Keira spent every waking moment with Dylan and Lucas. They mostly ignored her, working tirelessly on their laptops while she focused on acting classes and physical therapy. However, at the slightest movement or shift in direction, their eyes would immediately dart to her.
She ate specific foods and wore specific outfits, she was experimented on for her hair and makeup, her posture and speech were constantly corrected, and her facial expressions were controlled.
The strict routine continued daily, not stopping for even a moment until her strict bedtime hours at 9 pm.
"The performance of the role of Judy Pine was well done! Bravo, Keira!" Her acting instructor clapped after she finished her demonstration. "You're meeting the rest of the cast tonight and will be filming the first scene, try not to get too excited."
They had been rehearsing for this role since the last day of the exam.
"How are you feeling about it? It's not stressing you out or anything?" The woman who had been silent this whole time spoke.
"No, I think I got the hang of it."
"Alright then, time to get dolled up. We need to leave in two hours." At her words, the stylists on standby approached Keira. "Keep it light. She still needs to be styled again according to her role."
Keira still had a difficult time getting used to her presence. It was the first time she had a dedicated manager, helping her with every small detail in her pursuit of acting.
Her heels and mature style greatly added to the seriousness of her job. Her voice commanded acknowledgment, it was the first time Keira witnessed such charisma outside her family.
"Manager Rita, long time no see!" A familiar voice interrupted them. In came Matthew, someone Keira hadn't seen since her stay in the hospital.
"What business do you have here, Sir?" Her words did not have an ounce of friendliness, it was strictly business causing Matthew to frown slightly.
"You left me to work with my sister and now we're strangers again!? Heartless."
"Indeed. State your business or leave us."
"Truly, Mom's friend if I've ever seen one." He complained to himself, ignoring her glare as he approached Keira. "Aren't you happy to have me accompany you to the set?"
"What? Where's Brother Dylan and Lucas?"
"Your brain must have rotted or something. Why are you looking for them!? I'm the better Brother to be around, unlike those boring old souls."
Keira chose to ignore the man-child and his narcissistic confidence. Her hair was pushed up with cute fluffy hair pins, freeing her face from distractions as the makeup artist drew her brows.
"I did not receive any notice of you accompanying Keira. Your presence adds nothing of value, please leave."
I should give Rita a bonus. She is working overtime dealing with the three stubborn brothers.
Keira thoughtfully gazes at Rita, her eyes filled with utmost respect for the woman.
"Shut it, Rita. Keira needs me, you don't get a say."
Do I though?
"What are you looking at me like that for?" He caught the slight annoy and disgust in Keira's gaze. His lips quirked as he pulled off the hair clips from her head. "What's the need for makeup when you look like that? And don't even think of wearing heels or anything that shows skin."
"Ah! Give it!" Why does it feel like I'm arguing with a child?
"No." His hand was raised high, making it impossible for her to reach it.
"Matthew, why are you causing trouble?" Dylan removed the hair clip from his hand, forcefully clipping back Keira's hair. "And you. Openly showing your emotions to one while hiding it with another is called being two-faced."
"That's cause she doesn't like you." Matthew brushed the hand on his shoulder off, scoffing at his brother's scolding.
"I heard from Rita that you are working less and playing more."
"Who said? I'm plenty busy, especially this past week. Because of you, my beloved brother." Through gritted teeth, he retorted.
Keira found it funny how the two were so different yet they were only a year apart. Her lips involuntarily raised on their own.
The makeup artists continued with their applications, dabbing a few here and there, stressfully trying to finish their job under the pressure of the two men's gazes.
"Snack on this for now." Rita handed her a bowl with berries and yogurt.
She was styled in low-pump heels, matching in color with an off-shoulder, long-sleeved dress. Her hair was styled in a blowout, making her out to be more mature than her actual age. The elegance of her appearance drew compliments from the stylist and staff in the company as they left.
Three cars headed in the same direction, one for her and Matthew, one for Manager Rita and her assistant, and one for the stylist team.
