LOGINI leaned back in the car, still processing everything.
Zack paused, momentarily speechless. Should he tell me the truth—that the car I was riding in belonged to His Highness? Since his injury, he’d mostly avoided driving.
Half his collection sat idle, and the rest were at his villas to stay under the radar. But today? He’d told Zack to rent the nicest one around, specifically for me. It was his way of announcing: “I’m proud of her.” And this was that entrance.
I smiled, savoring the realization. My Kane… he really cared. Enough to make a grand entrance for me. It had to have cost a fortune. I needed to earn more—not just for him, but to show I could match his effort.
---
Later, I messaged Sean on F******k.
MIA: Short on cash. Got any clients?
SEAN: What kind of clients? House-call stuff?
MIA: Not just impotence. Got more expertise than that.
SEAN: Actually, Duke from the show, turns out he’s lost his sense of taste… Doesn’t want anyone to know.
MIA: Good lead. If it’s legit, I’ll give you a cut.
SEAN: No cut needed, just don’t reveal my name.
MIA: Got it.
---
I slipped past midnight. Kane was up. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
He quickly closed his laptop. “Couldn’t.”
I noticed the steam rising from dishes on the table. His attempt at a midnight snack? Thoughtful. I played dumb.
“Want one?”
“You go ahead.”
I invited Zack over. We had a light, comforting meal. I wasn’t sleepy anymore, but Kane looked restless. I sat beside him.
His body stiffened as I checked his forehead scar and healed arms. Then I gently examined his legs through his jeans. His skin was warm, his reactions timid. I gave him a soft smile.
“You’re doing great. Keep this up—you’ll stand soon.”
He let out a low sigh. “Mm.”
I withdrew and felt myself growing heavy with exhaustion. “Go on. Sleep.”
He pressed, “You sleep, too.”
“I’ve got things to do.” I nodded at Zack. Time for me to shower.
I collapsed into bed, sleeping overtaking me.
---
The next day, I woke up at noon. Glancing toward Snow Moon Pack’s gates, two familiar figures hovered there. Lilith and Justin, clinging like lovers reunited.
No need for shoes; I wanted a closer look. I crept up the garden wall beneath the canopy.
Lilith’s voice quivered: “Justin… you found me again…”
Justin stroked her hair. “What’s wrong?”
“I—I don’t know what to do. The script was exposed online… they said I faked it all. I’m scared…”
He paused, hard. Then: “I’ll find who leaked it. But—Mia snapped your hand on camera. That’s real.”
Lilith stared at her injured thumb. “It hurt more because… she provoked you over the room swap.”
“And if Mia leaves the show, I can take that rooftop. No more problems.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Justin. I—I won’t let you get hurt over me again.”
Justin held her tight. “You’re my favorite Lilith. You don’t need to ruin things—ever again.”
She nodded, sniffling. They linked hands and walked in, a facade of unity on display.
I tapped record on my phone.
Minutes later, Lilith posted an apology video on X: watery eyes, broken hand, claims of ignorance— “It was Noelle’s fault,” she said, blaming all the behind-the-scenes mess.
But I had the factual evidence—and I kept it.
