CHAPTER 1: EDITED VERSION

Author's note: Dear readers, I rewrote this story so I will be reuploading it's content! I hope you find fun rereading this story as I did rewriting it! Kisses.

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Deloise's Home, Chicago.

Inside the walls of a three-room capacity bungalow, Deloise was found inside one of the rooms that belonged to her, with a tripod set up that held her phone as she prepared herself for a smooth delivery of the monologue script she found on the internet.

Immediately getting into character, facing the camera, she began:

" Of course I know I'm pretty! The problem remains that you don't."

She cocked her hand towards the camera and summoned a deranged look that could bring paralyzing chills and fear to her prey.

" It's all because of you! " she said with every reason and conviction like she had thought it all through and could never be wrong with her assumptions.

" You choose her over me. " She spoke with discontent. " Again and again, time without number. You caused this, you should have chosen me! " She screamed, getting angrier as the seconds trickled by. " When I said to make a choice, you picked wrong."

Deloise gestured her gun to her head and pulled the trigger, feigning suicide, and immediately fell limp upon her bed. At that moment, Esther - Deloise's mum, walked in. On seeing her daughter go limp, her spirit nearly left her body before she sighted the setup.

Deloise, saw her mom come in and almost lose her footing immediately palmed her face. She readied herself for a lecture which she knew was looming now she was caught in the act.

" Louise dear, what exactly is going on?" Esther asked, almost too calmly.

" Shooting? " She drawled.

Esther grew aggravated. " Baby, you should know by now that you are not supposed to be playing around." She said, displeasure clouding her face. " Especially at this pivotal point in your life." She lectured.

" I know ma, I'm just trying out my acting skills on this new monologue I stumbled on earlier today, it's so challenging and exciting so I decided to–" Deloise shared excitedly only to be cut off by her mother,

" Enough already! I don't want to hear it, Loise. You shouldn't be here wasting precious time." She reasoned, " You should be preparing for your future in law school! " she projects firmly, sounding dissatisfied.

" But mummy you know I don't want to pursue law as a profession," Deloise whined. " My passion is acting and I want to make a profession out of it."

" I don't want to hear it! We have a plan, Deloise." Esther said, taking a breath, " The earlier you start pursuing it, the better for us.I am your mother and I know what's best for you, this is nothing but a hobby and no child of mine is taking that path," She said sternly.

Deloise's face fell, and every trace of her prior happiness vanished to thin air.

" Don't make a big deal out of this, listen to me. I wouldn't mislead you, having the brains which you do, you'll make for a very great lawyer in this state. And that, my dear, is a life to lead," Esther spoke with a patronizing voice.

Deloise felt ambushed and lost words to explain or defend how important her dream to be a world- renowned star meant.

" But I love what I do, you know I can do this, I'll become famous and do great stuff, Mom. I have no desire or call to the bar." She complained, almost childishly.

" This isn't a conversation." Esther said, having had enough, " I believe I've made myself clear. Clean up all of these and let me not see them or you in front of them ever again." she ordered, gesturing to the whole setup. " I've allowed you to have your fun. It's time you got serious and that's final," Esther walked out the room with an unpleasant look. Leaving no room for rebuttal and a hurt Deloise.

Mood soured, Deloise took down the tripod and mock setup she made and headed for a change of outfit, feeling suffocated and caged by the words and plans of her mother.

Soon enough, she was girded in a black jogger and T-shirt alongside her running shoes. She picked up her phone and connected her earphones ready to leave the house to her favorite spot.

A saddened Deloise sprinted away from home, leaving her mother to her devices, all the while trying so hard to understand why her mother had such an uncouth feeling towards her chosen career path and passion.

As Eminem's ' Am not afraid ' blasted into her ears, It felt like the world was laughing at her. Of course, she was afraid! She couldn't even imagine not having the support of her mother, talkless of going against her.

' Why couldn't she do this for herself? Why couldn't the world stop revolting against her? Why does her mother have such a deep-rooted hatred for the film industry? And why the hell, couldn't she be happy?

Deloise pondered and sprinted even faster, feeling even more upset and conflicted. She got to a park not so far from her high school, her go-to spot in times like this which held a lot of memories from her childhood.

Deloise was born and bred in Chicago, a place where she discovered her passion and was groomed into the woman she was. With everything, the city felt more constricted than ever.

Esther's dream for her daughter to one day become one of the most respected and brilliant lawyers from Columbus University was forever standing as a bane towards the existence of Deloise.

Her fears of what could be, should she not accept the plans of her mother kept her up at night and scared the daylights out of her. She knew her mother and how very extreme the repercussions for disobeying her could be.

