Holly watched the limited-edition luxury limousine speed away at breakneck speed. She shook her head gently and got into her car. As soon as she was in, her phone suddenly rang. She eyed the screen and saw that it was an unknown number.An elderly male voice sounded after the call was connected, "Hello, Ms. Sinclair. My name is Kieran Zook."Holly was momentarily stunned.She had heard about that name. Kieran was known as a genius director in the country who had directed many blockbuster movies. Almost all of his movies had won international awards.But she wasn't sure why such a renowned director would call her suddenly.Holly politely asked, "Hello, are you really Mr. Zook?"Kieran replied, "Yes, I am. I'm currently preparing for a movie with a tomb-raiding theme. Are you perhaps interested?"Holly was shocked. She was sure that this person wasn't Kieran. It was probably some scammer who was using Kieran's name for fraud.There was no further need for her to continue speaki
Both of them smiled at each other. Holly then mimicked Kieran's earlier act and put on a bashful expression.Keiran was watching Holly and Matthew intently behind the monitor. His lips were curled up in satisfaction at their performance.Even though this was Holly's first time acting, she portrayed the emotions of being in love very convincingly.A man suddenly appeared beside him, looking discontented. He wore a cold expression as he stared at Holly, who basked under the moonlight. His fists were gripped tightly to the point of turning his knuckles white.He gloomily asked, "Didn't you say that all intimate scenes would be done by stand-ins, Mr. Zook? So what's happening now?"Kieran looked up immediately. Shocked by the man's sudden visit, he quickly smiled and said, "Why didn't you call me before you dropped by, Mr. Gabelman? I would've sent someone to bring you over.""What's with the intimate scene?" Bryce asked with his eyes still trained on Holly and Matthew's hand-holdi
Bryce waved a hand at the bodyguards behind Holly, asking them to leave. As they were his men, they immediately obeyed him and left.He then looked at Annie. It was as clear as day that he wanted her to leave them alone.Annie was conflicted. She looked at Bryce, then at Holly. After much hesitation, she asked, "You won't make things difficult for Holly, right, Mr. Gabelman?"Bryce's gaze turned cold. He was getting impatient.Annie was actually a little scared of him. She could only tell Holly, "I'll just stay outside, Holly. Just give me a shout if anything happens, okay?"Holly nodded.Only she and Bryce remained in the room. He jutted his chin toward the couch and said, "Sit."Holly eyed the couch and remained unmoving. She distantly said, "It's improper for a man and a woman to be alone in a room so late at night. Please hurry up and say what you need, Mr. Gabelman. I'll leave after that."Bryce pursed his lips and kept quiet as he looked at her. He felt unhappy.Not on
Bryce reached out to open the lids of the food containers.One contained Holly's favorite blackened fish, and the other was a sweet potato-flavored snow cone. There was also a cup of her favorite caramel macchiato.The familiar scent wafted over, making Holly's mouth water. She had been having bland lunch boxes for three consecutive days on set. She was craving for something more flavorful.However, she was a person of character. "Thank you, Mr. Gabelman, but I'm not hungry."Bryce knew her well over the years. She could have the blackened fish from the same shop for a whole week and wouldn't even be sick of it.He calmly replied, "Just eat. There's no poison in it."Holly was about to maintain her reservations when her stomach rumbled loudly. She quickly covered her stomach.She had no appetite for the lunch box this evening. So, she only took a few bites. Yet she was worried that Bryce might laugh at her for succumbing so easily.Upon consideration, Holly took up her phone an
It was Bryce, who had run out after Holly.As he witnessed the scene, a self-deprecating smirk slowly formed on his lips. His gaze was beyond icy.Bryce turned around and tossed the food containers and drink into the nearby trash can.He shouldn't have come. The situation only triggered him more. Forget it. Holly wasn't the only woman available on this planet, anyway. Why should he be so hung up on her?Bryce returned to his room with a darkened expression.He didn't even bother to change into his slippers as soon as he entered his room. He walked over to sit on the couch and reached for the cigarette box on the coffee table.He then took out a cigarette and lit it. He still felt upset even after he finished his third cigarette.Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Bryce thought it was Holly, who came after changing her mind or was hungry for the food.He stood up and walked over to get the door. Just as his hand was on the handle, he paused for a bit.He reminded himself not to for
Holly was bewildered. What nonsense was Bryce spouting about this late at night?She asked with a hint of mockery in her tone, "Tell me, Mr. Gabelman, were you enrolled in drama school while studying abroad?"Bryce casually replied, "I wasn't."Holly asked, "Have you majored in any subjects related to directing, then?"He replied, "I have not."Holly chuckled. "You haven't majored in any of those subjects. So, what could you possibly do by going over the script with me?"Bryce replied seriously, "As the investor, I have to see a return on my investment. You play an important role, so you have to work on your acting skills and strive for perfection. "Mr. Zook is too busy, so I'm here to review the script with you and personally guide you."Holly almost burst out laughing.She suppressed her laughter and calmly said, "Stop bluffing. I'm just playing a cameo role for a few simple scenes, and you're telling me that it's an important role? Do you think I'm easily fooled? "You
