The next morning, the world discovered Cyrielle’s response and it went exactly as predicted. The horseboys were reassured.

  -I thought she was perfect, but in the end she is just like us

  ?No, she’s still better than us, because she can do all of that WHILE having anxiety ! What a queen !

  ??frfr

  -I suffer from anxiety, and knowing that she has it too is making me feel seen and heard. It’s rare to have a celebrity understand our pain…

  ?+1

  -When she made that post on horseback and she said ‘taking a break’, do you think it was for her mental health ?

  ?I think so. After a panic attack, you need to rex and take care of yourself ! It’s great that her agency let her do that

  -Before : If someone hurts our angel we’ll destroy him. Now : If someone hurts our angel, we’ll DESTROY him

  ?protection patrol o7

  ?protection patrol o7

  ?protection patrol o7

  Of course, the reporters were happy too, churning articles every second.

  {[Mademoiselle Cyrielle] her battle with anxiety}

  {‘Celebrities are people too’ Mademoiselle Cyrielle’s statement that shook the industry}

  {Should we talk more about mental health ?}

  {With fame comes the mental burden - Mademoiselle Cyrielle’s story}

  The discussion was slowly shifting from her panic attack to societal issues. Surprisingly, it started a trend on social media, with celebrities talking about their own struggles with mental health. It had started with Manon Sarmer, in a post she made on Bluebird.

  {I saw Mademoiselle Cyrielle’s story, and it really touched my heart because I also struggled with anxiety, especially during my first years. Panic attacks are never fun, even less when you have the eyes of the whole world on you. I wish love and happiness to Mademoiselle Cyrielle.}

  In the hour that followed, other singers made simir posts, then actors, including Bernard Leroux, the former actor who had interviewed her on TV. Coline was leading the trend amongst models, and soon every professional of the entertainment and fashion industry had talked about their mental health, the burden of fame, and their own experience with anxiety.

  Without meaning too, Cyrielle had opened the lid on a taboo issue. It had been Manon Sarmer’s pn since the beginning, but it was overwhelming for Cyrielle. Now, she was not only seen as a good and talented artist, people referred to her as a leader, a harbinger of change, someone who didn’t hesitate to speak up when others didn’t. Of course, it wasn’t only due to her post on Instantgram, Julie had actively participated in shaping public opinion by nudging her connections and ‘Angel’s Horseboys’, and Bernadette had helped too, without mentioning Manon Sarmer and Coline. It was a group effort, and the strategy was working.

  Unexpectedly, this whole ordeal had boosted the album sales, and everything reted to Cyrielle was selling like hot cakes. Her title song ‘To my weak self’ had reached the first pce on the french charts, and the rest of her album followed in the top 100. It was astounding. The public wanted more of her, so Julie had eventually decided to create official merchandise for Cyrielle. The designs were still in the works, but the announcement had set ‘Angel’s Horseboys’ afme.

  Of course, it didn’t mean everything was resolved. Reporters were still flocking under Cyrielle’s window, and trying to force their way in to interview the neighbors, but since the night of her panic attack, and after learning how Coline had infiltrated her apartment, Cyrielle had payed to upgrade the security of the building, and the residents were grateful. Living next to a celebrity wasn’t easy.

  Cyrielle sighed. She had taken care of the urgent matter, the public perception, and was guaranteed that her panic attack would only be remembered as anxiety felt by every celebrity. But now she needed to bury the subject and to shift the focus. It was a mix of both strategies she had first thought about : First, make sure that even if the subject resurfaced one day, it wouldn’t be bad for her, and then silencing it. She took out her phone and texted Julie.

  [Me : I think you can release the album’s docuseries, now.]

  [Julie the best ? : That’s what I was thinking too ! On it !]

  All this time, they had been keeping the docuseries filmed by Vincent, pnning to upload it when the album’s sales would start to dwindle, in order to spark interest again. But now was the perfect time. And it wasn’t the only thing they had prepared. After all, the runway was tomorrow and another huge issue was coming : the feature with Manon Sarmer.

  Cyrielle entered the bathroom and took off her clothes. She needed to take a shower and do all the skincare she could for tomorrow, because fashion week’s runways, even the small ones, were seen by the entire world. She was about to enter her bathtub when she stopped in front of the mirror.

