Rise To Stardom: My Villainess

"Well, if it isn't Ember Wang—"

A red-haired beauty suddenly makes her way to the person in question. Her voice, dripping with uncensored haughtiness. Her lips, curled in a c.o.c.ky smirk. She looks at Ember with a degrading glint as if she's merely a person that can be compared to a bug.

The amber-haired lady though doesn't seem to mind her inappropriate gesture of judgment as she simply smiles, elegantly holding her glass of red wine in her hand, like an undisturbed goddess she is.

"Oh, Victoria Tan, I never thought I'd see you here."

Her soft tone is collected and polite.

She smiles at the red-haired beauty, who only seems to get vexed by her refined poise. Originally, she has a hot-tempered personality; but Victoria was well-aware that she can't cause any unwanted ruckus in this event. So biting back the negative emotions she is feeling, she can only compose herself and sneer in her heart.

"So did I."

Taking a glass of wine from the table, Victoria doesn't dare to remove her dark blue eyes off her. She takes a small sip from her drink before letting out a belittling sigh. "Well, it has been years since the feud with our groups Eventide and Eclipse in the idol industry; and I never really did have the slightest thought that we'll meet again. Strangely, we did; but this time as actresses, huh?"

Her beautiful features twist; a smirk of ridicule stain her dark red lips. "It's a pity though that this time you're not on the same level as me."

"You're just a no-name actress now," she casually says in an attempt to aggravate the other person.

Ember, however, remains unperturbed. She only laughs as if taking her statement as a joke. Victoria's grip on her glass tightens while the smirk falters by the reaction she was able to garner. Greatly disappointed, she intensely stares back at her golden eyes. Hatred is secretly itching to reveal itself and cause a scene, having the urge to aggressively pull the hair off this conceited bitch's scalp.

Neatly tucking a strand of amber hair behind her ear, she bats her lashes as a soft smile dawns on her glowing face. "Well, since your group Eclipse has never once defeated us—" She stops; her innocent smile turns into a cold smirk upon having a glimpse of her vexed reaction.

"— it's good that you guys disbanded early and decided to focus on something else. It would really be a shame if you guys remain performing on stage but find yourselves always being beaten by us. And I also do think that disbanding early is a wise decision for your career. It's like a race, isn't it? You guys don't want our members outshining you, huh? So while we were busy on stage as a group, you compelled yourselves to hurry in dominating the other available areas within the entertainment industry."

Ember took the words out of Victoria; the red-haired beauty could only gape. She did try to protest, but the Muse of Beauty wasn't done yet. "Oh, by the way, I also overheard that you tried launching yourself a solo career but failed since your first single extremely flopped in the music charts?"

She softly chuckles as she pats Victoria's shoulder. "Good thing that you still have some connections to help you build your own acting career," she states with a provoking smirk, ending her words full of insults yet, at the same time, sophistication. Her poise and manner of speaking made Victoria one the more aggravated instead. Despite the low volume of her voice, it does carry a promise of destruction for the unqualified rival before her.

The red-haired lady is slowly losing her self-control; she tries to retort back. Her words are slightly stuttering, "A— at least, I'm the female lead of the drama." She narrows her blue eyes as she lets out a bit of a smirk, slowly getting confident from what she was able to achieve. "— unlike you who can only be the second."

Ember laughs in disbelief, hearing such a childish comeback from her; but what can Victoria even say, she has no real achievements. The girl knows that deep in her heart, so she quickly leaves before Ember can even humiliate her further, trying to keep the dignity she still has left with her existence. While she does that, she hastily gulps down her wine, cursing that said-to-be beloved-of-all beauty.

'This isn't your turf to be acting all high and mighty, Ember Wang. Next time you'll have your day too.' Victoria glares at the air before her.

