Lost in Spotlight

Their Beginning

"Luna, where are you off to this time?" her father asked, eyeing her outfit.

"Ask your wife," she replied, making a face.

Her father chuckled. "Oh, I see. You have an interview?"

Luna took a sip of coffee and nodded.

"Where's your mom, by the way?" she asked.

"She went to drop Rustyn and Dan off," her father replied.

Luna nodded thoughtfully.

"Luna, you don't want to do a job, right?" her father asked gently.

She looked around the room before responding, "Isn't it obvious, Dad?"

Her father nodded sympathetically. "I know. But your mom is right; you need to be independent. You can't rely on us forever. I mean, I don't have any problem with it, but we don't know what the future holds. One day, you'll have to live without us. What would you do then?" His tone turned serious.

Luna sighed. "Okay, Dad. I'll try to get selected today."

Her father smiled reassuringly. "Yes, you will. I know you're very capable. And I have a personal connection with your boss; I've put in a good word for you."

"I asked you not to interfere, but you never listen to me," Luna said, standing up.

"Okay, I'm leaving," she added, hugging her father before walking out of the house.

Ryan woke up to the sound of his alarm and silenced it. After a refreshing shower, his phone started ringing. He smiled slightly as he saw Liam's name on the screen.

"Am I dreaming? Mr. Ryan picked up my call in two rings," Liam said, exaggerating.

"You might be dreaming. We never know," Ryan teased.

"I'm coming today. Send me your shooting location, and I'll be there to surprise you," Liam said.

"What kind of surprise is that, Liam? You're already telling me you'll be there," Ryan pointed out.

"That's my pattern, Mr. Ryan," Liam replied.

"Okay, I'll send it," Ryan said before ending the call.

Ryan met Alex downstairs. "We have two shoots today," Alex informed him, explaining the schedule.

As they headed out without breakfast, Alex asked, "Sir, Liam called me asking about you. You spoke with him?"

"Yes, I talked to him this morning. And yes, send him our location – he's coming," Ryan replied.

"Got it," Alex said.

Luna stepped into a grand office, its interior designed with elegance. She looked around, taking in the sophisticated atmosphere, before approaching the receptionist.

"Excuse me, could you please tell me where the interview is being held?" Luna asked.

The receptionist apologized, "I'm sorry to inform you, ma'am, but the interviews have been rescheduled for tomorrow. Sir is busy today."

Luna's expression changed. "What do you mean? You should have informed us at least. There are many freshers waiting in the room, and it seems like you people don't care. What kind of management is this?"

"You can discuss this with Sir Liam tomorrow. There's no need to create a scene here," she replied calmly.

Luna couldn't think of a comeback and left the office. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number.

"Can you meet me at the coffee shop right now?" she asked.

"At this time?" the person replied.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Luna said.

"Okay, relax, I'm coming," the person assured her.

Ryan wrapped up his shoot, having efficiently completed the task at hand. He was exceptionally skilled at his craft, which explained why shoots rarely took up much of his time.

Alex approached him. "Sir, Liam called. He wants to meet you at the coffee shop and has sent the location."

Ryan let out a deep sigh. "Okay. You're free to go as well. Meet me tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir," Alex replied, smiling.

Ryan chuckled. "You look happy, like I'd kidn*pped you, and you're finally escaping."

Luna reached her favorite coffee shop, a place she made it a point to visit at least three times a week despite the distance from her house. As she entered, someone stepped in front of her.

"Finding me?" she asked with a smile.

"No, actually, I'm looking for Miss Lia Wickett. Do you know her?"

"Great. Hello then, I'm Lia," the woman replied, smiling. They sat down together.

"Lia, I'm not in a good mood today. Please order my coffee," Luna said, making a face.

"What happened? You called me in such a hurry. I was sleeping in my bed," Lia responded.

"Look, all of you get to rest, but my mom doesn't let me. She wants me to get a job," Luna explained.

"You had an interview. What happened?" Lia asked.

"It's canceled," Luna said, scowling.

On the other hand, Ryan entered the coffee shop, looking for Liam. Wearing a mask to avoid recognition, he scanned the room. He had stopped going to public places due to the constant attention, but today he made an exception for Liam.

Spotting Liam, Ryan approached him. Liam stood up and hugged him.

"Why are you late?" Liam asked, inquiring.

"I had to get this mask first," Ryan replied, making a face.

Liam chuckled. "Haha, why do you wear them? Let people recognize you. You always wanted to be famous."

Ryan's tone saddened. "It wasn't me."

Liam changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm here because I've made a decision. I'm rejoining my business, and guess what? This time, I'm joining as the CEO."

Ryan smiled. "That's great, Liam. I'm happy for you. You've finally made a decision."

"How will you have coffee with that mask?" Liam asked, amused.

"I don't like coffee," Ryan replied. "But let's grab yours and get into the car. I'm suffocating."

Ryan's anxiety took over. "Okay, you go, I'm coming," Liam said, nodding.

Ryan turned to head back to his car, but when he turned back, a guy holding coffee accidentally collided with him. Scalding coffee spilled all over Ryan's arms, soaking his T-shirt.

Ryan's arms were burning, but instead of apologizing, the guy who spilled the coffee started shouting. "Are you blind? Can't you see? You wasted my coffee."

"I'll get you a new one, and it was your mistake," Ryan replied, trying to clean his arm with tissue paper. However, his hands were so red and sore that he struggled to hold them.

The guy continued to shout, but a girl intervened. "You spilled the coffee over him, and instead of being sorry, you're shouting at him?" It was Lia, the same girl who had been sitting with her friend earlier.

Lia's friend rushed towards Ryan, took the tissue box, and gently cleaned his arm. Concern etched on her face, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Ryan couldn't say anything; he just looked at her face and nodded. Her expression softened further.

"Is it hurting?" she asked, her voice filled with empathy.

Ryan nodded again, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yes."

"We are so sorry, sir," the manager apologized, approaching them.

"Do you have a medical box? We need it more than sorry right now," the girl said, her voice firm but concerned.

The manager handed them a medical box, and the girl asked Ryan to move to a table side, as the people nearby were being disturbed. Ryan couldn't say anything, but he listened to her instructions.

She used the healing cream and spread it gently over his arm. "Is it better now?" she asked.

"Yes," Ryan replied, feeling a sense of relief.

"You should go to the doctor as well, so it doesn't leave burn marks. The cream is for temporary coolness," she advised, smiling slightly.

She stood up, about to leave, when Ryan asked, "What's your name?"

"Luna," she replied.