The tapings had become my daily routine now, and I threw myself into the work with everything I had. I was determined to prove myself, not only to Scarlet but to everyone who doubted me. I woke up early, made sure I was the first one on set, and stayed focused throughout the day. Every scene, every line—I treated it like it was my last chance to shine.But even with all the dedication I poured into the job, Lucas was always at the back of my mind. Coming home to him was the highlight of my day. I’d always make it a point to rush home after shooting wrapped up, just so I could spend a few precious hours with him before bed. I was lucky to have Lena and Letty, who took turns taking care of him while I was away. It was reassuring knowing that Lucas was in good hands with my cousins, but still, I missed him terribly while I was on set.One day after filming, just as I was about to leave the studio, I received a call from William.“I’m close by, at the studio submitting some papers,” he s
I decided it was time to take a different approach with Scarlet. Instead of letting her sabotage get to me, I would play my own game—discreetly and smartly. I didn’t want to stoop to her level, but I needed to show her that I wasn’t the pushover she thought I was.The day after our last confrontation, I arrived on set with a calm resolve. I greeted the crew warmly, made small talk with the makeup artists, and ensured I was visible, friendly, and professional.No one would ever be able to accuse me of being difficult to work with. It was clear Scarlet had been spreading rumors, her whispers weaving a narrative that I was a diva trying to rise in the industry by flirting with William. But I would make sure her words came back to bite her.
Things had been going well, or so I thought. After weeks of dealing with Scarlet's schemes, I finally felt like I was coming out on top. I had gained the respect of the crew, and my performance on set was being praised. It felt like I was proving myself, slowly but surely. But, of course, that was just a fragile illusion.One afternoon, after wrapping up a particularly difficult scene, I was headed back to my dressing room when I overheard two of the crew members talking in hushed voices."I don’t know, man. Did you see what happened with Scarlet yesterday? Poor thing’s been dealing with so much drama. It's like Margarette’s really out to get her."My heart sank. *Out to get her?* What were they talking about? I wasn’t the one causing tr
I wasn’t sure when I’d made the decision to confront Scarlet. Maybe it was after another long day on set, when the glares and whispers had worn me down. Or maybe it was seeing Lucas’ innocent face when I came home, reminding me why I couldn’t let someone like Scarlet win.Either way, I knew that I had to face her, no more avoiding the issue.I waited until the day’s taping wrapped up. The lights dimmed, and the crew started packing up. I could feel the weight of my decision pressing down on me, but I kept moving forward. Scarlet was at her usual spot by the dressing room, talking with her assistant and giggling as if she hadn’t spent the entire day undermining me.“Scarlet,” I called out, my voice steady des
I had been counting down the days until the movie wrapped up, and finally, my daily encounters with Scarlet eventually had come to an end. And in all fairness, I was proud of myself that I had endured her jabs, her attempts to sabotage my work, and her never-ending smug attitude on set for far too long. When the final scene was shot, and we were done, I felt like I could finally breathe again.But that relief was short-lived.A few weeks later, just as I was beginning to put the nightmare behind me, I received an invitation to an awards night. Vancouver Film & Artist Awards (VFAA). It was prestigious, hosted by one of the largest networks, and to my shock, I had been nominated for Best Newcomer Artist. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it—excited, maybe, but mostly, I was hesitant. The idea of possibly winning and then standing in front of all those people, being in the same room as industry legends, it felt too overwhelming. And then above all those things, there was the fact that S
The hum of the party buzzed in the distance as William stood by my side, his hand resting gently on my shoulder, grounding me as I fought to keep my emotions in check. My heart pounded, and I had to remind myself to breathe. I wasn’t about to let Scarlet’s petty cruelty ruin this night for me. Not after everything I had been through to get here. Not when I had just tasted victory.William's phone buzzed, breaking the tense silence between us. He glanced at the screen and nodded curtly, motioning for me to follow. "My friend’s waiting outside. She’s a stylist. She’ll fix this,” he said, his tone reassuring, as though it was a given that the evening wasn’t going to end in humiliation.As we slipped through the dimly lit hallways, I kept my head down, my heart thudding in my chest. The ink stain on my gown was spreading, its inky tendrils a visible reminder of Scarlet’s latest attempt to sabotage me. But I couldn’t let her win. Not tonight. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing
