Enchanted Nightfall: Falling for Destiny

Alexander rolled his eyes as he took a swig from his beer. “Man, if it wasn’t for that I need your help to track her down, I’d rather you didn’t meet her at all.”

“Why’s that?” Tyrone asked, leaning back on the worn leather couch.

“I’m afraid you’ll try to steal her away from me!” he half–joked, with a smirk playing on his lips.

“Get outta here,” Tyrone scoffed, while setting his own drink down with a thud. “It’s just a woman. Is she really worth all this fuss to you?”

Lately, Tyrone’s mind had been anywhere but on his work. Shirley had laid out a whole list of appointments, but the boss hadn’t so much as blinked an eye.

Shirley was itching to get out early but didn’t dare to ask. Everyone knew that the boss was in one of his moods lately.

Only one item remained on her list. She cleared her throat softly and ventured, “Mr. York, Kevin’s prepped to merge the two newly acquired companies into a media conglomerate. He’s planning a trip to Zion City to scope things out and is requesting a couple days off.”

That caught the boss’s attention. “Hold on, what’s Kevin up to again?”

Shirley quickly replied, “Kevin’s asking for a short leave. He’s aiming to do some recon in Zion City.”

Tyrone’s response was curt. “Tell him no, the leave’s not approved. He doesn’t need to go.”

“Why not?”

“Because–I’m going.”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Quintessa arrived in Zion City a day late due to a music video shoot with Snow, and she hadn’t even had a moment for water before she had to rush into costume and makeup to start filming.

As she sat in the makeup chair, she ran her lines.

The scene for the day was a dark one where her character, Queen Seraphina, plots a miscarriage. Playing Seraphina was like second nature to Quintessa. All she had to do was channel the character’s malevolence, ruthlessness, and lust for power, and she’d nail it. Simple.

Even Director Fitch Frost, who was not too pleased about the delay Quintessa caused, could not deny her perfect portrayal of Queen Seraphina. Watching her act was both a treat and a chilling experience.

The treat was her beauty; the chill came from her cold–blooded performance.

So, while Quintessa breezed through her scenes without a hitch, it was Roxanne Ferber, the lead actress, who kept getting stopped.

Fitch, feeling exasperated, finally snapped, “Roxanne, what’s the deal? Can’t you act? You’re stiff as a board. If you can’t cut it, we might as well replace you. Look at Quintessa, for crying out loud. Can’t you

take a hint from her?”

During a break, the cast lounged in the makeup room where Roxanne, with deliberate loudness, spewed sarcasm. “Someone already think she’s A–lister, strutting around like she’s hot stuff, without having even made her debut. But she’ll never make it big–she’ll be just a nobody forever, trading favors for minor roles.”

14:47

Quintessa, sipping the water that her assistant Manny handed her, just smirked.

Roxanne, with her sweet looks, had been in the industry for a few years without making a big splash. Still, she had connections, and for Fitch’s latest project, she was a significant investor.

The other actresses, mostly lesser–known, clustered around Roxanne. One of them, eager to ingratiate herself, said, “C’mon, Roxanne, why let some trash get under your skin? I heard she’s been with everyone from the producers to the stagehands, and that’s the only reason she got this part.”

Women can be strange creatures, often banding together to ostracize someone more attractive out of sheer instinct.

And Quintessa was the one being ostracized.