Celeste never meant to be noticed.
Back home, beauty was something you hid behind quiet smiles and sun dresses, the kind of thing people whispered about but never celebrated. She grew up trying to shrink herself– smaller footsteps, gentler words, head bowed just enough to avoid questions she didn't know how to answer.
But the city didn't allow that.
The moment she stepped out of the terminal, the world hit her in a rush of light and noise. Taxi horns, flashing billboards, windows polished like mirrors, reflecting a version of her she barely recognized. Here, beauty wasn't an accident, rather, BEAUTY RULED.
And she had no idea how to survive it.
Up in a glass tower across the street, Roland Vince paused mid-sentence, the boardroom's conversation fading into useless hum. He shouldn't have been looking. He never looked. But the girl below standing alone with a scuffed suitcase and uncertainty written in every line of her posture drew his attention like gravity.
Unpolished, uncertain, unaware of what she carried. The rare kind of beauty people paid fortunes to imitate.
He watched as she hesitated at the curb, clutching a folder to her chest. She looked like she'd stepped into the wrong universe, and yet, somehow fit it more than the people who belonged there.
His CFO cleared his throat. "Roland? Your input?"
Roland didn't answer. He couldn't. Because the girl below shifted her weight, the city's light catching her profile, and something unfamiliar flickered beneath his ribs.
No, not unfamiliar. Unwelcome.
She didn't know it yet, but she was standing on the edge of transformation. A world of cameras, competition, seduction, and power ready to swallow her whole. She would need guidance, protection, a teacher almost.
Roland exhaled sharply.
And for the first time in a long time, he wanted to be involved in something he absolutely shouldn't.
Celeste glanced up then, not at him, not at anything in particular, just a lost girl looking for a sign. And Roland felt the kind of pull that made men reckless
She was about to become someone breathtaking.
Someone dangerous.
Someone he had no business wanting.
But the city had noticed her, and unfortunately, so did he.
Celeste didn't have long to absorb the city before a sharp voice cut through the noise.
"There you are! Honestly sweetheart, if you move any slower, the pigeons are going to evolve before we make it to the studio ."
A hand, manicured, impatient and undeniably in charge wrapped around Celeste's forearm and tugged her out of place. Celeste stumbled forward, nearly losing grip of her suitcase
Christine Laurent didn't pause to check.
She was everything Celeste wasn't: tall, angular, confident in a way that made the sidewalk feel like her personal runway. Her black sunglasses hid half her face, but the smirk curling at her lips said she was already filing Celeste under project… or problem.
"Welcome to Lurex Models," Christine said, weaving through tourists. "Rule number one: no standing still. Ever. Stillness is for the statues and people without a future."
Celeste nodded even though she wasn't sure she understood.
Christine didn't slow down. Didn't soften. Didn't even look back to see if celest was truly following. She just assumed she would.
"You're lucky," Christine continued. "Nathan scouted you himself. He barely scouts anymore. Said you had a face that could start wars… once we teach it how to actually do something ."
Celeste flushed. She had never thought of her face as anything but… hers.
Christine sighed loudly. "Don't look like that. People would kill for this opportunity. Try to at least look like you're excited."
Celeste tried to smile. It came out fragile.
Christine rolled her eyes. "Oh , how pathetic." She clicked her tongue. "We'll fix that… if it's even fixable "
She tugged at Celeste's chin, forcing her face upward, tilting her head like she was adjusting a mannequin
" you're pretty, sure'" Christine muttered, "but beauty isn't everything. Especially when it's wasted on someone who has no idea how to use it."
Celeste's throat tightened. "I… I just need practice"
Christine scoffed "you need a miracle"
Before celest could Shrink any further, the door opened, and Nathan stepped in.
Christine's posture stiffened, forcing a polite smile. But the sharpness in her eyes never left. The jealousy simmered just beneath the surface.
Nathan walked in briskly, scanning the room. "Alright, I wanted to see how things are going with the new talent."
Christine moved forward immediately. "She's… trying," Christine said, her voice sweet but dripping with barely concealed contempt. "A lot of work, but we're managing."
Celeste shrank under her gaze. Every word felt like a reminder that she didn't belong here– at least not yet.
Nathan's eyes flicked to Celeste. "I'll be the judge of that."
Christine stiffened, sensing the shift. "Well, she's new. Needs guidance from someone experienced of course."
Nathan nodded giving Celeste a quick assessing look. "I'll be working with her directly. But I want to see her potential without anyone smoothing the edges too much."
Christine forced a tight-lipped smile. "Of course."
As Nathan left the room, celest exhaled, feeling both relief and weight of Christine's lingering glare.
Christine turned immediately her voice low and sharp.
"You'd better get used to it. This isn't a game. And I don't intend on making it easy for you."
Celeste swallowed hard, realizing Christine's hostility was just only beginning.
Christine's heels clicked sharply against the floor as she left the room. Her departure leaving an almost tangible silence behind. Celeste slumped against the wall, the weight of the day pressing on her. She had imagined the city would be glamorous, full of excitement and opportunity, instead she felt small, exposed and entirely out of her depth.
Memories crept in uninvited, snippets from her small hometown. The cruel laughter of classmates when she dared to dream big. "You'll never make it in the city,." They had said. "You might be beautiful, but that's all there is to you. You're too soft, too plain. The city is nowhere for a girl like you. Any wealthy man here would happy have you as their wife. In the city? You're a flop waiting to happen." Celeste had always brushed it off, but now, standing here in the empty studio, these words gnawed at her. For the first time, she almost agreed with them.
Her hands moved almost unconsciously to the straps of her bag. Maybe they were right. Maybe she didn't belong here at all. The thought of going back, of retreating into the familiar safety of her old life, was tempting. She could pack her things and leave quietly, avoid the embarrassment, avoid the effort.
Her fingers were curling around the handle of her bag when she froze.
"Leaving so soon?" The voice was smooth, deep, and rich. Calm but commanding.
Celeste's heart stuttered. Her gaze lifted and there, standing across from the door was a man who seem to command the room without even trying. He was impossibly tall, broad shouldered, yet his presence was balanced by an elegance that made him seem sculpted rather than just physically imposing. His jaw strong, perfectly angular, framed by dark hair that caught the light just enough to make it shine. His eyes, gray, almost silver, were sharp and intense. They seemed to look right thought her, seeing both her fear and her potential in one swift glance.
His suit was immaculate, tailored to perfection, hugging him in all the right places, hinting at power and refinement. There was an effortless masculinity about him, the kind that made it impossible to look away. Like every inch of him was designed to draw attention without ever asking for it.
Celeste froze, her bag dangling uselessly from her hand. She's never seen anyone like him. Not in magazines, not in movies, not even in the dreams she'd had about the city. He radiated a dangerous combination of confidence, elegance and heat, making her pulse race and her thoughts stumble over themselves.
He didn't move closer, didn't smile, didn't say more. Yet somehow, his mere presence stopped her in her tracks.
"I'm Mr Vince, Roland Vince." He said finally. His voice low, smooth, and effortless, almost like a promise. "And you are?"
Celeste swallowed hard, feeling both exposed and inexplicably alive. Her fingers loosened around her bag. Something in her chest told her leaving wasn't an option anymore. Not at this moment, not yet.