Her arrival caused a stir amongst the present production staff. Many had their gaze fixated on her, eyes filled with amazement and pity, causing Keira to wonder the reasoning behind them.
Rita walked ahead of her, eyes narrowed and lips pulled straight. She didn't look to be in a good mood as she guided them inside with loud steps.
The location was a large warehouse, with multiple sets built within the large space. Keira had expected the place to be cold, but to her surprise, they installed heaters to keep the temperature under control.
"Madame Rita!" Someone shouted, quickly running over to greet them. His sullen eyes and raspy voice told the tales of an all-nighter. He had on a baseball cap, keeping his hair from falling into his face. "Ahem! You arrived rather quickly. I'm guessing that you didn't notice my messages?"
"I, in fact, did see your messages."
"Ahem—then you should know that the plan has been changed."
Hearing this, Matthew's lips twitched. He knew exactly what that meant in the filming world, and so did Keira.
"Please understand, it was a request from the investors. I had no choice but to change the leading actress. They also promised to compensate you for breaking the contract. However, due to our long history of work relationship, I managed to convince them to give the role of Anna May to dear Keira."
He rubbed his hands nervously as he stated the issue.
"That's the best you could do?" Matthew asked, feeling angry at the prospect of Keira playing a lesser role. He wanted to say more but was stopped by Rita.
"You know that this is her debut. Our deal was for her to play the female lead to cultivate a public image. Now you want her to play the troublemaker?"
"Well, technically, I don't need to give her any role. But in consideration of our good relationship, this was the best role I could get the investors to agree on giving. If the girl is lovely, regardless of what she plays, people will love her."
Not once has he glanced her way. His words made it seem like he was doing them a favor, instead of trying to compensate them for breaking a contractual agreement.
"I'd like to see this person the investors were so adamant about having as the female lead." Rita scoffed.
"Of course!" The man didn't seem bothered by Rita's annoyance. He eagerly guided them to where the artists were resting, eyes anticipating their reactions to who it was. "You might be surprised, happy even!"
Happy?
Keira couldn't shake the trepidation that threatened to overtake her. At that moment, nothing felt right.
The door opened to a few seated in the room, casually conversing and practicing for their roles.
"Can you hear it? My heartbeat says it all." The male's voice was soft, nearly whispering as he held onto the cold hands. His back covered the girl completely, hiding her from their view.
"I don't like this…" The female's voice had a slight sob and whine to it. She pulled her hand back, trying to break free from his grip.
There was no mistaking it. This voice belonged to—
"Selene?" Matthew uttered in confusion. The most unexpected person was standing in the room, practicing Judy Pine's monologues with the male lead.
"Brother…?" At his calling, Selene jerked her head towards the entrance, eyes filled with panic as she saw him walking towards her. "This…this is…"
"What are you doing here?" Although he wasn't yelling, his furrowed brows and severe tone spoke of his anger.
"I…I um…" She didn't know how to behave under his stern gaze. "Why are you angry at me? You've never treated me so severely before…" She choked, feeling wronged with tearful eyes.
"Miss Selene." Rita stepped in, gazing discontentedly at the young girl. "Where is Lily? I'd like to speak with her."
Lily didn't waste time. She approached them with confidence in her steps. "I know why you are dissatisfied, Rita. Be more professional."
"Was it on purpose? I hadn't heard of Miss Selene venturing into acting."
"You jest. Selene was celebrating a successful music video shoot with the team and happened to meet the Director while he was having dinner with the investors last night."
"Believe me…I truly didn't know that this was Keira's role!" Her eyes reddened instantly, as she approached Keira. "You believe me right? Sister has always believed me. Please, don't blame me. I can go home and forget about this role if you want!" Selene hugged Keira tightly, crying as if she was the one who got robbed of the role.
"As you can see, we truly did not know until we got here of such an arrangement. You should understand what it's like to be pestered all night and being pressured into accepting, don't you Rita?"