Mumbling, she sat on a log of wood and took a breather. She logged into the popular microblogging app as an effort to get her mind off the waters of the confrontation earlier experienced.

Scrolling through the news feed from her timeline, she encountered snippets of an interview from one of the most successful veteran actors in the industry.

" The film and entertainment industry scene at large would be stoked to have you back after your two-year hiatus, Mr. Daniel." The interviewer said to veteran actor, Daniel Greenwood.

He smiled modestly, " The industry is such a beautiful place, one that makes dreams a reality. I'm just glad to be a part of that, now as a director and actor. "

" Well, you're going to add to the beauty! I mean look at you, girls all over the world are blown away by today's news.They are all anticipating your return,"

Daniel let out a laugh, " It's no secret that I am not interested in pursuing any kind of relationship at this time, I can't say I'm not grateful for the love and support from the fans though, so thank you all. " He said, effortlessly killing any further inquiry.

" So there you have it, Daniel Greenwood is back in the entertainment scene, ready to take on a journey as a production director and actor in his home city, New York!"

Deloise exited the video after getting the gist of the situation. With a smile, she continued reading comments from fans of the actor. The news of the return of the movie King Daniel dominated every conversation.

There, she whispered to herself that one day she also will attain such height and level of artistry and stardom.

*******

ESTHER'S POV ( Deloise's mother)

" I can't have Louise ending up like him, that can never happen. Oh not again! " Esther paced around her kitchen gripping her hair as she saw her nightmare flash before her eyes.

" It feels like I can't escape him, he just won't give me a break! I can't let my daughter go through that path. What can I do? " She thought hard, and reorganized an already organized set of cups.

Walking into the whole setup of Deloise reciting and acting that monologue sobered her up to the fact that she had to do something and fast. She always thought the whole drama flair was a phase that would pass in her beautiful daughter's life.

Oh, how wrong she was!

Her daughter had always been a focused, consistent, passion-driven and outstanding young lady since her childhood. She mindlessly walked about her kitchen picking up some sugar, baking powder, and other things in readiness to 'stress-bake' - as her daughter termed it.

Going through the process of creating a piece of cake, her mind took her back to when the whole mess started, when her daughter started going down that route, Just like he did.

*****FLASHBACK****

" Mummy, Mummy! I got picked, I did it, I got picked! " A little Deloise screamed excitedly, announcing her arrival.

Esther sat with a guest at the time, and smiled at her daughter who ran into the house with a book held up in her hands. She watched with amusement as her little legs drove hurriedly towards her.

" Baby girl, slow down! Don't hurt yourself." She took Deloise into her arms with a wide smile at the energy of her little angel.

" Who do we have here?" Micheal, her guest, and prospective husband of the time said, alerting Deloise of his presence, which she seemed to have missed on her run.

" Mickey! " She screamed with a happy grin, and he gently patted her head like the cute girl she was.

" What's the hurry? What do we have here?" Esther reminded, causing little Deloise to remember her reason for excitement.

" I got picked to present a drama for our school's end-of-year program! I'm the princess!" She announced, proud of herself.

Upon hearing that, Esther's heart plummeted to her stomach, she couldn't believe her ears. " No you aren't. Baby, why would you do that? why didn't you tell me?"

" I wanted to surprise you and now I got the part, I'm the–"

" No! I don't want to hear it. You aren't taking part, and that's final." She ordered, displeasure written all over her face.

" But...but.." A little Deloise stuttered, now at the brink of tears.

Esther felt anger course through her,

" Go to your room, Deloise. Now!"

Deloise turned around with a sob and ran in the direction of her room. Only after affirming she was in her room did Esther sink into her chair, well aware of her fiance's concern over her outburst.

" What the hell was that about?" He inquired, confused by her actions.

" No, Micheal. Just let it be." She muttered tiredly. " There's nothing to it, she shouldn't be doing such things, she needs to focus on her studies."

" We both know she's a smart little girl, and it won't affect her, so what is the problem?" He reasoned, closing the space between them.

" I don't want to talk about it "

" You have to. Brcause it's hurting you, and Deloise."

Esther palmed her face in frustration, and spoke through gritted teeth, " I don't want to talk about it. She's my daughter, and I reserve the right to direct her towards the right paths as I deem fit. I don't want to argue right now, so please, drop it." She muttered, tired of everything.

Micheal raised his hands in surrender, surprised at her reaction towards the said topic. " Okay, point received. But, just so you know, she worked hard for that, and taking it away from her isn't right." He stood up, and walked a few meters away from her, eyes fixed on towards Deloise' room. " She's only eight, she has a whole life ahead of her, let her be a kid."

