CHAPTER 871: CHAPTER 871 ANTOINE’S ROLE

Meanwhile, the music director at UE was swamped with tasks, juggling coordination with the recording studio to lock in a schedule for recording the song, while also working closely with the marketing department to strategically release music snippets at just the right moments.

All of this was in preparation for Logan’s upcoming debut. Yes—Logan Walker was debuting too. And coincidentally, or perhaps not, his debut was set for the same day as Lucas’, his so-called best friend.

After the championship, Xavier treated Hera and her friends to dinner at a high-end, reserved restaurant with a stunning panoramic view of Paris. As evening fell, the Eiffel Tower lit up in dazzling lights, adding to the enchanting atmosphere. Everyone was in high spirits, congratulating Hera one after another for her well-earned victory.

Athena, in particular, was beaming with excitement, constantly praising Hera for defeating the original female lead. Only the two of them truly understood the deeper meaning behind those words.

Since Alice had been rushed to the hospital, no one mentioned her again. She became like a sewer rat crossing the road—avoided, dismissed, and scorned. Even in the hospital, Alice’s reputation had plummeted so drastically that the nurses openly gossiped about her without bothering to hide it.

Speaking in French, they knew she could hear them but simply didn’t care. After all, they were only stating the truth. If Alice couldn’t handle the public opinion, she should never have committed those actions in the first place.

The French, when they were mean, could be merciless—and Alice was learning that the hard way. She could only bury her head beneath the hospital quilt, stifling her sobs. The final blow came when the prestigious organization from their home country, the same one that had once named her second only to Andarta Aria, blacklisted her.

Even though the design she submitted in the semifinals was her original work, no one believed her anymore. That disbelief twisted into a deep bitterness, leaving Alice consumed with resentment over how everything had unraveled.

’This is all that damn whore’s fault! She ruined my name!’ Alice seethed, placing the entire blame on Hera without even a sliver of self-reflection. She refused to acknowledge her own actions, believing with certainty that this wasn’t how things were supposed to be. In her mind, she was meant to be the darling of this world—the star. Yet, day by day, her luck only worsened, and she couldn’t understand why.

After all, Alice had a dream when she was reborn.

She had died unjustly in her previous life, and upon receiving a second chance, she had sworn to climb to the top of the entertainment industry. She wanted to escape the same grueling fate, one where she wasn’t even sure if her corpse had been left intact. This time, she was determined to protect herself, take revenge on those who had wronged her, and make the most of every opportunity.

Part of that dream involved pursuing love—the kind she thought she never had a chance at before. Xavier and Rafael had played crucial roles in her past life. They were her silent supporters, the only ones who seemed to believe in her—at least, that’s what she had thought. So, she decided to approach them early in this life, make them fall for her quickly, and secure their protection and influence before anyone else could.

But things hadn’t gone as planned.

When Alice met their entire friend group, she realized Xavier and Rafael weren’t the only exceptional ones. Greed took root. She wanted all five of them for herself and began plotting how to seduce each one. What she didn’t account for, however, was Hera—a wild card she had never seen coming.

The dream she had after her rebirth convinced her that this life was a reward—a cosmic compensation for the injustice she suffered in her past one. She believed the world itself was giving her a second chance and supporting her ascent.

In that dream, she saw herself basking in success, adored and surrounded by the five men who were utterly captivated by her. Hera, by contrast, was nothing more than a dim background figure—someone who couldn’t even hold a candle to her. In fact, Hera had died unjustly in the dream, but Alice barely spared a thought for it.

Still, it was just a dream—vague and fragmented. She couldn’t remember exact details or specific information. All she could recall were the feelings, the adoration, and the intimate moments with those five men.

That was enough for her. It cemented her belief that they were meant to be hers, not just Rafael and Xavier anymore, but all five. And so, she treated that dream as a prophecy waiting to be fulfilled.

