The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

"HOW did your photoshoot go?" Yujin asked as they were eating.

"I think it went well," Astrid said. "How about you?"

"Hmm… I think it was also okay."

"What 'okay'? You did marvelous!" Carmine quickly interjected. "Didn't you see how satisfied the photographer was with you? You shouldn't downplay your amazingness like that."

She actually wanted to add that Yujin definitely did better than Astrid, but she stopped herself. She had a feeling that she would be beaten again verbally by Ellis Payne. She didn't want to eat such a lost anymore. Besides, she's an adult but it felt like the two younger ones were much more mature than her. It's embarrassing to say the least.

She should at least appear dignified and reliable in front of her artist. Although Yujin was pretty laidback most of the times, if she really did something wrong that went against his bottom line, the other would definitely to drop her as his agent. 

Really, she sometimes wondered if it would be much easier to have a more ambitious and ruthless artist. But then again, having an artist who loved to scheme their way to the top could be a much worse headache for an agent. 

Yujin chuckled hearing his agent's unabashed compliment. "Yes, yes," he could only say.

Their lunch ended peacefully. Unlike their flight here. Ellis was a bit disappointed. She was actually expecting another round of bickering. It seemed that the other had already gotten over her thoughts of Astrid and Yujin having imaginary rivalry. Too bad.

Well, should she reward her then for trying to act all mature? Seeing Astrid and Yujin walking ahead, she walked beside Carmine and bent a little so she could whisper to the other; 

"You should be careful of Lance Reid. Yujin might end up being his next target."

Carmine, who was minding her own business, was startled by this sudden voice. Even more so when she felt Ellis' breath on her ear. Annoyed, she scoffed trying to hide her embarrassment.

"You should worry more about your artist. In my opinion, he's more likely to fall for Lance Reid's trap."

After saying that, she walked forward, stomping her feet to show her dissatisfaction. But even though she was annoyed, she took Ellis' warning to heart. Truthfully, with the things that happened today, she almost forgot about the matter of Lance Reid. But now that the other had reminded her, she would be more vigilant. As she should.

Watching Carmine stomping away like a kid, Ellis smiled. It even turned to a broad grin once she remembered the other's ear tip turning red. 

In a good mood, she also walked forward. 

----------

At night, after Astrid took a bath, he video called his brother. Reas quickly appeared in the virtual screen. The other's upper body was bare naked. Water droplets were dripping from his wet ice-blue hair down to his perfectly sculpted body. 

Astrid whistled. "How come my brother is so sexy tonight?" he teased.

Reas' face immediately turned red. "Shut up."

Then, the other quickly put on a shirt.

Astrid sighed in regret. "I should have taken a screen shot and send it to Lauren. I think he would really like it."

Reas' face darkened when he heard that. "Be serious, will you? We still haven't talked about where you went yesterday. I went back to the military academy without even seeing your shadow. And now you're teasing me as if nothing happened?"

"Yes, sorry, Dad," Astrid said, still with a teasing tone. He couldn't help it. Just look at his brother. The other's expression was like that of a grumpy old man.

Reas frowned, clearly annoyed by Astrid's nonchalance.

Astrid chuckled. "Hey, Reas, don't be angry. I just spent the day, having fun, with a friend. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Reas huffed. "I never said that there is. But I would have appreciated it if you had just woken me up to tell me where you're going instead of just leaving a note. Better yet, you could have told me the night before about it. That way, I wouldn't be worried the whole day because you're not answering my call."

Astrid scratched his cheek, feeling a bit guilty. Could he say that the reason he didn't do any of that was because he's worried that Reas would make a fuss? Maybe the other might even tag along with him. If he said that, his brother might stop speaking to him for a month. 

"Okay, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Promise," he said with a bit more sincerity. He blinked his eyes at his brother, acting cutely. "Forgive me, okay, my handsome and generous brother?"

There was still dissatisfaction between Reas' eyebrows, but he still said at the end, "Fine. So, how was your shooting today?"

Astrid smiled at that. His gaze softened as he looked at his brother who was trying to be fierce but couldn't hide his soft heart. 

He chatted with Reas for half an hour. Then, he called their parents and chatted with them for another half an hour. After calling his family, Astrid finally slept with peace of mind. Hoping that tomorrow would go well as it did today.

----------

Unbeknownst to Astrid, a certain someone would destroy that wish. It was a tall man with golden brown hair and a pair of hooded dark gray eyes. His body was lazily slumped on the bed, wearing only a silk robe. 

There was a kind of romantic atmosphere around him. As if anyone who would look at him would be seduced by his charm. One could tell just by a single glance that he's very well versed in the art of seduction.

Yes, it was Lance Reid. 

He was at his mansion, browsing at the profiles of the newcomers part of [The Great War] cast. He was already getting bored. Until he saw the last two profiles. A smile appeared on his handsome face, great interest flickering in his eyes.

"Yujin Wells, Astrid Townsend… hmm… this will be a hard choice, indeed."