He walked out, leaving her food for thought, and space to think about what she's done. After much thought, she finally decided to go talk to her baby girl, hoping that this would be the last she would have to address an issue of this kind.

******* END OF FLASHBACK******

Esther placed her batter into the oven, filled with regret. She felt stupid to have allowed her daughter a glance at a drama script.

Now, she reaped the fruits of her carelessness and leniency towards the subject at the beginning.

The infuriating part being the man who convinced her to make such a dire mistake wasn't even around to see what it led to.

' Where was the said man who convinced her to let her child go through that silly phase?' She thought in anger. ' Probably somewhere with his real family having the time of his life. Men are and will always be betrayals!'

Esther fumed at what her choices with men throughout her life had caused her. She swore never to let her daughter fall in the same hole she did. Deloise couldn't end up like her- she determined her daughter got the better edge of the stick if it was the only thing she did.

The buzzer went off, and Esther heard her doorbell go off. " Come in!" She yelled, then kitted her palms, ready to bring a thoroughly baked cake, hot from the oven.

" Ummm! I've missed you my sweet friend," The voice of Mrs. Karen, her long-time friend and neighbor broke into the air. Salivating at the aroma of the freshly baked cake that instantly placed a smile on her face.

" We both know you want to eat some cake, Karen." Esther deadpanned, sporting a grin as she dished the cake in little plates.

" Caught me, " Karen giggled, and took part of the cake for her consumption. After which, she followed Esther into her sitting room for a chit-chat. " How's Deloise doing? What are your plans for college? " She inquired, holding a glass of water.

" She's alright. Just doing the usual," Esther sighed, unhappy at the route her daughter took as regards her future prospect.

" Well, at least she is good at what she does, Anna would be applying for the college of law tomorrow," Karen shrugged, and took another big bite.

She felt proud of her daughter's decision to go into the college of law- a supposed secret between them. Her daughter surely knew that she wasn't planning on keeping such good news to herself, so it was fine. She thought excitedly.

" If only Deloise could understand that I want the best for her," Esther felt dejected. She shared the burden concerning her daughter's desire to pursue acting, and her distaste towards the said field. " Acting isn't even a job. She wants to spend the rest of her life chasing shadows while she has the qualifications to become a respectable lawyer. " She fumed," I need to do something, force her in the right direction."

Esther's shoulders sagged and her countenance soured. Deloise' refusal to pursue law as a profession despite being smart enough to do so grieved her.

" You could do something about it, think about it, there has to be something you could do, you just have to calm down and figure it out," Karen said, trying to encourage her.

Hearing the words- there has to be something she could do- Esther felt revived. She believed as a mother, who had her child's best interest at heart, there had to be something she could do, and that fact made her see a light at the end of the tunnel.

She just needed to find the right time and plan to push Deloise into doing her bidding, no matter the costs. She believed that even though she was too young to understand her right now, in the end, It'll be worth it.

Deloise would be thankful she saw past her childish infatuation with acting, and helped her pursue a real career, which in time, she would grow to love.

Esther didn't know she was sporting a smile- one Karen found odd but didn't mention. For now, she felt convinced and needed to figure out how to make things work to her favour.

Esther felt lighter, and determined to save the future of her daughter, any means necessary.

*****

Deloise held nylon bags filled with provisions, and struggled to get into her gate, unwilling to set them down for a second. The gates creaked loudly as she forced it open with her body weight.

Carefully dragging her bags, she walked slowly into her home, aware of her mother's presence, but refusing to call for help. She struggled to balance herself, and the numerous items, then heard the voices of her childhood friend, Ann, speaking with her mother.

By the door of the living room, Deloise unconsciously hastened her movement, which resulted in missing a step, and crashing into the sight of the talking duo in the living room.

" Talk about the devil and she shows up, dramatically." Ann said, sporting a shit-eating grin at Deloise's laughable state on the floor.

" Thank you for your thoughtful act of kindness, Ann. I appreciate your helping me off the floor." Deloise said in the most sarcastic voice and picked up her scattered items.

Ann joined her on the floor, assisting to get it together and setting them up respectfully in the kitchen. Both came back into the living room, half Expecting to see Ms. Esther seated only to meet her absence.

" Where did she go?" Ann asked, looking around.

Deloise knew her mother was in the study room, her disappearing act had everything to do with their misunderstanding. Their back and forth during the week brought a follow-up strained relationship between them.

