There's a time in every person's life when their life seems to have got stuck. Nothing good was happening, and it was like they were in a dark hole with no signs of light.
Some time ago, Katherine was going through the same time.
Her life had become very stale and depressing, and she had even started sessions with a psychologist due to too much stress in both her personal and professional life.
It had mainly happened due to her divorce, which completely ruined her life and made her experience the meaning of a midlife crisis.
Even in her workplace, she was not able to focus much. She felt like life didn't have any meaning, and no matter what she did, she would never achieve happiness.
It was at that moment that 'Lost in the Sky' had gone viral.
At first, she had only seen her colleagues and other juniors talking about it, and most of them had told her that the song was really good and the singer was a rare talent that would go a long way.
Hearing all those praises, she became curious about Aiden and tried to find information about him. After all, it was an entertainment reporter's job to keep up with what was going on in the industry, and if Aiden was really someone who could go a long way, then it was better to have an eye on him.
It was then that Katherine listened to 'Lost in the Sky' for the first time.
At first, she thought that it was a good song and nothing more than that. But when she focused more on the meaning behind the lyrics, she felt that they were very poetic and seemed to be telling a story.
The song was basically telling her that even if bad things were happening at the moment, she would rise above them one day, and everything was going to be okay.
Even if the current chapter of one's life was sorrowful and hurtful, the might be better.
Those words have really stayed with her, and for some reason, in a tough time, they had given her hope that it would be fine.
Sometimes in life, even small things are able to uplift someone and at least give them a small thread of hope. 'Lost in the Sky' was exactly that for Katherine, and because of that, she had become Aiden's fan.
She had gone through his songs and movies, not because she was a reporter but as a fan of Aiden.
That's why, when the editor-in-chief of Hollywood Weekly had said that they were going to put Aiden on their cover for the next issue due to his movie winning at the Toronto film festival, she was excited to be the one to interview him.
"So, let's start the interview," Katherine said, looking at Aiden in front of her.
Now that she was taking the interview, Katherine wasn't letting her admiration of Aiden ruin the interview. She was acting as professional as she could be.
They were sitting in a room with cameras all around them. The lightning had been kept to a minimum, enough that the focus was more on Katherine and Aiden.
Aiden, who had just gone through a photoshoot, was smiling as he anticipated the questions.
"So, what exactly is your song 'Lost in the Sky' about? It topped the charts last month, but people know very little about it. Can you describe what you wanted to integrate into it?"
She started off with a simple question, and Aiden thought for a bit before opening his mouth.
"It's a mixture. When I was making it, it wasn't easy because I wanted the song to be filled with the thoughts of a guy who is lonely, so the first part of it is just questions that many people would have at some point in their life; then the chorus…"
Like that, the interview continued as Aiden tried hard to answer every question.
Before coming here, Wade had already given him a brief of what sort of questions he would face. He had also looked up Katherine's earlier interviews and had found that she wasn't a provocative reporter.
Though, there were still some sensitive questions.
Like what he thought about his songs doing better than other established singers and what he thought when his movie beat the movies of veteran directors at the Toronto film festival. There were also questions like his thoughts about the current state of Hollywood and the rise of franchise movies and superhero cinematic universes.
She also asked about [30 days of Happiness] releasing on theatre and how he thought it would fare at the box office.
In the end, there was even a question related to his personal life.
"Everyone believes that you came all the way from India and made a name for yourself but didn't your uncle used to own a studio? Was it not easier for you because of that?"
Wade, who was standing beside a camera, gave Aiden a worried look hearing that question.
"My uncle had a studio a long time ago. He's mostly retired now, and the studio closed down."
Aiden said, not showing any emotions on his face.
As Uncle Sam worked in Hollywood before, Aiden knew that sooner or later, his name was going to start being related to him. Until now, it hadn't happened just because Aiden's popularity wasn't a lot.
That's why he had already prepared for it in advance.
"Does that mean you didn't take his help to get roles?"
"No, not really. As I said, my uncle is retired. My agent helped me get the role in [Black Saints], and as for my debut movie, [Shadows of War], a friend told me about the movie and said to audition. That's how I made my debut."
Aiden said, trying to be as clear as he could. If he didn't really explain himself, people were surely going to think that his connections had played a big part in him getting roles.
Though, even if people believed that he didn't feel like his popularity would have an effect.
After all, his struggle was something that most people who followed him had seen. At most, people would think that he was trying to achieve everything on his own and not use the connections his family had, giving him a much better reputation.
In the past, there had actually been cases like that.
"Okay, let's get to another question."
Fortunately, Katherine didn't hang on to it for longer, and Wade took a sigh of relief. They continued on with the interview like this.
After more than an hour, the interview finally ended, and Aiden sighed inwardly.
'I thought I would mess up so many times.'
Thinking that he put a hand on his chest. It was one of the most detailed interviews he ever had, with Katherine asking all sorts of questions, both about him as a person and his work life.
"That was a nice interview. You did well."
Katherine said, walking up to him with a smile.
"Thanks."
"Can you please give me your autograph?"
She suddenly asked, and Aiden finally noticed the signature board in her hands. Without wasting any time, he took out his pen and started scribbling away his autograph on it.
Though, he was still a bit clumsy at it due to little practice.
"I'm actually a big fan of yours. 'Lost in the Sky' is the first song on my playlist."
"Really?" Aiden was a bit surprised when he heard that because Katherine hadn't acted like she was his fan till now.
"Yes, I also bought the soundtrack album of [30 days of Happiness] and will watch the movie when it is released."
Katherine stated and talked a bit more about why she had liked the song and how she felt that Aiden was going to be a big star in the future.
Hearing all that, Aiden could only feel flattered.
In the end, Katherine took out her business card and passed it to Aiden. He saw that there were two phone numbers written on it. One looked to be a personal number.
"This is my business card in case you need me for something. I want to be in contact as my instincts say good things about you. So, if you have any job as a reporter, don't hesitate to call me. Ah, there's also my personal number on it in case my other one is busy." She smiled before adding. "You could also call me if you just want to grab some drinks."
After saying that, Katherine left, and Aiden was only left thinking of one thing.
'She was surely hitting on me.'
***
In a conference room, a man with white beard and an angry look on his face was shouting at the employees gathered in front of him.
"We need to get everything right. We can't expect others to go easy on us, so we need to crush them from the start. I need every couple out there to go and see [Leap in the Sky]. Try to use Harold's popularity anyhow and get me a good plan that doesn't seem generic."
The man was Rodrigo Burke, the producer of [Leap in the Sky] and also the same person who had fallen out with Leo.
Currently, he was in the middle of a marketing meeting for the movie.
"We need to target all the couples. We are lucky that no big movies are releasing next to us, and we have the capability to crush the smaller ones, especially [30 days of Happiness]."
He shouted and one of the employees raised his head with a bit of fear on his face.
"Sir, why [30 days of Happiness]? There are other movies releasing at the same time too. That movie would surely get a niche audience interested in him."
"I don't care about it. I just want that movie to flop!"
...
