Chapter 2: The Awards
April 4, 2045, Country U, City L
The artists were seen walking the red carpet with their partners. Some brought fellow artists, while others brought their relatives. Almost all the artists strolled through the red carpet wearing their finest attire and walking gracefully. Occasionally, they paused to pose for photos.
Viona glided alone on the red carpet, dressed in a silver gown that accentuated her figure and highlighted her face. Today, she was supposed to be accompanied by her boyfriend, Revan Zenith, a singer from the same agency, to attend this event. However, her manager decided that it would be better for Viona to go alone because Revan would be accompanied by another artist.
Viona, of course, refused, but she couldn't do anything when her boss himself ordered it to prevent any scandalous news.
After being photographed and answering some questions from reporters, Viona proceeded inside and was directed to her seat. Her eyes scanned the surroundings curiously and widened in disbelief when she saw her boyfriend kissing another woman, who happened to be the number one artist from their agency, Queena Cantika. And... coincidentally, Queena was Viona's close friend and also her rival.
Oh... Viona was furious. She didn't know what led the two most significant people in her life to kiss, but she could see that they enjoyed it. And if Viona wasn't mistaken, the gleam in their eyes was love.
Revan had never seen Viona like that. And now, he saw that very expression directed at his own best friend! Who wouldn't be angry?
Who wouldn't be heartbroken?
And who wouldn't be hurt?
Certainly not Viona. Because at that moment, on her poker-faced expression and empty gaze, no one would know how she truly felt.
Hurt. Betrayed. In pain. Anger. Hatred.
Oh, Viona felt hatred.
As deeply as she had loved Revan, she felt an equal depth of hatred now. Three years they had been together, and the slowly accumulating love suddenly vanished, replaced by hatred and anger.
"Miss Viona? Please, come this way," one of the attendants serving the artists said while guiding Viona to her seat.
Viona's table was not far from Revan's and some international artists sitting nearby, with only one table as a barrier between them.
As she walked towards her seat, Viona could overhear the conversation among the artists, teasing and praising Raven and Queena as a perfectly matched couple. They both didn't deny it and acted as if they were indeed a loving couple.
A sweet smile appeared on Viona's lips when Queena kissed Raven again, this time meeting Viona's gaze accidentally. Queena's face paled, and she moved slightly away from Raven, clearly startled.
Raven, sensing Queena's reaction, furrowed his brows and looked at her questioningly. "What's wrong, babe?" Raven asked gently.
"Vi... Vi..." Queena couldn't finish her answer, her terrified eyes locked on Viona's radiant face.
Raven looked puzzled and followed Queena's gaze. His face turned pale when he saw the surprise on Viona's face.
Whatever he was about to say was interrupted as the hosts joyfully kicked off the award ceremony.
When the lights dimmed, Raven whispered something to Queena. Viona couldn't hear what he said. Then, Viona put on a composed face when the lights came back on, and the award ceremony officially began.
The first two hosts started the event by mentioning various names of artists who had received more than two awards that night. Queena's name was mentioned due to her three awards from six different nominations the previous year. When the lights and cameras focused on Queena, it was clear she had just been hugged and kissed on the cheek by Raven. This made the hosts whistle and tease, rushing to congratulate them on their relationship.
Quietly, Queena glanced at Viona, who merely gave a standard reaction of a smile and applause, just like the other artists.
Afterward, some other awards related to the entertainment world were announced. Then, the Best Box Office Film award for 2045 was revealed, with five nominated films. The clip shown on the screen happened to feature a scene of Viona fighting in a gown, facing four fierce-looking men.
Enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, and even more when the cameras focused on the stars of the movie, who were sitting apart and clearly caught off guard as they had not expected their film to be nominated, let alone win.
The film director stepped forward and gave his speech, adding some jokes about their unpreparedness for receiving such a prestigious award. He thanked the artists and all involved parties.
Next, another pair of hosts announced the Best Music Video award. Queena's music video with Raven as the lead was one of the nominations. Unfortunately, they didn't win.
Viona could see the disappointment on their faces, seemingly unable to believe that their work was surpassed by others. It was only a few seconds before the cameras moved away, but Viona was sure the video would be shared widely on the internet later.
Then, other awards were announced with the names of artists and winners mentioned. Next up was the award for the Best Drama Film Actor in 2045, and both Queena and Viona were nominated. Once again, Viona's name was called, and she was stunned with disbelief.
Her friend sitting next to her patted her shoulder gently and teased her to go up on stage with a smile.
Startled, Viona quickly wiped away the tear of emotion that had escaped her eye. Then, she rose gracefully and headed towards the stage. She gave a brief kiss to the two friendly hosts and received her award.
"Wow... Uhm... Honestly, I didn't expect to receive this award. I was so confident that my best friend would get it. Remember last year?" she said with a small smile.
Laughter erupted from the audience, and Viona's gaze shifted to Queena, who appeared to be smiling without any meaningful expression.
Satisfied, Viona returned to the microphone and thanked everyone who supported her – family, boyfriend, friends, and all those unnamed. Then, she brought the trophy back to her table and hugged the people sitting nearby with joyous laughter.
Next, the hosts, who had changed again, announced the following awards. Viona always smiled and clapped every time an artist's name was mentioned and proudly smiled when the winner's name was called.
Next up was the award for the Best Supporting Actress in 2045, which nominated Queena. Again, unfortunately, her name was not the one called as the winner.
Then, again and again, five awards were mentioned, all with Queena as one of the nominees, but she only won the Best Supporting Actress award.
Next was the award for the Best Angst Film Lead Actor, with Queena and Viona nominated again. And once again, Viona's name was announced as the winner.
This time, Viona smiled broadly, and without any nudging from her seatmates, she stood up and walked gracefully to the stage. Once again, she thanked the audience, joking that she didn't know what else to say since she had thanked everyone during her previous acceptance speech. After that, Viona returned to her seat and placed the trophy on the table.
Next, the award for the Best Romance Film Lead Actor was announced, and Queena was one of the nominees. Unfortunately, her name was not called out this time.
Then, the award for the Best Family Film Antagonist was mentioned, also with Queena as a nominee, but again, her name was not called as the winner.
And again, and again, until a total of five awards with Queena nominated, she only won the Best Supporting Actress award.
Next was the award for the Best Brand Ambassador, which Viona won as the ambassador for Dior. She had received three awards in total, making her smile awkwardly but without feeling guilty.
She joked that she wouldn't feel guilty about other brands not winning the award, but she sympathized with the other ambassadors since she was so greedy for trophies. Her joke brought laughter from everyone, but it did not elicit any expression of meaning from her two friends who had hurt her. Unfortunately, the camera didn't show Queena's table, so they couldn't see the expressions of the two people who had hurt Viona.
- To be continued -
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone