"It's been almost two years since the infamous car crash that took the life of top idol and CEO of Queen of Hearts, Caitlin Reinhart. Yet questions remain. The 28-year-old's Mercedes Benz went off a cliff at Route 13 and crashed on the sharp rocks of Deepwater Bay. Reinhart was driving alone…"
The news reporter's voice echoed from the gigantic LED screen, one of the distinct landmarks of Alexandria City's commercial area. The morning rush hour was over and Main Street was sparsely populated with pedestrians, many of whom stopped on the sidewalk to watch as the reporter continued.
Across the street, a black Rolls Royce pulled over the driveway of the city's tallest building, RH Tower. Sitting at the back seat was a young woman in her late 20s. Her eyes were closed and her hands were placed neatly on her lap.
"We're here, Miss." Her assistant, a younger woman in her mid-20s, sat in the front seat.
She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of round hazels. Turning her head to the window, she surveyed the scene that was waiting for her. Her jaw clenched, then relaxed. "Let's go, then."
The assistant quickly got off and opened her door. The woman emerged from the car wearing a pair of dark blue pants, a white button down shirt, and a gray blazer.
She took one step then paused and turned her head to the giant screen across the street.
"A memorial, sponsored by the Reinhart family, is scheduled next week in honor of the young celebrity…"
She gave it a quick glance then turned to her assistant.
"Go back. I'll go alone today."
"But Miss—"
"I'll be fine." She smiled at her reassuringly. "Go back to the apartment and finish unpacking."
Her assistant nodded. "Understood."
With that, the woman entered the building's glass doors and into the lobby. The heels of her wine red pumps tapped crisply on the marble floor as she made her way straight to the elevators.
Luckily, an elevator was open and only two women, one blonde and one brunette, got on. The woman followed suit and was about to step inside when the brunette suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking the way.
"Sorry. We don't share elevators," she said with a sneer as she pressed a button on the side panel and the door immediately closed.
Taken by surprise, the woman stepped back. She shook her head, amused. It hadn't even been an hour since she arrived and she had already encountered such people. She shrugged and waited for the next elevator to arrive.
Her destination was the 27th floor. There, she was immediately greeted by a tall, middle-aged man.
"Hello, Miss Delacroix. I'm Larry Stevenson, Administrative Director for Reinhart Group."
"Hi, I'm Anya Delacroix," she replied with a polite smile, shaking his hand.
"Our Executive Director is currently in a meeting so I was given the wonderful task of showing you around the company first. This way please."
Larry Stevenson accompanied her around the floor, giving her a quick overview of the building as they walked. RH Tower, he explained, was owned by Reinhart Group of Companies. The top floors of the building were its headquarters, while succeeding floors were for its entertainment branch, Reinhart Entertainment. The 27th up to the 29th floor were for Queen of Hearts, a talent agency under Reinhart Entertainment.
They passed a large hall where a group of people gathered.
"This is the training hall for the trainees," Larry said. "Would you like to meet them? I'm sure they'll be happy to see you. They've been excited ever since they heard the news that you're coming over."
"Sure, I'd love to," Anya replied.
Just as they were about to enter, however, they were interrupted by a melodious tone.
Larry looked at his phone. "Excuse me, I need to take this call."
"That's alright. I can go meet them by myself."
"Really? That would be lovely, thank you. I'll be right back." He gave her an apologetic smile then moved a few steps away to answer his phone.
Inside, Anya stood by the door, observing the people inside the hall as they chatted among themselves.
"I can't believe Miss Anya is our new director. The best choreographer in the entertainment world! It's like a dream come true!"
"I wonder if we'll get to meet her. She's known to be rather elusive, you know. She always declines any interviews and never appears in public. I hear she requires people to sign a non-disclosure agreement before working under her."
"Now I'm curious about what she looks like."
The door behind her suddenly opened. Anya shifted aside to avoid being hit. Two women walked in, and Anya recognized them as the two she met in the elevator—Ms. Blonde and Ms. Brunette.
"Miss Venice!" one of the girls exclaimed when she saw them enter. Immediately, the group of girls followed the blonde as she walked across the room to a chair, where she sat arrogantly while the rest surrounded her.
"Oh, it's you," Brunette said, noticing Anya standing by the door. She recognized her as Andrea Bright, one of the agency's many talents. "Turns out you're a newbie here. Listen, if you want to make it as an idol, you better show your respects to Miss Venice. Everyone knows she's Reinhart Group's top talent."
Anya shifted her gaze over to the blonde-haired girl. Tall, slim figure, dirty blonde hair, and a bored expression that made her seem like she would never be satisfied by anything. She recognized her immediately. Venice Reinhart, famous celebrity and the daughter of Reinhart Group's President.
She pressed her lips together and walked across the room. She noticed how one corner of Venice's lips turned up into an arrogant smile as she watched her come closer. However, instead of greeting the woman, Anya veered to the right and sat on the armchair next to her, not failing to notice how Venice's face fell when she realized what she did.
"Hey, newbie! What do you think you're doing?"
Having recovered from the initial shock, Venice Reinhart regained her composure and smiled sweetly. "That's enough, Andrea," she said, standing up. "Don't scare the newbie." She walked over to Anya's side and offered a hand. "Hi, I'm Venice."
Anya stood and shook her hand. She couldn't help but notice how nauseatingly sweet Venice's smile was. "I'm—" She paused when Venice didn't release her hand.
"We sisters need to stick together. No need to be shy, I can help you," Venice said as she gripped Anya's hands tighter.
Anya chuckled inwardly and returned the gesture, feeling the girl's knuckles squeeze together. "Why, that's so nice of you," Anya said, her voice going an octave higher. "I'm curious, though. How can you help me?"
Buckling from the pain, Venice screamed and released her hand. The girls immediately hovered over her.
"You—you hurt my hand!"
Anya couldn't help but be impressed at how quickly the tears began to form in the corners of Venice's eyes.
"How dare you hurt Miss Venice?" Andrea, the brunette, yelled. "Don't you know her father is the President of Reinhart Group? Who do you think you are?" She lunged at Anya, a hand ready in the air.
Anya, however, was quick to catch the hand that was meant to slap her face, holding it by the wrist.
"I know exactly who I am. You ladies, however, behave more like women selling vegetables in the market than idols."
"You bitch!"
"What's going on?" a man's voice rang over the commotion as Larry Stevenson entered the hall. "How can you treat Director Anya like this?"
Silence. The girls stopped on their tracks then quickly retreated.
"Director… Y—you mean…" Realization dawned in their eyes, followed by fear.
Anya crossed her arms in front of her. "Such callous behavior. Although Reinhart Entertainment and Queen of Hearts is a well-respected brand, the reputation of their talents leave nothing to be desired."
"Director Anya, please forgive them," Larry said in earnest. "They're young and need more training."
She shook her head. What the ladies needed was a lesson in humility.
Larry Stevenson took a breath. "This lady right here is our new Creative Director, Anya Delacroix. The current top choreographer in the industry and the same Anya that you all have been idolizing in the past few months."
Anya watched as Venice's eyes widened in shock. "No way. You're… Anya?!"