Chapter 5

Aurelia walked into the private room with ease, completely unfazed by the curious eyes turning to her.

"Mr. Tate." She headed toward the main seat, offering a polite nod to Edward who was already on his feet.

Edward's face lit up instantly with a broad smile, and there was a hint of subtle respect in his tone. He quickly moved around the chair and took two steps toward her. "Ah, finally you're here! Not late at all, perfect timing! Come on, have a seat - we were waiting on you!"

He personally pulled out the seat to his right - clearly the one reserved for the guest of honor.

This gesture left everyone in the room, except for Zara, completely stunned.

Edward was known for being tough and impossible to please in the industry. When had anyone ever seen him be this courteous to a young woman?

No one was more shaken than Serena and her manager, Emma, sitting diagonally across from Edward.

The second Aurelia stepped in, the smile on Serena's face froze.

She recognized that face in an instant. It was Aurelia - the very same woman she thought had been kicked to the curb by Finnian, the has-been who should've vanished into obscurity to lick her wounds.

What was she doing here?! And in such a high-end evening gown radiating power? Why on earth was Edward being so respectful to her?

The shock hit Serena hard. Her grip around her teacup wavered as jealousy and unease gripped her like a snake wrapping around her chest, squeezing tight.

Almost instinctively, she reached for her still-flat belly - that was supposed to be her biggest leverage. But looking at the radiant, unrecognizable Aurelia across the table, that leverage now felt pitiful.

Emma's reaction was even more raw. She let out a short, shocked breath and leaned in close to Serena, whispering in a panicked hiss, "Serena! Isn't she the one Mr. Dawson - "

She didn't dare say "ex-wife," but her wide eyes said it all.

Aurelia seemed completely unaware - or simply uninterested - in the sharp gazes aimed her way. She sat down gracefully in the chair Edward had pulled out for her, looking totally at home in that spot. Zara quietly found her seat behind Aurelia, where the assistants were supposed to be.

A server came up to take drink orders.

"Fresh orange juice, thank you." Aurelia's voice was calm and poised.

Henry, the producer, finally snapped out of his daze. He studied Aurelia closely - clearly impressed by her presence and looks, but mostly puzzled about who she really was.

With a half-smile, he asked tentatively, "Mr. Tate, and she is?"

One of the investors, Brad, a round-bellied man with a perpetual buzz of alcohol on his breath, let his eyes roll lazily over Aurelia's stunning face and figure.

With a half-drunken chuckle and that usual smug tone, he joked, "Edward, come on now - you didn't tell us you were bringing such a beauty just to keep the drinks flowing? New actress for the film? Weren't we waiting on Starborne? Don't tell me she's not here yet?"

Right after he said that, a few of the investors nearby exchanged knowing smirks, clearly thinking the same as Brad - that Aurelia was probably just some girl Edward brought along for drinks, or maybe someone trying to sleep her way into a role. Obviously, none of them connected her with the name "Starborne," the hard sci-fi author.

Edward's expression instantly darkened. He slammed his glass down on the table with a loud clink, and suddenly, the whole room went quiet.

"Watch what you're saying! She's not some hostess!"

His tone was firm and unmistakably serious. "This is the person I went through hell to invite here. She's the original author of Stellar Drift and our film's literary consultant - Ms. Starborne herself!"

"What?!"

"She's Starborne?"

"No way!"

Edward's words hit like a bomb. The reaction was immediate.

Henry nearly dropped his fork, Brad's smile froze mid-air, and his eyes widened in disbelief. The rest of the table broke into hushed conversations, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion.

"Director Tate, you're kidding, right?" Henry stumbled over his words. "Wasn't Starborne supposed to be this forty-something guy with a physics background? How could it be... her?"

That rumor had been around the industry for years.

Brad finally snapped out of it, but his voice was full of doubt. "Seriously, Edward, this isn't the kind of thing you joke about. Starborne's novels are packed with tight logic, massive world-building, and deep scientific theories. There's just no way a woman wrote all that."

He didn't even bother hiding how sexist that sounded.

Aurelia remained perfectly still, sunglasses hiding her gaze. The only change - her red lips lifted in the slightest trace of a sneer. Hah, predictable. This is what prejudice looks like.

Edward fully lost his temper. He smacked the table hard, the dishes rattling loudly. "I swear on my thirty years in the director's chair - this woman sitting right here is the real Starborne. The entire Stellar Drift series, eight books, over fifty million copies sold worldwide, awards like the Nebula and Hugo, all under the name Starborne."

"Who gives a damn if the author is male or female, young or old? What matters is the work! Who decided that women can't create epic sci-fi? That's just nonsense!"

He swept a sharp gaze around the room, pausing a little longer on Brad and Henry. His voice carried weight. "I brought Starborne in to ensure the film's quality, and I expect her to be treated with the respect she deserves. Otherwise, don't blame me for cutting ties."

Everyone knew Edward wasn't the kind to mess around. Seeing him this upset left the entire table in stunned silence. Though their eyes were still wide with disbelief, nobody dared to speak against him anymore.

The mood in the private room turned stiff and awkward.

Right across from Aurelia, Serena sat frozen. Waves of disbelief crashed through her.

What the hell? That globally acclaimed, ridiculously expensive-to-license author Starborne was actually Aurelia?

No way. Wasn't she just some pathetic woman who got ahead only because she stuck close to Finnian? Since when did she turn into a literary giant?