After a long, suffocating day at AK's office, rewriting scenes, adjusting dialogues, and dissecting Roses Blooms in Rain like it was some fragile machine that could collapse if touched wrong, I finally fell onto my bed.
My brain felt fried.
Ding.
Ding.
I groaned and unlocked my phone.
[Avin]: Hey, June.
Why is he texting at 11 PM? CEOs don't sleep?
[Me]: Yes?
Typing…
[Avin]: Still got that attitude, huh? Anyway. Not long. See you tomorrow at this location.
A pin dropped below.
Film City.
My eyebrows shot up.
[Me]: Film City? What's my role there? How did you even arrange everything so fast?
Typing…
[Avin]: It's not for auditions, Ms. Intelligent. I wonder if you actually know anything about shooting.
Excuse me?
[Me]: Of course I do. I've been on a set before.
A lie. Half-lie. Technically true. Once.
[Avin]: I see. No jokes. It's urgent. I was supposed to produce my brand's ad video. I hate the script they wrote without consulting me. You'll rewrite it.
I sat up straight.
[Me]: Do I look like your personal writer? I'm June Valare. A novelist.
Three dots appeared immediately.
[Avin]: I didn't ask. I told you. Write the ad. Come tomorrow. I know you won't disappoint me, darling 😉.
Offline.
I stared at the screen.
Darling?
The audacity.
What does he think of himself? Dictator? Mafia king? Annoying attractive control freak?
I threw my phone on the bed.
"Aria! Aria!"
Dad knocked.
"Yes, Dad! Door's unlocked!"
He walked in slowly and sat at the edge of my bed.
"So" he began gently, "I heard you've been working at AK's company. What's with this sudden interest?"
"I'm not in the mood to talk" I muttered.
He studied me quietly.
"After your mom's death, I thought I gave you everything" he said softly. "But maybe I never understood you."
My irritation faded slightly.
"If you succeed with AK" he continued, "I'll make you the next CEO of Menezes."
My heart skipped.
CEO?
He patted my head like I was still ten.
"Should I propose a collaboration?" he asked.
"No!" I replied too quickly.
If Dad steps in, everything collapses.
Avin will find out I'm Aria Menezes.
"Hmm" Dad said, standing up. "Rest well."
He left.
I lay back down, staring at the ceiling.
What am I even doing?
The next day.
Film City.
The air felt different. Electric. Cameras. Lights. People running around with clipboards like their lives depended on it.
"So, you came."
I turned.
Avin stood there, hands in pockets, sunglasses on, looking like he owned the entire place.
"Of course" I replied. "After all, I'm here to save someone from dying, right?"
He sighed. "Where's the script?"
I pulled out two neatly pinned pages.
"That's it?" he asked skeptically.
"Just read it."
He took the pages, scanning them with intense focus.
"How are you so sure I'll like this without alternate drafts?" he asked.
"Because" I said calmly, "you don't have another choice."
He looked up at me for a second.
Something flashed in his eyes.
Annoyance? Amusement? Interest?
I didn't wait to decode it. I walked away, taking in the chaos around me.
So this is Film City.
The so-called city of dreams.
People chasing fame. People losing themselves. People pretending to be someone else.
Funny.
"Hey."
I turned.
Arnav Kapoor.
What.
"Hey! What's up?" he grinned casually. "You're the writer Avin trusts more than himself?"
I blinked. "I-"
"June Valare?" he said, eyes widening slightly. "The June Valare?"
He stepped closer.
"How do you know I'm June Valare?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Arnav.
He grinned. "Avin told me the overnight-famous novelist would rewrite our ad. Said she looks like a deadly witch."
I folded my arms.
"But honestly" he added, looking me over dramatically, "I don't see it. You look more like a lovely wi-"
"June."
Avin's voice cut through the air like a blade.
We both turned.
He walked toward us, script pages still in his hand.
"It's good" he said flatly. "But why do you think we can arrange all these props in one day?"
"That" I replied calmly, "is your headache."
Arnav choked back a laugh.
"I made it a night shoot for a reason, Avin" I continued. "The emotion won't hit the same in daylight. The rain, the shadows, the reflection on glass. It needs atmosphere."
He stared at me for a long second.
Not annoyed.
Not impressed.
Studying.
"You know" he said slowly, tilting his head, "you kind of look like someone I know."
My heartbeat skipped.
Did he recognize me?
No. That's impossible. I've only appeared in media once with Dad. I was barely twelve. There's no way he-
"My grandmother" he finished. "She's also a witch."
I blinked.
Arnav burst out laughing.
Avin pulled out his phone and dialed someone immediately.
"I need a water tank. Today. I don't care how. Arrange it."
He hung up without waiting for a reply.
I stared at him. "You're insane."
"I prefer efficient" he replied.
He looked back at the script. "You wrote rain. You're getting rain."
There it was again.
That intensity.
That stubborn refusal to compromise.
Arnav leaned closer to me and whispered, "He's like that. Don't worry. Once he locks onto something, the world bends."
I glanced at Avin.
He was already giving instructions to three different people at once.
"Raghav!"
A sharp voice echoed across the set.
Arnav froze. "Oh, we're dead. Director's here and we don't even have a finalized setup."
Raghav stormed in, clipboard in hand, irritation written all over his face. He stopped in front of Avin.
"How can you change the entire script in one day? Do you have any idea-"
"I have the script" Avin cut in smoothly.
"Written by June Valare."
I clicked my tongue internally.
He says my name like he discovered me.
Raghav blinked. "June Valare? Let me see."
He grabbed the pages and scanned them at frightening speed. His expression shifted.
"I thought you were joking. Isn't June
anonymous? How did you even find her?"
"That doesn't matter" Avin replied coolly. "I've arranged everything like a responsible producer. Now you be a responsible director."
He adjusted Raghav's collar casually.
It didn't look aggressive.
It looked like a warning.
Raghav cleared his throat. "Fine."
He walked back to his chair.
Hours passed in chaos. Lights being mounted. Fake rain pipes being tested. Crew running in circles.
Finally-
"Avin!" Raghav shouted from behind the monitor. "We have a problem."
Avin walked over. "What now?"
"The female lead just called. She has a fever. She can't come."
Silence.
Avin closed his eyes for a second.
"Unbelievable."
"Go find someone" he said sharply.
"I might know someone" Arnav said slowly.
He was looking directly at me.
My stomach dropped.
"No" I said immediately. "Absolutely not."
"You're perfect for it" Arnav insisted. "You understand the emotion. The tone. The character."
"If my father finds out I'm acting in some random ad, I'm finished" I hissed.
Avin had been quiet until now.
He turned toward me.
And that look.
That evaluating, calculating, intense look.
"You wrote it" he said calmly. "You know exactly how she should breathe. How she should look at the camera."
"That doesn't mean I should stand in front of it!"
"You're scared" he said.
I stiffened. "I'm not."
"Then prove it."
Oh.
He did not just do that.
"Avin" I warned.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"It's just an ad. Night shoot. Rain. Minimal close-ups. No one will recognize you."
You don't know that.
You don't know who I am.
"Please" Arnav said again, dramatically clasping his hands. "We're already running behind."
I looked around.
Crew stressed. Director annoyed. Avin watching me like he already knows I'll say yes.
I hate that look.
I hate that he's right.
"Fine" I muttered. "One take. If I hate it, I walk."
Arnav cheered. "Saved!"
Avin didn't smile.
He just held my gaze.
"Get her ready" he told the stylist.
As I walked toward the vanity van, my heart wouldn't calm down.
Because this wasn't about acting.
This was about stepping into the light.
And once you stand in front of a camera…
Someone always starts watching.