Naomi's POV: Samuel and I spent the whole morning just being lazy in bed, sharing breakfast, and not wanting to move. Suddenly, Samuel's phone rang. He picked it up, glanced at the screen, then looked straight at me. I blinked in confusion as he handed the phone over. "It's Sandra. She's looking for you." Panic hit me. Today was the day I was supposed to show up for work. I looked at Samuel with big, desperate eyes, silently begging him to help me out. He sighed, totally giving in, and answered for me. However before he could even say much, Sandra's voice exploded through the speaker, "Naomi, don't you dare play dead! Get over here right now!" I winced, grabbed the phone from Samuel, and put on my best sweet voice. "Hey, Sandra ... " "Don't even start! Sweet-talking isn't gonna save you. Didn't I tell you not to stay out late last night? And what happened? You didn't come home and you didn't pick up your phone!" she snapped. "It was an accident! I swear!" I said, grinning sheepishly. Truth was, I had left my phone somewhere in the living room last night, and after everything that went down with Samuel, checking it was the last thing on my mind. "Hurry up and get to the office. You've got a promo interview soon. Keep this up and I'll have to drag Ms. Sinclair in to whip you back into shape!" Sandra huffed before hanging up on me. I flopped back onto the bed with a groan. "I'm doomed. She's gonna lecture me to death." Samuel chuckled and moved the breakfast tray aside. "I'll drive you back in a bit." I swung my legs off the couch, still sulking. "It's the promo for my show today. Gosh, the filming's finally over." Samuel came over and gently cupped my face. "Sorry, I've got a bunch of surgeries lined up this afternoon, so I won't be able to pick you up later." "You're stuck in surgeries all day?" I asked. He nodded, letting out a small sigh. My heart squeezed a little. Without thinking, I looked up and said, "Then let me come pick you up tonight!" The hopeful look I gave him must have worked because his eyes turned affectionate as he nodded. After some last-minute cuddles, Samuel drove me to the office. And of course, as soon as I hopped out of the car, there was Sandra—waiting like a hawk. "Gosh, ever since you got a boyfriend, you've forgotten how to work!" Sandra said, giving my forehead a poke. "Sorry, this will be the only time! I was celebrating wrapping up filming!" I whined, trying to win her over with some shameless puppy eyes. Sandra was not buying it. She grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the building. "Nope! Let's get your hair and makeup done. We're leaving for the promo venue soon." The production team had set up a press conference to promote the new series, and all the main cast were there. When I arrived, Jasper was already sitting and waiting for his turn. "Sorry I'm late," I said apologetically while rushing over to him. "No worries, the press conference hasn't even started yet," Jasper said with a smile. "But you left so early last night, were you feeling okay? Sandra mentioned you can't really hold your liquor, but you sure went all out." I puffed up my cheeks and stayed quiet, but Jasper just laughed like he saw right through me. "So you were trying to make an escape, huh?" I quickly patted his arm, giving him a look to drop it. He just smiled and did not push it, and I grinned back. Ever since we cleared the air between us, things had been super chill. We had gotten to that stage of friendship where we could joke about anything. Not long after, the press conference kicked off and the main cast headed up on stage to face the media. Thanks to the run-through we had done earlier, everything went smoothly. Since I was the lead—and because Starplay had pretty much tailored the show to promote me—I was the first one up for interviews. "Were there any challenges getting along with the team when filming first started?" a reporter asked. I thought for a second before answering, "Honestly, the vibe on set was super chill. Everyone got along naturally. No real challenges at all. Actually, there were a lot of funny moments too. Just between us, our cameraman is absolutely terrible at playing cards." The whole crowd cracked up, and I quickly shot an apologetic look over at the camera crew. "How did it feel filming such a sweet, lighthearted school drama?" someone else asked. "It felt like I was back in high school and went back in time," I said with a laugh. The interview flowed really naturally, and according to the schedule, I was supposed to wrap up after the last question. Yet, weirdly, the last reporter on the list did not show up. The organizers were hesitating about whether to end early when a young female werewolf reporter sitting in the corner raised her hand. She was dressed neatly in a black-and-white suit, her face looking warm and approachable. "I'd like to ask," she said with a smile, "as an actor, what do you think is the most important quality?"