[Evelyne's POV]
She immediately covered my mouth and looked around.
I'm just now realizin' that people are surroundin' us. I guess it's 'cause of the commotion earlier and the fact that "Evelyne Vane"—which is me—is standin' right here.
"Hush! Are you utterly mental?!" she whispered, sounding livid. She suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the people's view. "Let's bloody well move!" she said hastily.
After a few minutes of avoiding the crowd, I found myself following her into an underground area that looked like an abandoned train terminal.
W-why are we even here? And why the hell am I still followin' her?! Wait, what if she's a serial killer?! Am I gonna kick the bucket twice?!
"You look as though you're about to soil your skirt," Serena said nonchalantly and sarcastically, while she took off her mask and pulled her hood down, looking at me with no emotion. I coughed and composed myself out of embarrassment. "W-where on earth are we?" I asked. She looked at me confused, as if I was supposed to know where we were, and rolled her eyes, letting out a deep sigh like she was already exhausted just by talking with me.
"Are you taking the mickey right now?" she muttered while she looked at me annoyed. "Did you take a knock to the head or something?" she sarcastically asked. "Ah, I see now," she added while she paced around the platform.
I just followed her with my eyes, lookin' totally confused. She stopped and faced me, looking me in the eye. "This is about Lucian Monroe, isn't it?" she said. I saw a flash of sadness in her eyes for a brief second, but it quickly changed into anger.
Lucian Monroe? Evelyne's boyfriend? What about him? I don't know nothin' 'cause my supposed-to-be guide hasn't briefed me yet about Evelyne Vane! I got zero knowledge about her life. Should I just make an excuse that I'm busy right now and ditch her? "I'm sorry, but I—"
She cut me off. "I knew it! Can't you just leave me be?! How many times must I tell you that I'm bloody well in love with him!" she yelled, and I noticed that tears were starting to form in her eyes. She quickly looked away so that I wouldn't see them.
My eyes widened at her statement.
What in the love triangle is goin' on here?! Should I even be mad right now? Since she obviously wants to swipe Evelyne's boyfriend, I should... right? I breathed deeply and closed my eyes.
Let me channel how the villainess would respond to this. I opened my eyes again and looked at her furiously. I approached her until we were standing face to face. I looked at her so intensely I wanted to make her feel small. "You may fancy him, but he's in love with ME! HE'S MINE! So bugger off!" I yelled, breathing quickly, my hand fisted as if I had just vented my anger at her.
Damn. This is actually a relief. If only I had done this to Director Louvre and stood up for myself, I think I'd already be promoted to a director.
But since I'm in the body of Evelyne Vane, who's basically known as the most scandalous actress... she's already used to doin' whatever she wants and always gettin' whatever she wants. That's why she's still at the top despite her reputation. Damn. I actually admire her. Maybe bein' her will help me learn how to stand up for myself.
As I was lost in my train of thought, I felt a sharp pain in my left cheek. I was shocked and instinctively touched my cheek while looking at Serena with wide eyes.
What the hell? Did this bitch just slap me?! I realized then that her eyes were wet from her tears while looking at me angrily. "So, you lied to me then?" she said quietly with a hint of anger, her tears still flowing. She rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, wiping her tears. "Utterly unbelievable..." she muttered, and she bumped me hard and walked away, leaving me in a daze.
What the hell just happened? And how the hell am I supposed to get back to the condo now? "Oi! Wait! Don't leave me here!" I shouted, hoping she'd come back, although obviously she wouldn't since I upset her. I realized I was still holding her leather jacket that she had draped over my head earlier. "You also forgot your leather jacket!" I added. Still nothing...
Oh well, I guess I'll just give it to her when I meet her again.
Out of nowhere, I suddenly heard clapping behind me. I turned my head and Corbin came into view. "Splendid show!" he said sarcastically, smirking at me with a mischievous look. I just rolled my eyes.
Also, how the hell did he know I was here?
"Well, I used your scent to track you, darling," he answered charmingly.
