The next few weeks went by in a blur.
Within it, Niall had mailed two copies each of his novel--paperback and hardcover--to his parents and Camille.
They had been pretty ecstatic about it, of course... though Clark and Claire were still a bit sulky that their son hadn’t come home for Christmas and New Year’s.
Niall, genuinely sorry for missing out on both as he had been busy with the final stretches of the production of [The Token of Fate] at the time, apologized and promised to visit as soon as he was less busy.
Asides that though, the young artist had began working on the songs for [Silver Comets]. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to make anything that came remotely close to what he wanted.
Still, he persisted and continued, believing it was only a matter of time before he nailed down the specifics of it all.
In any case, by the time the last week of March came around, practically a day before the first Premiere of [The Promised Queen], Niall had visited the barber’s shop to trim down the length of his hair.
Then he’d proceeded to head on to a boutique to buy two suits--a navy-blue and a khaki-brown apparel--alongside two pairs of glossy, black oxford shoes.
Granted Niall wasn’t particularly one for Hollywood parties, events and the likes, he had two major rules he’d set for himself as an actor, way before his regression in fact, the second of which was;
Stay out of the spotlight when you’re not needed. Own it completely when you are.
That was why, knowing fully well the sort of attention he might get after the viewings were over, he had come fully prepared to charm and act like he belonged there.
Adjusting the buttons on his navy-blue blazer which had been ironed and pressed to a tee much like the rest of his suit, the young man gave himself one more look over in the mirror, fixed his hair a bit, grabbed his phone and keys, then headed out.
Forty minutes later, he arrived at the venue.
The TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood Boulevard.
As one would expect, it was crowded and super-charged with excitement.
Barricades had been set up along the sidewalks, holding back clusters of fans and onlookers, many of which were waving and screaming, all whilst recording with their phones.
A deep crimson carpet had been placed down, stretching from the curb all the way to the theatre’s grand entrance.
Massive vertical banners of [The Promised Queen] flanked both sides of the walkway, swaying gently in the evening breeze.
Spotlights were mounted along the perimeter, each sweeping slowly across the evening sky, their beams crossing overhead in a deliberate, almost theatrical pattern.
Closer to the entrance, a wall of photographers had already gathered behind their designated lines, cameras hanging from their necks, their hands poised and ready for the next celebrity to arrive.
Every so often, a burst of flashes went off upon the arrival of yet another known celebrity stepping onto the carpet.
Finding a space to park his car, Niall killed the engine and sat in the vehicle for a brief moment.
Surely, this wasn’t his first rodeo at a Premiere event. However, this was in fact his first appearance at such a large scale one.
As a result, he heaved in a deep breath and gently exhaled to calm his mind.
"The media is NOT your friend and will never, ever be. Don’t take yourself too seriously, but also think thrice before you speak." he muttered the very first rule to himself.
No sooner had he done that, he alighted from the vehicle.
Instantly, a barrage of flashes met him.
However, given how obscure he was as an actor, only a couple photographers called out to him to request for a proper picture.
Not that Niall minded. He simply did his due part and left a few minutes later.
Calmly making his way further in, he soon stepped into the Red-Carpet Arrival Area.
Excited chatters, murmurs, interviews and the likes were ongoing between celebrities, reporters and high-class individuals alike, adding another layer of excited anticipation to the environment.
Making his way through the area, seemingly in hopes of running into a familiar face, the young actor just had to have had the unfortunate luck of running into his agent and his favored talent first.
Niall wasn’t particularly surprised to have met them here though. Afterall, given Callow’s connections, and his favoritism for his other talent, it probably would’ve been a cinch to land an invite.
Callow’s eyes on the other hand, had narrowed, anger flaring beneath his dark-brown irises.
Honestly, some part of him was still unable to process how Niall hadn’t come crawling back after all this while.
Eight months, and the young actor seemed pretty content without work, almost as if he was playing a game of attrition with him.
Still, it was pretty obvious whom was going to suffer most from their stalemate.
And for the agent, that was enough to raise his chin slightly, almost as if to condescendingly gaze at Niall.
Adrian was much the same, though he had donned the impression from the very moment he’d laid eyes upon Niall.
At the same time, Callow couldn’t help but notice a familiar face of his own making their way into the area.
Immediately, he adopted a warm persona, greeting the casting director as he walked over;
"Hey, Richard! Long time no see!"
