment of the American dream.

Liam Wilde's agent reportedly said that he was disappointed as he feels betrayed by Zero International. Earlier this year, there were reports that said that he would play the lead in the anticipated biopic. In his interview, he ended it with saying 'It is what it is'.

Baz McCarthy said that they would use old Agnas songs as the soundtrack of the movie. Joseph Bryce, a legend in his own right, would be the music director. Hints towards a surprise song that would stun everyone.

Articles quickly flooded in as soon as it was announced that Aiden was finally confirmed for the biopic. Several big publications followed it and thankfully, the reaction was mostly fine.

With Aiden's acting skills proven and his 7 million subscribers MeTube channel a testament of his popularity as a musician, people felt that it would be a good performance.

Though, it still needed to be seen whether he would be able to put forward more than just a 'good' performance.

In the past, people have gotten Oscar nominations and in some cases, they have even won the award by acting in biopics.

Some biopics just make up for a great story, especially if the main character is someone who has done things that are deemed impossible by others.

A larger than life character.

People were very curious to see how this biopic would portray Agnas' life. Just last month, a biopic was released on a famous actress but it was nothing like most people have anticipated.

It just seemed like a story of exploitation and sex that was bashed a lot.

No one wanted such a thing to happen with Agnas. That's why, there was a lot of speculation on the story and how it would be taken.

[Give me Thor: I hope it's not all drugs, woman and what not. They have become a staple of every celeb. I understand people become like that in Hollywood but I personally want stories that everyone could relate to. Hollywood has forgotten topics such as hope, healthy relationships and kindness.]

[NNN founder: I will pass on this one. The last time I watched a biopic it made me depressed about not doing anything in life.]

[Aiden's wife: Yeah, finally something big. I was worried Aiden is not getting good opportunities but we are going to see him in a big movie finally.]

[Hollywood remake factory: At least it's not another uncreative story or a remake of something old. Though, I don't know how to feel about biopics either. I really feel like Hollywood is creatively empty now.]

[Orange face supporter: I'm waiting for them to go 'woke' and make Agnas secretly gay. I will pass on this one.]

[Buying Sparrow from my home: Seems like an interesting movie. I really hope they don't go just what every biopic does. Either making it extremely cliche or showing the lead as a bad guy even if it's not true. I want something authentic that I could relate with.]

[Hollywood Insider: Going by how the movie would at least reach 200-300 million dollars at the box office easily with the influence of Agnas and marketing, it would be interesting to see how it fares critically. Also, there are several cases of actors getting lost or not being able to move on from a big project. It practically means that they are never able to get the same results with any other movie. So, this movie would be a very big chance in Aiden's career. #Watcher.]

In the office of Titan studios, a meeting was going on. It was a meeting to decide if they were going to get a partnership deal with Green Finance for [Action Hero].

The people who watched it were present in the room. The meeting was led by Benny Cowen, the head of the distribution department.

A lot of opinions were given by people with a few vouching for it while others saying that it was a crap movie. These sort of mixed reactions were very special as most of the time, it was easy for them to predict a movie's estimates.

Most of the negative reaction was led by Alberto Dundley who looked like he had some sort of feud with the director with how much he was opposing the movie.

"I really feel we would make a huge mistake by distributing this kind of movie. Other studios would say that our standards have lowered a lot. Compared to them, we are anyway struggling as everyone of our big budget movies didn't perform to expectations. Betting on a crap movie isn't going to get us out of that situation."

Alberto sneered but his words were quickly countered by Ava.

"So, what should we do according to you? Those big budget movies you talked about, a few of them were under your supervision. If we don't try something different, innovating, we won't get anywhere."

"It don't mean we should bet on crap—"

"It's not crap. It's a good movie." Ava frowned then looked at Benny. "It's made on a budget of 7 million dollars. Pretty good I would say for the action scenes. We would approximately invest 5 million dollars for the marketing and everything. I estimate that the movie would get around 30 million dollars at least."

Alberto snorted like he didn't know where Ava got such stats from. According to him, she was just a nuisance who didn't know what she was doing.

'With that face, she will do much better being a third rate actress or a model.'

Alberto thought in his mind and opened his mouth again.

"It could also fall flat on the first day and just earn less than a million dollars. A lot of movies are failing now anyway. People want to save money for superhero movies. Everything is very expensive."

"I think it's a risk worth taking. Aiden's record at the box office is good. His lead movie earned over 100 million, remember?"

Ava said and stopped her arguments there. The decision was now in the hands of Benny who had been listening to every word with very careful consideration.

To be honest, what Ava said at last attracted his attention a lot. Aiden made a rom com earning over 100 million dollars. He had heard that a lot of studios were fuming after that.

Especially those who have a choice to distribute the movie during the Toronto film festival. They wasted a golden chance.

In the end, he took a deep breath before announcing his decision.

"So, you are saying that we get some hip hop artist to get a music video based on [Action Hero] for promotion?"

Asano looked at Aiden who nodded. They were currently sitting in Omar's office, just talking about [Action Hero].

As they were going to know the results from Titan studios soon, they were all waiting for it. It's then that Aiden talked about a marketing strategy he had thought of.

"Will that really work?"

"We have a great soundtrack that's catchy and gritty but we need people in the theatres. I think something like a music video instead of a full fledged trailer would be different and if the music is catchy enough, we can promote it more. Obviously, we would release a trailer too eventually but our movie is mostly action scenes. A trailer will just show that with music, it would be more enhanced."

"Isn't it better to release the soundtrack then?" Omar raised an eyebrow.

Aiden's idea was confusing to him but he shook his head and quickly helped him understand.

"No, a music video is important. It would contain most of the action scenes and all the cool moments. The movie literally relies on it only. So, why not be upfront about it and say 'Look we have a movie filled with tons of cool moments. Here's a music video to show a few of them'."

Aiden's idea was very simple. He wanted music to promote the movie. Hip hop and catchy music was anyway rage and it suited [Action Hero] a lot.

Just thinking of the scene where his character was running up to fight 30 people in the rain was enough to make me interested in the movie. Especially if it was enhanced by catchy music that suits the scene.

"It's a good idea. Why don't you become a marketing head, Aiden?"

Asano asked as he looked at Aiden with a smile. He shook his head.

"I already have a lot of professions under my belt."

"It's all good but we don't even know if we will get a release. Let's talk about marketing after we have a release date."

As soon as Omar said that, his phone rang. He looked at the caller and gestured to everyone to stay silent.

It was Titan studios.

Omar talked for a few minutes. Most of it was just nodding and saying yes. In the end, he looked at Aiden and revealed a big smile.

"We got the deal. They agreed to distribute it."

Omar felt like all the weight on him had been released after he heard the news. Asano also got a bit more comfortable on his seat and Aiden smiled.

The first step was completed. Now, he needed to make sure [Action Hero] earns good at the box office.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't knew that he was soon going to find himself in trouble.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"Alberto was a big pain in the ass but Benny decided to take a risk in the end. I enjoyed Alberto's fuming expression at the end. He was surely going to yell at someone these days. I like his expressions a lot."

Ava's voice came through the phone in a ridiculing tone and Aiden asked a question that was in his mind since he had first seen Alberto.

"Why is he so against you?"

"He's an executive too and has a lot of power. He's against me due to politics and other stuff. He's smart but in the end, he's another rich egoistic guy."

Aiden nodded his head hearing that. Now that he was finalised, he didn't feel Alberto could do anything.

At most, he would sit back and hope that the movie flopped.

"Anyway, we are going to release it in the first week of June. We have a window open there with a marketing period of a month."

"That's good enough." Aiden said. "What are Titan studios's estimates about the project?"

"I can't say a lot but they are treating it as a risk. It's not an in-house production and we normally don't deal with independent studios. So, everything is fine until we get back the cost. Though, I'm hoping it's a hit as I have pushed for it."

The last sentence made Aiden think of the help Ava has given him.

If the movie didn't work well, it was surely going to affect her in some way. But he can't think of that.

As an actor, he needed to have faith in his project and [Action Hero] was something that he believed would be a hit. Maybe it won't be taken well by the critics and some sections of society, but it's surely going to give young people great entertainment.

"I feel like it would be a big hit. Anyway, our budget ain't much. With the right amount of marketing and trailers, we could make it work."

"We need to, now that we are working together."

After talking for a few seconds, Aiden cut the call. He breathed in as a voice called out to him.

"Aiden, we are ready."

He raised his head to look at Baz and Theodore who were standing with a few other people. One of them was a middle aged woman who was the costume designer for [Agnas].

Today they were testing out the costumes that would be used in the movie.

As the time period of the movie was 70 and 80s for the most part, the costumes needed to look right. At the same, makeup was very essential for Aiden to look as close to Agnas as possible.

So, the production team had hired very experienced makeup artists and costume designers.

"How are you feeling in these clothes?" Baz asked, looking at the white shirt and blue pants that Aiden was wearing.

It was something that was very staple in the 70s.

"It's kinda loose but it fits well. I was more worried about my hair. I was going through photos of Agnas' childhood and he didn't have this long of a hair."

Aiden touched his hair. It was the same hairstyle he had in [Action Hero] and he hadn't bothered to change it after the shooting.

"Don't worry, we are going to cut it shorter. Agnas was known for his free flowing hair back in the day. We just want to see if the clothes look good right now."

"Okay."

Aiden nodded and stood in front of the green screen. A photographer clicked his photos and told him to pose according to his direction after every click.

He changed shirts every five minutes and even tried on suits and a few jackets that Agnas was known to wear. To be appropriate, they were using the same brands that were popular back in the day.

Some brands have ended as a lot of time has gone by since then but the production team was going to use the help of designers to make costumes as accurate as possible.

During the testing, Baz kept talking with Aiden.

"How's your lessons with Joseph going on?"

"Pretty hard. Agnas was too much of a beast when it came to singing. He was a great tenor and always had those high notes in his songs. His style of singing is a bit different from mine too, so I'm trying to adapt."

[Agnas] was not just a biopic. It was also a musical with quite a lot of scenes having songs in them. In some scenes, the movie uses music to display Agnas' emotions.

That's why the soundtrack was probably the most important part of the movie. To sing like Agnas, Aiden was working hard with Joseph.

At the same time, they were also talking a lot about 'Joker' and Joseph was helping him in making it better and recording it.

"You will be able to do it. I believe in your abilities. With 'Joker', you have already proved that you understand Agnas music a lot."

Baz said and patted his back.

The testing continued for a while and after a while, Theodore asked for a break. Everyone scattered after that and Aiden looked around for Wade.

'It had been a while since I saw him and Tom.'

He found both of them outside the studio room, near a coffee machine. Both of them were looking at something on their phones with serious expression.

"What happened?"

Aiden asked, walking up to them. Wade looked at him with a frowning expression and shoved his phone in front of his face.

"See this."

An article was displayed on the screen.

"Florence. What's she on about? Her movie wasn't shelved."

Those were the first words that he spoke after going through the article. Yes, Florence Levine, the ex wife of Zavier and the director of [Stars on the Ground] which Aiden was about to do.

