Calm Before Chaos

As Isabella stepped out of the building, she had barely taken a few steps before her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen.

…Alexander.

She answered after a brief pause.

“Hello.”

“Done with your meeting?”

His voice was calm, as usual.

“Mm.”

She shifted slightly, moving to the side to avoid the flow of people.

“How did it go?”

Isabella let out a small breath.

“Messy at first,” she said lightly. “Vivienne almost lost her mind in there.”

A faint pause.

Then she continued, her tone casual but laced with quiet satisfaction—

“They’re making her retire.”

Silence.

Just for a second.

“…Retire?” he repeated.

There was a slight note of surprise in his voice.

Subtle.

Controlled.

Believable.

“Yeah,” Isabella said. “Didn’t expect it to go that far either.”

She leaned against a pillar, her gaze drifting ahead.

“I thought they’d force an apology and make me share the blame. Vanessa tried that angle.”

“And?”

“I refused.”

Another pause.

Then—

“Mm.”

Not approval.

Not dismissal.

Just… acknowledgement.

“They didn’t push it further?” he asked.

“No. Alley shut it down.”

She gave a small shrug, even though he couldn’t see it.

“Guess even the company has limits. Her manager exposed some dark secrets about her private life—there was no coming back from that.”

On the other end, he was quiet for a moment.

Then—

“That’s rare.”

She huffed softly.

“Tell me about it.”

A brief silence settled between them.

“Well,” she said after a moment, straightening up, “problem solved.”

“For now.”

She rolled her eyes slightly.

“You always say that.”

A faint pause.

“It usually applies.”

She almost smiled.

Almost.

“Anyway, I’m heading back,” she added.

“Mm.”

But just before she ended the call—

“Isabella.”

She paused.

“…Yeah?”

A beat.

Then—

“Be careful.”

Not heavy.

Not emotional.

Just—

quiet.

She didn’t respond immediately.

“…I will.”

The call ended.

Isabella lowered her phone slowly.

Her expression was unreadable for a moment.

Then—

She slipped it into her bag and walked forward.

The next day.

When Isabella arrived at the movie backlot, she spotted a large group of girls gathered near the set. In the middle of them was a particularly eye-catching golden head.

She knew immediately—Jason and his fans.

Instinctively, she was about to make a detour.

But just as she turned—

“Ah! It’s Isabella!!”

She froze.

In her heart, she thought she was finished and instinctively raised a hand to protect her face—

But instead—

The girls lined up in rows.

And bowed.

“We’re sorry—!”

After apologizing, they all looked at her with sparkling eyes and began speaking over one another—

“Miss Isabella, we’re sorry! We misunderstood you! Please don’t hate us—you have to keep playing Natalie Frostman!”

“That’s right! Your acting is amazing—we love you and Jason together!”

“I replayed your scene with Jason all day yesterday!”

Completely stunned, Isabella instinctively looked at Jason.

He walked over, clearly in high spirits.

“Didn’t Director Phil release some highlights? One of them was that bondage scene we shot. After that, they switched sides completely.”

He clicked his tongue.

“Are they really that happy watching me get bullied?”

“Uh…”

So that was it.

He pulled her aside into a quieter corner, his gaze suddenly sharp.

“Did anything happen that night?”

“Huh… what night?” she asked, confused.

Veins popped on his forehead.

“Isabella! Don’t tell me you don’t know how you ended up at my uncle’s house two nights ago!”

“Ohh… that night?” she said casually. “I know. He carried me because I was sleeping and didn’t want to wake me.”

Jason nearly fainted.

“Could you be a little more cautious? Alexander clearly has intentions toward you!”

Isabella sighed, then placed her hands on his shoulders with complete sincerity.

“Brother, you should know this by now—I’m aiming for the stars. I’m not stopping for random love interests.”

She patted him lightly.

“Even if you kneel and beg me to become your aunt, I won’t give you the chance. So calm down and focus on work.”

Jason’s expression turned complicated.

Relieved… but also uneasy.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to stay single forever? What if you meet someone you actually like?”

She looked at him flatly.

“Shut up.”

Bang.

Her fist landed squarely on his stomach.

“AH—!”

At that moment—

“Jace! I heard you have a lot of intimate scenes—is that true? Any kissing scenes?” a fan squealed.

Jason raised a brow.

“There is. We even have one today.”

“AHHHHHHH!!”

Screams erupted instantly.

“Can we watch? Can we?!”

“It’s an outdoor shoot,” Jason said. “You can watch from the fence—but it’ll be far.”

Isabella stared at him.

Speechless.

With so many people watching…

The pressure hit instantly.

In the break room.

“Speaking of that kissing scene… which one is it exactly?” Isabella asked.

The filming schedule had been chaotic lately.

Jason flipped through the script, clearly excited.

“The paper lantern scene. I asked the director last night.”

She paused.

“The Night of Lights festival? Natalie and Doctor Quinn’s first kiss?”

“That’s the one.”

Then he suddenly leaned closer and sniffed suspiciously.

“Did you eat anything weird today?”

She shoved him away.

“Do I look that unprofessional?”

“Remember your words,” he warned. “If you mess with me, I’m telling the director.”

She rolled her eyes.

“How old are you? Still telling the teacher? So childish.”

Jason snorted and turned away.

“I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to rehearse.”

She flipped his chair in one swift move.

“What are you rehearsing for? Come here—I need to ask you something.”

He huffed.

“What?”

“What are they doing about Vivienne’s role?”

“They’re replacing her. I heard it’s someone from Longster—a new singer. Pretty, but no acting experience. Might be hard to watch.”

He paused.

“Oh—did you hear what happened to Vivienne?”

“What happened?”

Jason lowered his voice.

“Her sugar daddy’s wife found out. Had her dragged into the street, beaten, and warned to leave the country—or next time she dies.”

Isabella’s brows knit slightly.

Jason exhaled.

“I was worried she might come after you… but I guess not anymore.”

Then he frowned.

“…Don’t you think everything happened too smoothly?”

At that moment—

“Bella! Jason! Get into costume—you’re up next!”