Immediately after that, my phone kept chiming nonstop.“Ding—$10,000,000 has been deposited…”“Ding—$100,000 has been deposited…”“Ding—$100,000 has been deposited…”Zeros flooded the screen like a tidal wave, almost hurting my eyes.Everyone around me looked frozen.Someone’s mouth hung open.Someone stole a glance at me, then snapped their eyes away like they’d seen something impossible.Jezin’s face went green, then white, then green again.I sighed—half amused, half helpless and glanced at the transfer names.Norman. Nathaniel. And one unfamiliar account, probably Gill.Of course.They were all watching the livestream.I was about to silence the notifications when my phone vibrated again.Caller ID: Kane.I meant to decline but my finger pressed answer anyway, as if possessed.And I forgot the speaker was still on.A cool, low voice filled the rooftop, carrying a trace of restrained grievance.“From now on, pin my contact to the top.”I froze.Something tapped softly against my he
“Alright, keep going!” Goselle saw the mood turning wrong and hurriedly shuffled the cards, laughing as he dealt again.This round, the King landed in Yvonne’s hand. Her eyes rolled and she wisely didn't provoke me or the Jevon siblings.She just smiled and said,“Goselle, make an ugly face for us.”Goselle was a comedian. This was effortless for her.She twisted her mouth, crossed her eyes, and made a face so hideous everyone burst out laughing.The rooftop finally loosened again.But the third round tightened everything back up.The King was…Jezin.The moment he drew the card, his eyes flicked back and forth between me and Goselle, malice flashing.In the end, he didn’t dare truly provoke me, probably scared I’d bring up “kicking him off the show” again.So he pretended to be casual and followed the director’s hint:“Then… let Jevon sing a song.”He probably thought he was helping Jevon and Lilith ease the tension.But Jevon’s face turned black instantly.Those golden eyes flicked
I hurried to soothe Grandma Pritcher. “It’s okay. I really don’t mind.”Then she asked, “I heard you found work? Quilting for Ann?”“Yeah,” I said.“That’s good. Moon Goddess blesses you. You can finally settle down. It’s my granddaughter who doesn’t have that kind of luck.”When she sighed, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened.Her dislike for Jevon and Lilith. And her fondness for me was completely undisguised.The atmosphere turned awkward fast.I caught the director beside us blinking at me repeatedly, signaling me to cut the topic before the internet tore Grandma apart during the replay.So, I smiled and smoothed it over.“It’s late, Grandma Pritcher. You should go home. Tomorrow, when I have time, I’ll come chat with you again.”“Ok, ok.” She listened to me easily.I personally escorted her downstairs.When I came back up, the mood on the rooftop had eased.The director must’ve quietly said something while I was gone.Goselle and Jezin weren’t bickering anymore. They
Dwyn couldn’t wait. The moment we stepped away, he blurted, “Mia… do you know about my...”“I know.” I cut him off before he could finish.There were still two cameramen behind us. His secret couldn’t be said out loud.Dwyn’s eyes lit up, voice full of surprise and eagerness. “Then… can you help me?”I nodded. Honest and direct.“I can. But I want ten million.”I really did need money right now.And with Dwyn’s net worth, that amount was pocket change.“If you can help me, ten million is nothing!” Dwyn agreed without hesitation.I understood why.He’d already spent far more than that trying to fix his taste, and to him, losing taste wasn’t just “inconvenient.”It made him feel… disabled in his own eyes.He wanted it cured more than anyone.“Deal,” I said. “But it has to wait until filming ends.”Right now, inside the show, there was no condition to treat him properly.“Fine!” Dwyn finally looked like he could breathe. A real smile broke across his face.Our short, half‑spoken conversa
The staff member assigned to search my luggage was a woman.I unzipped my backpack cleanly and handed it over. I wasn’t nervous at all.There wasn’t much inside: a few sets of old clothes washed so many times they’d faded white; an old‑fashioned radio; a small whetstone with chipped corners; a stone mortar and pestle; a tightly tied bag of “wood shavings”; and two pairs of cloth shoes worn soft from being stepped on.She flipped through each item. Her fingers even paused on the fabric for a few seconds, like she couldn’t believe someone would bring luggage this shabby onto a show.In the end, she checked off on her list and set my backpack aside.I leaned against the door frame and watched Jevon and Lilith still arguing in the yard.I couldn’t help curling my lips. Looks like someone wasn’t sleeping tonight.The woman didn’t leave.Instead, her eyes stayed on the items on the table, like she was waiting for me to explain myself.I knew exactly why.The director wanted “talking points”
“All delivered. Pay me.” I held out my hand. Dust and sweat still clung to my palm from pushing the truck so long.Neal narrowed his eyes like he didn’t believe me. He pulled out his phone, made a call to confirm, then hung up and looked me over with a sneer.“Well, you’ve got some skills.”That mocking tone told me exactly what he meant.In his eyes, how could a woman possibly finish the job? He clearly thought the production team must’ve cleaned up after me.“It’s still early,” he drawled, his gaze sliding over me. “Wanna do some warehouse work too?”I ignored him. My hand stayed out. My voice carried the impatience.“No. Pay me.”Neal snorted. “I only pay the salary once you hit a hundred dollars. You delivered four jugs today. Five bucks a jug, twenty dollars.”“If you come organize the warehouse, I’ll count that as eighty. That makes a hundred. Then I’ll pay you.”My brows knitted.In my last life, I’d heard clearly. Jevon negotiated ten dollars a jug.“Five dollars a jug?” I ask