The article was an interview from her controversy that had happened, her relationship with Liam Wilde and her new movie [Stars on the Ground] which for some reason wasn't shelved.

It also mentioned that Liam and Florence were suing the media company that had leaked their images.

"Titan studios backed out right?"

Aiden looked at Wade who nodded.

"Yeah, they did. Apparently, there were a lot of small investors and they were going to back out too but somehow, Florence got new investors from London. A new distribution company from there came up too and the project was back on."

Tom made an ugly expression thinking how ridiculous it was.

"They probably just want to cash in on the negativity around Florence and Liam. Even that is a kind of publicity."

"Well, not everything went Florence's way. The budget of the movie is now just 30 million dollars. Apparently, she made the investors believe that she could do a great movie on such a budget too."

"Isn't that half of the previous budget?"

Aiden asked and Wade nodded. Knowing the script and just the sets and costumes that Florence had talked about, he wondered if it would even be the same movie with a reduced budget.

At the same time, he recalled what Liam had been like the last time they had met. He looked angry but it was internalised. He wasn't showing it on his face and had only told him good luck while showing.

'He was probably because he was shooting [Stars on the Ground] at that time.'

Thinking of that, he shook his head.

Something like this shouldn't bother him as even if their movies clash, he felt like he would have an advantage.

But Wade's face was saying something else.

"The movie isn't a problem but…"

"But?" Aiden looked at him strangely.

"Florence is supposedly using the movie to throw shade on you."

"What type of freshly baked nonsense is that?"

Aiden asked. In the article he just read, there was no mention of this.

"It is nonsense but it's true." Tom said. "You remember the character you were going to play? It was a negative role right?"

"Yeah, it was a good supporting role as one of the second antagonists."

"Well, Florence apparently changed it to the main antagonist and even changed the first name of the character 'Aiden'. I'm pretty sure she will get some Indian connection too although a white actor is playing the character."

For a second, Aiden took in the news wondering if someone was really so petty to do something like this. But again, this was Hollywood.

Brains came second to ego. Thinking from Florence's perspective, she must have already made Aiden the most hated character in her biography.

"Why is she even coming after me like this? Is she dumb? No, I know she's dumb."

Aiden frowned, thinking what kind of situation it was. He had never thought he would deal with idiots in Hollywood five years ago.

,m "She probably thought you wouldn't like it and did it just to spite you. She's clearly someone who holds grudges." Wade frowned, rubbing his forehead. "Anyway, we need to do something about it."

"Can't we ignore it?"

Aiden asked and suddenly realised his mistake.

Florence won't do something like this until it's for people to talk about it. A media article was soon going to come about the issue and then, people were going to talk about it.

One way to sell the movie was to have people talk about it. No matter in a negative or a positive way.

The question was what Aiden's reaction to this will be.

'What am I going to do?'

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Florence Levine had gone crazy!

That was a thought that repeatedly rang in his mind as he went on with his days. Apparently, [Stars on the Ground] had already started their press marketing and were given a lot of interviews, so Florence's statements would keep popping up.

As she was keeping Liam with him in every interview and with the media seeing a controversy, she was truly getting a lot of attention. Something that she feeded on like a demon.

She hadn't said anything controversial but she was saying a lot indirectly.

She had quoted a lot about how people 'betrayed' her after the controversy and how it was a hard job making the movie after that. She even talked about how some actors got too egoistic and refused to work with her and how she would never work with them.

There were a lot of other statements too that Aiden felt were more or less about him.

As for her naming the villain of [Stars on the Ground] 'Aiden', she just said that the name suited a villain.

Her indirect statements didn't stop the media from directly talking about how the villain's name in the movie was due to Aiden and her having some differences.

There were even reports that have ugly spats. But nothing came out of it as it was just rumours.

One publication even went on to say that Aiden told Florence that her script was crap and he wouldn't have done it even without the scandal.

It was obviously false but it was the internet. Anything fake could grow here if enough people believe in it. Thankfully, Aiden had a team now to counter these things and they quickly released a statement regarding the false rumours.

Sadly, that didn't stop people and the media.

Slowly, a narrative was formed around Florence and Liam fighting against Aiden. After a couple of days, Florence even stated that she knew that the movie would work and she was prepared to see all those that berated her and her work to burn in anguish when that happens.

In all this, Aiden didn't do anything other than to stomp down on the fake rumors.

He wasn't the type to go head to head with someone, especially someone who had gone crazy. A crazy person was dumb and that's what made them scary.

Though, he was indeed angry.

With [Agnas] preparations going so well and a movie of his releasing soon, he had enough things to be happy about. Coupled with the fact that several Hollywood articles were claiming that he was just a step away from breaking into being an A lister.

Studios were slowly looking at him as a bankable star. Yet, there was anger inside of him that he was trying not to focus on.

Anything from his side would make the flames stronger and Florence would just benefit from it. That's why he controlled.

A meeting with Zavier who was in the middle of writing [Black Saints 2] also helped. The director/writer showed Aiden on what name he had saved his ex wife's number.

It was 'That Crazy witch'.

They had a good laugh about it and Zavier told him to focus on his work. [Agnas] was a big opportunity for him and it could be his biggest movie and [Action Hero] was a unique project.

He can't get distracted due to someone who wants attention.

So, Aiden followed those words.

"This looks really good."

Omar said as he looked at the screen in front of him. He was wearing headphones and was watching the trailer that the editing team had made.

Rather than a trailer, it was more of a music video with few dialogues mixed in. The colour palette and tone of the trailer and the fast cuts made it look grounded and gritty.

Like Aiden had suggested, they have gotten a rapper to make a song for the movie. Apparently, when the rapper watched the movie, he cried just because he loved it too much.

He was a guy who showed a lot of emotions and his music displayed that too.

The rapper said that the movie made him feel like he could take on 30 guys at once. It made him remember the action movies of the 80's and 90s.

As that was something scarce now, it was nostalgic.

Maybe it was because of that but he made a great song that was keeping up with all the trends and was super catchy to listen to.

Coupled with the trailer, it was surely something that Aiden could vouch for.

"I feel like this could actually work. If the trailer reached enough people, we would surely get our money back."

Omar muttered as the trailer came to an end.

"We need more than that. Especially with only 300 screens allocated to us." Aiden replied, taking a glance at the people working on their computers around them. They were in the marketing area.

"The studio would probably increase it once they know for sure if there's more interest in the movie among the audience. We can just give our best to things in our hands."

The last sentence was said with a sigh. Omar wished that one day he would be making movies that would be termed blockbusters even before the release and would have wide releases with thousands of screens just in America.

But for now, he needed to make sure they don't mess up [Action Hero].

"The release date is 6 June. Thankfully, we don't have any competition for at least a week. Our goal is to breakeven in the first week itself."

"[Stars on the Ground] is releasing a week after that, right?"

Aiden asked and Omar nodded.

"Yeah, I heard the buzz is good in London with Liam Wilde playing a big role. He can get people to come into theatres there due to his teenage influence. Although it dwindled recently. Here, it's getting way more seats than us with United Pictures and Intra Entertainment working together."

For the record, United Pictures was another Big 6 studio. They were working with Liam's agency.

"Then, we need to get to the required numbers fast. [Stars on the Ground] is being promoted as a movie with an experience and it's having an effect." Aiden muttered.

"Well, rather than promoting the movie, they are promoting Florence and her hatred for you. Liam is now being called her boy toy online. It's truly funny. As for the movie, the trailer got 9 million views and it looked grand."

Aiden recalled the trailer. It wasn't bad but he felt like too many things were happening. In one of the scenes, there was even a tiger that came out of nowhere.

True to the tagline of the movie, it tries to show an over the top view of Hollywood.

"A lot of people are talking about it now but I feel like they are missing a mark."

Aiden suddenly said and Omar raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

"Florence made it about me rather than the movie. Even if their marketing team is trying hard, if people are trying to drag me in this, then they are not properly invested in the movie but the controversy."

"True that but they probably think more people talking about it is equivalent to more people turning in."

Aiden didn't say anything back and just wondered how the trailer of [Action Hero] was going to be received.

They were going to release it tomorrow and he could only hope for the best.

A black man sighed as he looked through the MeTube feed in his laptop. He had completed his video games and his MeTube had nothing interesting.

Normally, he would just sit back and watch through political commentary channels and laugh at them because of how ridiculous some people get to prove their points. But today, even that was boring.

Zetflix series and other things have also become stale for him and it was hard to pass time for him these days.

He was also just waiting for a new video game about a war god and his son. When that release, he at least would have something to pass time.

Suddenly, he got a notification on his phone.

[Bro, where are you? Let's go out to drink and score girls.]

The man frowned seeing that. His friend was an idiot in his eyes who never went to a bar and club to enjoy with his friends. It was an excuse to score girls.

It just seemed stupid and meaningless to the man after he had gotten older.

He ignored the text and looked again at his computer screen.

"Let's see if there's any new movie trailers I could watch."

Muttering that, he searched trailers and saw one trailer at the top. It was the trailer of [Stars on the Ground].

He clicked on it and watched it and felt that it wasn't bad. He was just not interested in a story like this. It was fine in the genre but the man liked something more.

Something that has a bit more action.

He scrolled down and after going through a few more trailers, he stumbled upon one that attracted his eyes.

"[Action Hero]? Sounds like some sort of action parody."

As soon as he clicked on it, a tune entered his ears and he widened his eyes a bit. It was an extremely catchy tune and soon, the trailer started.

A guy's back was shown with rain falling. It looked like some sort of rooftop and the guy was wearing a jacket.

In front of him, a crowd was standing. Everyone of them has menacing expressions.

The music picked up pace as a close up shot showed a smile and the next second, the guy rushed towards the crowd.

"What the hell? That looked dope. The whole atmosphere and the shot."

The man said as he watched the entire trailer with eyes that seemed to have come to life.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"How's the reception for [Action Hero] trailer? Has it crossed 1 million views yet?"

Ava asked as she looked at her assistant. They were currently in a car, going to the airport to attend a meeting in San Francisco.

She had told her assistant to keep an eye on the trailer.

"It should cross it by the end of the day. The views are increasing every hour, so it's a good sign. The marketing team for the movie is trying hard to get the music track to go viral by taking help from short video apps. It's catchy, so it's spreading well."

The red haired assistant notified and Ava nodded her head.

"What about the comments? Are they positive?"

"Mostly positive among the people who have watched it. They are saying that it's a film that they would want to watch with their friends. Feels like the plan to target a young audience is very successful."

"No industry person has talked about it yet, right?"

The assistant shook her head. Currently, [Action Hero] was being regarded as just another indie movie that people won't even know released.

So, no critic or analysts would talk about it. But with Titan studios already marketing it through their networks, it would soon change.

For now, they need to keep it slow and hope that the positive reviews continue.

Looking outside the window, Ava opened her mouth again.

"Do you think the movie would be a hit?"

It was not the tone of a boss speaking and she just wanted her assistant to genuinely answer.

The red haired assistant also noticed this and with some hesitation, she replied.

"It's hard to say but one thing is sure it's not a sure hit. It's unconventional and I think that's what would help it stand out. Personally, I watched it that day and I liked it."

