Next, other awards were mentioned, once again nominating Viona's name. The total number of nominations she received was now four. The hosts playfully and mockingly expressed their irritation at repeatedly announcing Viona as the winner.
Whether it was fate or not, it turned out that Viona didn't win the Best Lead Actress in a Crime Film award. The hosts' faces turned pale as they looked at her cautiously, afraid of hurting her feelings.
However, Viona just chuckled at their guilty expressions and clapped happily when the actual winner went on stage. Her laughter grew louder when the winner mentioned her name and expressed how proud they were to defeat Viona for the trophy that night. The audience laughed along with her, and her live stream on social media received even more attention than the official Grammy Awards broadcast.
Lastly, the award for Best Artist with the Best Appearance that night was mentioned, and both Queena and Viona were nominated. This award was typically nominated and voted for directly during the break, with entertainment provided by the attending artists.
Viona had not expected to be nominated, but from Queena's proud expression, she knew her friend felt that the nomination was well-deserved.
One of the organizers whispered in her ear, asking Viona to say more during her acceptance speech as it would be the closing act.
Having already been on stage three times, where she only gave standard thank-you speeches and clichéd words about her roles, Viona agreed to deliver a more extended speech this time. The organizer breathed a sigh of relief.
Viona pressed a button on her wristwatch, which was connected to her retinal display. Thanks to advanced technology, everyone's smartphones were now linked to their retinal displays, making communication, recording, and sharing faster and easier.
What Viona was about to do was live stream her speech on her social media accounts. After years in the entertainment industry, she knew the ins and outs and tactics to gain fans. Her social media account was followed by half of the world's population, approximately 4,026,981,069 people!
When her followers received notifications of her live stream, they all flocked to Viona's social media accounts. They eagerly commented on her attire and the upcoming trophy. Although the Grammy Awards were also being broadcast live, the perspective from Viona's camera was clearer and more personal than the television broadcast.
Viona received the trophy from a senior artist with a mysterious smile. "Well, this time the organizers reminded me not to say just thank-you. They said this would likely be my last award tonight, so I should close the event nicely," she said with a mischievous wink.
The audience chuckled, but Viona's eyes were fixed on Revan and Queena. Their expressions were sour and disapproving, which only made her smile even wider. Unfortunately, Viona had turned off her perception of comments, so she couldn't see the reactions of netizens witnessing their supposed friend's displeasure with her success.
Ten seconds after she finished her speech on stage, all the recordings she had would be spread across her social media platforms.
"I never thought I would be nominated in five different categories tonight. Of course, I knew about the other four categories because my agency briefed me on them. It was just the last one... that came as a true surprise, and it turned out to be the best closure for me," Viona said with a smile.
"This time, as requested, I will mention names," Viona said, playfully raising and lowering her eyebrows, which prompted more laughter from the audience. "First, I want to thank my fiancé. Did you know he chose this dress for me? He's also here, present and watching me," Viona continued, looking at the audience, who began whispering among themselves. "Our relationship started years ago. I'm pretty sure we've been friends for about six years, dated for three, and... engaged for two months. So, it's about... nine years and two months?" Viona proudly showed her left hand, adorned with the engagement ring.
She showed the ring to the camera. "Beautiful, isn't it? I chose it myself. Tonight, my sweetheart was supposed to wear one too and sit beside me. Sadly, our agency prohibited it," she said with a shrug.
Cheers of disbelief arose from some members of the audience. "That's right. We are from the same agency! Of course, the agency knows about our relationship," Viona said, snapping her fingers. "So, they decided to make me go alone, and my sweetheart is with... one of... my best friends," Viona said, gazing gently at Revan and Queena.
The camera followed Viona's gaze, capturing Revan and Queena's pale faces. Sounds of disbelief and gossipy whispers spread through the crowd. Viona was convinced the internet had already exploded.
"You guessed right. Revan is my fiancé, and Queena Cantika is my good friend. Oh, did you know that 'Cantika' means 'beauty' in my mother's language? I mean... look at her. Isn't she beautiful? Ah, but unfortunately, I'm the one who got this trophy," Viona said, raising her trophy with a sly smile.