"Since it is a misunderstanding, arguing will be pointless." Eren Adler had been watching from the side for a while now. He didn't care who played the female lead, as long as it didn't hinder his performance. "I will apologize on behalf of the team. Keira, please forgive the unprofessional handling of this issue."
Keira didn't speak. She neither accepted nor retorted, silently standing there while being hugged by the person who called her 'sister.' Her gaze lingered on Eren Adler's hand that stretched towards her but made no move to shake it.
"Hm? It seems I have upset you. I apologize." Keira noticed the gaze Rita was sending her. Everyone was currently watching them, dragging out the issue when someone sincerely offered an apology will only make her out to be the villain.
"Alright." Keira removed herself from Selene's embrace. She didn't care what kind of face Selene was making, only reaching out her hand to grip the other person's.
"Thank you for being understanding." Keira felt a sudden pull, forcing her into Eren without a chance to balance herself. Her ankle was still weak, unable to fully support the sudden weight shift. "Let's hug it out while we're at it."
"No…?" Her mind blanked, not knowing what to do. She felt the arm wrap around her lower back, refusing to let go even when she attempted to move away.
"Hey! Let her go." Matthew wasn't happy with the sudden intimacy displayed openly.
Her heart raced, only able to think of Dylan's constant reminder to not let anyone touch her. If Dylan was here, I would be dead. And Matthew runs his mouth as he pleases, so I am dead either way.
"Let go—." Her words were cut short.
"Although it would be nice to act with you, but I have grown familiar with Selene. You could say that I prefer her now that we are more used to each other's presence."
Keira no longer knew if she pushed Eren away because of her fear of Dylan…or something else.
She didn't know what kind of face she made, only knowing that she had to leave.
"That was Keira? If I had known she looked like that, I would have fought to keep her." The Director spoke as she left.
"Wait! Keira!" Matthew shouted after her, signaling for Rita and the others to follow after Keira. "I will believe that it was just a misunderstanding. But make no mistake Selene, this cannot happen again." With that, he quickly followed after everyone else.
What am I supposed to make of that expression? Eren stared blankly at the entrance. The quick glimpse of her face after she pushed him away was still fresh in his mind.
Everyone let out a sigh after the encounter ended, they had all held their breaths the moment Keira walked in. The two sisters were the complete opposite, one looked mature and elegant, while the other was cute and youthful. Keira gave off a cold and distant beauty, while Selene was warm and lovable.
Although everything felt overly coincidental, they could all only hope that it was all an accident. The sweet and naive Selene could never do something like stealing from others, right?
"Keira! You're going to hurt your ankle again if you run like that!" Matthew rushed after the girl, finally catching up to her at the car. "Hey! Don't cross the road without looking!"
Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast, causing her whole body to burn. Her hands clenched her chest tightly, hoping that it would alleviate the ache that was eating at her.
She couldn't breathe. It felt like someone was sitting on her chest, crushing it mercilessly without care. She felt sick, wanting to throw up the pain she was currently feeling.
"Breathe." Matthew softened his voice, gently patting her back as he tried to comfort her. "Don't lean forward." He pulled her up and into his arms, holding her tightly.
He gestured for them to open the car, gently guiding Keira inside, allowing her to sit on his lap as he coddled her.
"Are you crying?" The wetness seeped into his shirt, drenching the area quickly.
Am I crying? Keira wasn't sure either.
Why couldn't he just say something simple, like 'I hope we get to work together next time.' Did he have to say it like that?
She hadn't expected to be so affected by those words. To hear the person she admired saying he preferred another was unbearable.
She didn't think she loved him.
Regardless…it really hurts.
Why is it always like this?
What am I doing wrong?
She could do nothing but bite her lips and cry silently in agony.
Matthew felt hopeless at the current situation. These past two weeks showed him a side of Keira he had never seen before.
The quiet and obedient sister was a person who never spoke without being spoken to, a person who never cried, showed anger, or much emotions—this very person showed irritation and dissatisfaction when teased, learned to whine and complain—and now she was the very person crying pitifully.
He didn't know how to pacify her, only hugging her tightly.