She ended her words there and silence loomed in the car. It was clearly hard to predict anything about [Action Hero].

They would need to fill up seats and hope that the word of mouth spreads.

'She truly wants it to succeed.'

The red haired assistant thought and thinking of something, she opened her phone and logged into her gossip website 'Zenya'.

It was one of the most popular celebrity gossip websites around the world and the assistant had been running it since her early college days.

Even the niche Hollywood movie would have some sort of discussion here and scrolling down a bit, she found a discussion on [Action Hero].

A few comments were there. Not a lot but enough to make it feel like there was some interest in the movie.

[Give me Ragnarok: Did anyone see the trailer? It looked awesome. Made me feel like I'm back in the 80s and not in a bad way.]

[Kanye's tweets: Yeah, I was talking with my girlfriend about it, telling her how it seems like a manly movie for once. Not some oversaturated genre of movie about a bald dude and his family fetish. Sadly, she refused to watch it with me. My homies agreed though.]

[Least funny female comedian: I loved the action. Can't say much about the story. Seems like just a flick that one would watch after shutting off the brain.]

[Toxic superhero nerd: I think that's why it appealed to me. Seems like I could go in and just have an hour of fun. Though, I would have loved to watch it on the streaming platform on my couch.]

[Gangster House Husband: Same. I don't know if the movie would give me a cinematic experience. I don't think it uses much VFX and it's hard for any movie to do that without it.]

[Playing a walking simulator: I'm going. Feels like I will get seats easily and it seems like a movie I could watch with friends.]

Reading the tweets, the red haired assistant felt like the response was positive. At least a few people were talking about going to the theatres to see it but the post hadn't been seen by a lot of people.

That's why, she pinned it on the website, so that everyone would see it first thing. The website sometimes does that for anticipated big budget movies, so people could discuss it at one place.

But this time, she felt like she could do a secret favor to the movie.

"The atmosphere seems very… heavy."

A guy with drooping eyes as he looked around the room. Every gaze of his was slow like he was afraid of disturbing anyone.

"It's always been heavy since we took this project. Some people told me that it's the worst project they have worked on by a mile. Their whole job has just become repetitive due to that crazy witch."

The last word was said in almost a whisper by the female colleague sitting next to the man. It was like she was afraid of the 'witch' hearing her.

Both of them were employees from United Pictures. The female colleague was from the marketing team and these days, she felt like they were living in hell.

"What's her problem anyway?"

The drooping eyed guy asked.

"She's just salty. Apparently, she and Aiden Silvereye had some issues. I don't know what. No one knows but as soon as she got funding and support due to her boy to— I mean boyfriend, she made it her goal to take revenge. So, she's going off in every other interview, talking about Aiden indirectly. I heard she's on substance these days too, making her more crazy. She's ruining every single one of our marketing plans."

Because of Florence, the marketing team was extremely busy trying to cover what she was spouting from her mouth.

It was almost like she had lost herself.

"How many people threatened to resign?"

"Three. One of the interns almost cried because that witch didn't like the coffee she made."

"I honestly feel bad for Aiden with all this. I don't even know what he did."

The guy said and the girl shook her head, not knowing what to say. Even if Aiden was really at fault here, she would still support him due to how horrible Florence acted.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened and Florence walked in. The atmosphere freezed like everyone had seen a ghost.

A scary bitchy ghost.

Most people just kept their heads low and focused on their computers. With the corner of their eye, they kept a watch on Florence's expression. It didn't look good.

"Why did no one tell me that [Action Hero] is releasing a week before us. I thought we were releasing in an obsolete period."

She shouted out and the employees looked at each other. One of the braver ones stood up to answer her questions.

"Because it's an indie movie. Titan studios recently picked it up but even they are not sure of it doing well. It has minimum screens and less promotions. We disregarded it."

A smile crept on her lips hearing that. She clearly hated Aiden for being happy on this news.

But she didn't drop the topic yet.

"How was the trailer received? It looked bad to me."

"Mostly mixed. I heard they are aiming for young people. I have not been too invested in this."

The same man replied and Florence's smile just grew.

"Okay, then our plans are going to shift a bit. I will inform you all after having a meeting with the investors and distributors."

The room's temperature dropped immediately.

More trouble was going to come to the poor employees.

"That fucking crazy bitch."

Omar rushed into the marketing room cursing wildly. Aiden and Asano who were going through comments looked at him with the other employees.

They waited till he had calmed down a bit to ask what was going on.

"What happened?"

"[Stars on the Ground] is now releasing on the same day as us."

"What??"

Both Asano and Aiden were confused and shocked hearing that. A few marketing employees also immediately got to work, trying to see if it was actual news.

One of them opened his mouth.

"Yeah, they just announced it on their social media handle. I don't know why they did it."

"Probably because she hates me." Aiden frowned. "I won't be surprised if she has some dolls of me with stab marks going by her obsession with me."

"What are we going to do now? Our whole plan of getting to breakeven in the first week is in the drain suddenly."

Asano asked, still being calm in this situation. He had icey nerves and it was clearly showing.

"I don't really know. We can't move our release date. If [Stars on the Ground] got momentum, we won't be able to break it."

Omar stomped his fist on the table. Aiden took a deep breath.

"The only option is to clash head on. Either we lose or we win. No two ways about it now."

"It's not a battle." Asano said.

"It is to her and I'm tired of being silent. If she wants to provoke me, she needs to bear the consequences."

Aiden said with a conviction in his voice.

He had chosen [Action Hero] because of the innovative script and his trust of Asano. He wouldn't choose it if he felt like it won't do good business at the box office.

If he had felt that, he would have gone for a streaming movie.

Before studying acting, Aiden had started studying the market. He was extremely sure of the movie doing well.

It was to be seen if his thoughts would become reality.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

In a room, Aiden raised his hand and gently put it down on the piano keys.

A low note covered the ground. Above that, he started to calmly manipulate his left hand.

A lyrical main melody was in the forefront, and behind that, there was an endless continuation of another melody as the accompaniment.

It was pushing the main one.

Glancing at the piano, his right hand seemed to be moving with an emotional pace while the left hand flew across busily and appeared peculiar.

He was smiling while playing the piano. It wasn't perfect but he didn't need to be.

He just needed to get a basic understanding of it and he had mastered the basics quite quickly.

He focused more on subtle things like the expression and the weight on the keys. Everything made a difference and made his performance felt better. Even by a little margin.

The song ended after 3 minutes and Aiden let out a breath.

'I hope I did well.'

He said and looked at Joseph who had his eyes closed. He was listening to the entire song and after a while, he opened his eyes.

His face was stern. An expression he would often have during their sessions.

Finally, he nodded his head and Aiden took a sigh of relief. Joseph was strict with his lessons and more often than not, he would criticise Aiden.

"It was better than the last time. It seems like you are learning the basics well. Not even close to mastering them but good enough."

"Thanks."

Aiden said as he saw the skill level of his piano hovering in front of his eyes.

[Piano: Level 3]

It was the basic level that he was able to reach in the past month. The journey from Level 2 to Level 3 itself was very hard enough but somehow, Aiden was able to get a basic grasp on a new instrument.

As there were a few scenes in [Agnas] where he needed to play piano, he was learning it. He also has memorised a few of Agnas' songs.

Singing them was still a bit unfamiliar to Aiden but he felt like he would get used to it more and more as the shooting progressed with his character affinity rising.

"Have you been preparing for the song segments?"

Joseph asked as Aiden looked at him, sitting on the piano.

"Yeah, I'm practising 'The Dream of millions' and 'Remedy' everyday."

These were the songs that Joseph had composed for the movie and there were segments in the movie where Aiden would perform these.

'The Dream of millions' was a song about dreams obviously with it talking about a young Agnas dreams and 'Remedy' was a track about a relationship Agnas had.

For Aiden, both of these tracks were important but 'Remedy' was given more priority. It was a better track in his opinion and talked about Agnas's anxiety in a relationship and how it had turned out.

It was also his favourite alongside 'Joker'.

"That's good." Joseph said and talked a bit more about Aiden's lessons before looking up at the clock.

The time was over.

"I think the lessons end here." He said. "Don't you have an interview or some promotions to do today?"

"No." Aiden shook his head. "Actually, we are doing some public screenings today. So, I need to be there."

"Ah, yeah. I heard the screening for critics already happened. The movie is releasing in two days right? I would go and check it."

Aiden nodded his head.

He has given a lot to marketing and promotions by giving interviews and in the past couple of weeks, more interest has been generated in the movie.

So, they were doing some early public screenings to see how the normal audience would react to the movie.

'Sadly, the critics hated it.'

Aiden thought with a wry smile on his face.

[Action Hero] is a movie with no substance at all and only action scenes. I have not seen such a movie in my 20 years of being a critic and I'm not saying it positively. Asano Mercer's direction is just getting poorer in quality even with most of the basics done well.

-Hollywood Reporter.

Aiden Silvereye might have had a great last year, raising his stocks in Hollywood by a lot but this year has been nothing but disappointment for the young stalwart. [Action Hero] is a bad movie that no actor would want in his filmography. Even the actors' good yet a bit cheesy acting can't save the movie.

-LA Times.]

At the end of the movie, I was wondering what it was trying to be and what Asano Mercer was trying to accomplish by having an action scene every few minutes. Moreover, even if he wanted to make an all out action movie, the creative judgment of having it set in a boys high school doesn't make sense. The movie just tries to give a wrong idea to young guys that fists solve everything.

-Movie Frenzy.

"The reviews are extremely bad. Are you punishing me by inviting me to this movie's screening? How did you even get the tickets?"

A bespectacled guy said as he looked at his friend in front of him. They were currently sitting in one of the theatres that was going to show an early screening of [Action Hero].

"My father knew someone from the set. They told him that the movie is focused on teens, so he gave me the ticket. Anyway, don't complain even if it's bad because it's free."

His friend was wearing a baseball cap and a windbreaker jacket. Both of them were high school students who were free today.

"It being free doesn't mean I should not complain."

"I liked the trailer."

"Read the reviews."

"The last time I read them was for a sci-fi movie. Critics hailed it as some sort of revolution in science fiction while it was a generic movie. The ending was literally the main character winning against the villain due to the power of love. In a sci-fi movie."

The baseball cap wearing guy shrugged his shoulders and sneered. He clearly seems to not trust reviews while his friend on the other hand looked disappointed.

He was someone who has come to respect critics and their opinions, thinking of them as having more knowledge to gauge good movies from the bad ones.

The bespectacled guy looked around and saw that there were a lot of people in the crowd, most of them being young. The producers were clearly targeting teens and college students for the movie.

'The screening will happen first. Then, actors and directors would get questions from the audience.'

The bespectacled read the memo that was given to them while entering the theatre. He couldn't see any celebrities in the crowd but they could just be in a backroom.

'I would leave right after the movie. That's the best set of action.'

As he thought that, a host told them that the screening was about to begin. The bespectacled guy got comfortable in their seats and began to wonder how bad the movie was going to be.

'Wait… this can't be.'

One and half hours later, the same bespectacled guy couldn't believe what he had just seen.

