From Zero To Stardom: My Superstar System

Chapter Two: Marcus

Marcus glared at Julia.

"W-What are you saying?! Rachel is my girlfriend. She wouldn't do that!"

Eric smirked at Marcus and then looked at Rachel and grinned.

"Come here, Babe."

"B-Babe?"

Marcus looked at Rachel, asking for an explanation from her, only to witness her walking towards Eric.

Eric wrapped his arms around Rachel intimately. He held her close and squeezed her butt with a perverted grin.

"Stop it!"

Rachel yelled, but it was obvious by the redness on her face that she liked it.

Marcus's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing, Rachel? Why are you holding Eric so intimately?"

"What do you think, Marcus? Isn’t it obvious already? Eric and I are together now! I was cheating on you this whole time!"

Rachel rolled his eyes with disgust.

"W-What? T-That is ridiculous, Rachel! You don't even know what kind of a person Eric is! We love each other! R-Right?"

Rachel scoffs.

"Love? Why would I even love an idiot like you? A loser like you? We are breaking up, Marcus!"

"Break up?" Marcus repeated, confused, "B-But why, Rachel? We have been together for years. Why are you doing this?"

"Why? Do you really need to ask the obvious, Marcus?"

Eric shook his head and continued, "You don't have anything to offer. You're broke and a loser. It would be ridiculous if Rachel stayed with you."

Marcus glared at Eric and turned to Rachel, desperate for answers.

"Rachel! You're lying!" Marcus pleaded, his voice quivered. "Let go of him and come—"

"Ugh! Don't come near me!"

Rachel exclaimed when Marcus tried to approach her.

"I don't want to be associated with a loser like you anymore. I only approach you because of your parents. I endured being with you because I thought you were worth it. I thought I could land a role! I was deceived by you!"

Rachel looked at him with disgust while Marcus couldn't move as he stared at Rachel in disbelief.

And he thought that Rachel's love was genuine!

Marcus clenched his fist, his jaws moved angrily.

"So, you are really the one who changed the script to embarrass me?! But, I thought you gave it to me to gain an advantage! I thought you gave it to me to support me…"

Rachel sneered, her laughter adding salt to his wounds.

"Well, you were the dumb one to believe me. I did what my hubby Eric told me. He said he would give me a role if I gave you the wrong script."

Rachel gave him a high-pitched laugh and added, "You promised me many times that you would get me a role yet look at you, Marcus. You didn't even manage to get one."

"Don't worry, Marcus. I'm gonna make your girl the happiest girl in the world," Eric said with a smug face.

Marcus gritted his teeth and glared at Eric.

"You bastard! You took away my parents' house, now you are taking away my girlfriend!"

Rachel glared at him. "Don't shout at my—"

Eric touched Rachel’s face and stopped her.

"Let him talk, Babe."

Marcus glared at Eric before turning his head to look at Rachel.

"Rachel! Tell me you're lying! I love you so much, please! Don't do this."

Marcus's voice got louder this time and tried to approach Rachel but one of the men suddenly went in front of him and grabbed his shoulder tightly.

"Ugh!"

Marcus winced in pain as the man's firm grip on his shoulder forced him down to his knees.

Marcus ignored the pain in his shoulder and darted his eyes toward Eric and Rachel, who were standing close together, their bodies pressed against each other intimately.

Eric's arms were wrapped around Rachel possessively, holding her close as if she were a prize to be won.

Marcus couldn't tear his eyes away from the heart-wrenching scene before him.

"Rachel, please!"

Marcus yelled desperately but Rachel didn’t spare him a look, her eyes only focused on Eric.

Eric grinned at him and pulled Rachel's face close to his and kissed her intimately. Marcus's eyes were burning with rage, but he could only watch them.

He gritted his teeth, his fists balling at his sides. He felt a mix of betrayal and anger as he watched them.

"Rachel, I love you!"

Marcus yelled as loud as he could, however, his desperation fell on deaf ears.

Eric and Rachel didn't stop kissing and ignored Marcus.

His jaw clenched so tightly it ached. A guttural growl rumbled low in his throat, and every muscle tensed as his world shattered before his eyes.

He wanted to demand answers from Rachel. He would even accept her again even if she told him a lie.

Marcus's face contorted, a storm of anger brewing behind his gaze.

"You bastard! Let go of my girlfriend—"

Marcus was about to attack when the burly men who were only watching the drama unfold earlier blocked him with their huge bodies.

One stood in front of him, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and his eyes fixed on Marcus with a twisted amusement.

Another one cracked his knuckles, and a cold smile played on his lips.