"Viona, that's enough!" Revan exclaimed, rising from his seat.
Viona blinked, "Sit down," she said with a flat expression, making Revan sit back obediently. However, his face turned red with disbelief, and he still wanted to shout at Viona. She raised one eyebrow coldly, causing her boyfriend to freeze in place.
"Where were we? Oh, yes. Cantika~," Viona said with a wide smile at her friend. "My best friend for... how long has it been, Cantik? Fifteen years?" Viona asked with a sly smile. "Imagine my feelings when I first entered this room and saw you both passionately kissing," Viona said, shaking her head in disappointment.
"And then, I heard people cheering for you and praising you as the best couple tonight... hmm... do you remember a saying from our country, Cantik? It roughly translates to 'already falling down and then getting hit by the stairs.' Oh, poor me," Viona continued with a sad expression that seemed very convincing, making anyone who saw it feel sad and betrayed too.
"I wonder if the agency knows about... your relationship, or if they just wanted to prevent any scandal for my sake. I mean... look at me. And how many trophies did I take home tonight?" Viona shrugged.
"You may be the number one artist in our agency, but it's me who made our agency rich. I hope they genuinely didn't know and had good intentions. Because if not... well, I'm sure there are many other agencies out there that would love to have an independent, accomplished, and perfectly-presented woman like me," she continued with a proud face but a tone devoid of emotion.
"Viona, stop lying. Aren't you ashamed in front of your fans?" Queena whispered softly, sounding pitiful.
"..." Viona fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Did you hear what came out of your mouth, Queena Cantika?" she asked, sounding incredulous after her laughter subsided.
"Ohhh... I know your plan. You and your assistant must be live-streaming, right? And your assistant is trying to spin the facts by paying my haters to smear my name. Then you'll act as if I'm drunk," Viona said, understanding.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Are you really that desperate? Feeling so guilty that you forget I've never touched alcohol or drugs? So, it's impossible for me to be drunk!" Viona said, crossing her arms.
"Anyway, where were we? I still have to close the event, you know?" Viona said, looking at the trophy on the lectern in front of her.
"Best Artist with the Best Appearance. Makes you wonder why on earth a Revan would cheat with someone who... didn't win this award?" Viona continued with her monologue.
"A relationship that lasted almost a decade is crumbling tonight. A relationship that approached two decades is also falling apart. And the reason is love. From the very beginning, I asked myself what was lacking in me. Was Cantika more beautiful? Well, I don't think the world would agree," Viona said, shaking her head while looking at her trophy.
"Is Cantika richer? Hm... not really. So far, she hasn't been able to buy a sports car. Is Cantika friendlier? Ohhh, I think someone forgot about the viral video a few months ago, where a Cantika threw trash at a restaurant server's face just because the server didn't recognize her," Viona said, smiling slyly as she commanded her smartphone to share the viral video that happened a few months ago.
"See... in all aspects, I'm clearly above Cantika. But my fiancé chose my own best friend. It made me wonder... how long has this been going on?" Viona sighed and removed her engagement ring, looking at it in the light.
"If I hadn't seen them kissing repeatedly tonight, I might never have believed the rumor that they were having an affair. I trust you, Revan. I really do. But you decided that you didn't need that trust. Why?" Viona asked, not expecting an answer.
Then, Viona looked at Queena coldly, "No need to try to engineer something, Queena. Ten seconds after I close this event, everyone will see the evidence of my relationship with Revan, our friendship, and what happened tonight that wasn't seen by the public. I couldn't possibly engineer that in just a few hours, could I? After all, I'm not a hacker," she said before turning her gaze to Revan with an even colder look.
"Is it fun? Playing with my heart, breaking my trust and love, just to have an illicit affair with a whore?" Viona asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Don't speak recklessly, Viona!" Revan shouted, rising with a furious expression. Unaware of Queena's increasingly pale face beside him.
- To be continued -