It was hard to comprehend for him, who was a big fan of art movies with subtle things and themes. He couldn't even call it bad as he knew that the experience he just had was something completely opposite of it.

'It… it was so entertaining.'

The bespectacled guy thought yet he didn't know how the movie had made him glued and even cheered at moments.

"Damn, that was a blast. I feel like this is the best gift my father gave me and he gave me my car."

The baseball cap wearing guy said as he clapped his hand and looked at his friend.

"I told you it would be good, right?"

"Yeah it was strangely good."

"I think I want to watch it again. Those fight scenes were awesome and I didn't know how they even did that class brawl scene. That was some epic level stuff."

The baseball cap guy said and felt like he didn't have such fun even in superhero movies. Even though they were great, there was nothing special as action set pieces can't always be creative.

But in [Action Hero, there was clear thought given to every action scene. There were a lot of them and everyone of them managed to feel different from each other.

'The reviews were really wrong about this one… Wait…'

The bespectacled guy suddenly thought of something.

"Wasn't there a lack of story? I felt everything went too fast from one great moment to another. Moreover, how could one guy even take on 30 people."

"Yes, it's impossible. That's why he nearly lost. I felt like he was very lucky. And can you please throw away logic for a second?"

The baseball cap wearing guy squinted his eyes at his friend. He was too quick to ruin moments.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a movie. Let it do its job. To entertain people and I think it entertained me a hell lot. I feel like the protagonist is really like me as I myself used to get into fights. You sought out too much realism from movies and then complain if they are not entertaining enough."

The bespectacled guy shut his mouth hearing that and thought about his friend's words.

He believed that movies were the mirror to society but he also believed that they were meant to be entertaining. Give people an experience of a lifetime.

"I guess too many movies already focus on making it as real as possible. So, there needs to be movies like this too."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Reviews were a big part of any movie and bad reviews were bound to have an impact on first day collections. Especially with indie movies, they always need good reviews and then good word of mouth to spread.

So with early bad reviews in the critics and reporters screening, it was evident that the mood of people working on the movie would instantly become worse.

Rather than saying they were upset, they were devastated.

It even spreaded in Titan studios office and it was already getting considered as a flop movie among the employees and people were saying that it was money wasted. Ava was naturally upset and had to deal with taunts from Alberto.

Asano was angry too. He had poured everything into this project and it had come out as he had visioned. Even the marketing had gone very well.

Despite all that, critics hated it.

He had drank a lot after the critics screening to drown his pain. Wade and Omar were kind of in the same state of mind.

The former was already planning what to do with the movie failing while Omar was just not ready to face failure.

In all this, only Aiden was calm.

'Critics screening was just the first base.'

He was upset due to the reviews too. He had read all of them but even the best of the publications have only given the movie 3 stars and a lot of them have criticised teens fighting like this.

It was panned as soulless.

But in the first place, critics were the last thing on his mind when he had signed the movie. It was the audience and making an entertaining movie that were the priorities.

'Even if the critics hated it, it's fine. This movie is not for them. It's to give a good time to people and the audience needs to like it.'

He had appeased himself thinking that. And right now, in front of him, he felt like those words had come true.

The audience had clapped and cheered the whole screening. No one had left their seats even after the movie had ended.

They were still chatting with their friends about the movie and Aiden was clearly able to hear a few comments.

"The movie was so good. The time went by in a flash. What an experience."

"Wasn't that staircase fight scene so dope? He looked like he was about to fall down but still kept going. It was so awesome."

"I feel like we should recreate a few scenes from it for our MeTube channel. Feels like they would soon go viral."

"I'm bringing my friends with me to watch this again. I'm pretty sure they would love it."

"Same. I finally got an excuse to go on a boy's night out."

It had the desired effect that Aiden was hoping for and smiling to himself, he walked up to Asano.

"I think the movie did what it was intended to. Are you happy?"

He asked this precisely because of how depressed Asano looked in the past couple of days.

"Yeah. I didn't know the audience reaction would be so good. The critics were never this harsh towards my movies." Asano frowned thinking about those. His ego and confidence was severely hurt by the reviews.

"I'm sure they would change their ways when the movie earns well?"

"Do you think it would?"

Asano looked at Aiden who didn't hesitate even a little bit before answering.

"I feel like it would earn way more than its budget. So much so that studios would run after you, asking you to direct their big blockbusters."

After the initial public screenings, the movie was finally released in the first week of June in 300 screens all over America. Due to the early reviews from critics, Aiden expected it to start low and it only earned 568k dollars on the first day.

An opening that was considered low as their total budget including marketing was 12 million dollars.

For context, [30 days of Happiness] have breakeven in just three days but it didn't seem possible for [Action Hero].

The verdict was always whispered as a flop among Hollywood analysts.

Compared to that, [Stars on the Ground] earned 5.7 million dollars on the first day, which was considered average but much better than [Action Hero]. They would be able to breakeven the production cost in a week if the movie keeps the momentum.

Though, the team of [Stars on the Ground] wanted something much better.

Though, one thing was sure the next coming days at the box office would be something big.

"You bagged the role of Agnas recently. There are reports that director Baz McCarthy personally vouched for you and even requested Zero International CEO to get you to play the lead. How did all that happen?"

Aiden looked at the female Radio Jockey in front of him. He was currently giving an interview in a local radio station to promote [Action Hero] and talk about his future projects.

Taking a moment to think about the answer, Aiden opened his mouth.

"I first met him during the audition. Later, I found out that my name was considered to play Agnas. Although it wasn't confirmed yet. So, I went to have a meeting with Baz and was able to convince him somehow."

"How did you convince him?"

"I can't talk about it in public. I could just say that our thoughts on the movie matched a lot and we both saw Agnas' stardom in a similar way."

Aiden answered in a way as to not talk about 'Joker'. It was supposed to be a big secret until the movie release.

The rest of the interview went smoothly as the focus shifted to [Action Hero]. Aiden had only agreed to the interview to promote his movie.

After it was done, he thanked everyone and left the room.

'Wade and Tom are checking up on the theatres where [Action Hero] is screening. We need better occupancy rates today. I should call them.'

Aiden thought in his mind. It was still morning but he hoped that the occupancy rate in the cinema would increase today. Otherwise, no one could save the movie.

As he was walking, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. In the hallway, someone familiar was walking up to him.

It was Florence Levine.

'What bad luck.'

Aiden cursed in his mind. A smile appeared on Florence's way as her eyes landed on him.

A vixen-like smile. A smile that Aiden didn't like.

"I didn't expect to see you here but it's a pleasant surprise." She said as she walked close to him.

"I hope meeting you makes your day better going by how happy you look."

"It does. I am also here to give an interview regarding [Stars on the Ground]. I have one after this too."

She said, like she wanted Aiden to know that she was in demand. Sadly for her, Aiden had gotten used to not holding back against people he didn't like.

"Everyone would want to interview you to get a hint on who was there with you at the party."

Her face froze hearing that.

"It's for my movie!" She blurted out. "A movie that you rejected. No, you were the reason why it got so much trouble even releasing. You ruined so many of my plans only for my movie to crush yours. Aren't you regretting it now?"

Aiden thought that she really changed since the last time he saw her before replying. She was less unbearable before.

Her face looked a lot older and sharp too.

"No, I'm not and let me clarify a few things. Your movie was in trouble because of your own actions. You are lucky people don't berate you for cheating on your husband. Your ego can't accept that so you blame me for it. Grow up and anyway, your movie opened very average. The reviews are mixed at best. I'm pretty sure you should not laugh when the result isn't great for you."

"Ah, what nonsense. You are the egoistic one here." She shouted, attracting attention from people that were passing them. A few eyes landed on them and she quickly quieted down. "I don't think you should talk when your movie didn't even earn a million dollars at the box office. The reviews are so bad it would be listed in the worst movies ever released."

Aiden was about to reply to her when his phone suddenly rang. Taking it out, he saw that it was Wade.

"Wade, what's going… What??"

Aiden suddenly went blank and Florence thought that something bad had happened. Probably his movie flopped harder on the second day.

"Did no one show up to watch your movie? I bet theatre owners are taking out your movie from the cinema."

"No, it's actually quite the opposite." Aiden said. "The occupancy rates are increasing significantly. Over 50 percent of the seats are filled just for the morning shows."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

'The look on Florence's face was something I should have taken a photo of. What a pity. She was shell shocked when I told her that the morning shows were getting more and more people.'

Aiden thought as he drove his car. A grin was hanging from the corner of his mouth as he passed cars on the street.

He was currently heading to the theatre that Wade and Tom were at. He needed to see the occupancy rate for himself.

Though, it would be a lie if he said that he hadn't expected this.

Just he had not expected it to happen so soon. He thought that it would take at least two days but it was faster than his predictions.

Reaching the theatre and parking his car, he quickly walked inside. For safety, he wore a cap and a mask.

Finding Wade and Tom, he quickly asked.

"Is it really true?"

"Come! See for yourself."

Wade said as he dragged Aiden to the theatre room where [Action Hero] was screening. The whole room was almost half full with a lot of people sitting in groups.

A lot of them looked like teens. Friends who had come to watch the movie together.

A huge cheer went up as Ray slammed a guy's head on the wall on the screen.

"It looks like they are enjoying it."

"Yeah, it looks like the marketing worked. A lot of high school and college students watched on the first day. They probably spread the word around their campus and hence, we got such a great occupancy rate."

"Is it only for this cinema? Or the others too?"

As soon as Aiden asked that, Wade's phone rang. He just said 'Okay' several times on the phone before cutting it. A smile was on his face signifying that it was good news.

"Just got the information. Others are not as good as this one but they are getting more people. I saw a lot of posts online too. The movie is spreading. We could expect a good second day and if this keeps momentum…"

"We have another hit."

Aiden completed his sentence and just stood there, looking at the crowd enjoying the movie. It was still the morning show and the occupancy rate would just increase in the afternoon and evening shows.

'A hit. Finally.'

His last movie [Disconnected] was a flop at the box office, so [Action Hero] doing well felt nice.

He felt escastic.

He wouldn't feel like this even if [Agnas] became a huge hit. That movie and this movie was different. Stakes were different and this really felt more important.

'No, it's just the start. I need to wait till it finally becomes a hit.'

Aiden thought in his mind and looked at Tom and Wade.

"Let's go check out other theatres too. I feel like we would be doing this the entire day today."

[Action Hero] gets a big jump on the second day. Almost unprecedented this was. It earned over 3 million dollars yesterday and seems to be growing bigger. We have not seen this much growth for any indie movie in recent times. Not even Oscar winners.

[Stars on the Ground] earns 5.8 million dollars on the second day. A small growth for the movie. The production team would be hoping for a big weekend otherwise the movie would be in trouble.

A dark horse has appeared on the box office. [Action Hero] has attracted a lot of teenagers to watch this action movie set in a a boys' high school.

These articles were on Aiden's phone after the second day. In two days, the movie earned 3.5 million dollars at the box office but he knew this was just the start.

The next day, the numbers grew more.

From 3 million on the second day, it earned 4.7 million on the next, taking the total collection to 8.2 million dollars. It had recovered the production budget already.

