Recruited by a Villainess System

The light coming off from the lamp shade drew warmth to the haggard Irene. 

The moon was in its full glory, illuminating the cloudless, dark sky above. 

Irene laid on her side, facing the bedside table. She was in deep thoughts when a ring came up. 

She picked the phone only to see Riley’s name. Laying on her back, Irene paused for a moment before pressing the green button. 

Before she could offer her greetings, Riley’s sharp voice was heard from the phone’s speaker. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re in the same movie as Hattie?! And directed by Vince at that!”

Irene winced and held her phone away from her ear. Her ears stung after that sudden onslaught.

“Good evening to you too,” Irene’s calm voice responded.

Riley realized her outburst caused an unintended harm and regulated her tone after. “Sorry. I was just caught off guard by the news.”

Irene didn’t take that as an offense; it was uncomfortable, but there was nothing more to it. Saying stuff like “no worries’’ or “it’s okay” would only make Riley guiltier, and Irene was disinclined to do that.

Irene sat up and leaned on the headboard. “I apologize. You’re currently working on a novel, so I decided not to tell you this. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Riley was partially cajoled. “You don’t have to be considerate of me. I’m your best friend. I’m worried. Heck, what if Hattie conspires against you? I’m pretty sure she’ll make you the bad guy of the crew.”

“She won’t.” Irene was confident. 

Riley and Irene’s latest encounter with Hattie brought back Riley’s condemnation toward Hattie. So, Riley couldn’t help herself and called Irene after hearing the news of them being in the same film.

It would’ve helped Riley’s frustration if the cast were announced ahead of time; it would serve as her cushion to fall on, and she wouldn’t have shouted in the first place. But, no. All of this would be done during post-production. Vince didn’t plan on announcing the cast before the production was complete. 

If not because of Riley’s connections, she would have stayed oblivious to such news until it was advertised. 

Riley, who was staring at a word processing software, felt conflicted. 

She knew her woes were exaggerated, but she really couldn’t see eye to eye with Hattie. 

Irene spoke. “Maybe she’ll do that to you since she hates you more, but she’s restrained around me. She has to reconsider her actions if she wants to mess with me. I didn’t reach this status in the industry for nothing.” It was evident.

“Do you hear what you’re saying right now?” This was why Riley hated Hattie. “My background shouldn’t dictate how I’m treated.”

Though Riley was getting riled up, Irene’s tone was constant as ever. “But you can’t control Hattie, can you? You’re not her mom who she has to listen to. It’s up to her if she’s open to a new perspective or not. You should leave her be.” 

Riley stopped talking. Irene could hear placating mumbles from Riley’s side, suppressing her anger. 

Irene let Riley compose herself and stayed quiet.

After doing it for over a minute, Riley spoke steadily. “You still have to be cautious.”

Irene’s lips curved, gratified by Riley’s care. “I know. And I will.” Plus, I’m quite confident I won’t be her focus in this film.

Before Riley conceded defeat regarding this issue, a piece of news made its presence known in her mind.

That’s right! Riley slammed her hand on the table.

Riley was giddy and said to Irene, “I almost forgot! How stupid of me. You’re right. I don’t need to worry about her. Alex had already done the job for us.” She laughed at the thought of a rising star stealing a role from Hattie. 

“Lilian actually managed to steal Hattie’s role in this movie, so now Hattie is stuck with a minor character. Of course, god Alex shouldn’t be discredited, but still… This is hilarious.” Riley laughed till her heart’s content. Finally, she could put to rest her pent up frustration. 

Riley’s laugh was contagious, and a few made its way out of Irene’s mouth. “It’s not nice to laugh at someone’s expense.”

“I never claimed I’m nice,” Riley replied while smirking.

Irene was helpless against this attitude of hers and just shook her head in amusement. 

Riley added with a tinged of playfulness, “I would love to meet Lilian and thank her for her ‘heroic deeds’.”

