Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

"Gracie, do you really think I'm the kind of person who would bad-mouth my own son?" Astrid was at her wit's end. It seemed the truth no longer held any weight these days.

Gracie nodded and then shook her head. "You're not one to slander your son, but our little Roman isn't the type to play games with his dear mom either. Besides, he's just a kid. What could he possibly do?" Astrid was momentarily speechless, recalling the cunning look on Roman's face when he had tricked her, and it gave her a headache. "Let me tell you, you can't let that kid's cute faces fool you." Gracie rolled her eyes, clearly showing her bias towards Roman.

Knowing further explanation was futile, Astrid changed the subject and hurriedly changed clothes to head to the set of the show she was recording.

Astrid and Gracie arrived at the studio to find the other guests had already gotten there.

They weren't late, but there was no time left for makeup. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

They were immediately called on stage for the rehearsal.

Her new movie was about to premiere, and the press tour was hectic, but it was all part of the promotion routine.

At the event, Astrid was bound to run into a bevy of rising starlets, and there was an unspoken competition among them.

The other actresses were all dolled up, aiming to outshine the rest. Astrid, on the other hand, had quickly applied some basic makeup at home and thrown on an outfit before heading out. Yet, standing amongst a sea of heavily made-up starlets, she stood out with her effortless chic.

The crew members couldn't help but gossip among themselves as they watched the young actresses waiting their turn. "Astrid's got such an incredible presence. She just stands out without even trying!"

"Did you see that comment online? They said Bernice turned heads in showbiz, thirty years ago, but if she and Astrid had started at the same time, Bernice might not have become the nation's sweetheart."

"I'm totally obsessed with Astrid's look; her skin is flawless. I was up close when I gave her the schedule, not a single blemish in sight, and her voice is so captivating!"

"Astrid's riding high now because Mr. Lampard's got her back, but if they ever split, one word from him and she'd be blacklisted, no doubt. She wouldn't have a leg to stand on in this industry then!" Overhearing this, an intern piped up, curious. "Mr. Lampard adores Astrid. He'd do anything for her. You're telling me they might split up?"

"You don't know the half of it. High society is a tangled web. Trust me, it's only a matter of time before Elio and Astrid break up. And don't be fooled by Astrid's clean image there's more to her than meets the Johnnie's been a wreck ever since their encounter."

"To say Johnnie's downfall has nothing to do with her? That I don't buy!"

"Shut it! Who allowed this idle gossip?" The executive producer's icy voice cut through the chatter, silencing the group of women, who dared not speak another word. During the show, everyone kept to themselves. When it came time to shoot the promotional poster, the starlets huddled together, conspicuously excluding Astrid. The photographer, noticing the gap between Astrid and actress Linda, instructed, "Ms. Linda, could you move a little closer to Ms. Irvine, please?" Linda replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Oh, I couldn't possibly. She's the lady of Morgenster Corporation, after all. We're hardly worthy to stand beside her."