One more thing happened on the third day of the release.

#ActionHero was trending on Sparrow with a lot of people asking about it. A lot of people had shared their views on the movie after watching it and it had made others notice it too.

The trend was just growing.

[Naughty N word: Have anyone watched [Action Hero]? The movie kicks hard and in a good way. It's extremely great and the action scenes are awesome. Just one dude plowing through everything and finally, some real manly movie.]

[Games are just remakes now: What is [Action Hero]? How is [Action Hero]? Why is [Action Hero]? Okay, jokes aside, what is this movie? Is it worth getting a babysitter and going to the theatres?]

[Movies lack soul: I watched this with my dog and baby. By the end of the movie, my dog was 'Dawg' and my baby was a man.]

[Pretty Girl: I'm a girl but I enjoyed [Action Hero]. It was very entertaining. There was introduction scenes for characters and in one scene, the main character just fights 30 people at once.]

[My Pronouns are legend and dary: I watched the movie with my homes and it was very amazing. I didn't have this much fun since long time ago. Don't watch it alone. Watch it with friends and get a good experience. Aiden, you got a fan!]

[Cheap haircut hulk: This movie is what superhero movies aspires to be.]

[Movies that feels like a movie: I really enjoyed this movie too and probably more than some superhero movies just because we don't have to discuss the post credit scene after the movie or discuss every small detail. It was a good entertaining movie and it didn't try to be more.]

"We need more screens for the movie. At least double it."

Ava said as he looked at Benny, the head of the distribution department.

"I am planning to."

He said without Ava needing to persuade him. It was a good thing and saved her time but she already had expected this as the results were out in the open.

With the movie's momentum, it would even give the studio a lot of profits depending upon on the deal with Green Finance.

"You do know that I have seen the box office reports too. I have gotten more than a few calls on how Titan studios got such a dark horse."

"People are quick to notice in Hollywood." Ava leaned against her seat and smiled.

On the first day of release, she had felt her heart clenching with worry all day. Alberto's taunts were the salt on her wounds.

But in two days, the situation has changed significantly. The movie got a lot of word of mouth.

Although she didn't knew, a lot of college students have talked about the movie on the official websites of their campuses, making it spread. Due to peer pressure, more and more people went to watch it.

A lot of teenagers were even tagging the movie as 'The story of the high school life we dreamt'.

"They are very quick." Benny muttered. "Alberto isn't in the company today. He probably would avoid you for sometime now."

"He should." Ava smirked. "But I want you to do something more than just adding more screens."

"What?"

Benny raised an eyebrow. Ava's requests were never easy, so he was a bit reserved.

But her words were a bit unexpected.

"You know [Stars on the Ground]?"

"Ah, yeah, the movie's in trouble since [Action Hero] is getting so much attention. I heard they are losing viewers to this. It only earned 3 million yesterday and lost too much momentum despite having so many screens."

Benny felt a bit pity on [Stars on the Ground] producers. Even though they were competitors, he always felt bad if a movie didn't work well. Hollywood always needed movies to work to strive.

"Yes, I want to crush it to the ground. So much so that the movie is a massive flop." Ava said in a ruthless manner.

"What?"

"Florence Levine hid such a big thing from me and ruined a lot of my plans. I know you are not the type to hold grudges, Benny but I'm. I don't want people like her."

Ava said and made a cold smile. Her intentions were set in stone and nothing could move her.

At this moment, Benny knew that he wouldn't be able to reject her.

After all, her stature was special in the company.

Couple of days later, news articles were enough to tell the story of North American box office. The week was something that a lot of people had never imagined and some people were still in disbelief.

[Action Hero] earns 23.5 million dollars in the first week of release. Made on a budget of 7 million, the indie movie by Asano Mercer is an unprecedented success. It's just getting bigger.

Despite atrocitus reviews, [Action Hero] reigns supreme. Critics all over America aren't able to tell why the movie has suddenly became such a rage but one thing is clear — Aiden Silvereye and Asano Mercer has proved that reviews don't matter in making a hit movie.

[Stars on the Ground] only managed 18.9 million dollars at the first week. The movie lost all momentum and going by the production and marketing cost, the movie is flop. A major blow to the controversial career of Florence Levine!

...

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to vote with your power stones and golden tickets :)

Thank you for supporting this novel, we have hit the number 1 spot in Golden ticket rankings! I hope you continue reading this novel and walk along Aiden on his journey to the top of the showbiz universe :)

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

[Action Hero] spreaded like a fire in a jungle among teens and they filled the theatres to watch it. Some of them watched it a few times as it was a great experience to watch it with friends.

One more thing was that Titan studios made the tickets dirt cheap for teenagers, making it the ideal choice for them to watch this.

This was Ava's plan and it completely crushed [Stars on the Ground]. The movie had a below average weekend and having any hope of it even touching its budget was stretching too far.

United Pictures was already frowning at the loss, especially at the hands of an indie movie which had become a rage out of nowhere.

It should be noted that the original budget was over 60 million dollars, so Aiden was glad he missed this trainwreck. Though, when he was about to sign it, the situation was very different.

If not for the miracle that was [Action Hero, the movie would have actually managed to break even.

The success of [Action Hero] was also special for Hollywood.

It was a knowledge to everyone, even the audience that Hollywood was in a very weird state. The industry has evolved always with different things being the rage in different eras.

In the past, especially the 80s and 90s, some indie movies have become huge hits only to become franchises. These movies made by young directors were solely successful on innovation and good stories.

They worked because people gave them a chance by seeing them in theatres.

But in the current scenario, it's been a long time since an indie movie has managed to become such a rage. It was almost non-existent now as most of these would be taken up by streaming platforms and people would only see them on the screens in film festivals.

Releasing an indie movie in the theatres was considered a loss move from the start.

During this, an indie movie with extremely bad reviews was able to not only become a hit, it also became much more than that.

It became a topic of research for a lot of people. Especially the critics who have first bashed the movie.

One of them was Greg Hendrickson from Hollywood Reporter who gave it only 2 out of 5 stars. He wrote an extensive article on [Action Hero] on his blog.

He wrote, "Just two weeks ago when I watched [Action Hero, I felt like it was a movie that tries too hard to be something different and for that, it gives up on a lot of things. My article still is available on the internet where I told people to not go and watch it. But two weeks later, I find myself watching the movie for the fourth time in the theatres. My thoughts have obviously changed after that. Although I still believe [Action Hero] isn't your typical Hollywood indie movie, it prioritises entertainment over everything, taking a lot of inspiration from Hong Kong cinema and making the audience feel excited. That's the reason for its success. It tries to be an entertaining movie and it succeeds in that. There's nothing more and maybe this is the answer other Hollywood studios, even the Big 6 should follow."

His words were repeated by a lot of other critics. They also noted points like how [Action Hero] might not be a great movie for adults but it fit right in with teenagers who wanted nothing but entertainment.

Moreover, the movie was very aware of what it was trying to be. Asano said this a lot in the interviews that followed the success.

Though, there were also some critics, reporters and even actors who weren't able to take in the success of the movie.

One of the critics from Vanity Magazine wrote, "[Action Hero] might be a successful movie but it's certainly among the worst movies made this year."

There were a lot of other articles like this too. With even some actors not knowing how it became such a success.

Undoubtedly, it has become a case study for Hollywood that has forgotten how to entertain people without using VFX.

It was also very hard to accept for celebrities that Aiden, someone with no connections, had made himself a star.

There were even signs of him having great box office potential, something that most studios noted.

The demand for him was never this much, especially because no other actors in his age group were creating the same impact he was creating. First with singing and now with acting, Aiden was now without a doubt one of the faces of Hollywood.

With [Agnas] and [Black Saints 2] releasing after it, it was his golden chance to break into the A list.

For now, he was basking in the success of [Action Hero] which collected over 39 million dollars in the second week, taking the total to 62.3 million dollars.

With low ticket prices and more screens, it was expected to cross 100 million dollars in the next two weeks, making Aiden's second indie movie to do this feat.

"He's there. Look, he finally came."

"He looks more handsome in person than I thought."

"People are calling him the next superstar of Hollywood already."

"Isn't it too exaggerated?"

"It is but he just delivered one of the biggest hits of this year out of nowhere. It will die down but for now, he's going to get a lot of praise."

"I should get a chance and introduce myself."

Although Aiden wasn't able to hear the hushed up conversations that were happening all around him, the eyes with which people looked at him were giving him all the information he needed.

'This is going to be one long night.'

Aiden thought as he tried to find Omar and Asano in the crowd of people. He was currently attending the success party of [Action Hero] that was hosted by Titan studios.

A lot of people have attended it from all around Hollywood and he noticed a lot of familiar faces. As he avoided parties, people were not going to leave a chance to socialise with him.

"Hello, I'm XXX from XXX. It's a pleasure to meet you. I have worked on this and that."

He heard this line a lot of times from the mouths of many people who approached him. The words were the same, just the name and occupation was different.

He met studio producers, executives, actors, actresses and for some reason, a lot of struggling actresses and models came to him to make a 'connection'.

Wade besides him took all the business cards thrown at him. It was only after talking to 15 people that Aiden found Omar and Asano.

"Ah, Aiden, my lucky charm, you are finally here."

Wearing a suit that looked more expensive than his car, Omar came to greet Aiden and immediately hugged him.

"I'm your lucky charm now?" He said, getting himself out of the uncomfortable embrace.

"Aren't you?" Omar smiles cheekily. "You made me tens of millions. I'm going to give you a big gift for it. Just wait and see. Your pay was too low for [Action Hero]."

He said, looking intoxicated with alcohol.

"Then, I would wait for it."

Aiden said and looked at Asano. The Japanese origin director looked like he couldn't get the smile off his face.

There were a lot of reasons for him to be happy. After all, this movie has cemented his position as a great commercial director. His career had gotten a second life.

They talked a bit before Asano gestured to a table where a few people were drinking alcohol and talking to each other. They looked like important people.

"Who are they?" Aiden asked.

"They are executives from Dream Light pictures. I have a meeting with them next week."

"For what?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow and Asano smiled before whispering.

"They want me to direct a superhero movie in their universe. A big 150 million dollar blockbuster made for the big screens. It's not something that is confirmed but they seemed keen to have me on board."

He struggled to not have a reaction to that news. Dream Light pictures were stalwart in getting superheroes to become the face of Hollywood. They have tens of billions and this has made them the highest earning Big 6 studio in the industry.

Even Titan studios were just planning a footing in this. It shows how much Dream Light pictures were ahead in time.

Them being interested in Asano was a sign of his great future as a commercial director.

"Don't forget me after crossing a billion dollars at the box office."

Aiden said and Asano shook his head.

"Actually, I would even ask the studio to get you for the lead role in the movie if you want to. I owe a lot to you and we work well together. You didn't lose hope when I did. I feel like I want to work with actors like you more and more."

Asano said, looking very sincere and for a moment, Aiden almost wanted to accept his proposal.

"I'm sorry I already have enough movies on my plate for now."

In the end, he rejected it.

"Yeah, I forgot how much in demand you are." Asano gave a wry smile.

"I would still do a cameo if you want me to. Just give me a call."