Right after the woman cowardly fled away from hed, Ember pays no heed to her surroundings. Looking at the untouched wine with a blank gaze, she sighs before placing it down on the table. It's not due to loss of appetite; it's due to realization and reasoning. Being with Alessio made her so frustrated, she almost lost all reason and drank a glass. Ember's not good with any alcoholic beverage, so she should really thank that bitch for stopping her over there.

She sighs again. "Must be a pain in the a.s.s to be working with someone that also hates you, huh?" A lady suddenly speaks as she sweetly smiles at the amber haired beauty.

Her fancy-looking teal dress flows down to the floor; but despite the length and her damn sparkly silver stilettos, she is able to walk to Ember with ease. In her left hand, she holds a small fork, enthusiastically waving it up high in the air. There seems to be a tiny piece of vanilla cake attached to it. She has pretty features but still can't be compared to the Muse of Beauty herself.

Ember gives her a look, recognizing her as one of the teen actresses in today's time. Sarah Chen. Though she still isn't as popular as the others. Judging her by the approach she just made despite how unfamiliar they are to each other, this actress is a social butterfly. Ember thinks for a second, pondering if she should say anything at all, but decides that it's fine.

"Hate is a very strong word. I've only ever hated a few in my life and just recently. Dislike, on the other hand—" She shrugs as if feeling so nonchalant in regards to it. "— I won't deny the long list of prospects," she says in a tone so casual yet frank.

The girl thoughtfully nods, slightly understanding what Ember is trying to get across. Hatred and dislike are indeed different from each other. Despite the similarities, there is still a line between those two feelings. Dislike is just a feeling of distaste while hatred is more of an intense version of dislike…

'So Ember only dislikes Victoria?' Sarah curiously looks at Ember and is about to inquire when a commotion suddenly explodes. Squeals can be heard among ladies. What's more strange to see is that these crazy ladies seem to split into groups, surrounding a certain man as they clamor in circles. Ember feels a bit vexed by the noise as she covers one of her ears with a not-so-pleased expression.

"What in the world is happening?" Ember mumbles, absent-mindedly, feeling rather confused by the rowdy crowd in such a formal gathering. This sure is an event, meant only for some of the privileged; but why are these ladies right now acting in such a brazen manner over some men? She even sees her fiancé, standing and looking so dull like he has always been in the public's view.

The actress beside her also turns to look. Her dark grey eyes instantly twinkle in delight upon having a glimpse of a rare miracle sight. "Of course! Of course, everyone's going crazy over this. This is a once in a blue moon spectacle! A day like this rarely happens and most usually never. Three of the most handsome men have been gathered around here. Each has been the best in their field."

She dreamily sighs as she points a finger. "Just look at that." Following her gaze, Ember spots Caiden Liu. He is the tallest among the three, reaching up to 6'3" in height. His black hair is a bit tousled though that only adds up to his charm. He graces his followers a sweet grin, making almost everyone go fl.u.s.tered. He certainly is a mesmerizing creature. His acting skills are great, but his appearance is something. One that is almost befitting to be the Film Emperor.

"Caiden Liu," Sarah softly breathes out, totally captivated by the being. "Handsome; exceptional in acting. Currently, the reigning Film Emperor. He has been winning awards left and right, and no one has ever gotten close to his popularity ever since he became the Film Emperor."

"Other than that, his lineage is also respectable. Son of a famous senator; I also heard that his mom is from a very prominent family." Sarah stops to look at Ember's expression then laughs seeing how deep in thoughts the Muse of Beauty is.

"Right?! He's perfect like you. And unbelievably kind and playful. Despite being at the top, he remains humble with his fame; that's why he's loved by the people! While most actors try the cold and serious route, he didn't."

The actress feels her face go warm when she finds herself drowning in those eyes. She turns away as she looks at the fork before biting the piece of cake afterward. "Damn, his electrifying blue eyes are otherworldly and can be even considered the most distinguishable feature in him. It's so expressive One can almost say that it's his greatest asset." She chuckles. "Those eyes help him so much in acting; the audience can almost feel what his character feels due to that gaze of his."