Lost in thought, Deloise glanced longingly at the direction of her mom's study, wishing they could somehow be able to meet in the middle as regards their desires. She missed the relationship she shared with her mother as their only living family.

" What do we have here?" Ann's voice brought Deloise out of her thoughts. She turned around to see her friend raiding the fridge in search of something to drink.

" I'll be in my room, help yourself." She deadpanned, unsuccessfully hiding a smile on her face at the sight of Ann's digging in the deep freezer.

" You know I will." Anna sassed, pulling out a bottle of orange juice, and drinking straight from the bottle. She belched then continued, " Lead the way, Hunny."

Deloise pushed open the door to her room, ushering in Anna, who threw herself on the bed in a not-so-ladylike fashion. She grinned and sat up to Deloise's pointed face.

" Spill." Ann demanded looking straight into her eyes.

" Spill what?" She could sense the confusion on her friend's face.

" We both know there is some tension going on there," she paused, " If you both weren't related, I'll probably think it was some sort of sexual tension," Ann added with a lopsided grin.

" Ugh, only you would say that," Deloise cringed at the thought.

" I could cut the tension in the room with a knife, it's that obvious." Ann reiterated with a laugh.

" Everything about you always has to be sexual, doesn't it?" Deloise asked, prompting a roll of laughter from Ann, who was about to take a sip from her drink.

" You know it, baby." She smirked, " But seriously, talk to me, what's got your panties in a twist?"

" My panties aren't in a twist."

" You know it is.."

" Do you want to hear it or not Ann?" Deloise asked, getting frustrated.

" Sorry tiger, go on." She said, hands raised, " Just a harmless joke."

Deciding not to dignify her jokes with a response, Deloise continued speaking.

" It's about my schooling. We've always had a conflict of interests regarding what I want to do and what she wants me to do." She explained, " That current has been boiling below the surface for a while now."

" Yeah, but what's changed?" She asked, trying to see where the conversation was headed.

Deloise sighed. " She saw me shooting a monologue not so long ago, and I guess it became too real for her about how serious I am about acting. All of a sudden, all I ever hear is law school." She deadpanned. " About how it's such a great move to make in life, alongside the fact that you have figured out your life direction while I stay over here wasting 'precious' time."

" First, that was like a top secret between me and my mom. '' Ann immediately clarified, not wanting to make her feel any worse than she already felt.

" You know your mom can't keep a secret to save her life," Deloise said with a grin, remembering Mrs. Karen and her not-so-secretive personality.

" Tell me about it," Ann says, her face brightened up at the thought of an experience. " Remember that time I told her about your little crush on Ryan? She legit couldn't stop herself from-"

" Okay, let's not derail, point gotten." Deloise interrupted, knowing what was coming. Anna smiled, " I just want to go to New York City. I want to live out my dreams, and take over the world. Sometimes, I just wish my mom would support me," She glanced jealously at her friend, " You're so lucky, you don't know how fulfilling it is to be able to pursue your dreams, no questions asked."

Ann shook her head, " I don't call it luck, I'll say it's just me doing all I can." She said softly.

" I have been doing all I could to make my mother see that I could make something out of acting, I know I can, I see and dream it every day " Deloise argued,

" But are you? Because right now, despite knowing that you are probably more talented than every star out there, you need a lot more than your mother's support to kick start a career." She stated. " You'll need deals to get your face out there, opportunities, support, finance, and all. Else this would end up as an unattainable dream."

" I know all of that Ann, I do." She said stoically, picking offense. " If you don't have something positive to say, then I don't want to hear it."

" Listen to me dear, I'm your friend, I won't lie or butter you up. With me, you get the real truth, a hundred percent of the time. To convince your mum about this, you're surely going to need much more than talent and desire to show for it."

" I just know that if I can leave this state for New York, I'll have a solid chance at this," Deloise said thoughtfully.

" Not to be a hater, but what have you done to make it all more realistic?" Ann inquired.

Following that question, was a long and almost deafening silence. Deloise looked like a deer caught in headlights which caused Ann to burst out laughing, " Don't tell me you haven't thought of that," she said, surprised at her friend's answer, or lack thereof.

" You of all people know how hard I've been working for this," Deloise muttered.

" Yes, but apparently what you are doing isn't enough to secure you a place in the industry. You have to think big Louise, cause right now, even I, can understand why your mother would r

ather you secure a solid future as a lawyer than acting as a profession."

" What do I do?" Deloise asked almost dejectedly.

" That's for you to figure out hunnie," she sips her drink, " You sure have valid dreams though, You just need some master plan to go with it."