After consecutive failed takes, Kieran helplessly asked Bryce to leave. He had a bitter expression on his face.Bryce crossed his arms against his chest and calmly said, "Just get the stand-ins to do it. Do you even need me to teach you such an easy thing?"Kieran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He decided not to hire any actresses linked to the investors anymore in the future, no matter how much their image fit the script.It was just too frustrating. A great character was ruined just because of Bryce's intervention. A perfectionist like Kieran felt heartbroken despite staying quiet about it.After shooting the hugging scene with the stand-in, it was time for the kiss scene. They couldn't use a stand-in as they required close-up shots of their faces for the scene. But Holly was fine with it being simulated as per their earlier arrangement.Kieran explained the scene to her. He wanted her to express shyness, excitement, and joy. It was especially so for her gaze—it had to b
The pilot nervously eyed his co-pilot in the passenger seat. He had a ghastly look when he told Abelin, "Please refrain from making baseless accusations, sir. This is damaging to my reputation, and I could take legal action against you."Abelin pressed a finger against his lips and made a shushing noise. "Do your job properly. Nothing will happen if we all land safely. But if anything happens—"He raised his hand to his neck and made a throat-slitting gesture. "None of your family members will live!"Abelin looked tough with his sharp glare and crew cut. The pilot dared not say anything else and focused his gaze on the instrument panel, lest he might affect his family if anything happened.The co-pilot beside him was eyeing Abelin suspiciously, wondering about his background. Abelin then turned to him and said, "You, get out."The co-pilot was hesitant. "I'm not allowed to do so, sir. I'll get into trouble if I leave the cockpit without authorization during the flight."Abelin
Sitting by Bryce's bed, Holly softly held his slender fingers as if such a move would keep him safe.She must have been exhausted or emotionally spent, as she soon fell asleep by the bed. She then suffered a nightmare, in which Bryce stood in front of her, covered in blood from head to toe. Forcing a smile, he said to her, "Holly, I can't stay by your side anymore. You need to take care of yourself and be strong."After that, he turned into wisps of smoke and vanished right in front of her eyes. She frantically reached out to hold him, but she was clawing at the air.She waved her hands madly to take hold of him and run after him. Her voice was hoarse from all the yelling. "Bryce! Bryce Gabelman!"Her shouting was futile. Jolting awake, she gasped for air. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and her eyes were wet from crying.She noticed that she was lying in the caregiver's bed. Someone—perhaps Bryce—had carried her to the bed.Bryce managed to get out of bed and lay by her
"You're injured. Don't stay on the floor—it's cold. Get up now!" Holly cautiously pulled Bryce up from the ground.He was speechless at her response. Any other woman would have happily accepted the ring and put it on.Perhaps, the woman he loved was different from the others.Going on one knee, Bryce refused to get up. He tenderly stared at Holly. "I'll get up after you agree to remarry me.""Get up now, and I'll agree to it."Defeated, he stood up, held her hand, and tried to put the ring on her finger when he was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. He lost his balance and collapsed forward onto her.Holly quickly held him and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"Bryce's lips parted. He wanted to reassure her that he was fine, but he couldn't utter a word. Soon after, his fingers that grasped the ring went numb. The large diamond ring dropped to the ground, spinning and clattering until it came to a stop.Panicking, Holly patted his cheek. "What's going on?"However, Bryce didn't
Looking at the man in Holly's embrace, Abelin turned his attention back to his phone. He asked inquisitively, "Who are you?"The person on the other end of the line was filled with anger. "I'm Bryce. I called her phone, but it was switched off."Abelin replied honestly, "She lost her phone.""Where is she right now?" Bryce questioned indifferently.After Abelin told him the villa's address, Bryce hung up.Abelin once again glanced at his phone before looking toward the dazed-looking Holly. "Holly, I think this man might not be Bryce."Holly shook her head. "You don't need to comfort me.""I just got a call from Bryce. He's on his way here."Holly thought he was lying and refused to believe him. When Abelin wanted to pull her away from the corpse, Holly got triggered and pushed him away. "Don't touch him! He'll be in pain!"Seeing Holly in such a dazed and abnormal state, Abelin felt a sense of pity for her.A tall figure emerged from the door about 45 minutes later. He was we