"So what, you're a dog now?" I teased, smirking at him. He just rolled his eyes. "And also, can you stop reading my mind?!" I yelled. He shrugged with his signature smirk. "Don't worry, I only read your mind when I fancy it, but not all the time. Who knows what is going on in that smutty mind of yours?" he teased and winked at me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
As if I have a dirty mind. He doesn't know that back in New York, people called me a greenhorn...
"Anyway, the founder of Prism Entertainment called me earlier and he wants our presence at the agency," Corbin said in a serious tone.
"Shit! This is bad, Corbin. You haven't briefed me yet!" I said frantically.
"Deep breaths, love. That's why I made an excuse that you're having photoshoots right now and we'll come by later," he said calmly. "Come on, let's head back to your penthouse." He draped an arm over my shoulder, leading me outside, leaving the abandoned subway.
We were outside now, walking the streets of Mayfair. I stole a glance at Corbin, who was walking like he had just come out of a fashion show; people we passed were always looking at him with awe, and I knew he could feel it—maybe that's why he was putting on a show. Despite the cold weather, Corbin looked like he wasn't affected by it.
I guess that's the perks of not bein' human. Lucky fool! While me, despite havin' multiple layers, I'm still freezin'.
"Ugh! I'm already exhausted walking about. You should have brought the car!" I exclaimed. He just shrugged. "The café is just nearby, princess, and I've no desire to waste petrol," he defended.
Even a non-human is concerned about gas... truly the world has gotten weirder. "Can't you just use your teleport magic?!" I demanded. He stole a glance at me and shook his head. "No," he said and walked briskly, leaving me a few feet behind. I let out a deep sigh, dragged my feet, and followed him.
After a few more minutes of dragging my feet, we finally reached The Windsor Residences and went to the penthouse. As soon as we entered, I immediately went to the living room, plopping onto the nearest couch I could find. I felt immediate relief as my back landed on the silk of the couch. I let out a satisfied sigh.
Corbin snapped his fingers, trying to catch my attention. "What...?" I asked quietly while my eyes were closed.
"Let's have the brief now," he said with an authoritative tone.
"Can we just rest for a second?" I murmured while I shifted my position.
"Look. You can rest later, but right now we need this brief because we mustn't be late for meeting the founder if you want to keep Evelyne's contract alive," he said in a serious tone. I opened my eyes and looked at him; he looked serious, and for the first time, he was embodying being my manager.
Look, there's gotta be a reason why my soul was put inside Evelyne's body, and I'm gonna find out. In my past life, I lived it as a failure, and now that I've been given a chance again—even in a different body—I don't wanna screw it up again.
I sat up straight and looked at him with determination in my eyes. "Right then, bring it on," I said. Corbin nodded and genuinely smiled; I think he noticed I was suddenly motivated. "Right then. Oh! Before we begin..." he said and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a whiteboard with a stand popped into view along with a marker in his hand.
I widened my eyes. He can make things appear out of thin air?! What can't this guy do at this point? Suddenly, a blinding light interrupted my vision, and when it started to fade, I saw Corbin wearing round eyeglasses, layering a crisp red Oxford shirt under a wool jumper with slim chinos and polished Chelsea boots, all topped off with a waterproof trench.
Is this even necessary?! I gave him a deadpan expression for how ridiculous he looked. "Dashing, isn't it?" he asked excitedly while he spun around, flexing his new outfit.
I sighed, shook my head, and facepalmed. "Can we just move along?" I said, feeling fed up with his shenanigans.
"Oh! Right!" he said as he composed himself. "So, you are Daisy Miller..." As he spoke, he put my photo on the whiteboard. "You were a struggling assistant director in New York, a slave to Director Louvre. Then, one day you had enough and decided to jump from the rooftop of Sunset Valley Studios—which I honestly find quite poetic," he teased and winked at me when he said the last part. I just rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"Now, your cause of death is actually unclear..." He wrote the word DEATH with a question mark in red marker beside my picture. "You mentioned earlier that you 'attempted' to take your own life, so you didn't really jump. So, this can only mean two things..." He wrote the words ACCIDENT and MURDER. "One: you might have lost your balance while coming down from the ledge, which resulted in your fall," he explained while pointing to the word accident. "Two: maybe someone you wronged in the past murdered you," he added, pointing at the word death with a grim look on his face.
