My Superstar System: Rise To Stardom

"Please, Christina, don't do this to me! How could you cheat on me with my best friend after everything I've done for you?"

A young man knelt on the ground, clutching the hands of a beautiful girl whose heavy makeup only emphasized her cold expression. She looked aloof, completely unmoved by his words.

"Hehehe, have you even looked at yourself in the mirror?" a burly young man standing beside her sneered. "How can a poor thing like you deserve such a gorgeous beauty? Can you give her the life that I provide?"

He laughed mockingly and kicked the kneeling man.

"And don't you dare touch her with those filthy hands of yours again!"

"It's okay, Billy. I'll talk to him." Christina stopped him and turned toward the young man, who was struggling to get back up after the kick.

"I'm sorry, Alex, but it can't work between us. At first, I accepted your advances because you were one of the most handsome guys in school and matched my aesthetics back then. But now I've realized that a pretty face can't do much for me.

"It can't pay my bills, and it certainly can't be eaten. The only reason I didn't break up with you sooner was because I didn't want to hurt you. I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but it's over now."

Her tone was firm and final.

Alex stared at her, clearly seeing the seriousness in her eyes.

"Such a fool... I've been such a fool all this time. No wonder you stopped going on dates with me and always made excuses whenever I asked you out.

"I thought you were busy with your family problems, just like you always claimed. I even contributed what little I could to help you. Because of you, I neglected my studies and worked myself to exhaustion just to earn enough money to give you. And now, I finally see how foolish I've been."

He laughed bitterly and looked up at the sky.

"Thinking about it now, I really was a fool. Perhaps, like they say, love truly is blind. But I've learned my lesson."

With a hollow chuckle, he pushed himself to his feet. He could not bear to stay there any longer.

Billy watched him leave, the corners of his lips curling into a smug smile. Alex had always been an eyesore to him. Even though he had finally managed to win Christina over after countless attempts, he still hated the fact that she hadn't broken up with Alex sooner.

He did not even care that Alex had been his best friend. He had only used him as a stepping stone to secretly get close to Christina.

Today's scene was no accident.

Billy had discreetly used Christina's phone to send Alex a message, luring him to this spot. Afterward, he deleted the message so she would not notice.

Poor Alex. The moment he saw the message, he dropped everything and rushed over, even stopping by a boutique to buy something nice on the way. He had been so excited, convinced that they would finally spend time together after so long.

"Come on, let's go," Christina said softly, tugging at Billy's arm and pulling him from his thoughts.

"It's okay, honey. You go ahead. I just need to use the restroom. I'll be right back," Billy replied smoothly.

As she walked away, he pulled out his phone and made a quick call. After hanging up, a sinister smile spread across his face.

"Let's see if he dares come near my woman again after I'm done dealing with him," he said, laughing coldly.

****

Alex wandered aimlessly through the mostly deserted streets, his heart heavy as memories of his time with Christina resurfaced. It was nearing midnight, and only a handful of people were scattered about.

Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed.

The moment he stepped into a dark alley, he sensed movement behind him. Before he could react, a sharp kick struck the back of his legs, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Wh... what is this? Who are you? What do you want?" Alex stammered in panic. "Money? I only have a hundred credits on me. Take it, just... just don't hurt me!"

"Who wants your stupid money?" one of them scoffed. "We're here to deliver a farewell gift from Billy. He wants us to give you a beating to remind you of your place, so you'll never dare come near his girl again."

"But-"

Before Alex could finish, they descended on him, fists and feet raining down from every direction. He curled into a ball, whimpering pitifully as the assault continued.

"Wait... something's wrong," the leader suddenly said, raising a hand to stop the others.

They froze as he knelt beside Alex and checked his pulse. His expression twisted in horror.

"He's dead?"

"No, he just fainted. It's normal after all the beating." One of them said.

"Alright, let's get out of here then before anyone sees us."

****

Another World

Alex Parker pressed down on the accelerator. He was running late.

As a taxi driver, punctuality was a habit he could not afford to break. Earlier that day, he had gone to the old people's home to visit Adolf Weissman, the old man who had adopted him.

Today was Adolf's birthday, and Alex would not have missed it for anything. He had planned to finish up by three o'clock so he could pick up the little girl he usually drove to and from school. Her parents had entrusted her to him, and they were generous, often giving him extra tips because of his reliability.

However, Adolf had kept him longer than expected, talking at length about his past journeys as an archaeologist. Before Alex left, the old man handed him a strange, ancient-looking necklace.

It held a blood-red stone tied with an ordinary-looking rope, forming a simple pendant. Adolf emphasized how difficult it had been to obtain the stone. Because of the dangers involved, he had refused to give it to anyone else, studying it in secret for years. Yet despite all his efforts, he had never managed to uncover its origins or purpose.

Now, it had been entrusted to Alex for safekeeping.

"Son, I know I ruined your dreams of becoming a superstar and joining Hollywood. I can't do anything to make up for it. I just hope you don't hate me forever," Adolf had said, his voice heavy with guilt.

Alex had laughed softly.

"I never regretted leaving the music industry and Hollywood to take care of your health. If I hadn't become a taxi driver, I wouldn't have been able to afford your hospital bills back then, and you might have died.

I could never have lived with myself if that had happened. Besides," he added with a chuckle, "it's not like I had already made it into the industry. I was just trying. There was no guarantee I would have succeeded anyway. I'm not even that talented, just average."

Alex smiled faintly at the memory as he drove. He absentmindedly twirled the necklace hanging from his neck, steering with his other hand. The road was mostly clear, and for a seasoned driver like him, the motion was second nature.

When he looked up again, his heart nearly stopped.

An old man stood motionless in the middle of the road. Alex was certain the road had been empty only seconds ago. It was as if the man had appeared out of thin air.

Panic surged through him. Alex swerved sharply into the other lane to avoid hitting the man.

That was when he realized his fatal mistake.

A speeding truck was barreling straight toward him.