It had been several months since the awards night, but it still felt like yesterday. The sound of laughter and music from that evening echoed in my memory, but more than that, I remembered the way the crowd looked at me. I had walked into the event thinking I was just another guest, but by the end of the night, I became the center of attention—not just because of Scarlet’s failed attempt to humiliate me, but because I finally stood my ground and showed everyone who I truly was.What I didn’t expect was the ripple effect it would have on my life.At first, the emails came in slowly. A couple of messages from smaller brands, wanting to collaborate, offering sponsorships, and asking if I would consider promoting their products. I thought it was a joke at first. They wanted me to represent their products? And I couldn’t believe it. I’d never thought of myself as someone worthy of that kind of attention. Sure, I had always tried to dress well and carry myself with grace, but I wasn’t som
Weeks had passed and I tried to come up with a new look that would best suite the role that I would play in the film.It was my first day on set, and although I had spent weeks preparing, nothing could have prepared me for the nerves twisting in my stomach. Meanwhile, there goes William, as usual calming presence by my side, glancing at me with a reassuring smile.“You’re going to be great out there, Marga,” he said, patting my shoulder. “It’s just the first day at work, but with cameras focus more on you. But don’t worry, I heard first day should be more one script reading especially with this production team who offered you this project. I’ve heard they go about that practice all the time.”“Right,” I mumbled, exhaling deeply as I looked around the bustling set. Crews were moving in every direction, adjusting lights, setting up cameras, and bustling around with papers and clipboards. It was overwhelming, to say the least. The stars of Canadian showbiz were all here—faces I had only
The rain was falling again.It always did on days like this—days that felt like endings.I stood on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the stormy waters of Anacortes, my coat pulled tightly around me, the hood shielding my face from the wind that carried the scent of salt and something older—something like goodbye.Leon stood behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to feel him there. His presence was familiar now, carved into my skin like muscle memory. He’d been my gravity, my storm, my salvation, and my ruin—sometimes all at once.“It’s really over, isn’t it?” I whispered, more to the wind than to him.He didn’t answer right away. His silence was as heavy as the stormclouds above us.“I wanted to fix everything for you,” he said finally, his voice hoarse, like it had been dragged across a battlefield. “I wanted to give you a life that didn’t hurt.”I closed my eyes. The ache in my chest pulsed with every beat of my heart. “You did,” I said. “For a while, you did.”I heard the crunch
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “I’m not the same person I was before,” I said, my voice firm, unwavering. “And I’m not walking away this time.”The man’s eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, just enough for me to catch. And then, before I could even register what had happened, Leon moved.Faster than I could blink, Leon was in front of me, his hand grabbing the gun and twisting it out of the man’s grasp. The force of it sent the man stumbling back, but he didn’t go down easily. His bodyguards rushed in, but Leon was already a step ahead, disarming one of them with a swift, calculated move.I stood frozen for a moment, trying to process what I was witnessing. Leon—always so calm, always so careful—was ruthless. He was like a force of nature, determined to protect me at all costs.But the fight wasn’t over yet. The man recovered, his eyes burning with rage. “You really think you’ve won?” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “You’re nothing but a pawn in a game you can’t ev
The sound of boots drew closer, pounding the floor with an urgency that echoed through the cavernous halls of the estate. My heart raced as the reality of what I had just heard crashed into me like a tidal wave. The man who had once been a part of my life—my family’s betrayer, the one who had orchestrated their deaths—stood there, calmly, as if this was just another night for him.Leon’s grip on my hand tightened, but I didn’t let him pull me away. I could feel the air thickening with tension, the walls pressing in as everything I thought I knew began to crumble.The intruders were only moments away.The man—he—smirked, watching us. “You think this will end well? You’ve no idea what you’re up against. My people are everywhere.”I took a step forward, ignoring Leon’s silent plea to retreat. “You killed them. And you thought I would be the next one to fall in line?” My voice was a whisper, but it held a power I hadn’t realized I had. “You were wrong.”The man’s face faltered, just for a
Next Morning at the Estate Archives. The basement was cold and damp, and the air smelled of mildew and secrets. Old boxes lined the walls, labeled in my father’s tidy script. Financial records. Land deeds. Correspondence.Leon sifted through a crate of documents while I dug through another.Then something caught my eye.A faded folder labeled: Project Thornfield.I opened it slowly.Inside were blueprints—plans for development across coastal land that was supposed to be protected forest. There were signatures from multiple board members, including names I recognized.And then, one I didn’t.N. Vallis.Leon leaned over. “You know that name?”I shook my head. “No. But look here—he signed off on the project two weeks before my parents died.”Leon pulled out his phone. “I’ll run a background check.”I kept flipping through the documents—and found something that made my blood run cold.An aerial photo.Of the cliffside. Our property.With a giant red X drawn over the coordinates where my p
