That was certainly an eventful morning, and Cyrielle wanted nothing else but to go back home, in her bubble, and do nothing but rest. However, when she reached the elevator and saw that Bernadette Dupuit was still here, she couldn’t help but approach her. She had a lot of things on her mind recently, and needed someone to talk to about it. She couldn’t exactly rant to her mom, she wouldn’t be objective, and someone in the entertainment industry would provide more insight. She took a deep breath inwardly and smiled elegantly.

  “Bernadette, do you have a minute ?”

  The strict looking woman appeared surprised, but she nodded.

  “Yes, I’m not in a hurry.”

  Cyrielle signed at Hugo so that he would wait for her, and entered a small conference room with Bernadette, signaling her to sit down. The woman obeyed, looking very confused.

  ‘Just us two ? What is going on ?’

  Cyrielle sat next to her, in her usual perfect etiquette, but she seemed nervous.

  “I’ve been having some troubles tely and I know that we aren’t very close, but I think you could help me.”

  Bernadette had to pinch herself to stop a smile. Mademoiselle Cyrielle, asking her for advice ? It meant she trusted her ! All her efforts weren’t in vain ! It was a very joyous thing, but she had to focus so she nodded solemnly.

  “I’m all ears.”

  Cyrielle put a strand of hair behind her ear, searching for the right words.

  “You see, recently I noticed that the people around me are… Not very happy about me being talented. One of my friends feels bad about herself because she doesn’t have as many abilities, and my brother is afraid I’ll become good at what he likes. I don’t know how to expin it, but it makes me feel bad. I feel guilty about all of this.”

  Bernadette nodded very seriously.

  “I see. I suppose it is the reason that you were hiding your abilities and are only revealing them little by little, when it is needed. You are afraid of being rejected if you directly show everything you can do.”

  It was absolutely wrong, but Cyrielle couldn’t say anything. Bernadette continued :

  “It’s not something only you feel. Every talented person has people envious of them, jealous, or feeling inferior, no matter their domain of expertise. It happens to everyone.”

  “But I don’t want to lose my friend…”

  “If Van Gogh had friends that envied him, do you think it would have been better for him not to paint ? If Manon Sarmer had a jealous brother, do you think she should stop singing ?”

  Cyrielle shook her head. Be it for Manon or Van Gogh, both brought something to culture and changed the way people viewed art, it would be a huge loss if they weren’t here.

  “It might not feel like it now, but you are also bringing something to this world. Think about your fans. Would they be happy if you stopped your activities because it upsets someone ?”

  “No, they would surely be sad…”

  “Then you have part of your answer. If what you do brings a smile to one person’s face, it’s enough of a sign to continue giving it your all.”

  Cyrielle nodded. Deep down she knew that she wouldn’t have been able to stop even if Coline had asked her to, she loved her creations too much, but it felt good to hear it from someone else, with reasonable expnations. She sighed.

  “How do I deal with this, then ?”

  Bernadette shook her head.

  “You don’t. It’s not your fault that they are envious, it’s because they are cking self confidence, and seeing you succeed shows them what they ck. It’s not because of you, if anyone in their social circle would start succeeding, they would feel the same. It’s a type of work they have to do within themselves. But if you feel uncomfortable with them, you can put some distance between you, or tell them how you feel and see their reaction. If they get angry, their insecurities are deeper than their love for you. But if they feel sorry, maybe you can encourage them to do something they might succeed in. However, do not put them before yourself, you must always be the most important thing in your eyes or you will end up getting hurt.”

  [Isn’t it exactly what I told you ?]

  ‘You didn’t expin it as clearly as she did, but yes I guess.’

  Cyrielle took a deep breath.

  “In the end, I need to keep doing what I want.”

  “Exactly. But if you ever feel isoted or overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to come talk to me again, I would be gd to hear your worries.”

  She thanked Bernadette and they both separated, Cyrielle going home with Hugo. The van was silent, it allowed her to rex a bit.

  “You used a nickname for my brother, are you two close ?”

  The manager ughed.

  “Not really. I only gave him my number st time in case he had a problem or he missed his train. But he ended up asking me a few questions, so we chat sometimes.”

  Cyrielle immediately tensed up. If Léonard talked with anyone from her agency and busted her image as a high society dy, it would mean big trouble.

  “What do you two talk about ?”

  “Men talk, it’s top secret !”

  It wasn’t reassuring in the least, but Cyrielle didn’t ask any more questions. After all, their father wasn’t exactly a trustworthy adult, so Léonard couldn’t talk to him about his worries. She guessed that boys surely had men talk, just like she had women talk with her mother. It was good in a sense that her brother had found someone to talk to, but it was also very stressful for her.

  [Don’t worry, everything will be fine.]

  ‘Are you seeing something from the future ?’

  [Maybe.]

  ‘Thank goodness…’

  Cyrielle rexed completely, almost melting into the backseat. She only wanted one thing now, it was to y in her bed and sleep indefinitely.

  ***

  After taking two whole days to sleep and rex, it was now time to work again. Cyrielle was sitting at her desk in her atelier, her headphones on her ears, tapping her fingers to the rhythm of a song.

  ‘It’s good. I think it would be a great soundtrack for the acting bit towards the middle.’

  [You are getting better and better at this, you could create movie soundtracks.]

  ‘I don’t want to add too much on my goal list for now, I’m still stuck.’

  She took the piece of paper from underneath her keyboard. It hadn’t moved much recently.

  -Make an album

  -Concert in front of a thousand people

  -Make a collection

  -Fashion book

  -Home decor book

  -Makeup lookbook

  -Model for a runway

  -Win a rosette in horse jumping

  -Having 5 diplomas

  -Having 10 diplomas

  -Do characters designs for a videogame

  -Make the pns for a building

  -Act in a movie

  ‘The ‘Concert in front of a thousand people’ will be crossed during my tour, and by working on the hotel, I can finish both ‘Home decor book’ and ‘Make the pns for a building’. But for the rest… I could work on my Galop diplomas, but if I want another type of certificate, the exam season is not until may.’

  [It will all work out in the end, don’t hesitate to add to the list.]

  ‘You always say that.’

  Cyrielle stretched and leaned against the backrest.

  ‘The tour is coming together nicely and they already secured two venues in Italy and the UK. Julie is overseeing the auditions for the dancers, Yannis is making rounds to select some nd for the hotel… Should I create some clothes for Manon ? She asked me to create a stage outfit if I had the time.’

  [It’s a good idea.]

  She thought she felt a mischievous feeling from the system, but she might have dreamed it. She took out her sketchbook and started working when a sudden text made her lift her head. Even if the panic attack was behind her now, she still felt a bit unwell everytime a text was coming up. Shaking the feeling off, Cyrielle opened it.

  [Unknown : Good morning, it’s Manon Sarmer. I took the liberty of getting your personal number to facilitate our colboration. I loved your insight concerning the music video. Especially the fact of representing our verses as opposites by having you dressed in bck and disappearing in the shadows. Could you provide me with a more detailed expnation during our meeting ? I would very much like to go with what you proposed.]

  Cyrielle had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

  ‘She liked what I thought about ? I mean, I thought it could be the case since we have a simir artistic view, but to go along with all of it ?’

  [A new opportunity is coming your way ! Acquiring ability : ‘Storyboarding’. ‘Storyboarding’ is enhanced by the ‘Aesthetic’ category.]

  ‘Are you serious ?’

  Cyrielle smiled. She wanted to change what she was working on anyway, getting too focused on performances was getting boring. She texted back :

  [Me : Of course, I will bring materials to the meeting, I hope you will like it.]