Geraldine’s POV: My phone was blowing up with Twitter notifications. "The Wolf’s Call" was getting delayed; it wouldn’t air alongside "The Moment We Met" after all. "The Moment We Met"—the romance drama Tammy and Adam starred in together. Fans were furious, complaining that they had waited so long only for the premiere to be postponed. Others were already speculating about what might have caused the delay. By noon, my face had broken out in angry red pimples—so many that I almost looked disfigured. I panicked and rushed to the hospital for tests. The results said it was some kind of plant allergy. It made no sense, but there was nothing I could do; I had the doctor sign me in for treatment and called the production team to ask for time off, requesting that my scenes be postponed. I’d tried to keep everything quiet, but somehow the news still got out. Someone had leaked every detail online. The gossip mill went into overdrive. “Honestly, Geraldine can’t act to save her life. Have you seen her dramas? Total trash—not even worth a dog’s time!” “Geraldine isn’t even that pretty. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see the appeal at all.” “She doesn’t suit period costumes either. Have you seen the stills? My God, she looks awful. And they’re still not replacing her? This show is doomed.” Reading those comments, I thought my lungs might explode from rage. I scrolled through the threads—post after post tearing me apart, calling for me to quit the show, even leave the industry altogether. Someone even dug up that clip of Raelyn, saying that any random nobody could outact me. I was shaking all over. Just as I was drowning in that misery, my phone rang—Andrix. I took a deep breath, staring at his name flashing on the screen, irritation bubbling up in my chest. Still, I answered.“Hello? What is it, Andrix?” His voice was sharp with urgency. “What happened to you? And what’s with all the online backlash?” I swallowed hard, my voice cracking with indignation. “I don’t know! I woke up and everything blew up overnight. But those comments? I’d bet my life Raelyn’s behind this—she and her people must be trying to crush me.” “Have you considered that the breakout on your face might be her doing too?” I frowned. “That’s impossible. She should still be in Varken right now… and even if she wanted to, she doesn’t have that kind of power.” Andrix gave a short, cold laugh. “Raelyn isn’t nearly as simple as you think. You have no idea how deep her connections go.” I still couldn’t believe it. “So what? Even if Raelyn owns the whole damn world, there’s no way she could mess with my skin. The doctor said it’s just a plant allergy, it should be—” “What if I told you Raelyn trained under Tempest the Miracle Doctor?” I froze, stunned. “Seriously? Then, what am I supposed to do?” “For now, stay quiet. Focus on your recovery at the hospital; I’ll take care of everything.” My tone softened immediately, dripping with gratitude. “Thank you, Andrix. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even know what to do…” His voice shifted, taking on a strange undertone. “Then meet me tonight.” “You’re terrible.” I forced out a playful lilt, even though disgust curled in my gut. Of course, I knew what he really meant. This wasn’t about meeting up; it was about sleeping with me. Fine. Let him think he was in control for now. Once I dealt with that Omega wench Raelyn, I’d toss Andrix aside like the parasite he was. When that time came, Aiden would regret ever breaking up with me. Raelyn’s POV: I scrolled through the comments online, clutching my stomach as I laughed. Aiden sat on the couch, watching me with a small, knowing smile. “What’s so funny? You’re this happy just because you got back at Geraldine?”“She brought this on herself. Now the entire internet’s roasting her—it’s hilarious.” He nodded slightly. “She did enough damage; it’s about time she paid for it.” I turned to look at him, teasing. “Not even a twinge of pity? This was the girl you once swore you loved.” Aiden’s expression darkened with sudden seriousness. “There’s something I think I should make clear.” His shift in tone caught me off guard. “What is it? If this is about Geraldine, I was just teasing—” “First of all, there was never some undying love between me and Geraldine—none of that epic romance Andrix likes to make up. The truth is, we just… weren’t right for each other. She was chasing her dreams, and we couldn’t see eye to eye. That’s why we broke up. Second, whatever feelings I had for her disappeared the moment she walked away—honestly, there wasn’t much there to begin with. And third, the only reason I ever answered her calls afterward was because I wanted to understand what kind of woman could abandon a relationship so easily, all in the name of ambition. And eventually, I found out—she was already seeing someone overseas, the same director who helped make her famous.” Listening to Aiden lay it all out so calmly, without a flicker of emotion, I felt a quiet sense of relief settle in my chest.