  ‘What’s this ? Am I dreaming ?’

  She had finally gained weight. For the first time since she had first lost her job, her ribs were visible but not apparent, you couldn’t count them with a gnce. Her colrbones weren’t protruding either. Of course, she wasn’t fat, she wasn’t even at a normal weight for her stature, but she finally looked somewhat decent.

  ‘How ? I didn’t do anything in particur !’

  [You are feeling better mentally and you are happier. Happiness is a vital force for humans, as much as food and sleep.]

  ‘Does that mean I was really unhappy before ?’

  [You should know the answer.]

  Cyrielle entered the shower, and washed herself while thinking. It was true that before meeting Path of Destiny, she was unhappy. No, in fact, she was dying. It was the reason she absolutely believed the vision she had seen on the first month, the one where she had ended herself and it had killed Julie. She believed it, because it was absolutely possible. If things had continued in this way, if she still slept on Marius’ dusty couch while being unsuccessful in finding a job, she might have died.

  But now ? She had a home all to herself, as much food as she wished, a job she loved where she could do anything she wanted without restrictions, and good people around her. She lived a fulfilling life, setting goals for herself and achieving them one by one, with friends by her side. It was perfect. The dream life. Yes, if she thought about it, she was happy. Things never went as expected, and the road was full of bumps, but ultimately she was eted with her current life.

  She went out of the shower and looked again at the mirror. Cyrielle could truly see why people praised her good looks and her elegance. She had never been sure about her appearance, always doubtful, but now she had the beginning of a feeling.

  ‘I think I might be beautiful.’

  [You are in the better looking 10% of the popution.]

  ‘Really ? I didn’t know. I thought my aura was carrying my looks and tricking people.’

  [You know that I don’t lie.]

  ‘I know. It’s just fascinating. Was I ugly before, or did I never notice ?’

  [I can’t answer that. Maybe the fact that you didn’t receive proper care and that you were underweight didn’t help in your assessment, but Path of Destiny never changed your natural features.]

  ‘Yes, I noticed that. Never once did you change the shape of my nose, or erase my freckles.’

  If the change didn’t come from the system, it meant that she was always meant to look that way, as beautiful as she was. With a healthier body, she looked a bit more like her mother and that fact eted her. She also had the same nose as her brother, and even if Léo’s hands were bigger, they had the same shape as Cyrielle’s.

  Happy with her observations, she dried herself up, did her skincare routine, and went out of the bathroom with a facemask on, wrapping herself in a silk colorful kimono.

  ‘I feel like congratuting myself ! Should I order takeout ?’

  Unfortunately, because of the reporters outside, she couldn’t make just anyone enter the building, so she had to bother Hugo. She asked him to bring a big fast food menu, the one with fries covered in cheddar and bacon. After all, she deserved it !

  ***

  A man was sitting down in the front row, greetings the people surrounding him with a smile. He looked incredibly stylish, with his gray hair forming charming waves around his wrinkled face, and eyes as blue as the ocean. He had come to Paris for the Women's Fashion Week, and with only three days left, he had seen all the runways he had pnned to attend. He had wondered for a bit, should he fly home to Italy, or stay ? But ultimately, he decided to attend one st event.

  On paper, this was not a prestigious runway, as the famous hotel venue where it was organized in only hosted events for smaller creators. However, the designer presenting their collection right now wouldn’t be just anyone, but the queen of issues herself, Mademoiselle Cyrielle. Because of that, a lot of people had gathered, curious about what she would show them. Already famous in France, her influence was quickly gaining across the entirety of Europe, and industry experts knew better than to ignore such a figure.

  Soon, lights were deemed in the audience, and spotlights illuminated the center of the room, a long grey carpet that extended from one end to the other. Music resounded, and people gasped. It was a song from Mademoiselle Cyrielle’s album.

  ‘Is it a promotion stunt, or are the designs linked to her music ? If it’s the tter, it will surely be interesting…’

  The man scratched his chin, his face breaking into a grin. The show didn’t even begin yet, but it had already caught his attention.