Publisher's Synopsis
What is the price of fame and fortune? Cleo is the family breadwinner--an aspiring model and actress who has made her way from a commercial to an indie film. Her father, a prominent director in Germany, is someone she barely knows. He is a hard, cold man, but Cleo still longs for that connection. Keeping her family happy and bringing her dad into her life are what she wants. But to do these things, she has to climb the ladder of success. Entering beauty pageants is Cleo's path to the life she dreams of. But winning a local pageant title drives a wedge between herself and her longtime love, Owen--caring, reliable, and never happy living in the world of wealth and social position to which his family belongs. And as she ascends further--into the big leagues of international pageants, Cleo discovers how ugly the reality is and jeopardizes an even more important relationship--the one she has with herself. In the end, she must ask herself if it is all worth it, and make the most difficult decision of all... Set against the rich backdrop of Manila's urban life, Queen of the Universe is about remembering who you are in the dizzying world of fame and celebrity, told by an international beauty pageant insider.
