Chapter 14: The Mask Unveiled

Zane looked at Emma, who was still standing beside the bed. Seeing that she no longer showed any signs of losing control, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Reaching out, he took her hand and gently kissed the back of it—a sweet gesture he rarely made, yet one that now felt completely natural because he knew just how effective it was at calming Emma.

"Sweetheart, I'm going to get ready for filming now, okay?" Zane said, deliberately softening his voice as much as possible, trying to erase the lingering tension caused by Violet's outburst earlier.

Emma gazed into her boyfriend's dark eyes. A flicker of doubt crossed her face, but the haze of love that had already blinded her the previous night made her choose to believe him. She adjusted her cream-colored bathrobe before asking softly, "Do you have another kissing scene with Violet today?"

Zane smiled faintly and shook his head reassuringly.

"No, sweetheart. Today is just action scenes and regular dialogue. There aren't any romantic scenes at all."

Hearing his answer, the corners of Emma's lips curved upward. An overwhelming sense of relief flooded her heart. Without wasting another second, she leaned forward, wrapped her arms tightly around Zane's neck, and eagerly claimed his lips, pouring all of her possessiveness into the kiss. Zane welcomed it happily, returning the kiss briefly before Emma finally pulled away.

"Okay, I'll go get everything ready for your filming," Emma said, the sparkle returning to her eyes.

Zane smiled with satisfaction as he saw that Emma's obedience had completely returned.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

For the next thirty minutes, Emma moved efficiently. As Zane's personal assistant and the woman who understood his every need better than anyone else, she prepared his casual filming outfit, packed his special bottled water, vitamins, and even a small towel inside his equipment bag. She did everything with a smile that never left her face. Deep down, she truly believed she had finally won Zane's heart.

A short while later, the two of them left the hotel room. Following the unspoken rule that had existed for the past seven years, Emma deliberately walked three steps behind Zane. She allowed him to stride confidently ahead with the aura of a celebrity, while she remained the assistant who kept her distance, making sure no members of the media or hidden cameras discovered their relationship.

They walked through the hotel corridor, where several film crew members were already busy carrying equipment. However, just as they were about to reach the lobby leading to the parking area and the filming location, Zane suddenly stopped. He turned around and looked at Emma with a slightly tense expression.

"Sweetheart, wait here for a moment. I need to meet the production manager in the hallway over there to confirm the schedule. I'll carry the equipment bag myself for now," Zane said as he took the bag from Emma's hands.

Emma nodded obediently.

"Okay. Don't take too long, Zane."

Zane turned around and quickly disappeared down the corridor leading toward the private area near the artists' green room.

However, only a few seconds after Zane disappeared from sight, Emma frowned. Something felt strange. His movements had been unusually hurried, and she had noticed him glancing from side to side as if making sure none of the crew members saw where he was going. That wasn't the direction of the main lobby restroom. It led toward the VIP dressing rooms, which were usually deserted at this hour.

A sudden wave of suspicion made Emma's feet move on their own. Slowly and silently, she walked down the dimly lit corridor, following the path Zane had taken.

Emma finally stopped in front of a teakwood door that was slightly ajar.

The room was an unused private lounge.

The silence in the hallway made every sound inside the room perfectly clear. Holding her breath, Emma peeked through the narrow opening in the door.

What she saw instantly froze the blood in her veins.

In the corner of the room, behind a makeup cabinet partition, Zane was standing beside Violet Iris.

Violet, who had stormed off in hysterical tears earlier, now had both of her arms wrapped around Zane's waist. Standing on her tiptoes, she passionately kissed him with unmistakable desire. And what struck Emma's heart like a heavy iron hammer was...

Zane didn't reject her.

The man who had sworn his love to Emma only a few hours earlier and kissed her so passionately was now returning Violet's kiss while holding the possessive actress around her waist.

After a few moments, they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily.

Violet rested her head against Zane's broad chest.

"Zane... tell me honestly," Violet whispered in a spoiled yet jealous tone. "Do you really love Emma that much? Why were you calling her 'sweetheart' back in the hotel room?"

Standing outside the door, Emma clutched her chest as it suddenly became painfully tight. She strained to hear every word, still hoping—with the last remnants of her foolishness—that Zane would defend her.

Inside the room, Zane let out a short breath before a mocking smile spread across his handsome face.

"Of course not, Violet. Don't be ridiculous," Zane replied casually, without the slightest burden in his voice. "I had no choice but to tell her I loved her and call her that last night. You know how stubborn she's become lately. If I didn't tame her with a few sweet words, she'd keep refusing to work and create trouble. I only said those things so she'd become obedient and compliant again like she always used to be. You don't need to be jealous of an assistant."

Thud.

Emma's world seemed to collapse, shattering into countless pieces until nothing remained. The fragile wall around her heart that she had rebuilt with the last remnants of hope from the previous night was crushed by the cruel truth. Those simple words of love... the endearment that had made her willingly surrender everything she had, including her dignity, until dawn...

It had all been nothing more than a filthy trick.

A cheap lie to turn her into an obedient servant.

"Zane..." Violet slowly ran her hand across his chest, her eyes filled with temptation. "But I can satisfy you far better than Emma ever could. Why don't you just do it with me instead?"

Zane chuckled softly before gently kissing Violet's forehead.

"Baby, I don't want to ruin your body right now. Your career is at its peak, and we have to protect your reputation from a sex scandal before the right time. We'll do it after we're officially married, okay? For now, just stay professional on set for me."

"Mmm... okay. Promise?"

"Promise."

Outside the room, Emma slowly slid down against the cold corridor wall. She clamped both hands tightly over her mouth, struggling to suppress the hysterical scream threatening to escape her throat. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks, washing away every trace of the false happiness she had felt only a few hours earlier.

It hurt.

The pain was so overwhelming that it made her physically nauseous, and her chest tightened as though every bit of oxygen around her had been consumed by Zane's betrayal.

Seven years.

For seven years, she had devoted her youth, her love, and her dignity to a man who regarded the word "marriage" as a sacred gift reserved for another woman, while she herself was nothing more than someone to satisfy his physical desires and a servant who could be tamed with lies.

She had truly been deceived.

Played like a foolish puppet with no dignity.

Gathering what little strength remained in her trembling body, Emma turned around. She staggered away, almost running back toward the lobby where Zane had told her to wait. With every step, she roughly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, forcing her ragged breathing to steady itself.

When she finally reached the quiet corner of the lobby, Emma stood motionless.

Her swollen eyes stared blankly at the gleaming marble floor.

Inside her chest, her emotions churned violently between unbearable devastation and an anger that was slowly hardening into deep hatred.

Enough, Emma. Enough, a voice whispered inside her mind, colder and sharper than ever before.

That unbearable pain gradually eroded every last trace of her blind love. The haze had completely disappeared, replaced by a future that now appeared crystal clear.

The twenty-three-day wager was over.

Emma reached into the pocket of the satin robe hidden beneath her outer clothing and touched her phone.

There would be no cancellation of the Match-Prime application today.

While enduring the relentless ache in her chest caused by the gaping wound in her heart, Emma made a silent vow.

If Zane saw her as nothing more than a toy to deceive and discard, then she would make sure that the time he had left would become an invisible hell for him before she walked away forever with the marriage contract that would transform her into a woman Zane would never be able to reach for the rest of his life.