Ellie's Apartment – 6:30 AM
When Ellie opened her eyes, the first thing she felt was excitement.
Last night's dinner with Kyle was still spinning in her mind. She still hadn't gotten over the shock, but at least the feeling that it had all been a dream was finally gone.
Lying under the sheets, she grabbed her pillow, pressed it to her face, and let out a muffled scream. Her legs kicked the bed like an overexcited little girl. Just thinking about last night made her dizzy with happiness.
Her childhood crush. The famous pop star. The man of her dreams Kyle!
His smile. His warm eyes. "You're different."
Those words had melted her. For a moment… just for a moment, it had all felt real.
The alarm went off, and she jumped out of bed.
Today was the first day of filming. The first day on the Summer Love set.
She was caught somewhere between fear and exhilaration.
She grabbed her phone and froze.
"2,137 notifications!"
She rubbed her eyes, thinking she must've read it wrong, but it was real.
Instagram. Twitter. Messages. Calls. Emails. Everything had exploded overnight.
With trembling fingers, she opened Instagram.
There it was thousands of tags under her and Kyle's dinner photo.
Tabloids, fan clubs, brands…
The post had over 89,000 likes.
And the comments
they left her speechless.
"YOU GO, GIRL! Show them what a real woman looks like!"
"Breaking beauty standards one photo at a time!"
"Kyle finally dating a real woman. Respect!"
"Body positivity queen!"
"Ellie Harper is my new role model!"
But of course… the hate was there too.
"Still fat. Is this Photoshop?"
"Did she put a spell on him or what?"
"Bet she's rich."
"She's blackmailing him for sure."
Ellie pressed the phone against her chest. Her heart was pounding.
Was this really happening? Were this many people talking about her?
She'd become famous overnight but not for her voice.
For being a celebrity's girlfriend.
Then it hit her.
Today was her first day on set.
Her face went pale.
"Oh God," she whispered.
"Today's the day I turn back into a pumpkin."
James had promised her things she'd never dreamed of
Fame. Music. Stardom. A movie role.
But Ellie wasn't an actress. She'd only ever wanted one thing to prove her voice.
A romantic comedy musical? That was way out of her league.
This Cinderella story… might end today.
Just then, her phone rang.
It was James.
She answered quickly. "Oh, James! Thank God you called!"
"Good morning, my star," James said, his voice calm as ever. "Have you seen social media?"
"I have!" Ellie was breathless. "James, people have gone crazy! Hundreds. no, thousands"
He laughed softly on the other end, clearly enjoying her excitement.
"You'll have to get used to it, darling," he said. "I told you this would happen. Give it a few months, you'll be America's newest sweetheart."
"I can't believe this," she whispered. Then panic hit her. "James! What are we gonna do? I'll totally freeze today! I'm not an actress! What if we made a mistake?"
"Ellie," he said gently. "Breathe. I trust you. Everyone on that set was an amateur once. You'll learn. You're not starting from zero, you've got the voice. We'll handle the rest."
"But…" she murmured.
"No buts. Get ready. I'm downstairs in five."
"WHAT?! Five minutes?! You couldn't have warned me earlier?!"
"I considered it," James said with a teasing tone. "But honestly, you're adorable when you panic. Couldn't miss the show."
"You evil devil!" Ellie yelled and hung up.
James chuckled. Then, in his playful, flirtatious voice, he muttered,
"To everyone else I'm the devil… but to you, I'm an angel. Be fair, love."
Ellie couldn't help but laugh.
He was right—James was her handsome fairy godfather.
Five Minutes Later – Ellie's Apartment
Ellie's mind was chaos. She'd thrown on a tracksuit, quickly tied up her hair, washed her face
but she still looked hopelessly plain.
"Okay, calm down," she whispered. "It's a set day. There's a stylist. There's makeup. Chill."
But she couldn't.
If a paparazzi caught her like this, she was done for.
She grabbed a cap, slid on sunglasses, and threw an oversized hoodie over her outfit.
"Alright," she murmured, "invisible mode: activated."
The doorbell rang. She rushed to open it and there was James.
Perfect suit. Perfect hair. Perfect smirk.
"What on earth are you wearing?" he asked, raising a brow.
"Shut up," Ellie grumbled and stepped out.
James laughed a deep, genuine laugh.
Leaning down so his face was close to hers, he smirked.
"God, you're cute in the mornings."
"You dragged me out at seven a.m.! What did you expect?" she snapped.
Still laughing, James locked the door behind her.
"Come on, darling. Enough whining, the car's waiting," he said, guiding her toward the elevator.
A few minutes later, the black Mercedes glided smoothly along the highway.
Ellie stared out the window. She'd always loved watching the scenery,
and now the Malibu coast shimmered before her, blue waves, golden sand.
"This is it?" she asked.
"Yep," James replied. "The whole film's being shot here.
For the next six weeks, this will be your new home."
Ellie swallowed hard. "Six weeks?"
"Scared?" he asked.
"Yes," she admitted.
"Good," James said simply. "Fear keeps you alive.
But remember… you're not alone. I'm here. Every step of the way."
Ellie turned to look at him. There was a warmth in his eyes she couldn't quite read,
a protective instinct, almost like he'd known her forever.
"Are you actually some kind of fairy? Why are you being so good to me?" she whispered.
James smiled.
"Because you're my greatest creation.
And I take care of my creations."
Ellie's heart clenched. Creation.
My greatest creation. The words felt strange. No one had ever believed in her like this.
"You don't even know me," she said softly.
"How can you have so much faith in me? It doesn't make sense."
But then he reached out, took her hand, and every doubt melted away.
"I believe in you," he said. "Now it's your turn. Believe in yourself. Everything's gonna be fine, I promise."
The warmth of his hand made her smile.
With him, she felt like she could do anything.
Malibu Film Set – 8:00 AM
The set was pure chaos.
Cameras. Lights. Technicians. The director's chair. Catering tables.
People everywhere.
When Ellie stepped out of the car, her knees nearly gave out.
So many eyes. All of them would be on her.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
She turned to James, shaking her head.
"This is terrifying. Let's go back. Just tell them I got lost on the way!"
She spun around and started toward the car.
But James was suddenly right beside her.
He caught her by the waist and turned her back toward the set.
His tall frame loomed over her, that infuriating smirk still on his face.
"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the director, David."
David Chen was young, energetic, with sharp eyes and glasses.
When he saw Ellie, his face lit up.
"Ellie Harper!" he said. "Finally, a new face on set! Great to have you here. Ready?"
"Ready?" Ellie laughed nervously. "I've never been in front of a camera in my life.
But... I'll do my best."
David smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll start easy.
A simple beach walk scene, and the meet-cute with Kyle. Piece of cake."
Ellie glanced around. "Is Kyle here yet?"
"In his trailer," David said. "Getting makeup done. He'll be out soon."
Just then, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"WHERE'S THE DIRECTOR? AND WHERE'S MY COFFEE?
THIS SET IS A DISASTER!"
Ellie turned toward the sound.
Out stepped a tall, slender woman dressed in a robe, hair bouncing flawlessly, face like it belonged on a magazine cover.
Her walk screamed I'm the star here.
David's jaw tightened. "Oh God… Scarlett."
The woman stopped a few feet away, looked Ellie up and down,
and her lips curled in obvious disdain.
It was clear for Ellie, this day was going to be a long one.
Scarlett looked ready to burn holes right through her skull with those eyes.