A kiss scene?
Hearing those words, mother and daughter, Renata and Rebeca Verne, reacted in completely opposite ways.
Renata frowned, a mix of suspicion and unease crossing her gaze. To her, Alex - known in the entertainment world for his irresistible charm and notorious reputation - was clearly looking for an opportunity to take advantage of her daughter. Every detail of the invitation, every gesture from the director, seemed suspect. Memories of scandals involving artists denouncing abuse, like the Harvey Weinstein cases, still haunted her, and she would never allow anyone to exploit Rebeca the same way. Her daughter was her most precious treasure.
Rebeca, on the other hand, felt only curiosity and a flicker of anticipation. After all, the world was hypocritical: it wasn't some old, overweight man making the offer, but the most prominent actor and artist of her generation, someone she admired deeply and even harbored a quiet affection for. She couldn't help but whisper, hesitantly:
"Director Alex… do you think a character like Aizen… would fit in a kiss scene?"
As a long-time fan of Bleach, Rebeca couldn't imagine the reserved and arrogant Aizen ever romantically involved with any woman. The idea seemed absurd.
"It's not for Bleach, it's for another series," Alex explained, realizing he hadn't clarified himself properly.
A kiss scene with Aizen? That would completely destroy the character's essence. The role demanded an aura of supremacy, untouchable, almost divine. Any forced romance would ruin the character's entire presence. Perhaps if the story leaned into some kind of dark romance, it could make sense; but for many fans obsessed with Alex, that would never happen. Aizen wasn't the protagonist; he was the final boss. Expecting a love story from him would be like expecting Michael Corleone to suddenly become a romantic lead - completely anticlimactic.
Hearing that Alex's project for his daughter didn't involve Bleach, Renata's frown deepened. To her, this only reinforced her suspicion: Alex had questionable intentions toward Rebeca.
After a few casual words to change the subject, Renata quickly found an excuse to take Rebeca away. Alex shrugged, thinking that this aunt really never changed. The cliché of the "innocent goddess" no longer worked.
The young fans of old, shaped by strict mentors and life experience, had grown up. And with so many beautiful faces seen over the years, Rebeca's charm no longer had the same impact.
"But mom, what are you doing?" Rebeca muttered, annoyed at being dragged away.
"Do you really want to stay there? Are you seriously planning to film a kiss scene with him?" Renata said firmly, aware of the dangers in the adult world that her daughter hadn't fully grasped yet.
"It's not that I can't… I'm already 25…" Rebeca murmured hesitantly.
"If you do that kind of scene, you'll ruin the image the public has of you. And now that you're a film actress, going back to TV would be a step backward, understand?" Renata sighed, exhausted by her daughter's rebellion.
"I haven't released a good movie in years. The audience keeps criticizing me… maybe going back to TV would be safer," Rebeca muttered to herself, thinking about how little her mother understood the reality. Despite the criticism, her acting skills were intact; she knew that.
Although still at the peak of her beauty, five or six years in the film industry hadn't brought the recognition she expected. Watching rising stars like Emily, Sabrina, and Samantha climb the ranks only heightened her frustration. Returning to TV seemed safer than risking another failure in cinema.
"You don't understand anything! Listen to your mother!" Renata feigned irritation.
"It's precisely because I always listen to you that my films keep failing…" Rebeca grumbled mentally.
Even so, Renata held her ground. She would not allow her daughter to return to TV. Otherwise, all the reputation and prestige Rebeca had earned would vanish. To Renata, her daughter was her little treasure. And filming a kiss scene with Alex? It would be like throwing a lamb into a tiger's den.
Renata's mindset remained stuck in the past, the era when Rebeca portrayed roles that had captivated an entire generation of fans. No matter how many obstacles arose, she would never admit defeat and would never yield.
Suddenly, a sarcastic voice echoed, heavy with irony. Alex barely recognized who it was.
Any ex-girlfriend of Alex had a habit of speaking to him with a sharp, sarcastic edge - a typical trait. Emily hadn't been any different when she played Orihime - the same piercing irony.
Alex turned and saw… Ah! It was the stunning Sasha!
"I'm not interested in that kind of thing with her. Sasha, you're way more beautiful than she is," Alex said, shrugging.
Although Rebeca had been the dream of many fans from the '80s and '90s, Alex had never been that impressed by her. The kiss scene had nothing to do with personal interest - it was just part of the series' plot he was producing.
Many admired Rebeca because of the childhood filter - idealized memories of her early roles, like a national version of Emma Watson. But aside from that, there were countless actresses with equal or even superior looks. Sasha was one of them, especially now, just past thirty, radiating a subtle mix of maturity and married-woman charm.
"Oh, look at that, the great Director Alex, always in love with 18-year-olds, still noticing a thirty-year-old like me~" Sasha teased, dripping with the irony Alex knew so well.
"Uh… we were both almost twenty-five when we dated, right?" Alex replied, slightly embarrassed. He felt the world had completely misunderstood him. Even within his fan club, there were memes comparing him to Leonardo DiCaprio, but he had never limited himself to eighteen-year-olds - any beautiful woman caught his attention, regardless of age.
Of course, it didn't need to be as exaggerated as Renata imagined. When he was younger, Alex also dated women five or six years older than him, always recalling the saying: "Old pot makes the best stew."
"You idiot!"
For a woman over thirty, bringing up age was practically inviting war. Sasha, still confident in her temper, picked up the champagne glass she held and aimed it at Alex - a provocative and dangerous gesture at the same time.
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