Irene: “I’ll introduce both of you to each other soon once filming is done. Be patient.” 

“Great.” Riley was happy to put this matter down. “But you know what I can’t get my brain to wrap around? Vince. I thought you hate spoiled brats.”

Ahh. This should’ve slipped her mind. Irene facepalmed. A white duvet snuggled her lower body, keeping her toasty with the AC on. “You don’t have the right to say that; you two are two peas in a pod.”

Riley feigned cluelessness. “How come I don’t know that?”

Since this was how she was playing, Irene gladly spelled it out for her. “Both of you have wealthy parents. In my books, you and Vince are spoiled brats.” 

“But I’m different, and that’s why you love me.” On the other side of the phone, Riley, in her DIY office inside her bedroom, squinted her eyes and stuck her tongue out playfully. I’m special.

This sounds familiar. Irene steered the topic away and engaged Lilian by catching her up to the events that had happened the past month.

The both of them chatted for another hour.

Noticing the time, Riley contentedly said, “I’ll hang up. Tomorrow’s your first day; I wouldn’t want our protagonist to have dark circles around her eyes. That would be appalling to watch on the big screen.”

Irene chuckled at this and said in return, “You need to have more faith in my makeup artist and me. An eye bag doesn’t have the power to snatch my spotlight light.”

They said their goodbyes to each other and ended the call in fits of giggles.

Irene laid back down and turned the lamp off.

In contrast to the dim room, the character “8%” displayed in the game-like panel was brightly lit, bringing warmth to Irene’s icy heart.

***

It has been a week since filming commenced. For Lilian, the past month of working out was the calm before the storm. When shooting began, torrents of wind and rain hit her. 

“Cut!” Vince shouted. “You keep making mistakes since this morning. If you can’t act, then leave this industry! I don’t need talentless people around here.” 

Bearing the brunt of those words was the teary-eyed Lilian. She bowed her head, intending to hide her sorry state. However, it was futile. 

The crew witnessed how Vince threw harsh comments toward this pitiful actress. Though they felt bad, they were powerless. Vince was known to have high standards, and anything sub par was trash. 

No one was willing to jump into the fire. Thus, everyone was stuck in bated breath, waiting until they received amnesty from the current situation. 

Vince’s words bounced from one person’s ear to the next. While at it, the poor Lilian’s spine kept getting curved. 

Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Vince said, “Rest. We’ll shoot this scene again tomorrow.” They couldn’t waste time and resources, and from the looks of it, Lilian was not in her prime condition to act. 

Before he dismissed her, he coldly added, “Study this scene well. I won’t tolerate another NG coming from you.”

Lilian flinched at his frigid tone and left the set, ashamed.

When she opened the door of the dressing room, she felt relieved to not see anyone there. She didn’t want anyone’s company as of the moment. All she desired was to be alone, and to sort out her emotions. 

Once she entered, her knees went weak, and she plopped onto the floor. Like a damn bursting, waves of tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. 

After the welcome party, no matter how she shook off that encounter, in the end, it still put a ton of pressure on her shoulders. 

She had always consoled herself. She would prove to others she was worthy to be here. To prove her strength. 

However, the words that came out of Vince’s mouth were like a hurricane tearing down her weak foundation. While on the set, her eyes turned red as she stopped the tears from escaping. Her pride wouldn’t allow herself to be subjected to tears in front of others. 

Now, she was covering her mouth, preventing her sobs from breaking out of the room.

She was finally alone, and she could let it all out. Can I really do it? Or is it all just a pipe dream? 

She only had her initial success in that TV series as her cornerstone, that she was valuable. Yet the words of Hattie and Vince… It shattered her newly found confidence just like that.

Lilian felt hopeless.

Drowning in her own thoughts, a knock interrupted her. “Lilian?” a soft and careful sound came from behind the door.

Stunned by the sudden intrusion of someone, Lilian replied in a hoarse voice, “Yes?”

“It’s me. Could you open the door, please?” Irene’s worry radiated from the tone of her voice. 

