But two hours had passed. It had already been a long time since James was supposed to be off work.Charlotte had texted him, but it was like throwing a stone into the ocean—no reply. Growing anxious, she tried calling him, only to be met with a busy tone.With no other choice, she dialed the front desk at his office.“Has James left yet? Is he still at work?” she asked, trying to sound calm, but her voice gave away her urgency.The receptionist sounded confused. “Mrs. Chancer, Mr. Chancer left a while ago. He even canceled all his afternoon meetings today. Why? Hasn’t he come home yet?”Charlotte forced out a smile. “Oh, not yet. He mentioned last night that he was planning a surprise for me. Maybe he’s still working on it.”“Aww, that’s so sweet of him. No wonder he looked like he was in such a rush when he left today. Turns out he was setting up something special for you!”“Thanks. Merry Christmas. I won’t keep you,” Charlotte said, quickly hanging up.The moment the call end
“That’s because I was lying,” Lucas said flatly.Mia looked like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her. “Seriously? That’s how you treat people?!”“I’ll tell you something real this time,” Lucas said with a grin.“You’re not messing with me again?” she asked, half skeptical.“Of course not. Wanna hear it?”Mia’s eyes lit up again. “Obviously! Spill!”“There was someone who got blacklisted from the industry... because she got pregnant.”Mia immediately narrowed her eyes. “Name?”“Heather Fanning.”“Never heard of her.”Lucas smiled innocently. “Well that’s expected, you didn’t know who I was either.”Mia gave an awkward little laugh. “Okay, fair. So whose baby was it? Was it her sugar daddy’s?”“Nope.”“Then who?”Lucas finally burst out laughing. “No one. I made it up.”Mia stared at him, speechless, wishing she could throw a rock at his head.“You are the worst. I helped you out and this is how you repay me? Ever heard of repaying kindness with kindness?”
“I really did get lost,” the man said again.“Then why are you all wrapped up like that? Who are you hiding from?” Mia narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying it.The man let out a short laugh, half amused, half annoyed. He glanced around—no one else was nearby. Then he took off his sunglasses and lowered his mask, lifting his chin slightly toward her.“Now do you see why I’m dressed like this?”“Why?” Mia asked, still suspicious. Sure, he was handsome—just a tiny bit inferior to her brother.The man stared at her in disbelief and pointed to his face. “You seriously don’t recognize me?”“I’m warning you—don’t try to act like we know each other. I have no idea who you are,” she said, lips pursed, clearly unimpressed.He looked utterly thrown. Taking a slow step forward, he tried again.“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” Mia raised her voice. “I swear, if I scream, every security guard on this island will be here in seconds.”The man took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.
He could hold out against Mia, but not Scarlett. With a sigh of resignation, Steven picked up the giant bag of food and trudged over to the barbecue grill.Mia followed him to help out, while Scarlett and Sarah chatted nearby.After a while, Mia got bored and wandered off around the island. Most of the celebrities at the party were people she’d met before. Honestly, she found it kind of boring. On her own birthday, those same stars had practically trampled each other just to show up and bring her gifts—half of which she didn’t even want.The fans at this event were all desperate to get a single signed photo, while the storage room at the Reynolds estate was overflowing with autographed pictures. Some people had gone to ridiculous lengths just to get a selfie with her.So, yeah—this party? Pretty boring. Apart from the food.Luckily, she’d asked Sarah to prep a private grill station just for her before the event. Knowing that the best chefs in East Coast were here tonight, she full
The Sanders family didn’t make things hard for the media either. In fact, they thoughtfully arranged for each celebrity to stop by for a quick interview—drawn at random to avoid any status disputes or fights over the “final spotlight” slot.When each media guest arrived, they were informed that fixed cameras had already been set up throughout the outdoor banquet area. If needed, they could request full event footage afterward.Reporters and cameramen attending the party were also welcome to set down their gear and simply join in the fun. Even if they didn’t get exclusive content, they could still use footage from the island’s preset camera feeds.That thoughtful setup immediately warmed the hearts of the media crew—and a few reporters had already started blending in.Sarah looked over everything, clearly pleased. “So, Melvin, what do you think?”“You always come up with the best ideas. I’m not surprised,” Melvin said calmly. “What I’m more curious about is how the Wilsons are hand
She didn’t realize it until the walls around her heart started to give way that Zachary was all she could think about. The memories she’d tried so hard to bury came rushing back, stirring up every emotion she’d worked to suppress.She took a bite of the apple and swallowed.They say eating a Christmas apple brings peace. If that’s true, then she hoped Zachary would stay safe for the rest of his life.She suddenly froze, shaking her head as a blurry image surfaced in her mind.A younger Zachary had once taken a huge bite out of the apple she was holding, grinning like a kid and insisting she eat from the same fruit.That smile—so bright, so carefree—didn’t match the Zachary she knew now. But somehow, it felt familiar.Like she’d lived that moment before.She rubbed the center of her forehead. A sharp pain shot through her skull, so intense her knees nearly buckled. Waves of sadness crashed over her. She suddenly wanted to cry—loud and hard.Zachary... what happened between us?