At last, Geraldine stormed off. Tammy studied my face and tried to comfort me. “Raelyn, don’t overthink it. Just treat whatever Geraldine says as nothing but hot air.” I tapped her on the forehead. “Since when does a young lady talk so crudely?” “I was just trying to cheer you up, I forgot,” she said sheepishly. Then a thought struck me. “Tammy, did you tell Adrian you were coming here?” Her hand froze on the fork; she bit down on it before answering. “I did. He wanted to come with me—said he’d even take leave from school. But I didn’t want that, so I snuck out without telling him the exact time.” I couldn’t help laughing. “What’s wrong? You don’t want him with you every day?” Tammy wrinkled her nose and gave a little sniff. “At first, I did. But Adrian’s starting to act just like my dad. You have no idea—he even nags me about whether I put on hand cream before going out. I can’t take it anymore!” She sounded annoyed, but I knew she still liked Adrian. The difference was, her feelings weren’t timid or one-sided anymore; they were gradually becoming equal. “If that’s the case, I should tell Adrian to stop meddling in your business,” I teased. Her face instantly changed. “Hey, Raelyn, don’t!” The moment she said it, she realized I was teasing her. Her cheeks turned red, and she bolted for the room. I chuckled and let her go. Since I’d just eaten, I wasn’t ready to head back yet. Instead, I wandered into the hotel’s back garden for a walk. That was when a message buzzed on my phone. It was from Randall: “Where are you? Is it convenient to meet?” I switched off my phone at once, pretending I hadn’t seen it. But the next second, Randall popped out from behind a row of bushes, blocking my path. “Hey, good to see you.”I froze for half a beat before forcing a dry laugh. “Well, I’m not glad to see you.” I turned to leave, but Randall grabbed my wrist, frowning. “What happened? You look thinner since you got back. Is Aiden not feeding you?” I yanked my hand free and rolled my eyes. “Do I need Aiden to feed me?” “Fair enough,” Randall chuckled. “Still, I came to Veloria and heard some big news.” The look on his face was a little too smug. “What news?” I asked. He strolled to the lakeside, watching the fish swim beneath the surface. “Word is, Aiden’s in Veloria too.” I smirked; I’d known that already. I didn’t need him to tell me. “And… apparently, he came here just for Geraldine.” I said nothing. I had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed made my chest tighten all the same. “Aiden, whatever he does, however he does it, it has nothing to do with me,” I said flatly. Randall arched a brow, surprised. “You’re really not angry? Your fiance is openly showing up with another woman, and you’re this calm? Raelyn, that’s so like you.” I forced a thin smile. “Of course I care, but if you bring it up again, I’ll shove you into the lake.” Randall laughed it off. “Alright then, how have you been lately?” I let out a soft laugh. “Don’t you already know? I’m sure the moment I came back, you all were tracking me.” Even after being called out, he showed no hint of embarrassment. “Mr. Greg worries about you,” he said lightly. I didn’t buy it. “With Mr. Greg’s personality, if he cared, he’d have dragged me back by now. Worry? What he’s worried about isn’t me—it’s whether Imperial Pack can latch onto more power.” Randall only shrugged. “Believe what you want. We’ve got plenty of time.” He nodded politely and walked back toward the hotel. Plenty of time. Those words struck a chord—I’d once said the exact same thing to Aiden.I once believed we had endless time together. Now I wasn’t so sure. Watching Randall’s retreating figure, I couldn’t shake the feeling his words carried some hidden meaning. The next morning, the new production officially began. I was up with Tammy at five—helping her with makeup, costume, running lines—so busy I hardly touched the ground. But before filming even got underway, a minor actress suddenly threw a tantrum. “Why do I only get a few shots? I spent hours on this makeup! This is ridiculous—I quit!” And this was only day one. I narrowed my eyes and stepped forward. The director exploded. “Then quit! Who spoiled you into thinking you’re indispensable?” An assistant whispered nervously, “Sir, the problem is we really don’t have a quick replacement…” “There are plenty of extras—just grab one of them. What do you mean you can’t find anyone?” “But none of them are as pretty as she is…” That sent the actress soaring. “See? That’s what I’m saying. I look this good—why not give me more screen time? I don’t want to cause trouble; just add a few shots of me each episode and we’re good.” The director was red in the face, beard bristling, yet too flustered to argue back. I, on the other hand, snapped without hesitation. “With that lopsided face and makeup that makes you look like a ghoul—you call that pretty? Funny how the plain ones always cause the biggest scenes.”