I used up all the time off the company gave me to take care of Samuel. Our relationship grew stronger by the day, and Samuel's recovery was going surprisingly well. Even the werewolf doctor said he'd be ready to leave the hospital soon. But even in my excitement, I didn't forget what Rosaline had told me. So I quickly logged on to Twitter and posted a statement to clear things up. I explained that Jasper and I were just good friends and that things between me and Samuel were solid. There was never a messy love triangle, and I certainly wasn't in love with two people at once. Shortly after I posted it, both Starplay Entertainment and Jasper's studio retweeted the statement, even tagging a few media outlets in the process. At first, some people were still skeptical about the explanation, especially since I hadn't shown up at work in days and there hadn't been any updates about me in the press. Rumors had even started swirling online that I'd been dropped by the company because of the scandal. But then Samuel posted a photo of me from behind, the caption practically radiating affection. That one picture cleared up a whole lot. Turns out, I hadn't disappeared—I'd just been busy taking care of my boyfriend. And just like that, the storm started to calm down. On the day I finally returned to work, Samuel still hadn't been discharged from the hospital. I wasn't thrilled about having to leave him behind, but I knew I'd already taken too much time off, so I rushed back to the set. Thankfully, Rosaline had the foresight to film all of Jasper's scenes ahead of schedule, so production hadn't fallen too far behind. After offering sincere apologies to the crew, I threw myself back into work. "Cut! That's a wrap!" The director's voice rang out, and I finally let out a breath I'd been holding. I rolled my sore shoulders, trying to shake off the tension. We'd been shooting nonstop all day with barely any breaks in between. After days of doing nothing, it was a lot to adjust to. "That's it for today. Let's pack it up!" With the director's call, everyone who'd been hustling around all day finally got to relax. I didn't want to waste a single second—I just wanted to see Samuel as soon as possible. I kept my head down, updating my manager on the way to the dressing room. But just as I was about to push open the door, I heard voices inside. "Why is Starplay pushing Naomi so hard anyway?" "You don't know? Her boyfriend's the next in line to lead the Meteor Pack." "So what? Just another spoiled rich kid. For all we know, she's got someone powerful backing her at Starplay, too." The word "backing" was spat out with extra force, followed by laughter. Two werewolf actresses were inside, their voices dripping with sarcasm. I stayed quiet and listened. These two werewolf actresses were just minor characters in the show, but they were always finding excuses to hover around Jasper for attention. It didn't take a genius to see through their game. "Seriously, what do people even see in her?" one of them sneered. "She's so flat. Her body's nothing special at all." At that, I instinctively glanced down at myself, irritation bubbling up inside me. Flat? I might not beoverflowing, butI'm not flat. I've got a solid C cup, thankyouverymuch. I pushed the door open without hesitation. "At least my body's all natural—not like some people who paid their way to a figure," I said with a soft laugh, my gaze sweeping over them with disdain. They hadn't expected me to walk in. Their faces instantly froze. One of them forced a weak smile and tried to play nice. "Naomi! What a coincidence—here to take off your makeup?" "Why stop talking now?" I leaned against the doorframe, a smirk playing at the corners of my lips. "I was just getting curious about what other things you had to say about me." "We were just ... " the one in red started, trying to keep her composure. But before she could finish, the other actress took a bold step forward and stood in front of me. "So what if we were?" she scoffed, eyes blazing with contempt. "You know exactly what kind of person you are. Don't act all innocent. Just because you've got someone powerful behind you, you think you're untouchable?" "Laura ... " The one in red tugged at her sleeve, clearly trying to rein her in. But Laura wasn't done. She looked me up and down, her expression thick with scorn. "I seriously don't get it. What kind of skills do you even have? How do you keep getting pushed to the top?""I don't know about my so-called skills," I said casually, pulling my phone out of my pocket. "But I do know walls have ears. Next time you want to trash-talk someone, maybe lock the door first." I paused the recording and looked up at them. The color drained from both their faces. "You were recording us?" Laura nearly shrieked. I raised an eyebrow, then stepped into the hallway and stood directly in front of the security camera. "What do you think my 'powerful backer' will say when he hears this?" "It's a misunderstanding ... This is all a misunderstanding ... " The woman in red rushed to smooth things over, even tugging nervously on Laura's sleeve. "You!" Laura bit her lip. She'd been about to snatch the phone from my hand but stopped herself. "Naomi, don't push it." "Push it?" I let out a sharp laugh and slipped my phone back into my pocket. "This industry doesn't just reward big boobs. You need a brain, too." Then I let my eyes slide over Laura's face and chuckled behind my hand. "Oh—wait. Isn't our assistant director also into big boobs?" I didn't even bother to look back and see their reactions. I just turned around and walked away. "Naomi, you better watch yourself!" Laura shouted after me, her voice echoing down the hallway.