Chapter 513

Women loved compliments, didn’t they?

A smile crept onto Sadie’s face; her moment of truth was upon her. As soon as she hooked up with Lucian, the first person she would sort out would be Allison! Whatever humiliations Allison had heaped upon her, she would return them twofold!

Sadie gazed contentedly at her reflection in the mirror. “Where’s Sidney? How come she hasn’t come over?”

Kendra replied, “I’m not sure. I texted her, but she didn’t reply.”

Sadie snorted coldl. She was no fool. She could clearly see that Sidney was using her as a stepping stone. If she really managed to hook up with Lucian, Sidney would be all over her, but if she failed, Sidney would definitely sever all ties.

She didn’t want to rely on money earned from live-streaming, fawning, and prancing about. If she could win Lucian’s heart, she would have everything in the future.

The inner hall was abuzz; the host was a well-known figure in the industry. He had turned down another event to be here due to an invite from Epic Entertainment, a testament to their powerful influence in the entertainment industry.

The ceremony began with the presentation of several awards, such as ‘Most Anticipated,’ ‘Best Commercial Work,’ ‘Best Adapted IP and many more. These were essentially consolation prizes; nearly every attending artist would receive one.

The crowning glory of the awards was the ‘Best Female Lead’ and ‘Best Male Lead. Many speculated that Epic Entertainment would award the ‘Best Female Lead’ to Kayleigh.

There were many other strong contenders though. Despite Kayleigh’s popularity, her series last year had received mediocre ratings, online views, and buzz.

“I heard that this year’s ‘Best Female Lead’ won’t be Kayleigh.”.

Allison, seated towards the back, overheard some newcomers gossiping. She perked up her ears.

“Who will it be then?”

“I heard from my manager, it seems like it’ll be Amaya.”

“Amaya?” The woman’s voice rose in surprise.

Another woman quickly shushed her, “Keep your voice down.”

“But how could it be Amaya? Although her works are popular, she’s too new in the industry. I heard that Kayleigh and Lucian were childhood sweathearts.”

“What?” The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

Another female artist joined in, “Kayleigh and Mr. Lindberg are childhood sweathearts? Oh my gosh, this is the first time I’m hearing about it…”

Allison was also a bit taken aback.

Kayleigh, at 29, was young yet already accomplished. A talented actress with a commanding presence and a pair of long legs on a 5’7″ frame. Four years ago, she won an international award for best actress for the movie ‘Lifeline.’ Two years ago, she won the ‘Best Actress’ award at a domestic film festival for the movie, ‘Disappeared Sister.'” She was, in essence, a prodigy, combining public acclaim and acting prowess, standing at the apex of the entertainment industry.

“It’s true. My family and Kayleigh’s family have had many years of business cooperation, and the Lindberg family has been close friends of Kayleigh’s family for many years. Lucian and Kayleigh have known each other since they were children.”

Although Allison wasn’t one for gossip, she was still surprised by this news. She quickly texted Emma to share the news. Emma quickly replied, [No wonder, it all makes sense now.]

[What?] Allison was puzzled.

Emma explained, [Two years ago, when Kayleigh won the ‘Star Performer Award, one of the top three domestic film awards, there were rumors that Kayleigh had some relationship with Lucian and that she got the award because of this relationship. Later, a drama starring Kayleigh became a hit, which solidified her position. Coupled with her excellent acting skills, those rumors gradually died down.

Some people even said…]

[What’s that you said?]

[Some folks are saying that Lucian was originally engaged to Kayleigh, but he broke it off to be with his current fiancée.]

Allison responded, [That’s a bunch of hogwash.]

She never thought there would come a day when she’d have to dispel rumors about Mr. Lindberg.

Emma chipped in, [Of course, I know it’s all baloney, but the rumor mill in Hollywood’s been buzzing.

Some say Kayleigh was Lucian’s mistress, and when Kayleigh didn’t shoot any movies for two months, the paparazzi were all over her, implying she was pregnant. Kayleigh had to debunk these rumors several times. She has her fair share of haters, and every time she gets close to anyone big in Hollywood, they say she’s gold-digging, even though Kayleigh’s family is pretty well-off, to begin with.]

Hollywood was indeed a whirlwind. It required a heart of steel.

And just at that moment, Lucian arrived. His presence stirred up a commotion. The room started buzzing like a beehive. People began to whisper among themselves.

Lucian, clad in a sleek black suit, was strikingly handsome and impressive.

A natural-born leader.

He gave a slight nod and took his place at the head table. Under the play of light and shadow, his sharp, handsome features seemed like a masterpiece sculpted by God himself. His gaze seemed to instinctively sweep across the room, searching for someone, but to no avail.

A staff member informed Allison it was time to prepare for her award. According to the schedule, her award was due in another two categories, which meant in about ten minutes.

Allison rose to her feet and headed backstage to get ready. The winner of the two categories before hers was Nicki.

Nicki had changed into a new gown. It wasn’t as dazzling as the previous one, but it still accentuated her figure perfectly. She gave Allison a once-over. Allison didn’t shy away and returned the favor.

Nicki stopped in her tracks, extended her hand towards Allison, and said, “Hi, I’m Nicki.”

Allison shook her hand. “Allison.”

Nicki asked, “Do you mind if we exchange numbers?”

Allison’s phone was with Emma. She glanced at Emma, who handed her the phone. They added each other’s numbers, and Nicki suggested, “You’re new to Epic Entertainment, aren’t you? Maybe we can touch base sometime.” With that, she made her way to the stage to accept her award.

Ten minutes later, it was Allison’s turn to ascend the stage. She was sharing the Best Newcomer award with two other actresses.

Allison, in her red gown, portrayed a completely different style compared to her white gown from earlier.

Her slender, tall figure, long and graceful neck, and the red gown flowing about her made her stand out starkly against the other two newcomers. The stage lights were as bright as day, making Allison’s skin appear to glow.

Her gaze fell on a man in the audience. The moment she spotted Lucian, her eyes averted, but his gaze remained fixed on her, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of her exposed skin.

Her hair was slightly curled She ran her fingers through it gently, lowered her gaze as the host handed her the microphone, said a few words of thanks, and then made her way off the stage. As she descended the steps, a butterfly started fluttering around Allison, eventually landing on her forehead.

She reached out, her movements gentle, a soft smile playing on her lips, and caught the butterfly in her hand before releasing it into the air, This brief sequence of events, lasted only a few seconds but had caught everyone’s attention.

Her beauty was natural, effortless. Her rose-colored gown was divine, revealing her smooth back.