According to the dream, Hera was supposed to be nothing more than a foil—someone meant to highlight Alice’s brilliance, not compete with it. That’s why, every time she saw Hera, Alice couldn’t help but look down on her. In her mind, Hera was insignificant, a background character in her story. As that belief solidified, Alice came to a dangerous realization: maybe she was the world’s favored child.

That thought sent her confidence soaring, and as days passed, her actions became increasingly bold, even ruthless. She had to be. Hera was somehow claiming every opportunity that should’ve belonged to her, stealing scenes and attention that Alice believed were destined for her alone.

Desperation took root, and Alice began chasing the future she saw in her dream with growing urgency. To her, the dream wasn’t just a fantasy—it was a glimpse into a hidden future, a divine cheat code showing her which paths to choose at each fork in life. She only needed to follow it to get everything she deserved.

Right now, Alice couldn’t help but hate Hera even more, convinced that all of this was her fault.

"Argh!!!" she shrieked, throwing her quilt aside in a fit of rage. She shoved the glass and the pitcher from her bedside table, sending them crashing to the floor. Luckily, she was alone in the private hospital room.

Since the incident happened during an official competition, the organizers felt responsible for her, especially because she was a foreign participant. But despite this obligation, Alice had become a pariah.

Her actions had caused massive losses, and many staff members resented her. Nearly half the staff involved in the bribery and plagiarism scandal were now under investigation, and Alice was also expected to be questioned once she was discharged.

Handling the coordination with the police and overseeing the collection of evidence from the event venue was none other than Antoine; he wasn’t just a regular staff member of the IGI Expressions Competition, but the event organizer himself, and a close friend of Alexandre, one of the major shareholders. After witnessing what Hera had gone through during the event, Antoine had no choice but to step in personally.

And why had he gone to pick Hera up when she arrived and pretended to be a regular staff?

It was because he had been intrigued—captivated, even—by the mysterious new designer who appeared out of nowhere like a dark horse. He wanted to be the first to lay eyes on her, so he pretended to be part of the IGI Expressions Competition staff.

As it turned out, his instincts had been spot on. The woman in question wasn’t just talented—she was a complete stunner. So much so that even his best friend ended up completely smitten, like a fish caught on a hook... and willingly jumped into the tank himself, sacrificing his freedom for her.

And yes, that best friend he was talking about? It was none other than Alexandre.

After witnessing the quiet tug-of-war between Alexandre and Xavier, Antoine quickly realized he had no chance of joining the fray. If he dared, he might end up as collateral damage in a clash between two titans. Despite coming from a powerful family himself, he was no match for the Arnaults, whose net worth soared into the hundreds of billions.

So, he wisely bowed out of the unspoken competition and took up the best seat in the house—on the sidelines. And from there, he watched something that amused him to no end: Xavier hovering around Hera like a fiercely protective hen, while Alexandre played the part of a wounded wolf in sheep’s clothing, angling for sympathy from every possible angle.

Antoine, seeing this rare side of Alexandre for the first time, was having the time of his life. He might not have gotten the girl, but he certainly earned himself a golden piece of future blackmail material—one that could cheer him up whenever life hit hard.

All he’d have to do is replay the footage and smugly mutter, "At least I’m doing better than you, Alex. I didn’t have to scramble for a single piece of meat or abandon an entire forest just to fight over a tree already claimed by vultures."

And so, Athena’s audience grew larger as yet another spectator joined the spectacle. This time, it was Antoine, adding himself to Alexandre’s silent campaign of tailing Hera. The two self-appointed chaperones "just so happened" to reserve a table right next to hers, feigning it as nothing more than a coincidence. After all, this was their turf. No matter how powerful Xavier’s family might be, Paris wasn’t under their full influence.

Here, Antoine and Alexandre could easily keep up. And while Antoine was clearly just there for entertainment, Alexandre fully embraced the role of a wounded puppy trailing after its indifferent owner—his pitiful expression as carefully crafted as any performance on a grand stage.