The Devereux Studios talent program felt less like a nurturing incubator and more like a pressure cooker. Ava, having navigated the initial hurdles of media training and endless vocal coaching, found herself thrown into a whirlwind of workshops, networking events, and, most intimidatingly, forced bonding exercises with the other participants. These were the rising starlets, the would-be leading ladies, the hopefuls who dreamt of gracing magazine covers and accepting golden statuettes. They were, in short, her competition.