I gulped and felt dread in my stomach as he mentioned murder.
It just doesn't make sense. I don't even have enemies... well, except Director Louvre, but I just can't imagine him murderin' someone, even though he's a total creep. While the accident part might be possible, I just can't get over the dream I had last night. I hope it was just a coincidence...
"Now, the weird part is why our records state you took your own life when you really didn't. Why didn't it reflect the real cause of your death?" he said, contemplating it.
He's right. As beings in charge of human deaths, they must've known the real cause unless... "Maybe one of your lot—or beings... or whatever the hell you call each other—maybe they sabotaged my death record behind your back," I said.
Corbin just nodded at my thought, still thinking. "But we check and update our records twenty-four-seven. If something is amiss, we know immediately. Unless..." he said, trailing off.
"Unless what?" I said with a hint of curiosity.
"Unless there is an outsider..." he continued as he furrowed his eyebrows as if there was something he just remembered. "I should pay a visit to the boss tomorrow," he sighed.
"Anyway, moving on, we are onto Evelyne Vane now..." he said while he put Evelyne's picture beside mine on the whiteboard. "Evelyne Vane is a famous actress from London with the worst reputation you could ever have, but despite that, she kept getting projects left and right. Producers and directors adored her. She wins awards every year," he explained.
"So, basically she always gets what she wants," I said.
"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "She's recognized as the 'Nation's Villainess' with all of her scandals and tabloids. To the point that paparazzi are getting rich because of her," he explained while he wrote the word VILLAINESS with two underlines in red marker beside Evelyne's picture.
"What scandals are we actually talking about?" I asked with curiosity.
"Well, there are many, and we'd spend the night if we were to talk about them all, but in a nutshell: rumour has it the reason why Evelyne is still successful despite being a troublemaker is that she's using her connections..." he explained.
Hmm. Interestin'. But I don't think usin' your connections is bad... oh wait— "Do you mean she's been sleeping with them?!" I exclaimed with wide eyes. Corbin just nodded. "'Allegedly,'" he said, using air quotes.
It better be "allegedly," 'cause I might as well quit the industry rather than be a sex slave to these pricks!
"Now, after your death, your soul happened to be transferred to Evelyne Vane's body—" He stopped when he saw me raise my right hand.
"Sorry to interrupt, but what happened to Evelyne Vane's soul? Did we become one? Or did we swap bodies?" I asked with curiosity.
"Um... something of the sort," he said with uncertainty.
Wait... he doesn't know?! "Look, we Heralds are only assigned one soul, and we only know everything about you and general information about the body you inhabit—not their entire life. So, I also don't know what happened to Evelyne Vane's soul after you took over her body," he explained.
So, Evelyne Vane might possibly still be alive, maybe in a different body as well? "So now you need to remember at all times that you are Evelyne Vane and you need to act like her, which means you need to be rebellious. You always speak before you think. Just do wild things all the time. You need to be rude. You need to make people cry—"
I cut him off. "So, basically I just need to be a total sociopath," I said.
He nodded. "Just like what you did earlier. You made the 'Ice Queen' cry, which was bloody hilarious!" he said while laughing.
Asshole. He doesn't even feel bad for Serena. I just shook my head and gave him a deadpan expression.
"Anyway, speaking of the 'Ice Queen,' let's move onto Serena Windsor..." He said while he put Serena's picture beside Evelyne's. "Serena Windsor is also a famous actress from London, second only to Evelyne Vane. She's known as the 'Nation's Ice Queen'..." he explained while he wrote ICE QUEEN in red marker beside Serena's picture. "...because of her gorgeous resting bitch face and cold demeanor. She's direct and unreadable. She's good at keeping her reputation clean and is always a rule follower. Despite her pristine reputation, she's always second in everything while Evelyne is at the top. Which made her hate Evelyne's guts," he continued.