THREE WEEKS LATER...The investigation moved faster than I’d expected. With the board fully on our side now, the paper trail unraveled like a thread pulled from an old sweater—each piece of evidence exposing the next. Shell companies. Forged contracts. Witnesses who had remained silent out of fear but were finally coming forward.Still, no one had seen him since the day of the summit. He had vanished without a trace. No flights. No offshore activity. No messages. It was like he’d disappeared into smoke.But Dorian didn’t believe in ghosts. “He’s hiding,” he said as he handed me a thick folder. “And this—this will force him out.”I flipped through the documents. Bank records. A property registered under an alias. Hidden deep in the woods outside of Anacortes. I felt my stomach twist.Leon stepped up behind me, his hand grazing my shoulder. “Let’s pay him a visit.”The cabin was barely more than a shadow tucked between trees. No lights. No car. Just silence and the thrum of insects in t
Sunlight crept cautiously through the cracks in the blinds, casting golden slivers across the hardwood floor of the safe house bedroom. I sat curled up on the edge of the bed, a blanket draped around my shoulders and the journal heavy in my lap. The cover was cracked, worn with age and secrets. My fingers hovered over the first page for what felt like an eternity.Leon was nearby—he hadn’t slept much, either. He stood at the window with a mug of black coffee, watching the world outside with quiet alertness. When I finally opened the journal, he turned slightly but didn’t speak. He knew I needed silence for this.The first entry was dated nearly two decades ago.July 14th. We signed the contract today. Two families, one future. The woman from Delmar Holdings is more cunning than I expected. She knows we’re desperate—and she used it. I told Mariana to trust me. That this was the only way. God help me, I hope I’m right.My breath hitched. Mariana—that was my mother’s name.I flipped thro
MARGARETTE'S POVBefore we could react, the door behind us burst open.Three armed men rushed in, dressed in black, their movements precise and rehearsed. Leon shoved me behind him, drawing his gun up in an instant. Dorian, who had been lingering near the entrance, took cover behind a cabinet, gun already out.“Elise’s father wasn’t bluffing,” I breathed, my heart hammering. “He had backup ready.”Leon fired the first shot, catching one of the intruders in the shoulder and sending him crashing to the floor. Chaos erupted. Dorian ducked low and returned fire, narrowly missing another attacker who retaliated with a spray of bullets that shattered the windows.I crouched behind an overturned table, the sound of gunfire drowning out my thoughts. The locket in my palm dug into my skin, its edges sharp—a painful reminder that I couldn’t afford to lose control now.“Elise’s father!” I shouted to Leon. “He’s escaping!”Through the haze of smoke and broken glass, I saw the man slinking toward
The sound of footsteps pounding in the hallway was the last thing I heard before the door slammed open.I barely had time to react before a rush of armed men poured into the room, their eyes scanning every corner, landing finally on me. There was no mistaking the intent behind their cold stares.“Get down!” Leon’s voice crackled through the earpiece again, but there was no time to obey. I couldn’t allow myself to hesitate—not now, not when the truth was within reach.I raised my gun, my hands steady despite the chaos unfolding around me. I wasn’t going down without a fight, not after everything I had lost. Not after everything Elise’s father had taken from me.Before the first man could react, I fired. The sound of the shot echoed in the confined space, the bullet finding its mark in the man’s chest. His body crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, but the others didn’t hesitate. They moved in faster, their guns drawn, but I was ready.I ducked behind the desk, using it as cover
Dawn came in silver slivers through the cracks in the window. I hadn’t slept—not really. My mind was too loud, looping the footage over and over like a broken reel.Leon sat across from me at the table, sipping his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. Neither of us had said much since the footage. We didn’t need to. The truth had cut so deep, it didn’t leave room for small talk.But I had questions.And I needed answers.“How long do you think he’s known I survived?” I finally asked, voice hoarse.Leon didn’t look away from his mug. “Long enough to start covering his tracks. But he didn’t expect the locket to resurface.”My hand instinctively reached for it. The locket was warm now, like it had absorbed my grief and fury. Inside was a picture of my mother and me—her arm around my tiny shoulders, her smile soft but tired. A photo I hadn’t even remembered until last night.“He killed her,” I whispered. “He killed my father. For what? A project?”“Not just a project,”