"Huh?" Aurora stared at Theodore in confusion.
Theodore smiled as he looked at the sky filled with stars and continued,
"Once I had sat on the rooftop, looked at the sa sky, and vowed that one day I would beco a top celebrity.
I started by doing small gigs and thought that one day all of my hard work would pay off.
From doing 2-second roles, to 10-second roles, and eventually 2-minute roles. I built a bit of my own presence
As the ti passed, I thought I moving toward success. My dream, which I had chased since the age of 12, didn’t get fulfilled even after turning 22. So...I am thinking of giving up."
Theodore still had a smile, but Aurora’s heart ached, hearing the sadness in his voice.
Theodore could feel Aurora’s gaze on him, but he didn’t dare to look in her direction.
He was afraid that she would see the tears brimming in his eyes.
He was afraid that she would know that he had depression, and he was afraid that he would cry.
Every day, he woke up with an optimistic mindset and tried his best not to look at his failures.
But the truth was...it was hard.
He didn’t know if he would ever be successful.
What if one day, he ets one of his friends and cos to realize that he was lagging behind.
What if all his peers had already achieved sothing big in their lives, while he remained a no-na actor?
At the age of 12, he was filled with fierce determination to chase his dreams.
And at the age of 21, he was filled with the fear of choosing wrong.
Life can indeed be funny and cruel at the sa ti.
Aurora’s heart ached when she saw her usually cheerful brother so silent.
He might think that she couldn’t see his tears, but the reality was... she could.
"Brother... don’t. What if soone might be waiting for your next movie? What if sothing better is written in your life..."
Theodore chuckled, and a tear slid down his cheeks,
"That’s the problem, Aurora. I don’t think anything gets better. Each day I wake up and enter the shooting location or audition location, each ti I get scolded by the director or get bullied by a co-worker."
Slowly, he crouched down and sat on the floor. With his back toward the glass railing and hand on his knees, which were bent, he continued.
"I don’t cry, Aurora, because I hope that maybe...maybe my fate will change. I wish that one day, I can stand on the stage and wave the best actor award and give a big f*ck you ssage to all those who have humiliated .
But as the days pass, the treatnt seems to be getting worse and worse. So of the directors scold for being late even if I arrive 5 minutes before.
So casting directors let wait outside in the cold, only to reject without taking my audition. Sotis I win a role, but they are snatched by soone with more connections.
What is even more funny, that I only get body double roles. They ask to repeat the scenes till I have bruises all over my body. One ti, I was cast as an evil supporting character who only got slapped again and again.
And the funniest part? The audience cheered, and so even said that they wanted to beat ."
Aurora’s eyes widened the more she listened.
Her brother... he was bullied so much?
Aurora felt like soone had punched her in the chest.
She stared at Theodore, who now looked so small and tired, crouched down on the cold balcony floor.
The moonlight made the tears on his cheeks shine like silver threads, and her heart clenched even more.
She had always seen him as strong—the cheerful, goofy older brother who teased her, protected her, and smiled through everything.
But now, hearing all this... it was like the dam he had been holding back for years had finally cracked.
Quietly, Aurora walked over and sat beside him. She didn’t speak at first.
The silence wrapped around them like a heavy blanket.
All she could hear was the soft rustling of leaves and Theodore’s uneven breathing.
After a few seconds, she gently placed her hand over his.
"They had no right to treat you like that," she said, her voice soft but firm.
Theodore gave a bitter smile.
"That’s just how it works, Aurora. The industry’s cruel. No one really cares unless you’re already famous. If you’re not connected, you’re disposable."
Aurora squeezed his hand.
"Then screw them. You’re not disposable. You’re talented, Theo. You’ve worked so hard, and you never gave up, even when everything pushed against you."
He didn’t reply, just stared out at the night sky like it held all the answers.
Aurora leaned closer and whispered, "I know I can’t fix everything. But I want you to know, you’re already a star to ."
Theodore let out a shaky laugh. "That’s because you’re my sister. You’re stuck with ."
"No," she said quickly.
"It’s not because I have to support you. It’s because I believe in you. You think you haven’t made it, but you’ve already co so far."
He glanced at her, his eyes red but soft.
Aurora continued,
"Rember when we were younger? You used to put on those silly plays in the living room. You’d use a mop as your sword and the sofa as your castle."
Theodore chuckled. "Yeah, and you’d always be the dragon."
She grinned. "Exactly. You’ve always had that spark, Theo. You made people smile even when you didn’t have an audience."
The smile faded from her face as she added,
"You’re allowed to feel tired. You’re allowed to want to give up sotis. But don’t throw away everything you’ve built because of people who never saw your worth."
Theodore looked down at their joined hands. His shoulders slumped a little, like the weight he’d been carrying had beco just a bit lighter.
"Theo, the biggest privilege soone can have is chasing their dream. You have it...don’t let it get to waste." Aurora said softly.
Theodore nodded.
"Yeah..."
Aurora suddenly leaned toward Theodore and hugged his arms,
"Theo, you know what you have that guarantees your success? Consistency and perseverance. The magic of life is...when you feel everything is falling apart... maybe it ans that you are finally going to get the fruit of your struggles."
"Thanks, Aurora," he whispered. "I don’t say it enough, but... I’m glad you’re my sister."
Aurora gave him a small, warm smile. "I know."
’Why god... why are you so harsh on my second brother? This silly guy may smile and joke around to make everyone laugh; however, why does each ti life make it so that everyone is laughing at him instead?’ She thought silently.
’But that won’t be the case anymore. Since they love to bully so much, I will make sure to let them have a taste of their dicine.’
"Brother, go and rest. The next day, when you wake up, a huge surprise will be waiting for you." Aurora smiled sweetly.
Theodore chuckled, thinking Aurora was just trying to cheer him up,
"Alright."
He stood up and was about to leave when Aurora suddenly asked,
"Which is the director that you hate the most?"
"Hm... Director Shawn." Theodore replied. He was the evil director who had molested Theodore.
Though Theodore wanted to take revenge against him, Director Shawn was one of the most famous directors with a powerful backer, and it was impossible to ever go against him.
Aurora smiled and said,
"I am jinx. So I will jinx that Director Shawn would lose with entire career within one week."
"Hahaha!" Theodore couldn’t contain his laughter.
His sister was too cute.
Did she think that just because she said that a famous director would lose his career just because she was jinxing him?
Just how far can she go for him?
She is such a sweetheart!
He will buy her her favorite cake.
Theodore walked back inside with a small, tired smile on his face, while Aurora stayed seated on the balcony.
She stared at the stars, her eyes no longer soft but sharp with determination.
Her gentle smile faded the mont he left.
"Director Shawn, huh?" she muttered to herself, her voice cold. "Let’s see how long you stay at the top."
She stood up slowly, brushing the dust off her pajama pants.
Tonight, she will burn down his entire reputation.
He would regret bullying his brother.
She walked back to her room with a cup of coffee.
Turning on the computer again, she used her hacking skills and soon hacked into Director Shawn’s phone.
The mont she got the access to his albums, she smirked,
"You are done for...you old ba*stard! Huh... why is this back looking so familiar..."
Her attention was attracted by one of the videos, and when she opened the video, her face froze.
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