"He probably has several branches of this kind of place elsewhere."
My stomach churned even more when I heard that. Just one branch of that kind of shit was already bad enough, let alone having more than one.
"Are there many female celebrities who were recorded there?" I asked Mr. rcer.
The private detective nodded. "Yes, but there has never been anyone as popular as Helena before. Most of them were livestrears or beginner models who were still struggling to establish their careers."
"I’ve gathered a lot of information about the won whose faces appeared in those videos, and most of them have now beco adult film stars or are doing photoshoots for adult magazines," he explained.
I gripped the couch tightly, letting out a soft sigh, because it felt like I would have ended up just like them if I had gone to that massage place, or if I hadn’t jumped from the third floor.
What a bastard.
"They were probably threatened, right?" I speculated.
"There’s a high possibility of that. Maybe they signed a trap contract, or maybe they did it simply because their image was already ruined," Mr. rcer added. "Because of that, they definitely have difficulty getting normal jobs."
That was true.
Once a woman’s image is destroyed—especially by a sexual scandal—it becos very difficult for her to rebuild it. Even more so if she doesn’t have a powerful figure backing her up.
"For now, I’ll continue digging into this matter, and if Helena’s manager is openly trying to bring her here, then her agency is probably involved as well," Mr. rcer said.
"I think so too," Lando spoke up. "Her agency didn’t do anything even though her manager treated her badly. That’s why there’s a possibility that Jasper has a strong connection with the Davenports."
Lando sounded hesitant when he ntioned the Davenport family na. He was probably worried that I would feel guilty since I was one of the Davenports, and that it turned out my own family had hurt my friend.
When the truth was... I had rely been reborn into Helcia’s body. That ant I had no blood ties to the Davenports at all, and Helena was .
"As long as there’s no direct evidence, I can’t treat it as a fact. But I’ll continue to look into it," Mr. rcer assured us. "Don’t worry, I’ll work harder to gather more information."
Mr. rcer finally left the manor after giving us everything he knew, and he also sent the evidence he had collected to Lando.
"Are you okay?" Lando asked as soon as he returned to the living room after seeing Mr. rcer off.
I nodded but didn’t even bother to fake a smile. "I don’t know. Maybe yes, maybe no. But... a part of is relieved that Helena never set foot in that massage spa."
Lando then moved from his wheelchair to the sofa so he could sit right beside , without any barrier between us.
"About Jasper’s connection to the Davenports—"
"I know," I cut him off. "I’m not affected by that at all. If it turns out to be true, I won’t be surprised. After all, my family is truly rotten, and I would be more than happy to watch their downfall."
Besides, they had never treated Helcia well either, so that family held no value in my heart, or in Helcia’s.
"I’m not worried about your family," Lando said. "I just don’t want your na to be dragged into their case. But don’t worry, I won’t let your career be destroyed because of this."
I only smiled in response, because I knew Lando was truly capable of doing that for . Besides, once I secured my position in the entertainnt industry, I would make a clarification about all the bad things the Davenport Family had done to Helcia.
I didn’t talk much with Lando after that, mostly because I was afraid I might snap at him again for no reason. In the end, I went to bed early so I could wake up with a clearer mind.
And yeah, I think it really worked.
But... it seed that it wasn’t just because I slept early.
When I opened my bedroom door, I found a paper bag hanging on the doorknob. It didn’t look expensive at all—just a plain brown paper bag—but its contents were enough to calm my chaotic mind in an instant.
No, there were no luxury items inside. It was just a few chocolate bars, sweet drinks, candy, vitamins, and a letter from my husband.
[I’m sorry for not being able to talk to you properly these past few days. I’ll try my best to be more present and pay more attention to you.
I know this small gift is nothing much, but I hope it can lift your mood today.
— Your Husband]
I covered my mouth with my hand because I couldn’t contain my happiness. My husband was so sweet. Instead of giving sothing expensive or throwing money at , he chose to give sothing that could lift my mood.
His gift was so sweet that my mood beca very good, and I was even able to work well on set.
The director told that all of my takes were really good, which made even happier.
My husband still didn’t send a single ssage throughout the day, and I didn’t disturb him either. But when I ca ho, he was already back as well, so we could have dinner together.
"How was your day?" Lando asked as we sat in the dining room. "Did you... like my little gift?"
I nodded quickly. "I really liked it! It helped a lot today. Thank you, husband." I paused for a mont before asking, "But why did you co ho so early today? Weren’t you very busy?"
Lando smiled and placed more chicken tenders on my plate. "I just wanted to have dinner with my wife."
He said it so simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But those words still made my chest feel warm.
I looked down at my plate, pretending to focus on the food, afraid that if I t his eyes, he would notice how soft my expression had beco. My husband really knew how to calm down without saying too much.
"Then... thank you for coming ho early," I said softly.
Lando only smiled and continued eating with , the atmosphere between us calm and comfortable. For the first ti in days, the heavy feeling in my chest slowly faded away.
After dinner, Lando asked to co to his office. He probably wanted to talk about sothing serious.
"I have an offer for you," Lando said seriously. "But don’t worry, you can think about it until you finish shooting your current series."
I raised my eyebrows. "What is it?"
Lando then placed a rather thick script in front of . "A blockbuster movie." He cleared his throat before continuing, "I showed your acting video to Mr. Lan a few weeks ago, and he beca interested in you—your acting, of course."
"That’s why he wants you to take an audition for this movie."
I took the script and widened my eyes as I read the title, the summary, and the genre.
"This... this is an action movie," I said in disbelief. "Don’t you think this is too far from what I’m playing right now?"
I had acted in a few action movies before, but most of them were only supporting roles. More importantly, how could Lando give this script at a ti like this, when I was only playing a sexy secretary?
"It doesn’t matter," he said calmly. "A great actor is soone who can play many different roles without exception."
I lowered my gaze back to the script, my fingers slowly flipping through the pages.
"What is this movie about?" I asked, still a little unsure.
Lando leaned back in his chair, his expression calm but confident. "It’s about a woman who works as a covert operative for an international task force. On the surface, she lives a normal life, but behind the scenes, she carries out dangerous missions, like chasing criminals, stopping illegal trades, and dismantling underground organizations."
I twitched my eyes because I had never played that kind of role before, and even more so because I didn’t expect Lando to give this script to . "Why... are you giving this script to ? I don’t think I’m a good fit for this."
Besides, I wasn’t an active person—at least in this body—and I didn’t know any martial arts.
"Whether you’re right for it or not, you won’t know unless you try," Lando said calmly. "There’s nothing wrong with aiming for sothing you’ve never done before. You’ll still go through an audition, and if it truly doesn’t suit you, you won’t be chosen."
Lando was right.
It wasn’t like I would get in through nepotism. If I truly wasn’t a good fit, then I wouldn’t get the role. Besides, acting in a movie produced by Zentra Entertainnt seed like the safest choice for right now.
"But I’m really not an active person," I said again, a little helpless. "I’ve never even been to the gym."
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