The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

"THIS is our company's cafeteria.  The food here is not only delicious but very nutritious as well.  Most of our chefs here also have degrees in nutrition.  They even make customize diet plans for artists who request it," the assistant said. 

Astrid nodded.  They were currently on the second floor of the building.  The whole floor was occupied by this cafeteria.  He looked around.  It was really quite big for a cafeteria of an entertainment company.  But based on Lauren's assistant's explanation, it seemed that the company was taking the health of their artists very seriously. 

Well, that's good.  At least he could be sure now that Polaris didn't consider their artists only as products that they could 'sell'.  That's important in having a good working environment.

The assistant turned to him.  "If you two still haven't had breakfast, we could eat here so you can have a taste of our chefs' cooking skill."

Astrid smiled at him.  "No, we already had breakfast.  But maybe next time."

The assistant was again hit by that smile.  It took a moment for him to calm his heart.  Seriously, how could someone smile so beautifully?  He had been Lauren's assistant for three years now.  He thought that he had already been immune to these actors and actresses' beautiful faces.  But now, a newcomer could make his heart thump by just simply smiling.  It's kind of scary in a way.

When Lauren told him that this teenager – Astrid Townsend - might be interested in joining Polaris, his first thought was, 'great, their company will have another talented artist'.  So, when asked to tour Astrid, he did not hesitate to agree.  It never crossed his mind that the teenager might be using Lauren to catapult himself to stardom.  After all, with his looks and talent, did he really need someone to catapult him? 

The answer was a definite no.  Even without hyping himself, Astrid would still be popular.  He simply had that special something, like an x-factor, that only those who were at the very top of Star List had.

Look, even the people currently in the cafeteria couldn't help but glance and stare at their direction.  It's like the one standing beside him was some big star instead of a newcomer who still hadn't made a name for himself.

The assistant would bet with anyone that after [The Sleeping God] was released, Astrid would definitely be a hit.  Entertainment companies with a bit of brain in them would see his marketability and would definitely clamor to sign him in their company.  But too bad.  By that time, this teenager would already have a contract with Polaris.  He felt a bit proud because of that.

"Should we go to the next floor?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Astrid said politely.

As they walked towards the elevator, Astrid glanced at his brother who had been silent again.  He's probably still thinking of what he said earlier before they met up with Lauren's assistant – about him not simply being 'annoyed' at Lauren.

Astrid no longer said anything after that.  Because he knew that inciting Reas even further wouldn't really help the other in the long run.  It would be better if he came to conclusion himself.  Because what's involved here was his feelings and not someone else's. 

Only he could understand what he truly felt himself.  And only he could decide what he would do about it.  Whether he would act on it or continue to ignore it was up to him. 

Astrid would only meddle if he saw that his brother was suffering because of the decision he made.  Although he must admit that if Reas started doing something stupid, he might as well just meddle.  But only a bit.  Just enough to nudge him out of stupidity.

Entering the elevator, Lauren's assistant started explaining to him that the next floor was like a relaxation area where employees and artists alike could, well, relax or something. 

When they got there, Astrid fully understood what he meant by 'relaxation area'. 

There was a reading room with shelves full of books.  Which was something very rare in this era.  After all, almost everything was digital.  Even most of the books being published every year didn't have any physical copies.  Then, there was a coffee room and a tea room.  There was even a room full of virtual pods in case they wanted to dive into the virtual network. 

Seeing that, Reas finally had some reaction.   

"Your company president seems to be really thoughtful," he commented.

Hearing what the surly looking teenager said, the assistant immediately became passionate.  "Of course!  The president is not only thoughtful, he also had a very good business mind.  Every movie he invested in has always generated a huge profit!  He also has his own principles.  As long as he's there, he wouldn't let the artists of his company be forced into something that they didn't want just for a role.  He also wouldn't allow his artists to do shady things.  Once it's proven that they were indeed doing something like that, their contract would immediately be terminated.  The thing the president values most is talent.  Frankly speaking, he should be the ideal president of any artist out there."  He turned to Astrid with his eyes shining.  "Don't you think so too, Astrid?"

The look on the assistant's eyes was like saying, 'that's why you should sign with our company!'.  Astrid smiled and said honestly, "Yes, you're right."

Yes, it was indeed good for an entertainment company to have that kind of president.  But for some who would rather take a shortcut to stardom, he would probably be the kind of president they didn't want.  Because he would only hinder their plans.  Luckily enough, Astrid was not one of those types.

Reas was also glad to hear that the president of this company was that kind of person.  To the point that he had temporarily forgotten the thing – no, the person who was bothering him. 

At least, he could rest assured that his brother wouldn't be in bad hands and that if he ever signed in this company, they wouldn't treat him badly.  If they truly value talent, then Astrid should be on the top of their priority list.  After all, his brother was really gifted in acting.

Hearing Astrid agreeing, the assistant became even more enthusiastic acting as a tour-guide.