Blue Lagoon BarMax swung his car into the bar's garage, the quiet purr of the engine cutting out as he stepped out. The cool evening breeze tugged at the black-on-black outfit he wore—a tailored shirt and slim-fit trousers - simple yet unmistakably expensive. He adjusted his cuffs, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he strolled toward the bar entrance.When he entered, he found his former boss, Sam, waiting by the door for him with two assistant managers beside him. When Max entered, they all stared at him in a mix of shock and awe - Max had really hit a jackpot. He went from an ordinary bartender to a noveau riche out of nowhere. Even though he wore a simple black on black attire, it wasn't hard to tell that they couldn't have been cheap out of the market. "Eh, Max. It's really you!" One of the two managers leaned forward, blinking hard. "You've really changed."The second manager chimed in, still trying to process the sight in front of him. “Man, you’ve changed. If I didn’t kno
"Claire?"Max called out in surprise, and she spun around immediately when she heard his name. She looked surprised to see him standing there, but it was only for a moment before she looked at herself and the drunk man hankering about her, and a look of utter mortification crossed her face.The man who grabbed her didn't seem to care that there was a third party and continued to hanker, "Why the attitude, huh? Chris already gave his approval. You think you can last in this industry without pleasing us directors?"Claire’s lips curled in disgust, and she yanked her arm away from his grip. "So what if I can, you slimy old geezer? Do I look like some young girl you can prey on? Do I look like some naive starlet you can toy with? Take your filthy hands off me, you creep!""You bitch-" The director looked even more furious when he heard that, and he reached out to grab her again.But Max was faster and directly pulled Claire over to his side, giving him a backhand slap. Probably, it was be
"This is the list for available artists," Ivan muttered, throwing the file in his hand on the desk casually. "Take your pick."His attitude was full of arrogance, and it was obvious he was throwing his weight around now that he was in charge of Max’s affairs. But the latter did not seem bothered by his attitude and simply picked it up, flipping the pages open to take a look. After some time, he looked up again and pointed to a name amongst the list.When Ivan looked down and saw who it was, his face instantly changed. "What? Marianne? Who put her on the list? She's my artist. Choose someone else."Max gave him a scrutinizing look and retorted simply, "She's the one I want.""What do you mean she's the one you want!?" Ivan was about to blow his top in anger. Just then, the door of his office opened, and Marianne entered right in time. She stood by the door, hesitant, and faced Ivan. "You wanted to see me."Ivan nodded, beckoning to her. "Yeah. Come over here." She looked toward Max,
In a residential apartment...July paced around the room, staring at her phone with pursed lips as she muttered, "If only I had gotten a slot in here..."Vivi who sat on the chair behind her watched her pacing for a while before speaking up, "Stop pacing, July. You're making me dizzy."She paused at this and turned to her, clearly irritated, "What do you want me to do then? After that drama that happened at the store, I don't know who leaked to the media that I got arrested. It's been trending for days now."She looked quite irritated and bothered but Vivi clearly didn't think it was so serious. She sniggered, "What are you so bothered about? Only one blogger reposted it and people have even forgotten about it amid all that Noah's drama. You should be thankful that it collided with Noah's scandal."July's expression changed. "What do you mean thankful? He stole my spotlight!""Stole your spotlight?" Vivi looked flabbergasted. "Are you happy that the news got out that you got arrested?
The audition venue was pretty crowded when Max entered. Definitely a lot of people had turned up for the audition but due to the majority that backed out to avoid being affected by Noah's scandal back then, Dawn Entertainment restricted a lot of artists and in the end, majority of the people in present came from the agency itself.When Max walked in with the rest of the agents that came to have a look too, he looked around but couldn't sight any familiar faces immediately. The two agents he spoke to the other day, Jason and Andrew, were right beside him. "Not bad. Quite a large turnout," Jason muttered aloud, looking toward Andrew. "You said Mina wanted to audition too?"Andrew looked unimpressed when he heard that and simply pressed his lips. "She's just being childish, but I won't force her not to anyway. How else will she learn in this industry?"Jason gave a small laugh at that and shook his head. "She's only a rookie. You're her manager, don't be so harsh on her.""I wouldn't be
Lawson hesitated before asking, "Should I eject her from the audition?"Max’s lips curled slightly, but his expression stayed cold. "Never mind."It was too late to make a scene now. Besides, flaunting his influence in front of July wasn’t worth the effort. The only reason he asked Lawson to block her earlier was because she had gotten under his skin with her arrogance. Now that Lawson hadn’t crossed him outright, Max couldn’t be bothered with what happened to her."Understood, Young Master," Lawson replied quickly.As the call ended, Max headed back to the audition hall. Just as he reached the entrance, he spotted July and Vivi chatting by the hallway. They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice him standing there.He was about to pass them without a second thought, but then he heard Vivi mention his name. His steps slowed, curiosity tugging at him.“What’s he doing in the audition room?” Vivi asked, her voice laced with confusion."Who knows?" July huffed, clearly irrita
Max watched, with his arms folded and a rare smile appearing on his lips. He really couldn't be wrong about someone. There was no dramatic music, no special effects, and yet it felt like the air had thickened, filled with tension as though the scene was real. Claire didn’t act like someone pretending to kill her first love—she became that woman, and one could almost believe she was really General Vivian Stone."Thank you," Claire whispered as she stood up, her voice softer now. She bowed her head slightly and stepped back, signaling the end of the performance.There was a beat of stunned silence before one of the judges snapped out of it and began clapping, almost too eagerly. The other judges exchanged looks, nodding in unspoken agreement.Max arched an eyebrow. Even he—someone who knew little of acting could tell it was brilliant. And this is the same woman July claimed couldn't act? The irony wasn’t lost on him, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.He leaned back slightly,
Hunter Group Luxury Event Company...Executives sat around the long oak table, papers shuffled in nervous hands, and laptops glowed with spreadsheets filled with bad news. The company’s financials were in free fall, and no one had answers. They had tried to cut costs severally, but due to the nature of the financial crisis, they were having a hard time stopping the free fall. Not to mention, Alexa had refused to seek any help from the main group.“We need to cut costs,” one of the older men said, rubbing his temples. “Maybe a workforce reduction—”“Great idea,” another interrupted, sarcasm dripping from his words. “Let’s make headlines: Company fires half its staff to save itself. Yeah, that’ll save us.”Just then, the door opened, and Alexa strolled in, her stiletto heels clicking on the marble floor. All heads turned. The moment her sharp, almond-shaped eyes landed on the room, everyone knew—they were in trouble.One thing about Alexa was that she was usually easygoing privately, bu