I'm not surprised. She really does give off rich-kid energy. Her image suddenly popped into my head from when I first met her. Even if she looks angry, I can't help admirin' her elegant beauty. Especially when she wore that double-breasted ivory suit with the high-collared silk blouse and pearls. A woman wearin' a suit just hits different. I smiled recallin' our encounter earlier. I never would've thought she could fight. She's so freakin' cool. I felt my heart racin' again—that same feelin' I had whenever I saw her...
"Are you fantasizing about Serena right now? You fancy her, don't you?" Corbin teased while smirking at me.
"W-what the hell are you talking about?! I don't fancy her, you fool! And also, I'm straight as a die!" I defended, while I felt my cheeks heating up at his ridiculous accusations.
"Yeah, right..." he muttered.
"By the way, Serena told me that Evelyne kissed her first when I first met her. What does that even mean?" I asked, recalling our bathroom confrontation.
"Ah yes. The scandal... which is her current scandal now. There are articles spreading around London and the headlines are basically: 'Evelyne Vane having an affair with Serena Windsor,' and it also has a picture of the two making out in what looks like an abandoned building, I believe," he explained.
Wait... abandoned building? The abandoned train terminal?! Where she brought me earlier?! That's why she got mad—she thought I didn't know the place. "So... is this true?" I asked.
He just shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But what are your thoughts? I mean, you just talked to her earlier," he asked.
My thoughts?
I don't know... I'm just confused. Serena mentioned she's in love with Lucian Monroe. That's why I fought back. But then she said I lied and started cryin'. "This is getting more interesting! It's like you're living in a reality dating show!" he excitedly exclaimed, smiling like a fool. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head.
But I hate to admit it—Corbin is right. It's gettin' interestin'. There's really somethin' with Evelyne, Serena, and Lucian. What's really their deal? Don't tell me we're lookin' at a throuple here...
"So, the last person we need to talk about right now is Lucian Monroe." He put Lucian's picture beside Serena's. I looked at him.
I still can't help that he reminds me of Finnegan Monroe. I wonder how Finn is handlin' my death... I know he was just a fling, but for the first time in my life, I felt my heart somehow alive again. I hope he's doin' okay.
"Lucian Monroe. Besides being one of the hottest actors in London, he is also the founder of Prism Entertainment, which he inherited from his late father. He's known as the 'Nation's Golden Boy'..." Corbin trailed off with a tone of disgust and wrote the words GOLDEN BOY beside Lucian's picture. "...because besides his good looks, he's also a gentleman with a kind heart that basically swoons everyone he meets. People perceive him as perfect," he continued to explain with a hint of annoyance that I noticed. I had also noticed that when Lucian came unexpectedly to the penthouse.
"Why are you so annoyed when it comes to him?" I asked.
"Well, he just gives off bad vibes," he said nonchalantly.
Bad vibes? Him? I don't think so... I actually find him genuine, just like Finnegan. "I don't know much about him and I'm not interested in finding out more. But basically, Evelyne and Lucian started dating when Evelyne signed with Prism Entertainment for the first time. People perceived their relationship as a power couple. Although some are unhappy about it—a golden boy dating a villainess? For them, that's odd. But hey, as they say, opposites attract," he explained in a rush, as if talking about Lucian was bad luck.
Evelyne datin' the founder of the agency she signed with. Interestin'.
"You're just jealous that he's more handsome than you," I teased and smirked at him.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Right then. That's all. Let's head to the agency now and we'll have dinner afterwards." His eyes glinted when he mentioned dinner.
This guy really loves food. I guess the food in their world tastes like trash. He snapped his fingers and the whiteboard disappeared, and Corbin's ridiculous outfit changed back to his normal tuxedo.
"Wait. That's all?" I asked. Because he only introduced two people in Evelyne's life. "What about Evelyne's family? Can I meet them?" I asked. Maybe I could learn more about Evelyne that way.