"I will."

Saying that, Asano walked up to the table of executives from Dream Light pictures. For a while, Aiden's eyes followed him and stopped at the table.

Just for a second they changed and showed some kind of conflict before the emotion died down. He sighed and walked away to talk to a few other people.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

With [Action Hero] doing so well, Aiden's mind was at his peace. He enjoyed the feeling of growing his popularity slowly. With each movie and song, new people were discovering him and enjoying his art.

But it also meant that he was working a lot.

That did put pressure on him but he was now used to it. Moreover, acting in movies meant that he got to be a part of so many amazing stories.

Just the experience of being in immersion was something he looked forward to.

Though, even with a small amount of lack of concentration, his immersion could easily break. It means he needed to be at a certain level in his mind to do a good scene.

So, it was hard work.

Still, Aiden was extremely happy as the shooting for [Agnas] began.

It was a new project, a new beginning. The first big project by a Big 6 studio that he was going to ahead. A project that has a lot of expectations and Zero International was even hoping it would cross at least 400 million dollars at the box office.

Originally, the project was supposed to start in April but it got delayed due to casting and the pre-production taking longer than expected. As Baz got 'Joker' now, he could also use the ending that he had originally planned.

Aiden was kind of reserved about working with Baz, knowing that he was someone who wanted complete obedience on the set. There was an old rumour about how he had asked an actor to give a take 70 times for a small shot that he hadn't even used in the final edit.

The actor had cried watching the movie in the theatre and refused to work with him again.

Still, he was a top director which meant that the movie would be top notch.

What Aiden wanted was just to get into his brain a little and learn how he directs his movie. Especially because he was someone who writes his own script too.

As a writer and actor, Aiden was very excited.

That's why, on the first day of shooting, just before the first shot, Aiden asked a question.

"How did you developed Agnas's story in a movie?"

They were standing in the back as the set was getting ready. It was a scene that would come in the first 20 minutes, the scene where Agnas Parker, who was still a teen at that point, would talk to a local musician.

"He has an interesting life." Baz shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's still a life. Not a movie. A movie needs to truly hold your attention at every moment. I have seen so many biopics that do get boring or they just make fictional scenes that didn't happen. I heard from Joseph that [Agnas] isn't like that."

Aiden said and Baz nodded his head.

"Yeah, his life was good enough for me. I just took certain things. Incorporated them together with a theme. When I make a script, I use two things."

Aiden listened keenly as Baz explained. His stature in the industry made every word of his mouth valuable, so any advice from him was going to help him understand a good movie from a bad movie.

"First the theme. What you want to say with your story. If that's not present, there's no story. Then, you bind the theme with scenes that connect to each other. I believe that movies are remembered in scenes. Some scenes are better than the others and people like them more and every scene needs to have at least one of three things if you are making a drama."

"What three things?"

"Comedy, emotion and drama. You need one of the three to hold the audience's attention. Give them that and you give them a reason to stay in the theatre to watch the movie. Otherwise, it's just lacking."

Baz explained. He also talked about how one needed to give interesting perspectives to the audience through the characters and Agnas' story while being a biopic, had a lot of moments like this.

He talked a bit more before telling Aiden to get ready for the shot. He also explained the scene a bit and how he wanted the scene to go.

Standing alone, Aiden thought of the theme that they were going for in [Agnas].

'The story of a superstar becoming an employee to his own myth. A heartbreaking story of a man who made people smile.'

[Agnas15 June-2018Act 1Scene 1Take 1]

"Do you like my performance?"

A man with a moustache and long hair asked as he looked at Agnas. They were currently standing backstage as the man gulped down a bottle of water.

He had just returned from a performance that he and his band had put on. They were a local band that were trying hard to go mainstream in the past year.

"It was great. How did you come up with this song this time?"

Agnas asked, excited to know the story behind the song the man had just performed. His band would perform every year in their town and Agnas has formed a friendship with this man, getting him access to the backstage.

"I got it from a man I met in a bar. Man was a fucking racist in real life but loved MK5 songs. I felt like it was an interesting contrast, so I wrote a song on it."

MK5 was an all black band that was very famous throughout America. Agnas liked them too. They have a lot of style in their performances.

But he didn't quite get what the local singer had said.

"Why would a racist like MK5? He's liking something he hates."

"That's the thing. Isn't it interesting?" The local singer smiled.

"It is but I don't quite get it."

"Let me show you then."

The local singer then walked up to the curtains that connected to the stage and opened it up. A cheer was heard and Agnas saw that Marcus, the drummer, was doing a solo performance.

He was a black guy who loved beer. That's the only thing Agnas knew about him.

He looked towards the local singer and noticed that he was looking towards the crowd. A crowd that was cheering the performance that was going on with enthusiasm.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?" Agnas raised an eyebrow.

"How they are enjoying it. Tell me now, do you think no one in the crowd hates black people, homosexuals, other religions, countries?"

"They do."

Agnas said. He noticed a few people in the crowd who had used racist slurs and he had witnessed it himself. They were currently enjoying the performance without any hatred.

"That's the thing about music, my friend." Agnas looked at the man. "No one cares what you are and where you come from. If your music reaches people, they will like you. Art doesn't have boundaries. Only people do."

Agnas took a moment to understand his words. At that moment, the voice of Baz came out.

"Cut!"

The scene was successful and there was no need for any retake. At the same time, Aiden thought that it fit being the dramatic part of the three things that Baz had told him.

As Aiden was working on [Agnas] in Los Angeles, a lot of activities were happening all over Hollywood. With [Action Hero] success, too many eyes were on Aiden, so people were talking more and more about him.

They were wondering about the future of his career and if he was someone worth befriending.

In the office of SGA, one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood, a man was looking through the profile of Aiden.

He has a weird atmosphere around him and his snake-like eyes made him look a bit dangerous. He was Franco Li, the agent that Aiden had previously crossed paths with.

He was known as the star maker in the industry.

Due to Aiden, Seth Douglas's career has ended. Franco Li didn't know about it obviously but that was the only memory of Aiden that he held.

'He was talked a lot about in [Disconnected]. The movie flopped but became a cult classic. Black Line Cinema didn't go for an Oscar nomination despite a lot of people saying that Aiden's role deserved a nomination. His atmosphere was out of norm. Calm, reserved, special.'

Franco Li thought in his mind. The resounding success of [Action Hero] had made him notice Aiden and now, he's wondering if he had the quality that he was looking for.

'The X factor to be a star.'

Although Seth Douglas was cast aside immediately after the failure, it did make a dent in Franco Li's reputation.

That's why, he was searching for an actor that would get him his reputation back. And Aiden fit the bill.

"He's not associated with any agency right?"

"He has his own team and agent. He's very independent."

Franco Li's assistant said as soon as he asked.

"Good. Compile every small detail about him in the last five years and give it to me. I would go meet him."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

[Agnas16 June-2018Act 1Scene 18Take 4]

Agnas took a deep breath. His heart was beating fast. He had just finished a performance on the stage and it was the first time he had sung in front of so many people.

Although Agnas loved music, he was also scared to perform in front of so many people. But he had pushed himself today as an effort to earn some money for her mother's hospital bills.

They found out that she had cancer early this year and needed money. A lot of money.

'Music is the only thing I know. I need to get over my anxiety to help my mother.'

He thought in his mind and calmed himself down. It was at that moment that the curtains opened up and two men walked in. One of them was wearing a cowboy hat and held a cigar in his mouth while the other was in a suit, prim and proper.

"Agnas, my boy, come here. Someone special is here to see you."

The cowboy hat wearing man said. He recognised him as the owner of the bar, Jim Button. His love for music and cowboy movies have made him open this bar in his retirement.

"I'm Gregory Jefferson . Nice to see you in person." The man in the suit introduced himself.

"Agnas Parker."

"You sing well. That song your original?"

"Yeah."

Agnas gave a short answer and the man named Gregory smiled. He glanced towards Jim who raised his hand with a smile and left, giving the two of them privacy.

Now that they were alone, Gregory took a chair and sat down, gesturing to Agnas to do the same.

"So, are you doing this as a hobby or what? You look young?"

The man had a hint of a Texas accent that had been straightened after coming to the city. Agnas hesitated a bit as he thought of an answer and replied.

"I do this because I need money."

"You sing for money?"

"One of the reasons. I want to sing for myself but I need money. So, I sing for others."

Gregory smiled like he liked his response. His hand went into his pocket and took out what looked like a business card.

"You seem like an interesting individual. Take this."

Agnas looked at the card and his eyes widened. The man was the owner of a record label. A manager.

He had heard that they lurk around bars, trying to recruit whoever they find talented but Agnas hadn't expected that he would meet one today.

"Tell me one thing, son. What do you crave?"

Agnas blinked his eyes hearing that.

"I, I don't understand."

"Why are you making music? For what reason? Where do you want to reach?" The man asked again, eyeing every change in Agnas' expressions.

"I make music because it makes me happy. It makes people who hear it happy."

Gregory didn't respond for a while as he took in the answer. Then, he smiled.

"Do you know what I crave?"

"What?" Agnas raised an eyebrow.

"Destiny. And if you want, I could make the path in which you could reach your destiny too."

After that, Gregory left and Agnas kept staring at the business card in his hand.

Until a voice broke his immersion.

"Cut! I think that's fine. Good take, everyone!"

Agnas' story started off like how every other musician started. Getting discovered in a bar, coming from an ordinary household and wanting to reach for destiny.

It was a common story.

Though, his mother's influence and the talk with the local musician made for great character moments for him as he tried not to chase fame but to make good music.

Music that didn't have any boundaries.

Though, what people never knew was that aside from being a great musician, Agnas was also a great actor. He faked a lot of his vibrant personality on the stage and used to become the personification of a superstar.

"It's still hard to believe his story."

Aiden muttered when they were rehearsing the next scene. Grant Mathews, an old actor who was playing the role of Gregory Jefferson smiled when he heard Aiden say that.

Their next scene was one of the most major scenes and they were rehearsing for it. Cameron, playing the role of Joseph, also perked his ears.

"Isn't it? It's one of the weirdest things I myself have come across. But it adds so much to Agnas. He was truly meant for the big stage." Grant said, laughing and Cameron opened his mouth.

"Yeah. My grandfather told me that before a big performance, Agnas used to spend time alone, muttering that he was a superstar. He made himself believe that he was one, so he was able to sing like one on stage even when he wasn't able to handle the pressure."

"He created an idea of a superstar in his mind and followed it. Becoming one for real but he lost himself in that ideal too."

Aiden muttered and thought of something.

When Agnas was on stage, it was almost like he was a superhero.

He believed in an ideal and followed it rigorously even when in real life, he was a very different person. He lost himself in that and in the end, that became the reason for his fall.

That's why this scene was important.

It was the scene in which Gregory would force Agnas to be on the stage despite him saying that he won't be able to do it. It was then he had thought of something his mother had told him.

'If a lie is told a lot of times, it becomes the truth.'

He thought and read through the scene again.

It was something he had seen while he had been connected to Agnas too, so he felt like he would be able to bring out the same energy in it.

