Geraldine’s body trembled. “Kendrick, don’t listen to her nonsense!” I’d already looked into everything about Geraldine and Kendrick before I came here. After Kendrick had been rejected, he’d come to Varken by chance and met Geraldine at a party. According to him, she reminded him a little of me; so, he’d started pursuing her relentlessly, promising that as long as she agreed to be with him, she could have everything she wanted. Back then, Aiden couldn’t give her a thing. Naturally, she’d accepted Kendrick’s offer with open arms, dumped Aiden, and moved abroad to live with Kendrick. Kendrick was a flirt, yes, but he’d kept his word; he’d funded her rise to fame. And now, though she had indeed become famous, to Kendrick she was nothing more than a substitute plaything. Kendrick shot her a cold glance, then turned his head toward me with a smile. “Ignore her. Now, tell me, how can I help you?” I nodded. “Come with me to the set; I’ll tell you when we get there.” Kendrick agreed without hesitation and started to follow me out when Geraldine’s panicked voice rang out behind us. “Kendrick, are you leaving me?” Kendrick turned, his eyes like ice. “If you keep making a scene, I really will.” Geraldine collapsed onto the floor, silent, too afraid to utter another word. I left with Kendrick, climbed into the car, and we headed straight for the set. During the ride, Kendrick kept staring at me, his tone light yet wistful. “Raelyn, if you didn’t have a boyfriend, I never would’ve let myself get tangled up with Geraldine. I’d have gone after you instead.” I shook my head. “Don’t bother. I never liked you—not from the start. You don’t need to waste your time on me.” “Well, then… I guess we just aren’t meant to be.” He gave a helpless shrug and let the topic drop. When we arrived at the set and stepped out of the car, we immediately drew everyone’s attention. Tammy darted out from the crowd. Spotting Kendrick at my side, her grin turned playful. “Raelyn, where’d you pick up this handsome young guy?” Kendrick, ever the charmer, took Tammy’s hand and brushed a kiss across the back of it. “Hello, beautiful,” he said smoothly. “I’m Kendrick. A pleasure to meet you.” Tammy flushed, smiling shyly. “Hi, I’m—” Before she could finish, Adrian stormed over, yanking her straight into his arms. “Adrian? What are you doing here?” Tammy blinked up at him, startled. “Oh, so I’m interrupting your little flirty chat with the tall, dark, and handsome guy, huh?” Adrian’s voice dripped with jealousy. Tammy pouted. “It’s nothing like that. Just because I appreciate beauty doesn’t mean you get to throw a fit. You should respect my taste.” “Respect? Tammy, you’re calling this appreciation? You’re being fickle. Two-timing!” Adrian’s voice rose, cracking with emotion as he all but shouted. “I am not! I like you, Adrian, but you don’t like me back. You’re not even my boyfriend—what gives you the right to control me?” Her words hit him like a punch. He froze, stunned into silence. Tammy pulled free from his arms, a triumphant smile curling her lips. “See? Nothing to say, huh?” “You! You’re impossible!” Adrian sputtered, his face red with anger, looking like he might keel over any second. I could only sigh helplessly. When would those two finally grow up and face their feelings honestly? Kendrick, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed. He simply extended a hand toward Adrian. “Hey. Nice to meet you.” Adrian glared but grudgingly clasped Kendrick’s hand, squeezing with deliberate force. “Not that nice.” “Ah!” Kendrick flinched at the sharp pain in his palm, whipping his head toward me with a bewildered look. “Do your friends all have hands like vices?”I gave a dry laugh. “That’s just how he is. Don’t overthink it.” “Got it.” Kendrick nodded and gestured toward the building. “Shall we head in?” I led Kendrick into "The Wolf’s Call" set. Tammy started to follow but quickly backed off when Adrian threatened to drag her away if she did. Inside, Mr. Idris spotted me and immediately frowned, his brow knotted tight. “Ms. Beck, I’ve told you, I can’t make this decision on my own. Geraldine, the people backing her are way out of my league.” “Kendrick,” I said with a helpless shrug, “you see? They’re all too intimidated by her.” Kendrick turned serious, his gaze steady as he faced Mr. Idris. “What exactly did Geraldine tell you?” Mr. Idris hesitated but finally spoke. “She said, if we rented out the set, her backer would blacklist us in the industry. “At first, I figured, what’s the worst that could happen? At most, it’d be Mr. Aiden—he’s close to you, Ms. Beck, so I assumed it’d be fine. But then she said her backer is the son of the oil tycoon, the heir to Flamino Pack. I… I panicked. I had no choice but to agree.” He let out a deep sigh, his expression one of helpless defeat. “Well,” I said evenly, “what if I told you the oil magnate’s son is a friend of mine?” Mr. Idris’s eyes widened. “You’re, you’re serious?”