Six Months ago

Voltaire Ballet Orchestra

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London

Feather, after a successful performance, was sitting around her hotel room surrounded by gifts and bouquets from fans. She had a glass of red wine in her hand while Ami started unpacking some of the gifts for her.

“This one is from Monsieur Lance,” Ami announced and when she opened the box, her eyes were welcomed by a pair of diamond earrings that instantly captured Feather’s interest. Seeing how her lady’s eyes got excited, Ami smiled and dragged the box closer to Feather.

“Those are pretty,” Feather remarked but didn’t touch the thing, instead she took another sip of her cold wine. She cued Ami to open another box which the latter did obediently. However, in the middle of their gift openings, the main door opened revealing Feather’s manager, Rose, and her entrance made Feather grimaced.

“What is it now?” Feather demanded. She had made known to everyone that she didn’t want any visits anymore as she was deeply exhausted, yet her manager seemed to have forgotten.

“We have a guest,” Rose announced and turned to Ami, “Quick! go and get that glass of wine away and fix your lady’s makeup,”

“I told you I don’t want visits anymore. Did I?”

“The guest is a sponsor. We can’t just say no,” Rose insisted and took the initiative of snatching away the wine from Feather since Ami didn’t follow her request.

“I don’t care. It doesn’t mean that because someone is paying for my dues, I am obliged to attend to all their whims. If I know their contribution wasn’t even half of what my family provides,” Feather rolled an eye. Those sponsors were getting on her nerves as they kept pestering her most of the time, demanding private meetings for their pleasure as if she’s someone ordinary.

It was a custom for ballerinas or even actresses to attend to sponsors, fans, and media every after performance yet Feather didn’t like to linger long on it. The media and some fans however didn’t bother her much as she always loves to see herself being televised and the fans of course make good props for every conference and interview. However, the sponsors’ meetings usually were private and Feather thought they didn’t give her much of a benefit except those bouquets and gifts.

“This one you surely want to met,” Rose sounded sure, “And someone you don’t want to offend,”

“Tell whoever is that to get lost,” Feather dismissed and stood up to snatch her wine glass back.

“Feather, it’s Mister M on the door,” Rose revealed and the name made both Feather and Ami’s eyes bulge out of surprise. The announcement didn’t need much of an emphasis as it made everyone suddenly tensed. Feather ran to switch her robe to a casual white dress while Ami  followed to comb her hair.

“You should have told me the moment you entered the door,” Feather chided her manager this time. Mister M was someone everyone in the theater company wanted to meet as aside from he gives tons of money to sponsor their shows and afford the ballerina’s lavish lifestyle, most particularly Feather’s, he was also someone no one had seen yet. Let’s just say the man simply do not go on requesting meetings although he was every ballerina’s most welcomed guest.

“Miss Han you are the first ever ballerina in Voltaire to have been visited by him,” Ami hollered as she went from fixing her lady’s hair to retouching her make-up. “You’ll be everyone’s talk of the ballet company tomorrow,”

Feather smiled deviously. Of course, she was aware of that even before Ami said it and the thought only made her proud. The ballet industry is also a show business so it was rather important for every ballerina to have someone who gives their talents high regard. The more powerful and rich your supporter is, then the more respected you will become. Now that Mister M has given her a visit, for sure she’ll be everyone’s envy for the rest of the days and surely for the next show, the major role will land on her effortlessly.

In just a span of five minutes, Feather got herself fully prepared for her visitor. Gone was the trace of wine and her bitchy attitude and what everyone could see then was the ever humble ballerina whose eyes show nothing but pure innocence.

Rose smiled at the sight of her. If she was to rate every skill of Feather, her acting skills will top it all next to her beautiful face, if the latter can be counted as skill. Feather’s beauty was simply outstanding and that probably was the reason why her career in ballet became smooth specially because she  was aided by the overflowing money from Han’s Scintillait and her other sponsors. Her beauty was simply alluring and when she plays the innocent fragile girl, every man’s heart will surely skip a bit and that was the key that unlocked Feather’s success.

“Feather, this one… you had to make sure you’ll get a hold of him,” Rose gave her some piece of advice, “If you’ll do that, you need not worry of your future even outside the ballet company,”

“No worries. This is something I do best,” Feather let go of a proud confident grin, “No matter how old and ugly this sponsor is, I’ll make sure he’ll end up very much attached to me that he can’t say no to all my whims and requests,”

Rose was delighted. “Don’t worry you need not worry about him being old and ugly. But when I say you get a hold of him I say you should do it whatever it takes. Go as far as being his woman, do not ever withhold yourself for this opportunity comes only once in a lifetime,”

Feather raised a disgusted look at Rose. What her manager advised her was simply outrageous. Had she forgotten that she was Feather? The Heiress of Han Scintillait? An heiress should not go down low and do what desperate starlets do.

“What do you think of me? A whore?” Feather’s veins burst with sudden anger. “I am Feather and I will not do as far as being someone’s whore to get what I want. I am an heiress and I’m one of the most talented ballerinas in this company.”

“Chill my dear, you don’t want to ruin your makeup,” Rose was nonchalant to her outrage, “Besides you admit it yourself, you are just one of the most talented ballerinas in Voltaire ballet but you are not the best among all. Besides, for this one…” Rose turned to the door referring to the sponsor who at this point should already be there waiting to be invited in.

“For this one…you simply wanted to become a whore whichever heiress you are,” Rose looked at her talent meaningfully and when the door opened, Feather immediately understood what her manager meant.