Hollywood Zenith

" Good, it has only been a few months, but your pronunciation is improving."

" I have been practising. I hope to converse with you by the end of the year.

" I look forward to it." The doctor left.

Olivia and Iblis were alone in the VIP ward; they had few people outside guarding the halls. They rented out the whole floor at a private hospital just to be sure.

Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale was a large hospital focusing on innovation in the medical field. Olivia's case was very rare, so they decided to enrol her in this hospital where 15,000 researchers, engineers, technicians, and administrative staff worked around one common goal: to improve the health of all by advancing knowledge of life and disease, innovation in treatment, and public health research.

" I feel awful seeing you wasting your time with me," Olivia said sadly.

" I don't feel like it. I love spending time with you, mother."

Olivia smiled; she felt like she had been nagging her daughter for the past month. So, she decided to change the subject.

" Have you seen the news? Daniel informed me last night about Samuel being cast as an actor."

" Hmm, the brother called me too. He looked very different in those black hair."

" I know, right. Especially with those goofy glasses, he looked like a normal child for once."

" I don't call it normal, but I could see why you would say it."

There was a few seconds pause; Olivia was contemplating asking her any more questions. She had a vague idea about her daughter's situation but didn't want to push for answers.

" Have you talked to him since then?"

Iblis shook her head sideway.

" I couldn't make myself pick up the phone. He calls every now and then, though."

" It feels like you are hiding."

" Maybe."

" What about Adele?"

" No response from her. We are stuck in a weird situation; I can't talk to Sami, while Adele won't talk to me."

" What about him and Adele?'

" I don't know. I only know that he wanted to distance himself from her at one point."

" Can you blame him? Don't you remember what Eleanor said,' He had drowned himself in work'?"

" Right. I just wish we could return to what we were before someday. I miss those days."

Sensing Iblis's sadness, Olivia decided to change the subject.

" Tell me about your new school; I heard you aced your last assignment."

It worked as Iblis lightened up a bit. She loved singing as it had always been one of her passions. She began to narrate about her school life to her mother.

" I hope she will stay happy like this for as long as possible." Olivia smiled while listening to her stories.

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[Meanwhile, in England]

It was an early morning for the brits as people were waking up and returning to their day-to-day life. The morning news was playing in the living room inside Adele's home. Grandma was sitting at a distance, preparing ingredients for breakfast.

She took it upon herself to prepare the meals for her daughter and granddaughter. She felt it was the least she could do as both of them worked daily to bring food to the table.

Penny emerged from her room while rubbing her eyes, looking haggard with messy hair.

" You look like hell. Did you get enough sleep?"

" Hmm, *sniff* Prepare extra sausage for me." She said and rushed to freshen up.

" This girl, Do you think I could do this forever? Find someone soon to look after you girls." She yelled toward the restroom to get her point across.

After a few minutes, they sat down to eat, Penny had been calling out for her daughter, but she was mumbling in her sleep. They were placing the food on the table when suddenly the news anchor started talking about the entertainment news.

" The biggest news in Hollywood is the casting press conference that was held yesterday at the Warner Bros Studio. The production team unveiled the young star playing the main roles in the upcoming highly anticipated Harry Potter series."

They began showing a few clips from the interview conducted by Samuel and his cast members answering questions.

Penny and her mother instantly recognized Samuel in the middle, even if he had changed his looks. But then, Adele also came downstairs to see Samuel answering questions. She stared at the television for a few seconds before Penny noticed her presence.

Penny turned off the TV in a hurry to shield Adele from another reminder. She had seen first-hand how much Samuel affected her daughter. She understood what Samuel did but still, as a parent, she had to take her daughter's side.

Adele didn't react much and proceeded to sit and eat her meal.

" A-are you alright?" Penny asked hesitantly.

" Hmm, yeah, I am fine." seeing no change in Adele's behaviour, she breathed a sigh of relief, but her mother opened the dreaded conversation.

" Did you know?"

" About Sami? Yeah, He mentioned this role when we went to the academy together. I am happy for him." It was almost an automatic response.

" Enough about that, What about the class? Is Hannah going to pick you up today too?"

" Yeah, I almost forgot. I have an early session. I have to rush. See you later."

She avoided the conversation and quickly devoured some food before heading upstairs to get changed.

" Mother! Why did you ask that?" Penny asked in a quiet voice as soon as Adele left.

" We can't keep hiding from it. It pains me to see her like this, it has almost been a year, but she is still sensitive about the subject."

" I think she was fine. She was much worse a few months ago; look at how much weight she has lost this year."

" She is not fine, just became better at hiding it. I feel bad hiding secrets from her."

" We promised Samuel that we would not say a word about it. Don't forget that it is for her own good."

" I know, but somehow I don't feel good about it."

They ate the rest of the meal in silence. This too shall pass.