You Were Never That Important Chapter 04
My standards definitely weren’t that low. Why would I be into such an incompetent, spoiled, arrogant jerrk?
I texted back, “Your standards are in the basement, and you date awful men.
“Watch your back, or his little stunts are going to tank your reputation right along with his.”
That definitely hit a nerve. Cierra fired back a rapid-fire barrage of messages, “Don’t act so high and mighty! I know you spent six months prepping for season two and passed on other roles for it. Now that Raiden walked, all your hard work is flushed down the drain.
“He’s an A-lister with millions of followers, and Mr. Gorney is terrified of offending him.
“Give it time—they’ll recast me as the lead, and you won’t even get a background role!”
I stared at her texts, finding the whole thing completely laughable.
Raiden barely had a dedicated fanbase, yet he strutted around acting like Hollywood royalty.
I highly doubted those “millions of followers” were even real; he knew very well he’d bought bot accounts to pad his numbers.
Did he honestly think a little fame from a single web series guaranteed him a lifelong career in this industry?
And how in the world did a woman who failed basic acting classes and built her following off suggestive posts expect to just waltz into a lead role?
They were made for each other—both totally delusional.
I let out a yawn, my interest in the whole squabble fizzling out. “Is that right?” I replied. “Then let’s wait and see who actually comes out on top.”
After hitting send, I blocked both Cierra and Raiden on the app.
I tossed my phone onto the mattress, shut my eyes, and passed out almost instantly.
For the next month, our crew shot in total lockdown.
Everyone worked brutal hours, grinding from the crack of dawn until late into the night.
The whole team made a pact to keep production strictly under wraps, making absolutely sure not a single detail about season two leaked to the public.
We held back all behind-the-scenes footage and strictly banned unauthorized photos on set. Even the show’s official social media accounts went radio silent.
Naturally, the public assumed season two had been permanently axed after Raiden quit.
It didn’t help that the first season’s reputation was already in the gutter, thanks to that absolute disaster of a promotional livestream.
Raiden and Cierra must have felt the same way, because they completely gave up on trying to hide their relationship.
Cierra updated her TikTok and other socials every single day, blasting their couple life all over the internet.
One day, they were vacationing in the Maldives, the next, they were shopping in Europe.
It was an endless parade of trendy restaurants and brand-new designer bags and jewelry. Her captions—things like “treated incredibly well” and “my very famous boyfriend”—made her pride and glaring need for attention impossible to miss.
Mutual friends’ feeds kept pushing the updates onto my screen. Honestly, I was just exhausted by all of it; I didn’t even have the energy to complain anymore.
A month later, filming for the second season of the web series wrapped up.
Konner stood behind the monitors, watching the final takes. He teared up, his voice catching in his throat. “Thank you, everyone,” he said. “Thank you for pushing through the hardships with me, and thank you for not giving up on this show.
“This project is the culmination of all our hard work!”
The crew broke into loud applause. Their faces were tired, but they smiled with real satisfaction.
Right then, the grueling work of the past month actually felt worth it.
A week after filming ended, I got an invite to my five-year college reunion.
I’d initially planned to skip it, just wanting to crash and recover from a solid month of sleep deprivation.
But the class rep called me personally, laying it on thick about how everyone wanted to see the “famous actress.” I found it hard to say no to that kind of enthusiasm, so after thinking it over, I agreed to go.
They had booked a massive, lavishly decorated private room at an upscale downtown hotel.
It was already packed by the time I showed up. A bunch of my former classmates immediately stood up to greet me, their voices warm and eager.
“Vivien’s here. Long time no see. You look more beautiful than ever.”
“Vivien, we all watched your web series. Your acting was great, and the show is incredibly popular.”
“Famous actors really do have a different aura. Your whole presence has changed.”
I smiled, made some brief small talk with the group, and found a quiet seat in the corner.
A few minutes later, the door swung open again.