<🎧 Song Recommendation: Stand Up (For The Champions) by Right Said Fred>

...

Shooting continued normally after that breathtaking kiss scene. They had to take a short break because of Chloe, but when she finally got better, they did a second take just for the remainder of the scene.

Marcus had insisted that they wouldn’t do another take from the start; refusing to mess with the raw magic they had captured in the first half.

Meanwhile, Von had successfully achieved a scene score of 98, which led to him completing the Redemption Quest.

Now, all that was left was to complete his main Quest, which might just save their box office chances. But he first had to wait until they were done with shooting the final montage.

***

A few days later, the hotel ballroom was transformed.

It was August 6th, and the production had officially called a picture wrap. After weeks of exhausting work, stalling, and intense drama, they had actually completed filming.

From the very next day, the cast and crew would finally burst the lockdown bubble and return to their families.

Despite the major financial setbacks and the bad press they had faced earlier, the atmosphere in the ballroom was incredibly high.

They had managed to finish the movie on time, largely thanks to the perfection of the final scenes.

The clinking of glasses echoed across the room as Marcus tapped a spoon against his champagne flute, stepping up to the small stage.

"Alright, everyone, settle down!" Marcus called out, a massive, genuine smile on his bearded face. He held his glass up high.

"I just want to say a few words. As most of you know, this is mine and Levy’s first production gig together. And as a director, I couldn’t have asked for a better crew."

The crowd cheered loudly, clapping their hands.

"I’ll admit, when we started, we weren’t exactly a star-studded Hollywood cast," Marcus continued. "But I have been left awe-struck several times by how good you all were. There might have been some really bad days... some days where we thought this was all going to fall apart. But I’m really grateful for how we managed to overcome them together."

Marcus raised his glass a little higher, looking out at the lighting guys, the makeup artists, and the cameramen.

"You are all insanely talented, and I know you all have big things ahead of you. I look forward to working with every single one of you in the future. So, here is to Perfect Ruins. I wish you and your families continuous good health amidst this crazy pandemic when you return home tomorrow. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" the entire room screamed back, clicking their bottles and glasses together in high spirits.

The moment the toast ended, the DJ understood his assignment. He immediately began playing a high, screaming synth sound that built up rapidly, making the ground rattle beneath their feet.

"Why are y’all still standing there?!" the DJ yelled into the microphone over the booming bass. "Get your bodies moving! Let’s get this party started!!!"

The beat dropped, and the energetic rhythm of a song calling for them to stand was what set the energy.

Everyone immediately got lost in dancing wildly, moving to the center of the room. Even Marcus didn’t back off, jumping into the crowd with a huge laugh.

Off to the side, Chloe was standing alone near a cocktail table. She was sipping a fruit drink, silently contemplating everything that had happened over the past month.

Von spotted her and walked over with a relaxed smile on his face.

"Do you want to dance?" Von asked, offering his hand.

Chloe looked at his hand and shook her head slightly, feeling a bit shy. "I don’t think I can dance."

"I’m a good dancer," Von said with a confident smirk. "I can lead you."

Chloe hesitated for a second before finally smiling and placing her hand in his. Von pulled her into the crowd.

The moment the music hit them, Von took complete control. He led her flawlessly thanks to [Advanced Choreography Mastery].

Chloe, who thought she would stumble, found herself completely falling in sync with him. It felt so natural.

Without even trying, they stole the dance floor. The crew naturally backed up, forming a circle around them as the overhead lights seemed to focus entirely on their fluid movements.

Chloe was having the time of her life, laughing freely and completely getting lost in him as he spun her and pulled her back in.

As the song reached its peak, Von dipped her low. They were both completely out of breath, their faces just inches apart. The intense proximity almost made them kiss right there on the dance floor. Their eyes locked, and for a second, the party faded away.

But reality quickly set back in. They prevented themselves, pulling apart awkwardly as the crowd clapped for them.

The party continued with the next song, but the sudden awkwardness remained. Chloe excused herself with a nervous smile and slipped away, walking outside to the large hotel balcony to get some fresh air.

After a while, Von grabbed two bottles of water and followed her out. He found her leaning against the railing, looking up at the night sky.

He walked closer to her and leaned on the rail right next to her, handing her a bottle.

"What are we looking at?"

Chloe was a bit surprised to see Von standing next to her. She took the water and looked back up.

"Oh... I’m just watching the stars. Isn’t it beautiful how they light up the sky when it gets dark?"

Von looked up at the stars she was watching. He had to admit that they were really beautiful against the black canvas of the night. No wonder it felt so special to become a star in this industry.

There was a comfortable silence between them for a minute. Only the cool night breeze blowing past them existed, until Von finally spoke up.

"So, what’s your plan after today?"

"Hmm, nothing much really," Chloe sighed with a soft smile. "I’ve missed my parents and my younger siblings a lot, so I should return to them while waiting to see what happens to the movie."

"Wow, you’re the first child? That’s a really nice plan."

Chloe looked at him, leaning her cheek against her hand. "Yep. What about you, though? Will you return home?"

"Yes..." Von nodded slowly. "But hopefully not today. I want to ask your uncle if there are chances to work on a soundtrack for the movie. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll return home tomorrow."

"Wow, that would be really cool," Chloe said, her eyes lighting up with support. "He should seriously let you. You’ll kill it."

Von smiled at the genuine trust in her voice. "Thanks... but it isn’t that easy. My agent tried already, and they rejected it. So I’ll just try myself and see."

"Oh..." Chloe trailed off, remembering she didn’t know anything about the business side of music.

They fell silent again. The music from the party was just a muffled thumping through the glass doors.

After many seconds, Von turned his head to look at her, finally asking the question that had been heavily weighing on his mind.

"Do you have feelings for me, Miss Chloe?"