[Agnas16 June-2018Act 1Scene 18Take 4]

Splash! Splash!

Water hit his face as Agnas felt his emotions cooling down. He berated himself for accepting Gregory Jefferson's offer of performing on a big stage. There were so many people out there and he panicked seeing them.

It was something that was not meant for him. But he accepted it.

After all, he needed money. His mother needed money and there was no other way. If he managed to impress Gregory today, he promised to make him big enough that he would be swimming in money.

But his nerves have given in.

"Agnas, what are you doing here? You should be on the stage."

Suddenly, the door burst open and Gregory Jefferson came in.

"Mr. Jefferson, I can't do it."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"It's… out of my range. The people, they are too many. My voice won't come out. I won't be able to perform."

Agnas said in a slow voice, every word reeking of anxiousness. His face looked out of breath like he was sick.

"You need to do it." Gregory suddenly grabbed his shoulder, pushing Agnas back by a step. "There's no option for you to refuse now. Look at me, son. The stage is set. You need to perform, understand?"

Agnas looked into the eye of the man. There was no backing out now. He knew Gregory wouldn't understand him.

If he didn't perform, the man was surely going to cause problems for him later on.

"Okay."

He said and Gregory sighed before patting his back.

"Have faith in you, son."

The man left after that, telling Agnas to go on the stage in a minute. Agnas looked at the mirror in the bathroom.

Wet black hair, a face that looked a bit sick and eyes that weren't ready for a challenge. He blinked his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"I need to do it. There's no other way. I need to believe in myself."

He muttered and got out of the bathroom.

He took slow steps to the stage, each step feeling like a challenge of its own. It was hard with the weight of the guitar in his back almost negligible.

Lots of thoughts travelled his mind. He didn't know which one to focus on but there was no time.

Reaching the stage, he heard the announcer call out his name.

"Now, from a small town in Mississippi, we have a young singer with dreams. Give a wild welcome to Agnas Parker."

Agnas looked down on the stage, and a lot of people were standing there. All looking like teenagers. He glanced on the side and Gregory was standing there.

The old man nodded at him, implying him to start.

"At least comb your hair properly, town boy."

A voice came from the crowd. A blonde guy made fun of him and a small laugh went in the crowd.

Agnas blinked again.

Just this time, a sentence that his mother had told him came to his mind.

'When you sing, you are like a superstar.'

'A superstar.'

Agnas muttered in his mind and took a deep breath. He suddenly took out his guitar and his hand danced on the strings of it.

The crowd silenced.

Wet hair, a smile on his face and the guitar in his hands. A legend began that day.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

In Hollywood, stars were always the

focus. Their lives, their upcoming projects, their relationships and everything in between. The media focused on it so much that everything about a star would be in newspapers. Good and bad both.

But one aspect that people always forget in the industry called Hollywood were agents.

One might think of them as black suits wearing people who look menacing and have all sorts of contacts. It wasn't far off but an agent's job requires a lot of travel, meaning that it was best to wear whatever was comfortable.

After all, they are the people who are actually controlling a star's life and trying their best to only give selective information to the media so that their clients look good and have a good image.

Though, sometimes it doesn't go as planned.

That's why agents were also the best in damage control. You got caught with a married woman? Your agent will handle it. You assaulted someone? Your agent will hire a lawyer. Your last movie failed? Your agent will get you a better script.

Because of this, most of the time agents were the ones to lay down the staircase of stardom.

At the same time, a bad agent could easily destroy your career.

There was one famous incident in Hollywood where a top actor changed 7 agents just to work with a director he wanted. He was unhappy with a lot of projects that he was being offered.

There was another incident where a famous actress's career almost got destroyed because her agent hid scripts that were offered to her and only gave her the ones he liked. A lot of them failed, ending a career early.

These things undoubtedly tell the importance of a good agent. And in Hollywood, only people who have passed the agent exam could work as one.

[A/N: Agent exam is fictional and something I came up with. It was mostly due to just me thinking that I could make a small story around agents in the future.]

It was an extremely difficult exam that only a few could do well in. Most people are happy to just barely pass it. And Wade was someone who topped this exam.

Not only that, he also got recruited in Red Ant agency, one of the top agencies in Hollywood and there, he took his first step towards his dream.

Creating a superstar out of nowhere. Becoming a star maker. As someone who admired king makers in fantasy novels, he felt like this was his calling.

His skills certainly showed it.

Just after entering the Red Ant agency, he worked with three celebrities and took their career to the next level in a short time, selecting projects that the celebrities were comfortable in and showing excellent man management skills.

In just one year, he was the talk of the agency and Hollywood. A lot of actors wanted to work with him.

But he had a clash with one of the senior agents in Red Ant agency, prompting him to leave it. The details were far and few but there were a lot of rumors about how he wasn't able to adjust to the dark nature of Hollywood that is more visible as you go up on the ladder of success.

After leaving Red Ant agency, he got other offers but he rejected them. At the same time, he was also going through a messy divorce, making him think back on the decisions of his life.

It was only after that phase in his life that Wade decided to act independent. It was a hard decision but he wanted to use his own ways instead of doing what the industry was doing.

Despite it being a massive gamble, he was very successful.

His connections during his early days helped him get valuable movies for his clients. They weren't big blockbusters but they were good enough to establish themselves in the industry.

It started off slow but eventually, his actors got fame. They moved from one list to another. One indie movie to a commercial blockbuster, gaining more and more fame.

But every single time, his clients changed.

It was like fame has corrupted them. Money has made them lazy and the ambition he had first seen was nowhere. It wasn't even a lot of fame but celebrities tended to fall into narcissism.

So, he moved. From one actor to another. Every time, the same thing happened like time was in a loop.

Just as Wade was giving up hope, he got called by an old friend. An old leecher, he called him. It was about his nephew who wanted Wade as his agent.

At first he laughed at it.

He felt that it would be a similar occurrence as the ones before. But he still met the person as the surname Silvereye holds a history about it in Hollywood.

He was curious.

'Would he be someone with a lot of potential or none of it? Someone who could handle fame and ambition… It's too much to ask for.'

Those were his thoughts before meeting Aiden and he was fairly surprised.

The first meeting wasn't bad. He showed ambition. A lot of it and knowing that the person had talent and Wade was without any client, he had taken on the role.

Purely as a gamble.

A few years later, he felt like it was the best gamble of his life.

Aiden was climbing the stairs of Hollywood faster than anyone he had met. Not only in acting, he was establishing himself in writing and singing too, giving him an identity of a multi talented artist.

Moreover, with this, even if one of his careers started to fail, he could give more time to the other two.

It also meant that Wade's days were getting busier and busier. Especially because you attract a lot of attention when you are close to the top.

"They again published an article? Why are they posting these many fake articles? Those bastards."

Wade muttered as he looked at Sarah. It was early morning and he was having a video call meeting with her.

"Probably some people are not happy with the success of [Action Hero]. There's too much attention on him and people want to damage his image."

Sarah said with a frown. She wasn't happy with this as her work has just increased but this was something they needed to go through.

"We can't let them do that. Try to counter those fake articles as fast as you can."

"We are already on it. Though, we might need more people."

"Let's talk about it later. I will come to New York next week as the shooting goes to the next schedule." Wade said, then asked. "Did you compile a list of the brand offers?"

"I did. I will send it to you today. There's lots of offers but we need to be careful to not promote anything that's not good for his image."

Wade and Sarah talked a bit more about the brand offers before he ended the call.

'Sigh, I really need to do something about these fake articles.'

He thought before calling Tom and asking him whether the shooting was going on or if there were any problems on the set.

As Wade had other things to cater to, Aiden was accompanied by Tom on the sets. The assistant was very quick on his job, so they have gotten comfortable.

Even though Wade sometimes felt like Tom was acting a bit weird.

After finishing the call with Tom, Wade sat in his car and went towards a restaurant to attend a meeting with a producer.

"We think that your client is perfect for our next project. It's a comedy and I feel like Aiden would suit in this kind of role. His last movie was serious, so it's a nice change of pace too."

The producer said, eyeing Wade's expression calmly.

"We aren't really discriminating based on the genre as we feel like any good script is something we should consider. Who's the writer and we wanted to show the script first."

"Yes, yes."

The indie producer told Wade everything related to the project and didn't lose any opportunity to compliment him and Aiden, trying to leave a good impression.

After the meeting, Wade sat in his car and sighed.

'It's just another one of those producers who think just having Aiden in an indie project means a lot of money.'

As Aiden had made two indie projects succeed, there was a perception that his vision for movies was superb and if he selected someone's project, it was bound to be a success.

It was obviously something that was just making money when they saw Aiden. But Wade needed to be careful.

Aiden's lineup for this year was already decided. So, all this would only go on floors next year.

But Wade needed to go through all sorts of projects as it was his job.

'Okay. I have another meeting in the afternoon. Then I could go visit the set.'

Wade thought and at that moment, he got a call. Picking it up, he saw it was an unknown number.

"Mr. Wade Spectre, I would like to meet you to discuss something about your client."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

After ending the strange call he had gotten, Wade was frowning. He hadn't even felt like that when that producer showed him a below average project, only hoping that Aiden would be able to make it a hit.

It had felt a bit nauseating at that time as he thought that the industry cared more about making money than making art.

But now, he felt completely different.

He suddenly felt a bit anxious and didn't know what he should do. The call was out of nowhere but he knew that it was expected. At least it was not something that was outside the boundary of reality.

The question was how he should react to it.

'I need to face him in person. It's better than just ignoring it as that person… he's infamous for his tactics.'

That was his decision after thinking for a bit. He had immediately cancelled all his meetings and directly went to the restaurant that he was being called to.

Rather than ignoring it, it was better to know what was going on in this person's mind by directly talking to him. Though, Wade already has some premonitions about it.

Reaching the restaurant, he quickly found the person he was looking for. He was sitting at a table just beside the glass window.

'Franco Li.'

The star maker. The one who has made countless stars and one of the top brass of Hollywood.

He thought in his mind, seeing the person with sharp eyes and a small smirk on his face. His Chinese features and name hinted towards his family being migrants in America.

Due to his eyes, he looked like he was always planning something.

"Ah, you came early. I was going to find you if you hadn't come."

Franco said as he saw Wade. He gestured to him to sit down and without wasting any time, the conversation between them started.

"What do you want?" Wade asked directly, surprising Franco a bit.

"You are a very direct person. I heard you were excellent in negotiations."

"It's not a negotiation."

"Maybe."

Franco smiled, glancing out of the window for a second before examining Wade's features. He looked more like a bodyguard than an agent — A thing that has made him stand out always.

"I think you probably have an idea of why I called you here. But I would still say it out loud for you." Franco leaned a bit. "I want Aiden Silvereye in SGA."

"No. It won't ever happen."

Wade said, so fast that Franco flinched.

"I thought you would reject but that was too fast for my liking. Anyway, SGA is looking for the next candidate to become a superstar. Our every major resource put into a person to get him to global superstardom."

"I don't want to hear—"

"Just see this."

Wade frowned but Franco took out a document and pushed it in front of him. The bear-like agent scanned it with his eyes.

It looked like a classified document that only a few could have access to.

