Stella Astel was groomed for succession; But her role was to be seen, not to succeed.

Born into a conservative family, Stella had always been naturally beautiful. Her long blonde hair, healthy and striking, carried much of her appearance through her early teenage years. As she grew older, however, her face developed into something far more alluring, and the combination became difficult to ignore. In almost any room, placed beside other beautiful girls, Stella would overshadow them. She was a magnet for attention. It was almost as if she carried her own spotlight. Unfortunately, Stella had never been equipped to handle it. From an early age, her personality was painfully shy and timid. In her own eyes she was insecure, dreamy, and completely unfit for action. She tended to follow rather than lead, and if nobody else moved the needle, Stella certainly wasn't going to be the one to move it.

She was an over-dreamer, constantly disappearing into her own thoughts. Her teenage years contained almost none of the usual rebellion. There were few arguments, few confrontations, and almost no desire to prove herself. When her parents talked, Stella mostly nodded. Among her friends, she spent more time smiling than speaking. Crazy, really? Because while Stella was quietly sitting there, her beauty was doing all the talking for her. Innocent. Naive. Gentle. That was Stella.

The strange thing about being perceived as an extroverted beauty while actually being an introvert was the duality of it. Everyone assumed that someone who attracted so much attention must enjoy receiving it. Stella didn't. The attention simply followed her. She could have mentioned to her friends how many friend requests she received from classmates and strangers. She could have mentioned how many boys — even boys who already had girlfriends — found excuses to message her. She rarely did. If she had, perhaps her friends would have understood just how different the world looked from Stella's side of it. Being so withdrawn meant that Stella spent more time online than outside. Ironically, her online presence was almost nonexistent. Her social media contained barely any photographs. Her walls were quiet. Her profiles were usually private. For someone who attracted so much attention, there was almost nothing to see.

And yet the strangest thing about the online world was that Stella didn't even have to participate in it. One photograph of her friends might receive eighty-nine likes. Tag Stella in the same photograph? Five hundred and forty-one. She hadn't posted anything. She hadn't said anything. She had merely been tagged. That was when someone noticed. But even that wasn't really the beginning. The beginning was when Stella changed classes at sixteen. Unlike Stella, Victoria was action. Vicky was confident, outgoing, socially connected, and already had thousands of followers. On her first day, she asked Stella to sit with her. Everyone expected drama. Instead, Vicky became Stella's best friend. Almost her soulmate. And Vicky already had plans. She understood social media. She understood attention. More importantly, she understood how attention could be turned into something useful. She began pulling Stella into her world little by little. A photograph here. A post there. A tag. A story. Then Stella began posting herself. Her accounts started buzzing. Followers grew every day. By graduation, Stella was receiving professional offers to model — commercial campaigns, product work, fashion shoots. Dozens of opportunities were appearing in front of her. But Stella only listened to one person. Vicky. Everything else sounded suspicious. Too commercial. Too desperate. Too eager to take advantage of her. Vicky knew better.

Or at least, that was what Stella believed. She wanted to model for 'Iconic'. Because that was what Vicky had been telling her for years. And Iconic's offer was extraordinary. Huge payouts. Custom schedules. Travel. Professional treatment. A glamorous career almost handed to her. It sounded too good to be true. Because it wasn't. After all, who didn't know 'Iconic'? Nobody would have said that 'Iconic' groomed her. They would have called it discovering talent. They would have called it giving a young girl a chance. They would have called it opportunity. Then Stella turned eighteen. Within weeks, she appeared on the front page of Iconic's Simstagram, Thousands of views pouring in beneath the photograph. ..

PROMISING TALENT 💘

It's a fair world. Everyone deserves a chance. And Stella became exactly what the machine needed her to become.

Nobody asked Stella to speak publicly. Nobody particularly cared what she thought. Her personality disappeared between pixels. Online, there was no shy girl who drew flowers in the corner of her notebook. No dreamy teenager who barely spoke. No insecure girl who followed everyone else's lead. There was only Stella...

Tall. Curvy. Blonde. Beautiful. And immensely marketable.

One photograph could put her on the trending page. One caption could become a slogan. So you want to win? Win with me. Or: I was born an Icon. 'Iconic' knew exactly what they were selling. And behind it all was Valerie's marketing. Beauty to be sold. Illusions. Delusions. Stella was Valerie's latest desire. Not a daughter. Not a protégé. A product. Marketable Lust.

For now.