***2023 SHORTLISTER FOR THE @OPENNOVELLACONTEST & FEATURED ON @STORIESUNDISCOVERED'S 'FEAST ON FICTION' READING LIST IN OCTOBER 2023*** Born and raised within a few steps of Hollywood's golden gate, Arlene Berkshire always knew she wanted to be an actress. After some minor roles in overlooked features, Arlene gets her break at last when she secures a role in Forrest Washburn's highly-anticipated directorial debut. Asked to play opposite a veteran actor who seems to stray from the script only in her presence, Arlene soon finds herself at the cusp of a blossoming affair with the famed Norman Stillwell himself. Yet it is not long after their affair's beginning that an individual reveals a secret that could bring ruin to Arlene's career before it's even started. Thus torn between the man she's fallen for and her reputation, Arlene realizes relatively quickly that no script could have prepared her for what turns out to be her own Hollywood scandal. AN OLD HOLLYWOOD NOVELLA & AN ONC ENTRY.