Paying no heed to the other girl's words at all, Ember's face suddenly expresses something; a realization. No wonder… Her golden eyes slightly narrow as a scene dawns on her. He might have dyed his oceanic blue hair into black, but she can still recognize those blue eyes of his. 'That's why he seemed so familiar.' The amber haired beauty shakily exhales as she holds the table behind her for support.

Completely unaware of Ember's inner turmoil, Sarah has a smile on her youthful features; she points at the other bachelor, "That fine-looking man, on the other hand, is Aurius Zhao."

Her aureus eyes land on the pertained man; and slowly, she forgets that Caiden guy. Observing Aurius, Ember can say that he is also tall— probably 6'1" like her fiancé. Indeed fine-looking like what Sarah just said. Handsome; blessed with golden blonde hair that seems to illuminate from the artificial light while he also has those sparkling silver orbs. Beneath his right eye, she can also spot that beauty mark of his, strangely making his face more appealing.

Indeed attractive, but somehow Ember is a bit repulsed by the way he seductively smirks at a group of ladies before him. His silver eyes seem to carry a predatory glint in them. Oddly, whatever vibes she's getting from the guy is exactly true to what she thinks. "Handsome; but unfortunately, some bad news." Sarah heaves a disappointed sigh while shaking her head to herself, displeased by a certain knowledge she knows about this guy.

"He's a player at heart and soul. And by how many hearts he has broken, it almost feels like that he treats love as a game; an entertainment to him." Sarah dryly laughs. "Well, of course, since he's the CEO of the Zhao Entertainment Company— which, by the way, is the company who manages Caiden's acting career and will fund this drama production— but anyways, back to what I was saying, since he's the CEO, I do think that he's using this opportunity to date and bed many ladies. Clever for him but disgusting."

"And these women—" Sarah shakes her head as if a bit annoyed. "They willingly come to Aurius despite knowing the fact that he will never care about them and will never love them." Ember's golden eyes are too focused on Aurius; suddenly something dawns on her, and that's when she realized that she had already met him before.

'Isn't he from the audition?'

Her eyes widen. She almost couldn't recognize him due to the sudden change of personality. Back then, he was so cold and so stiff; but now he's going all out and throwing smirks here and there to the ladies. 'What a womanizer!' Ember can't help but think in disbelief as she observes all these flirty gestures from this golden-haired guy.

She feels like she's going to get a migraine in any seconds right now. Ember despises players. Not only because they're heartless but because she somehow had a history with one— or in a more factual statement, is engaged with one right now— so seeing this Aurius Zhao shamelessly flirting here and there is making her feel a little bit triggered.

"You alright?" Sarah softly asks, noticing her pale expression.

Ember quietly shakes her head because there is no way she would be alright seeing such behavior like that. "I hate men who treat women like she's some playtoy that can be easily replaced," she coldly murmurs because no, she isn't an object. She's human; no one deserves to be treated like this— to be cheated on.

The teenager nods. "Same feelings! Men like him make me lose hope that true love exists. Fortunately, there's you and Alessio!" Her grey eyes sparkle as her face beams. "Your fiancé is perfect! President of the Xu Corp. Rich. Famous. Every woman wants him, but who can even be compared to you?!"

Sarah smirks at Ember as she glances at the man in question. Currently, he's just diligently and coldly brushing off these ladies. If she hadn't known the truth, then her heart would have fluttered. But she knows. Alessio is a f.u.c.k.i.n.g cheater. He is just like Aurius or worse…

She fakes a smile. "Well, that's true. Letting go of me is just plain stupid; my Zio-ge is pretty intelligent, he won't do something like that." Lies. Lies. Lies. Sure. Alessio Xu sure is intelligent, but he's still human. No matter how brilliant a person is, they will still always ALWAYS commit a stupid mistake in their life.