When he read it, it really turned out to be that.

'What is this… Is this even possible?'

The document listed a whole path for an actor to achieve global stardom. It listed the kind of movies that the actor would be in and how the company would support him.

Face of a superhero franchise to increase visibility. Being the lead in critically successful movies with an aim of getting an Oscar. It even listed down working in Asian markets to become famous among their audience.

It was a document that seemed like an actor's wet dream but Wade imagined with the resources of SGA, it might just be possible.

But…

'You literally have to become the puppet of a company. No private life as SGA won't be able to have unnecessary scandals due to how much money they would pour into the actor.'

Wade looked at Franco who seemed to be enjoying his expressions.

"You do know that this is crazy?"

"It's not. Stardom is dying. We don't have superstars that are young and the old ones are past their primes. People need one and this is our way to give them one."

"And you think Aiden is the one?"

Franco shook his head.

"He's one of the candidates. A rather promising one. I personally like him a lot. I feel like his wide array of talents would be our best chance in achieving what is written in this document. Though, we would be doing our best to plan his every move. Every project he takes. We will make sure it's a success."

Wade didn't say anything about it for a while. He just drank a glass of water as he thought about what Franco had said.

It was a crazy plan but he was sure that millions of people would agree to it. But he wasn't going to throw Aiden into something that might destroy him forever.

"I will refuse."

"Think again." Franco said, this time his tone was a bit more serious. "I came to you because you are a capable person. Actually, rather than Aiden, I wanted to recruit you. I need someone capable under me. If you accept my offer, I promise nothing will change between you and Aiden. I will let you two work together—"

"I don't like working under people. Especially people like you."

Franco blabbered on but Wade had already gotten tired of his words. He interrupted him and Franco made an ugly expression.

Ignoring it, Wade tried to get up.

"You do know that I don't need your permission to get Aiden? He's your client and actors change their agents in this industry like nothing. There's no emotional attachment as it's all business."

He stopped and looked at Franco.

"You are happy to try. He will never agree to it."

"Are you really sure about it? I looked into your past. Didn't everyone of your client's change after getting a bit of fame? Some even threw you away. What makes you think Aiden won't?"

"I know him."

Wade said but Franco was still smiling. He looked like he was trying to stop himself from laughing out loud. It was like he had heard the best joke in a while.

"You don't know a person here! At least in this industry. People don't have values here. They are like animals. Musicians, actors, directors. They get anything small and try to strive from that all their life. They don't even care about plagiarising." Franco blurted, like he was complaining. "Do you really think Aiden would stand by you when I tell him that he can achieve global stardom? Give him a plan to do that? Isn't it the thing that he wants the most?"

Wade didn't say anything about that. He suddenly recalled the moments where Aiden had talked about his ambition. To be a global superstar. He wanted to stand at a stage no one else could.

He wanted it so much he worked himself till he couldn't. He had become so disciplined that he didn't even try to get into relationships, saying that it was a distraction and won't last long.

Although Wade had made fun of him a lot about it, he was impressed by his discipline.

'Maybe… no, he's not like that. He's different.'

He thought in his mind but Franco already noticed the seed of doubt that he had managed to plant.

"I am telling you now. People say one thing then change it the next day in the industry. Do you really think Aiden would not join me after I told him about this plan? As soon as he accepts, he will be announced as the face of a superhero movie planned by Dream Light pictures."

"He won't."

"Let's see who is right in the end. I have seen more than you in the industry and humans show their worst sides here blatantly."

Franco said like it was a fact and he was sure that Aiden would join him.

Coming out of the restaurant, Wade sat in his car but he didn't start it. He just sat in it and thought about the whole meeting with Franco Li.

He hadn't heard about the whole blueprint of global stardom that Franco had shown him before, so it was obviously something that was top secret in SGA.

Though, it wasn't much of a surprise as SGA are always the ones to innovate in this industry. In the 80 and 90s, they completely changed the game by introducing "movie packaging".

But rather than that, his mind stayed on the words that Franco had said at the end.

Would Aiden really be someone who would accept his offer? Wade refused to believe it but he would be lying if he said that it wasn't an enticing offer.

'I need to trust Aiden. We have come such a long way because of our trust.'

He thought, consoling himself. At that moment, his phone rang.

It was Tom.

"Tom, what happened?"

"Wade, Aiden had gotten into an accident on the set. He's in the hospital."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"Are you crazy or something?"

"Well, a bit. But this time, it wasn't even my fault. They were supposed to catch me but they didn't and I hurt my arm a bit. Thankfully, no severe injuries to the head."

"What happened to those extras?"

"Baz was angry and wanted to fire them straight. I sent Tom to appease him. They already lack work. No use making their life more difficult when these types of things happen."

Wade opened and closed his mouth like he wanted to say something but didn't know how to word it out.

During the shooting of a montage scene where Agnas's sudden rise to stardom would be shown, Aiden had jumped off the stage and fell down.

Originally, it was supposed to be the extras catching him. Musicians sometimes do things like this and Baz wanted it because there were photos of Agnas doing it. But the extras had misjudged and Aiden had gotten minor injuries.

As it wasn't Aiden's first injury on the set, he looked much more calm.

"Anyway, you were supposed to have a meeting with a producer today, right? How did that go?"

Aiden asked, trying to change the topic.

"It was bad. I could see dollar signs in his eyes and the plot was very simple and I didn't feel like the execution would be any good either. It was about a man whose dog suddenly started talking."

"So, you rejected him?"

"Not directly. I would tell him after a week or so that you took some other project. After that, I went…"

Wade stopped his words, thinking about the meeting with Franco Li. He wondered whether he should tell Aiden about it.

But a part of it wanted to avoid it. Though, he knew that Franco Li was undoubtedly going to talk to Aiden sooner or later no matter if he liked it or not.

That man was influential and there was no denying that.

"Aiden, I need to—"

"I talked to the director and he didn't fire extras since you were fine. But he still looked like it would take a while for him to finally cool down."

Tom suddenly barged right in and interrupted Wade. Aiden looked at his assistant and smiled.

"I think he's angry because he felt like the shooting would stop for a while but the doctor said my arm would be fine in two days. They could shoot other's scenes at that time easily."

Hearing that, Wade clicked his tongue.

"You are too soft. Any other celebrity won't save those people's jobs."

"Agnas would have."

Aiden said, looking at Wade. Since taking up on the role of Agnas, Aiden had read and thought a lot about him.

He had realised one thing — Agnas wasn't a superstar just because of his stage persona. It was also because of how he treated people.

Maybe because during his interactions with people, he was his real self.

"I think that it's better to be a bit kind. Helps in the long term because people remember you as a good person. Even if you become big, rather than being jealous, people are going to think that you deserve that position. Even if Agnas was hyped by the media and his record label in a playboy type persona, the stories of his interactions with fans stayed and made him what he was."

Aiden said and for a second, Wade thought about the words that Franco had said and what Aiden was saying.

The philosophy of both of them were very different.

He kept pondering over it for a while.

"Get that camera position extremely right. We need to give it a unique shot."

"Is everything okay with the set?"

"Get the lightning director to wake up. We are fucking shooting. He's not focusing at all."

After Aiden had healed, he quickly returned to the set. As he was in the middle of a movie, he was entirely focusing on it without any other schedules. Normally, there would be some other stuff on the side.

But Baz has warned him not to do it because the eccentric director would sometimes call him up to meet, even in the middle of the night to discuss a scene or another. He wanted Aiden to solely focus on [Agnas].

He had agreed to it because of how special the movie was to him. One more reason for it to be special was because he was working with Cameron.

Although Cameron was someone who liked to be left alone, he was talking to Aiden a lot on the set. Just because he was scared that Baz was going to scold him in front of the entire set if he made a big mistake.

The director was very brutal when it comes to that.

So, he was taking all the information about acting he could. He had gotten training in the recent months but Aiden's advice was still valuable.

"How do you even know if you have done it right? Sometimes, I feel like the shot wasn't good enough even if Baz was okay with it."

"A lot of actors feel like they could do better in every shot. Established actors directly go and ask for another take if they are confident in giving a better take. Though, don't ask if you aren't confident to give a better shot. As for your question, I think you can rely on Baz to know if you have done a good job or not. Sometimes, you just have the feeling that you have done well from within you. It's different for different actors."

Some actors after getting established and famous would even become lazy and not put much effort into acting. A lot of them also start playing themselves in different movies.

It was good enough with Cameron wondering about how he could be better.

"Sometimes, I feel like the scene is going well and then, I forget a line. Then, it gets ruined in an instant."

Cameron frowned. It was hard for him to play a younger version of his grandfather as he was very different from him.

"Dialogues are one thing. Don't focus on them a lot until they are really important. If you forget a line, just innovate and continue. Even if it's not good, you give a bad take and can redo. If it's good, then it's a better line than what was written."

"You do that?" Cameron raised an eyebrow.

"It's a bit different for me."

Aiden scratched his head. These types of things were already hard for him to answer. Dialogues have never been a problem for him because of the immersion.

Even if he forgets a line, he feels like he's the character completely, so whatever he says looks pretty good. Sometimes, it's even better than the intended dialogue.

"How?"

"I lose myself in the character, so it doesn't seem like I'm intentionally saying a line. It becomes natural."

"Natural, umm…"

As Cameron thought about Aiden's words, one of the assistant directors walked up to them, telling them that the shot was ready.

Today, they were shooting the scene in which Joseph and Agnas would meet for the first time.

[Agnas23 June-2018Act 3Scene 5Take 1]

"So, you are the one who's going to make my first song?"

"Name's Joseph Bryce."

A young man in clothes that looked a bit too big for him said as he studied Agnas's eyes. After the performance that had made Gregory Jefferson believe that the young man was someone special, he had immediately signed him for an album.

Currently, Agnas was in the studio of Phoenix Records, the company owned by Gregory. The old man has left him alone with Joseph to discuss music.

They sat down together and the discussion started.

"I listened to your singing before. Mr. Jefferson sent me samples. You have a unique voice. I have rarely heard something like that."

"So, is that a good thing or bad?" Agnas asked and Joseph smiled.

"That's the best thing. You know different individuals have different voices but yours is particularly unique. It sticks out a lot and is very melodious. I am quite excited to work on it."

Joseph said, tapping his ears. Actually, he was one of the rare musicians who had perfect pitch, so his excitement was valid.

"Do you have any samples?" Agnas asked, excited to start on it.

"I do but you need to first show me a live performance. I'm very excited to hear it."

Joseph passed him the guitar and Agnas nodded. Holding the guitar, his fingers landed on the strings.

As he began to strum them, a voice appeared.

"Cut! I feel like it could be a bit better. We need more chemistry between the two of you."

Aiden looked at Baz as the immersion broke. The director was looking at the screen in which the scene they had just recorded was playing.

By his expression, it was clear that he needed more from the two actors. Cameron looked a bit worried about the mistakes he had made.

Aiden turned around and was going to say something to him when he noticed a strange thing.

'What's going on with Wade?'

Standing in some distance, Wade was looking at the scene with eyes that Aiden had never seen before. It was like he was deliberating on a decision.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001