"Callow! How’re you doing? It’s been a while since we last spoke," Richard reciprocated, to which Callow replied in kind;
"Yes. It has,"
Then he gestured in his talent’s direction;
"This is Adrian. You remember him, right?"
"Of course, I do. It’s a shame you didn’t get the role in [Holmes: Case Zero], but you sure did make yourself known with that other role from [Silverlake High]." Richard remarked approvingly, extending a handshake.
Adrian, having assumed a flattering smile, received the handshake with a beam, both he and Callow glancing over briefly to check if Niall was watching them.
What they were met with however, was the young actor grinning as he stared at them... or rather through them.
"Niall! Buddy! What took you so long?" David boisterously greeted, arms spread out wide as he offered a bro hug the young actor partook in.
"Traffic," Niall simply replied as he disengaged from the hug which led into a cool handshake of sorts.
"You always come up with shittiest excuses but that one’s acceptable," another voice rang out behind him.
Casually, Gareth walked to meet with the duo and gently patted Niall on the shoulder with a genuine smile.
"Hey Niall. Long time no see," he greeted to which Niall replied in kind.
"Gareth. It’s been a while,"
"He’s right though, you know?" David interjected, his expression casual.
"The marketing and PR team was quite interested in getting you onboard some of the promotions, but since you kept refusing, they had no other choice but to let it go," he explained.
"Is that so?" Niall cocked his head back slightly, his eyes briefly finding Callow’s and levelling him a sardonic, almost indulgent stare.
"Well, in all fairness, I really was busy so I couldn’t show up. My apologies," the young actor apologized.
"Eh. It’s nothing," David waved it off.
"C’mon. Emily and Ivelia are this way," he offered, prompting all three to move in the same direction.
Watching Niall’s back vanish into the crowd, Adrian couldn’t help but wonder how he’d gotten so close to the duo.
Callow on the other hand, was glaring daggers at his back... though the expression came as quickly as it went.
Casually, he continued engaging Richard, the man none the wiser of all that had transpired.
Half an hour later, everyone was ushered into the theatre, taking their seats in preparation for the movie to begin.
Following the next two hours and a half, everyone remained silent in the theatre.
And by the time the credits finally rolled, an almost unified wave of applause echoed through the hall.
Soon, most began to make their way out of the hall.
As one would expect though, Ivelia, Emily, David and Gareth were surrounded by a plethora of professionals in the industry, each congratulating them on a job well done.
However, there was equally another person in the theatre whose performance in the movie had been fantastic.
One whom had owned every scene he was in, even with his limited screentime.
Watching from afar as a fair few producers, directors, actors and actresses and likes walked up to his talent, praising and congratulating him, Callow remained shell-shocked.
For a fact, he had read the script of [The Promised Queen]. And because he had, he had been extremely certain that it was a role that would finally pigeonhole Niall’s career.
And although the movie he had watched remained extremely similar to the original script in how it played out, Niall’s role as Julien Lancaster had been reworked so extensively, it practically elevated the film to new heights.
Rising from his seat a couple minutes later, he watched as Niall slowly drifted over to the movie’s main ensemble, Ivelia calling him over to meet with a couple of her fellow industry peers.
If only he had been a bit more perceptive, Callow knew he would’ve figured something was up a long while back.
The fact that the PR and marketing team for the movie had also kept pestering him for a while should’ve been a dead giveaway.
Unfortunately, he had been so blinded by his anger and so assured that he was in control, he never realized he was being played the whole time.
Now, whether he liked it or not, the talent had proven that he was in fact capable of versatility as an actor.
And though it wouldn’t immediately elevate his standing as a B-lister, it would at least guarantee that different roles would come his way a bit more.
The best part, though?
Callow wouldn’t always need to source them for him. Rather, the movie directors and producers would actively offer the young actor the scripts themselves.
Making his way out of the hall, the agent commented with a wry smile;
"Well played, Niall. Well, played."
Yet, it did nothing to simmer the anger that played beneath his calm exterior. To Callow, the game was just getting started.
If his talent believed he had the upper hand, he only needed to put him in his place.
Their war of attrition? He was willing to extend it for as infinitely long as he could.
Afterall, even if new roles were sent Niall’s way, how was the young actor to know if it ’never’ even reached his agent, much less him.
Equally, if he never got to land a role, especially over a long period of time, wouldn’t that spell the end of his career?
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