The third circled Marcus like a hungry predator. Marcus was completely trapped, and his heart pounded in fear.

"Don't make this hard for us, Kid."

The man's voice was deep, and it caused Marcus to step back.

"M-Move out of my way! Rachel is mine!"

Marcus's voice quivered as he tried to stand his ground.

The burly men exchanged a knowing glance and their lips curled into knowing smirks that sent a chill down Marcus's spine.

"We don't care about your personal affairs, Kid. Our job is to ensure you stay put," another man chimed in.

He pierced him with his deadly and cold gaze.

"Don't kill him, Boys. Just leave him crippled so that he will never go near us. We can't afford any scandal," Eric's command was cold and heartless.

A twisted grin curved on his lips as he turned to Marcus and said, "Aren't you gonna congratulate us as a goodbye, Marcus? Julia, Rachel, and I – we got the lead roles. Haha!"

His voice dripped with mock concern, only further fueling Marcus's anger.

"You fucking bastard—"

Without warning, the third gangster struck Marcus's side, stealing his words.

The impact sent waves of pain radiating through his body, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

He struggled to stay on his feet but for a second, he met Rachel's gaze but there was no sign of sympathy in her eyes.

"Loser," Rachel whispered but Marcus could hear those words clearly.

"It seems like it's gonna rain, Babe," Eric said as he fixed Rachel's hair.

"We have to go. The Directors must be waiting for us."

"Okay, Babe! By the way, thank you for helping me get the role," Rachel said with a smile that Rachel never gave Marcus.

Without any hesitation, Rachel turned her back on him holding Eric's arm.

"K-Rachel, don't leave—"

The door slammed loudly and Eric, Julia and Rachel’s footsteps and laughter echoed faintly.

Suddenly, rain started to fall and thunder echoed on the rooftop.

Marcus tried to run towards them, hoping that if he pleaded to Rachel, she would accept him once again and maybe forgive him but without warning, the man on his left swung at him, landing a brutal punch to his stomach once again.

The force of the blow made him cough up blood that mixed with the rainwater at his feet.

"Haha! Don’t hold a grudge against us in the afterlife. We are only doing what they paid us for," the man who punched him said with a smirk and cracked his knuckles.

"Please," Marcus gasped, trying to catch his breath through the pain. "Rachel..."

The other men didn't give Marcus a choice to speak or plead.

They punched and kicked Marcus everywhere. Each strike hit like a sledgehammer, and he could hardly tell where one blow ended and the next one began.

Marcus tried to cry out for help, but the sounds that could only escape from his lips were nothing but desperate gasps and moans.

His vision began to blur.

He felt that he could lose his consciousness at any moment, maybe it would be better to just lose consciousness at this moment.

A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

He had escaped his cruel aunt and cousins only to be met with an even worse fate. He couldn't believe it.

People he believed were family had turned on him, and the woman he loved stabbed him in the back.

The happy times they had together in the past now seemed like bitter delusions.

How could she? How was this even possible for Rachel to do to him?

These questions could not stop echoing in Marcus's mind like a broken record.

The gangster with a cigarette in his mouth, suddenly yanked Marcus's hair forcing him out of his thoughts.

The cigarette's ember glowed menacingly as the man drew another drag, exhaling a cloud of acrid fumes into Marcus's face.

Harsh coughs erupted from Marcus's throat painfully and his feeble attempts to shield himself from the smoke only intensified the pain coursing through his ribs and limbs.

"Haha! Show us those tears, Doggy," the man taunted, his lips curling into a cruel sneer, before letting go of Marcus's hair with a rough shove that sent him sprawling onto the wet, and hard ground.

The impact shot pain through Marcus's skull, momentarily blurring his sight.

His face was smeared with dirt and blood.

The pain in his chest grew more pronounced with each violent cough, and the taste of blood mixed with rainwater filled his mouth.

Before Marcus could recover from the pain, another kick landed, this time aiming at his ribs.

The pain was excruciating, stealing his breath and leaving him gasping. Laughter echoed around him as he lay on the rain-soaked ground.

His ribs throbbed from the blows, and his face stung. Every movement sent waves of agony radiating through his body.

Marcus couldn't understand what he did wrong or what he did to deserve all of this.

He left his cousins alone because he didn't want any trouble, he loved Rachel all his life because that's what he only knew what to do.

He never cheated, never looked at another girl like he does to Rachel.

He did everything that he thinks Rachel deserves and yet… This is how she repaid him… she had deceived him with his own cousin and Eric, of all people.

With his blurry vision, he glanced at the three gangsters with a ferocious smile.

Marcus's breath came in ragged gasps as he slowly lost consciousness.