It has been half an hour since Lilian entered the dressing room; those soft sobs coming from the room evoked sadness to anyone that heard it.

Knowing that she needed some space, Irene waited till her cries ceased before gently knocking. 

Lilian wiped the remaining tears staining her face and took a deep breath. “Please wait a moment.”

She was more in control of her emotions now and was willing to open the door. Upon seeing the worried look of Irene. Lilian had the urge to cry again. But she held it in, and  tried to flash Irene with a smile. “Sorry for occupying the room all to myself.” 

The dressing room was shared by the two of them. It was supposed to be only for Irene, but Irene insisted on sharing it with Lilian.

Irene didn’t know who Lilian was trying to fool with that shaky smile of hers. Her puffy eyes, the streaks of red at the corner of it, and Lilian’s nasal voice were witnesses to what transpired inside. 

Lilian averted her gaze to Irene’s disbelieving stare and said, “I’ll go straight to the hotel. Sorry for the inconvenience that I caused.”

Lilian looked dejected as she said that.

Silence permeated for a few seconds before Irene opened her mouth. “Lily, how long have we known each other?”

The question came out of the blue and caught Lilian off guard. She hesitatingly said, “Five weeks?”

“And in those Five weeks, how many times have you said sorry to me?”

Lilian’s eyes slightly widened; she clenched her fist. “I’m sorr–“

Her sorry appearance made Irene helpless. 

“I’m not reprimanding you. Lily, you can always lean on me. And You don’t have to constantly apologize to me. Like what Alex said, I’m your sister now, right? Please don’t force yourself. Don’t keep it all in. I’m here. I’m all ears.” Irene stared at her bowed head. 

Heat surged back to Lilian’s eyes. She promptly shut it and nodded instead. 

“Be strong. If you want to reach the summit, you need to be strong, Lily.” Irene was a living proof of this.

Irene’s soft voice caressed Lilian’s aching heart.

Lilian’s heart was stuffy. “It’s hard. Their words hurt.” She was obviously on land but oxygen was having a hard time traversing her lungs. She felt desperate as she kept gasping for air, hiccuping all the while. 

Never before had she been cursed like that nor had she ever been called a slut upon entering this industry. Lilian longed to let these turbulent emotions out, but she didn’t have someone to disclose this to. Sophie and Adrian were buried in work, and she didn’t want Carl to worry about her. 

Lilian felt isolated. She couldn’t find her support, and now cracks have expanded beyond her control.

“It’s supposed to be hard, cause only then could we savor success.” 

Lilian’s sorry look held Irene’s gaze like a child listening to her mother’s coaxing. Now, she wasn’t evading. Lilian sensed from Irene the affection she had been longing for.

“Remember when you said you’ll accompany me in my workout? Now, I’ll say it back to you. I’ll accompany you on your journey to stardom, Lily. You got this.” 

Tears rained down Lilian’s face as she bawled and embraced Irene, clutching Irene’s shirt as she wept. Though she was still in war against her insecurities, Lilian’s heart was cuddled with warmth and anticipation as she saw Irene enter her battlefield, fighting alongside her.

She wasn’t expecting this. 

Lilian wailed.

This time, she opened her heart out to Irene. 

Lilian’s cries eventually died down. She let the last tear fall until it stained the floor before pulling herself away from the hug. 

After her cathartic cry, Lilian was now in the right mind to notice the wet patch on Irene’s dress. She was about to say sorry when Irene patted Lilian’s shoulder. “Have a good rest.”

Irene knew what Lilian was going to say next and decided to stop it beforehand. 

Lilian noticed Irene’s intention and rubbed her nose, feeling like a delinquent that was given a free pass. 

The waved off Lilian took one last glance back. Irene offered her a comforting smile. 

At this very moment, a seed of camaraderie was planted in the heart of Irene and Lilian. However, time would tell if that tree could grow into a towering force that could withstand the winds that would, one day, hit it.