Abelin wanted to follow through with the protocol, but Holly refused.Realizing they weren't locals, the police decided to let them be. Thus, Abelin sent Holly and the corpse back to a villa their family seldom stayed in.Upon arriving at the villa, Holly did nothing but hold onto the bloodied man dazedly. Her heart felt heavy and chaotic. She was filled with regret and self-blame.Did she regret breaking up with him? The answer was no. Instead, she regretted not being firm enough with her decision. If she had been more resolute and didn't give him any hope of reconciling, he wouldn't have flown to Calria to find her. Correspondingly, he wouldn't have gotten into a car accident and died.Death was such a dreadful word. Bryce was gone, forever disappearing from this world. Holly would never hear his voice or see his smile and face. It was all gone.She would never see him again. She would rather he had lived, no matter who he ended up with in the future. She just wanted him to
The driver pressed the pedal, made a U-turn, and accelerated. When Holly arrived at the address Tobin sent, she saw two deformed cars at the crash scene. However, she didn't find anyone there.Holly's heart skipped a beat. She could only call Tobin repeatedly. However, the call didn't go through.Bryce and the others didn't own a car, only renting one after they got off the plane. Thus, Holly didn't know which car belonged to them.The driver continued driving a bit further until they came upon a collision between a car and a truck. The car's front end was completely obliterated. The driver was cut in half at the waist, and the person in the back seat was so badly mangled that his face was unrecognizable.A loud roar echoed in Holly's mind as it went blank. Her gaze fell on the man's blood-soaked suit. This was the deep-colored suit that Bryce always wore. The man had long legs. The wrist that was hanging out of the car wore a Patek Philippe Celestial watch.Holly remembered the
The moment Bryce reached Calria and got off the plane, he received a call from an unknown number. He took the call with furrowed eyebrows. "Hello. Who are you?"Zenia fumed. "I'm Zenia. Holly and Abelin's wedding is today. Your woman snatched away the man I loved!" She hung up the call after that.Bryce didn't believe her. He tapped into his messages, and several wedding photos came into view. Although the images were not high resolution, one could at least make out the newlywed's features.The groom wearing a suit had striking facial features, and Bryce recognized him as Abelin. Meanwhile, the woman was dressed in a fitted floor-length gown and wore a white veil. Under the thin veil, Bryce could make out her defined features. The woman was none other than Holly.Bryce felt like he had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank, and the hand holding the phone turned cold.He could feel his heart sinking and his blood going cold. Instantly, he felt he got toyed and betrayed
Michelle was gravely ill, with her vision and hearing failing. Thus, they should be able to deceive her.While Abelin let out a sigh of relief, Merope threw daggers at him. She couldn't believe he was stupid enough to let go of such a good opportunity. She wondered why someone as smart as her would have such a dumb son.As it was almost time for the wedding ceremony, Merope wheeled the sickly Michelle out. Michelle's complexion seemed better than a few days back, perhaps due to the joyful event or the effects of terminal lucidity. Her dull eyes were shining when she saw Abelin and the fake bride on the red carpet.Michelle pursed her lips and asked Merope, "Is he really getting married to Holly?"Merope replied unwillingly, "Yes.""Bring me over to have a look," Michelle ordered. When Merope wheeled her over to the fake bride, Michelle took her reading glasses from her pocket with trembling hands.Abelin held his breath as Michelle eyed the fake bride up and down. He was fear
Merope pleaded earnestly, "Abel, your grandmother is on her last breath. Please try to fulfill her last wish for her."Abelin didn't seem to reject this plan as much as before. "Wedding arrangements are already in place, and I've notified a couple of cousins. I'll try to make the entire wedding as genuine as possible."Merope was overjoyed. "Why did you suddenly change your mind? Is Holly the bride?""No. I found a woman who looks quite similar to her. Grandma is old and has blurry eyesight. I doubt she'll recognize her."Merope rebuked, "Your grandma isn't blind!""Well, that's all." Abelin then hung up the call.…Three days later, many relatives gathered at the Gabelman residence. The brightly decorated courtyard was filled with people. Abelin hired a professional wedding team in advance, making sure the officiant, red carpet, circular arch, fresh flowers, and bridal bouquet were all in place. A professional violin team was also playing the wedding march.Although it was a
Abelin called Priscilla's bodyguards, and they arrived at the Calria police station together.The bodies were stored in the morgue. Since they weren't Calrians, the police couldn't find any information on them or confirm their identities.However, they were sure that the two bodies had something to do with Priscilla because one of the bodyguards left a long scratch mark on one of the culprit's arms. At that moment, the mark was rotten due to being submerged in the water. The skin was peeling, and it was a horrifying sight.Clearly, the person behind the culprits was worried they might get caught and expose their employer's identity. So, someone was sent to silence them right away. It was easy for someone like them to kill a person.After giving a statement, the police told Abelin that they were going to do an autopsy on the bodies. Once they had news, they would call him again.After coming out of the police station, Abelin got into his car and called Bryce. "The two guys who hu