Chapter 3
The host gave a bitter smile, with a hint of sarcasm. "So, Aria is broke because all her money went to your mom's medical bills, right?"
That was a savage burn.
The chat was going wild, and some folks were starting to catch on that something wasn't right.
The barrage of messages was moving so fast that there was no way to keep up.
Logan's face stiffened, and he instinctively tugged at his tie.
"Yeah, that's it. If she hadn't gone and done all that messed-up stuff later, I would've made things right for her," Logan insisted, his voice rising as he spoke.
The host chuckled, "Oh, is that so? Well then, let me keep reading. Let's see what happened to Aria."
On May 20, 2021, hey, Dear, I got some awesome news for you.
I nailed the audition and landed the fourth female lead in the big-budget show Misty Clouds.
This was actually my first time acting in such a major project.
But just as I was about to share my excitement with Logan, I saw him sitting on the edge of the bed with a troubled look on his face.
When he saw me, his expression was tinged with guilt.
He said, "Aria, we might not be able to make the down payment for the house next month as we planned.
"I failed another audition. They didn't even want me for a supporting role. Guess I'll be stuck as a background actor again."
His eyes were red, lost, and unsure about what came next.
In that moment, I suddenly remembered four years ago.
Back when we first entered showbiz, his eyes sparkled with dreams, so full of hope for the future.
But now, all those setbacks have crushed his spirit.
I wrapped my arms around him, trying to comfort him, telling him it would all work out.
I kept my good news to myself, not saying a word about the audition.
Maybe the house we had our eye on wasn't all that great anyway.
Maybe that role wasn't really all that special.
Maybe something even better was waiting for us down the road.
I had never doubted Logan for a second.
He was just that amazing.
Sooner or later, he was going to be the brightest star in the industry.
When the host got to this part, the live chat blew up with question marks.
The live chat blew up with question marks.
Logan was stunned, his face frozen in place.
The thing was, everyone already knew.
The fourth female lead who blew up in Misty Clouds wasn't me.
There was even gossip going around that I was originally cast as the fourth female lead.
But everyone just mocked me, saying I must've paid for those rumors.
Nobody saw it coming.
I was so close to making it big.
On May 25, 2021, Misty Clouds was about to start filming, but the fourth male lead was suddenly embroiled in a scandal.
A lightbulb went off in my head.
My first thought was of Logan.
Maybe this was Logan's big break.
I spent the whole night pulling together all of Logan's best scenes and sent them off to the director first thing in the morning.
Dear, you had no idea how nervous I was at that moment.
I was literally shaking all over the moment I hit send.
That very same day, Logan got the audition notice.
Once Logan finished his audition, the director called me over.
He didn't look too happy.
"Aria, we're actually pretty satisfied with Logan, the guy you recommended," he said.
"But you and Logan are both from the same agency, and you know how it is. We have a strict quota for actors from each agency in this hit show. Your agency only gets one slot," he added.
He gave me a deep, searching look and continued, "To be honest, the only reason I'm even asking is that I think you've got more talent."
Dear, could you believe what the director said?
Seriously, what kind of thing was that to say?
Was there even a choice to make?
Of course, I'd step aside for Logan.
I was awesome.
I would definitely make it next time.
But Logan needed this win way more than I did.
When Logan found out he got the part, he swept me up in his arms and spun me around in circles.
Logan became confident again.
When he was happy, I was happy.
Logan's eyes went wide as the host read this, completely in disbelief.
"No way. How could my part possibly—" Logan blurted out, still shocked.
The live chat went wild.
[Damn, Logan only blew up because of Misty Clouds.]
[Wait, so Logan's big comeback was all thanks to Aria giving up her spot for him?]
[Is this for real? No way, I gotta go fact-check this right now.]
The host looked at Logan and asked, "Logan, is there anything you want to say now?"
Logan swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he finally spoke after a long pause. "Back then, she really was something else. But—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
But I knew exactly what he meant.
What he really wanted to say was, "But how did she end up like this?"