Rise To Stardom - Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Hello Seattle
The time of the year had come once again where the Grammie Award Ceremonies were the center of attention on TweetTalk.

Surprisingly, this time, they were actually being hailed for standing on integrity and rewarding artists who rightfully deserved to win in all the categories they were in.

In fact, the reception to the prestigious award ceremonies tonight had been so favorable, the viewership ratings touched a new height and broke all records from the previous years.

And if many individuals whom had tuned in were being honest, some of the best parts of the award show, were the moments Kyle was declared as yet the winner of yet another award!

But it wasn’t only the Grammies whom had enjoyed a record-breaking viewership rating.

Rising Voices too, due to Kyle’s guest appearance, were also in the limelight alongside the prestigious award show.

And so, as TweetTalk practically buzzed about these two events, Kyle’s fan group similarly bubbled in excitement at the success Kyle had achieved!

–

WeDoABitOfTrolling: The prophecy has been fulfilled!

ShrekLovesFiona: The more I look back on things, the more I find it amazing how far Kyle’s come. From that quiet guy in college to bar none, the hottest thing in Hollywood. Simply, sensational.

Trix or Treat: I was so happy throughout the award show, I practically stretched my cheeks beyond reasonable limits with my smiles. Now they’re sore and yet, I don’t regret it, one, tiny, bit.

Mamma Mia: Honestly, if Kyle had so much as lost in any of the brackets he had been in, TweetTalk would be a completely different landscape. Good on the Grammies for doing the right thing.

Peter_Writes_Fantasy: I agree @MammaMia. At least now, people are once again, starting to believe in their relevance to the industry.

Alice_in_Wonderland 88: Kyle’s gonna be in Seattle next week! Can’t wait to experience a live performance of his! Especially, [Your Odyssey]!

Kyle’s Girlfriend: As someone who got grounded for a month for attending his concert without notifying my parents that I’d be travelling to Canada on my own from NYC, just to experience his very first concert tour live, you won’t regret a single second of it @Alice_in_Wonderland 88! Trust me.

Wendy_The_Witch: When is Kyle gonna release [Your Odyssey] for streaming? All I have to go on are TicToc and ViewTube clips sadly ╥﹏╥…

WaifuWithARocketLauncher: Might as well call Kyle a superstar at this point but, I feel he’ll need to be an A-lister before that title truly feels legit (at least by the standards of Hollywood). And yes, the Grammies are safe from my rocket launcher this year for those of you wondering. Next year though… fair game. Depends on how they behave.

Princess Peach: I mean, we all expected it really but it feels so, so good seeing it all play out in real time. Absolute cinema! Looking forward to more wins from our cinnamon roll!!

–

Meanwhile, as this was happening, somewhere else, Lex, having dropped off his secretary at her apartment, pondered to himself as his limo glided through the brightly-lit, Los Angeles, city streets.

Having tried a slew of dirty tricks in the book to get Kyle and his team to yield over to his demands, all without success, the multi-billionaire CEO, had a certain realization dawn over him.

At first he had believed; with enough pressure on Kyle and his team, poaching of his resources, along with also making progress noticeably harder for him in Hollywood, the young star would eventually come around to his offer.

But with their interaction today, Lex had confirmed one thing with Kyle;

‘He’s cracked the code…’ he mused to himself with a thoughtful stroke of his stubble.

To the average person, Kyle’s statement; Pardon my lack of knowledge but, if I may ask, who are you, exactly?; might’ve seemed like he was mocking him initially.

But Lex, sharp as nails, interpreted the hidden meaning behind his words;

I’m not playing your games, even if I have to pretend I don’t know you.

The one thing all of Lex’s adversaries over the years had learned a little too late, was that if they had simply never tried to negotiate at all with his whims, and instead, pretended to remain clueless, they would’ve had a far better chance of coming on top as the winner.

But with the prospect of a negotiation and their greediness to strike a more potentially lucrative deal with Hollywood’s biggest devil in human skin, they had essentially, already fallen into his trap.

But with Kyle and his team, they didn’t even bother trying to negotiate.

Rather, they did the exact opposite and purposely remained oblivious, essentially making it hard for Atlas to even make any propositions, much less get a foot through the door to reach the initial stages of striking any kinds of deal with them.

‘And if that’s the case…’ Lex reached for a glass of whiskey in the small fridge of the limo, pouring its contents into a glass cup as he came to a strategic decision;

“I’ll leave them be, for now…” he stated quietly, his gaze, resting on the gently sloshing liquid in the cup.

‘…then I’ll hit them where it’ll hurt the most later on.’ he concluded with a sinister thought as he brought the glass cup to his lips with a ruthlessly cold expression.

* * *

(A week later…)

Clint Rockwood was a man in his mid-fifties whom had always wanted to be an actor in Hollywood.