"She's actually an orphan and she grew up in a church, so I know nothing about them," he answered.
"I thought you knew everything about her?!"
"Not everything... Evelyne tends to be secretive as well, despite her being scandalous. And we Heralds don't have the right to know their secrets unless we learn about them along the way," he explained.
I sighed.
So basically I gotta dig around and find out for myself. "Perhaps find journals of hers? You will learn more about her that way than by interacting with people around her," he suggested.
He's right. I should do that after our dinner.
We were in Prism Entertainment now, riding the elevator to the founder's office.
I have never seen an agency that looks this intimidatin'. This buildin' looks like a glass monolith that refracts the gray skyline like a diamond, while its interior is modern polished obsidian and kaleidoscopic light. It's givin' "we only sign contracts with elite people." When we reached the floor, we approached the female secretary sitting at her station in front of the founder's office. "We have an appointment with Mr. Monroe," Corbin said. The secretary nodded, stood up, and opened the office door, announcing our presence.
We both entered the room. We didn't find Lucian, but instead, a tall, lean man came into view. He was standing in front of the office window looking out, holding a small glass filled with red wine. He drank a bit and turned his head toward us, giving us his full attention.
"Ah, Ms. Evelyne Vane. At last, we meet. I've heard a great deal about you from Mr. Monroe," he said. His voice was a low, velvet-smooth baritone. Now that he was facing us, I finally got a look at him. He had a razor-sharp jawline, piercing slate-gray eyes, and slicked-back jet-black hair. He wore a midnight-toned three-piece suit. He exuded power and hypermasculinity. I assumed he was somewhere in his 30s.
He walked toward us and extended his hand to me. I smiled and shook it before letting go. He kissed my knuckles and smiled at me.
I felt my cheeks heat up. I mean, he's also honestly attractive, despite his intimidatin' demeanor. Then, he finally let go of my hand and looked at Corbin, extending his hand to him as well. "And you must be Mr. Alistair Lyon," he said with a charming smile. Corbin looked hesitant to shake hands with him; he was actually looking at this mysterious stranger with suspicion. I subtly bumped his arm with mine, signaling him to shake hands. He broke out of his daze and finally did.
"I'm Valerius Saint-James. I'm a co-founder of Prism Entertainment along with Mr. Monroe," he said, signaling us to sit in the armchairs in front of his desk while he sat across from us. "Unfortunately, Mr. Monroe cannot join us today as something has come up on his end," he said. He grabbed the bottle of red wine from the coffee table and offered us some. I brought my glass to him, while Corbin declined since he would be driving.
"Now, I called you for this meeting because I wish to address your current scandal, Ms. Vane. I heard that you suddenly left the press conference looking distressed... care to explain that?" Mr. Saint-James said in an intimidating tone.
Me and Corbin exchanged worried looks. I took a deep breath and channeled my inner villainess. I crossed my arms and looked at Mr. Saint-James with a deadpan expression. "Well, the press conference stressed me out quite a bit, so I popped off to my favourite salon for some emergency nail care. I was stressed, after all," I said while looking at my nails nonchalantly.
I heard Corbin chuckle a bit and mask it with a cough.
You fuckin' idiot! He was actually about to burst out laughin'. Mr. Saint-James surprisingly gave me a smile—but it was more of a scary smile. He picked up his glass, drank his wine, and put it down abruptly. It was obvious he was getting angry. "Well, I'm not surprised, Ms. Vane. You really are living up to your reputation. But enough with these childish games," he said, leaning closer and looking me straight in the eye. "I'm not buggering about anymore! I need you to fix this scandal now! Or else we shall immediately terminate your contract! Do I make myself clear?!" he yelled, losing his composure.
My body flinched at his yelling, but I acted like I still had my shit together.
Internally, I think I just crap my pants. He's actually scary. I looked at Corbin with a concerned look. Corbin just gave me a brief smile, assuring me that we'd get through this, and looked back at Mr. Saint-James with that hint of suspicion again.