The city skyline blurred past the window as Ava guided the SUV smoothly through the busy streets of Sumturm City.
Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead while Aurora sat in the back, ntally preparing for the role she had to perform.
Claire, the associate casting director at Paramount Studios, had set everything up, and today, Aurora would be eting other actors for a crucial rehearsal.
Aurora tugged at the brim of her face cap, adjusting it over her eyes. She didn't want to draw attention. She wore a simple T-shirt and sneakers, trying to keep things low-key. The last thing she needed was to deal with unwanted attention from the press. The flashes of their caras always unsettled her.
The SUV ca to a stop outside the towering Paramount Studios building. Aurora glanced through the window, her gut tightening slightly as she noticed a few n and won lingering nearby, caras in hand.
"Great," she muttered under her breath.
Ava turned around in her seat. "All good, Ms. Aurora? We're here."
Aurora nodded. "Thanks, Ava."
She stepped out of the car, pulling her cap down further, hoping to slip inside unnoticed. But before she could take more than a few steps, the small crowd of reporters and photographers spotted her.
"There she is! Aurora!"
The whispers quickly turned into shouts, and in an instant, they were on her, surrounding her with their caras flashing relentlessly. The sharp bursts of light made her wince as she instinctively recoiled, trying to shield her face.
"Aurora, over here!" one reporter shouted.
"Is it true you were in a relationship with Lucas, CEO of Rossi Group?"
Her heart skipped a beat as the words echoed in her mind. Lucas? How did they find out about Lucas?
She had kept her relationship with Lucas a secret. No one, apart from his family, knew they had been married.
Lucas had insisted on privacy from the start.
Her mind raced.
How had this gotten out? Was it Lucas's doing?
Aurora tried to move past the reporters, her eyes darting to the studio entrance just a few feet away, but they closed in on her, their questions becoming more invasive.
"Your pictures with Lucas have gone viral. Were you secretly dating him? Married, maybe?"
Her pulse quickened. She could barely process the words, the rapid-fire questions hitting her from every side. She felt the caras snapping photos, the flashes overwhelming her senses.
"This has to be Lucas," she thought bitterly. This is his way of getting to co back.
She tried to run, desperate to escape the suffocating crowd.
Her body moved on instinct, but in her haste, she slamd into the studio door she hadn't noticed.
Pain shot through her stomach as she stumbled through the entrance, clutching her midsection, her breath catching in her throat.
The door closed behind her, locking out the paparazzi, but the pain in her stomach lingered.
She leaned against the door, her hand still pressing against her abdon, trying to steady herself.
That's when she felt it—a presence. Soone was watching her.
She slowly lifted her head, her heart sinking as her eyes t his.
"Lucas..."
Lucas stood just a few feet away, his expression a mixture of concern and guilt. His eyes were locked on her, and she could see the worry etched into his face as he took in her hunched posture, her hand on her stomach.
"How is he here?" Aurora's mind raced.
She had never seen him in Paramount Studio, and now, here he was, in front of her.
No... It couldn't be a coincidence. This was all part of his plan.
"Aurora," Lucas said softly, stepping toward her. "Are you hurt?"
Her blood boiled.
She straightened up, fighting through the pain in her stomach.
"Stay away from ," she snapped, her voice harsh. She didn't need his concern, not after what he did. "Don't you dare co near ."
Lucas froze, his expression shifting from worry to hurt. "Aurora, I didn't—"
"Don't lie to , Lucas," she interrupted, her voice laced with fury. "You planned this, didn't you? You leaked the photos to the press to humiliate . Is this your way of forcing back into your life?"
Lucas shook his head, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I didn't do anything, Aurora. I would never—"
But before he could say anything more, the door opened again, and Ava stepped in.
She stopped in her tracks, her eyes darting between Aurora and Lucas, sensing the tension that hung heavy in the air.
"Ms Aurora, is everything alright?" Ava asked, her voice uncertain.
Aurora forced herself to stand upright, ignoring the pain that still throbbed in her stomach.
She couldn't deal with this right now. Not Lucas, not the reporters, not any of it.
"I'm fine," she said curtly, though the tightness in her voice betrayed her. "Let's go inside."
Ava gave a hesitant nod, glancing once more at Lucas before stepping aside to let Aurora pass.
Aurora took a deep breath and began to walk toward the studio's interior, her steps quick and deliberate, her heart pounding in her chest.
Lucas didn't follow her, though she could feel his eyes on her back, full of concern and sothing else—sothing she didn't want to acknowledge.
She didn't look back. She couldn't. Whatever Lucas was trying to do, whether it was part of his plan or not, she wouldn't let him drag her into a ss.
Lucas remained frozen, staring at her retreating figure, his thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief.
He hadn't planned this. He had never even been to this studio before.
How could she think he would intentionally set her up like this?
Especially knowing, or at least suspecting, that she had so trauma related to caras. He never understood it completely, but he knew enough—Aurora had a deep-seated phobia of flashing lights.
His stomach twisted as he recalled the look in her eyes—the pain, the anger.
She really thought he'd betray her in this way?
A sudden mory hit him like a punch to the gut: the scene of the paparazzi crowding around her, their caras flashing endlessly, as he watched from upstairs, waiting for her.
The mont he saw those flashes, everything clicked—her discomfort with the caras, the way she recoiled under their assault.
That's when he'd rushed down, hoping to intervene, to help her. But by the ti he reached her, it was already too late. The damage had been done.
Lucas clenched his fists, frustration building in his chest.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
He turned and headed toward the exit, his mind racing.
Who could have tipped off the paparazzi?
Reviews
All reviews (0)