However, with life, making it hard for him to pursue his dreams, he had far longed settled for his insignificant place in the world, working as a taxi-driver to make ends meet in New York.

With his wife, whom he loved dearly, exiting he and his two-year old daughter’s life far too soon, Clint had been tasked with the massive responsibility of raising a child, solely on his own.

And being the light and source of strength that a now six-year old Eliza was to him, it was quite unfortunate that she, was born a sickler.

So, when the young girl got really sick again a few months back, and the wages he was earning as a cabbie wasn’t enough to cater for her medical bills, Clint started getting desperate.

So desperate he even sold their quaint little house in the suburbs to gather more funds. Unfortunately, this was not enough, prompting Clint to become even more desperate.

But in his desperation, he found himself luckily stumbling upon an old friend whom was now working as a stagehand for various movie sets.

It was through him, that Clint had gotten wind of the info that Xavier and Cassandra Cage were screening fresh new talents in the industry to play the role of Malakai Volt, the villain in the upcoming superhero movie, [Tech Wiz: Year One].

Apparently, they had been at it for three months now and yet, despite sorting out almost every other role, they had been unable to find someone who truly embodied Malakai.

And so, with one last decision to give acting a trial one last time, Clint decided to take his chances.

Getting his hands on all the comics that he could through rental bookstores, working in the day and rehearsing lines at night in his cab which was now also his house, Clint prepared thoroughly for the D-day.

And so, when said day did finally come around, Clint, having given it his all, felt like he was being pranked when he heard Xavier speak once more;

“Well. Guess we’ve found our Malakai Volt. Welcome to the team, Clint.” the Director casually stated, he and Cassandra, packing up their documents as the producer stated;

“We’ll forward the contract to you in a few days.” she gave him a light smile, one that an overjoyed Clint vigorously nodded his head in response to.

* * *

Kyle had just gotten off a phone call with Xavier, the Director informing him of the roles they were tasked with casting, completed on he and Cass’s end.

That, made the young man really happy and the little kid in him, even happier.

Gradually, they were inching ever-closer to making a live action adaptation of his favorite comic book.

That said, there was still one more person Kyle wanted onboard.

And although the young star had informed said individual of the role, one he had favorably responded to, both had yet to actually meet and discuss in person due to Kyle’s busy schedule.

But now that he was in Seattle, where said individual was also at as of the moment, Kyle was dead set on ensuring they both met to discuss in detail about the role after he was done with today’s concert.

“Kyle. You’re up in five!” Owen, knocked on the door to his dressing room and informed the young star.

“Be out in a sec!” Kyle promptly replied to his assistant, quickly clothing himself with a designer leather jacket atop his already slick and stylish attire, fit for a popstar.

And no sooner had he done that, he turned the door knob and stepped out, his confidence matching his dashing appearance.

“Let’s do this.” he excitedly stated to which Owen reciprocated by tossing over his mic, the young star receiving it with a stylish spin.

Making his way frontstage, high-fiving various stagehands, backstage staffs, event coordinators and the stage manager who supported him with cheering words, Kyle soon appeared onstage, practically beaming at the crowd of over 67,000+ at the Lumen Field Stadium.

And with an increasingly loud wave of cheers, whistles and applauds greeting him first, Kyle reciprocated with a genuinely appreciative wave, both hands waving back and forth.

Then, unexpectedly, the entire stadium, having planned it literally minutes before Kyle arrived with a whisper of information that had effectively spread like wildfire within seconds, cheered in an unbelievable yet unified wave;

“SEATTLE CONGRATULATES YOU ON WINNING FIVE GRAMMIES KYLE!”

With a look of absolute shock, plastered all over his features, same as practically almost everyone backstage, Kyle, after a few seconds of trying to process how amazing what they had just done was, soon felt his eyelids become teary as he struggled to find the words to respond.

And when he finally did get around to composing himself and raising the mic to his lips, his voice, came out as a whispery quiver, even through the speakers of the stadium;

“From the depths of my heart, thank you, Seattle. I’ll never forget this.”

Another burst of vibrant cheers, far louder than their initial wave of cheers, responded to Kyle’s emotional response as he gave a showmanship bow in appreciation.

This was the fourth concert of his tour.

Yet just like all the previous, it felt like a fever dream of sorts.

A fever dream he was absolutely stoked to be witnessing in real time.

And so, with a decision to start from his newest song, rather than his most popular, Kyle, upon watching the audience screaming in powerful waves of immense fervor the moment they heard the ethereal, wisp-like tune of [Your Odyssey], quickly composed himself, blinked his teary eyes away and sang;

🌌 ♪

You are a stray drifter…

But you… are a firm believer…

Lost in the flow, caught in the haze,

But you… can go anywhere…

🌌 ♪

And just like that, the Your Odyssey tour went on, the audience continuously cheering him on in feverish ardor.