Unexpected Arrival

Morning came far too quickly.

Sunlight slipped through the curtains in thin, stubborn lines, stretching across the living room as if determined to expose the chaos of the night before.

The television was still on.

The game—paused.

Controllers—abandoned.

Snack wrappers—everywhere.

And right in the middle of it all—

Two bodies, completely knocked out.

Jason was sprawled across the carpet, one arm flung over his face, the other still loosely gripping a controller as if his life depended on it. His blond hair was a complete mess, and his shirt had ridden up slightly, leaving him looking nothing like the polished superstar from the day before.

On the couch, Isabella was curled up in an awkward position, one leg hanging off the edge, her head tilted at an angle that definitely couldn’t be comfortable. A blanket—probably dragged over sometime in the night—barely covered her.

Silence.

Peaceful.

Then—

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Isabella’s phone vibrated insistently on the table.

No response.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

She frowned slightly in her sleep, shifting just a little.

Still no response.

BUZZ—

“Ughh…” she groaned, eyes still closed as she blindly reached out. Her hand knocked over an empty juice bottle before finally landing on her phone.

She squinted at the screen.

…then froze.

Her eyes snapped open.

“Shit.”

In one swift motion, she sat up—then immediately regretted it.

“Ah—my head…” she groaned, pressing her temples.

Her gaze swept across the room.

The mess.

The TV.

The snacks.

Then—

Jason.

Still completely dead to the world.

She grabbed a pillow and threw it straight at him.

“Wake up!”

No movement.

She grabbed another one.

“Jason!”

Thud.

This time, he stirred slightly, his brows furrowing.

“…five more minutes…” he mumbled hoarsely.

Bella stared at him in disbelief.

“Five more—are you mad?!”

She kicked his leg.

Hard.

“OW—!” Jason jolted upright, eyes wide and unfocused. “What the hell?! Is there a fire?!”

“Yes,” she replied flatly. “Your career.”

He blinked. Once. Twice.

“…what?”

“I have work!” she snapped, already on her feet, running her fingers through her messy hair. “And you—don’t you have schedules today?!”

That seemed to hit him.

Jason’s expression slowly cracked.

“…Wait.”

He scrambled for his phone.

Checked the time.

Then—

“SHIT!!!”

He shot to his feet so fast he nearly tripped over a controller.

“I’m dead. I’m actually dead. Liam is going to kill me—no, he’s going to bury me alive first—”

Bella rolled her eyes and headed straight for the bathroom.

“Serves you right. Who told you ‘just one more round’ fifty times?”

Jason dragged a hand down his face, groaning.

“You were the one winning and refusing to stop!”

“And you were the one crying for revenge,” she shot back from inside the bathroom.

“…That’s not the point.”

“It is.”

The sound of running water filled the space.

Jason stood there for a moment, silently questioning his life choices.

Then he suddenly sprang into action—kicking snack wrappers aside, picking things up at random, attempting to restore some level of dignity to the disaster zone.

“Bella! Hurry up! I need the bathroom too!”

“Use the other one!”

“There’s another one?!”

“…You live here.”

“…Right.”

A few minutes later, Isabella stepped out—refreshed, dressed, and already back to her usual composed self.

Jason, on the other hand, still looked like sleep had personally beaten him up.

She grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes.

“I’m leaving.”

Jason was still trying to fix his hair using the reflection on the TV screen.

“Wait—so you’re just going like that?”

She paused at the door, glancing back at him with a faint smirk.

“What? You want another round?”

He froze.

Then slowly narrowed his eyes.

“…Tonight.”

Bella chuckled softly.

“Dream on.”

And just like that, she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

Jason stood there for a second.

Then huffed.

“…I’m definitely winning next time.”

From outside, Bella’s voice faintly echoed—

“Keep telling yourself that!”

Jason stared at the door for a moment longer, then shook his head, a small grin forming despite himself.

The atmosphere on set remained the same as usual. There were no visible changes despite the much-anticipated arrival of the second male lead.

A group of young ladies surrounded Theo, their faces filled with admiration as they listened to him recount his glorious moments in the entertainment industry.

Vivienne and Vanessa had grown even closer. The two were currently chatting in high spirits, admiring the diamond bracelet Vanessa’s father had recently gifted her.

Only Isabella seemed distracted, her gaze drifting here and there. After all, she had the most scenes with the second male lead—his acting skills would directly affect her performance.

Vivienne lifted her wrist, showing off the sparkling bracelet, her expression clearly laced with disdain as she glanced at Isabella.

“Nessa, look at her—waiting so eagerly for that man to arrive. She really believed the director’s words. Does she think a top actor will appear just because she’s standing there like that?”

Vanessa sighed helplessly, her tone gentle yet faintly reproachful.

“Oh, don’t criticise her. She has the most scenes with the second male lead, so it’s only natural she’d be more concerned about him.”

“Heh…” Vivienne sneered. “Concerned? There are so many of those scenes—kissing, even bed scenes. Luckily, I didn’t take that role in the beginning, otherwise who knows how much advantage someone would’ve taken of me!”

After saying that, she turned enviously to Vanessa.

“You have it the best. Your boyfriend is handsome, and even your male lead is handsome…”

At that moment, the director’s excited voice rang out from the entrance—

“Come, come, everyone! Gather around! Our second male lead—the actor playing Doctor Drey Quinn—is here! Come greet him!”

The responses were scattered.

Theo didn’t even bother getting up, still surrounded by admirers.

Vivienne let out a disdainful scoff and didn’t move.

Vanessa, however, adjusted her makeup before standing.

“We should still go greet him. We’re colleagues, after all.”

Only then did Vivienne reluctantly follow.

Isabella, on the other hand, had already rushed over at the very first moment, craning her neck to see.

Then—

She froze.

Completely.

The man standing beside the director…

That unmistakable blond hair—

Even if she wanted to lie to herself, it was impossible.

Why… was it him?

How could the second male lead be that person?

This… couldn’t… be real…

From the entrance, the errand boy Dan suddenly screamed—

“AHHHHH—Oh… my… God…!”

Vivienne frowned sharply.

“Are you crazy?! Why are you screaming?!”

Then she looked over—

“…Ah!”

Even she let out a shocked cry.

“What happened?” Vanessa asked quickly.

“Jace—Jason Cardwell! Vanessa! It’s Jason Cardwell!”

“What?!”

Vanessa followed her gaze—

—and froze.

The director was walking ahead, smiling brightly, his attitude unusually attentive.

Behind him walked a blond man dressed in trendy high-contrast streetwear, one hand casually tucked into his pocket. His aura was effortlessly rebellious, a natural bad boy charm radiating from him.

When he smiled, a pair of adorable canines peeked out.

Jason Cardwell.

The second male lead… was actually Jason Cardwell.

Even Vanessa was stunned.

Meanwhile, the group of girls around Theo had already rushed over like a pack of wolves.

“Oh my God! Jason! Is it really him? Am I dreaming?! Someone pinch me!”

“He’s insane… he’s actually insane… He’s too handsome! My legs are shaking!”

“I heard he even has grandmother fans! He even charmed an eighty-year-old lady!”

“Move! Let me see him! If I don’t sleep with Jason once in this lifetime, what’s the point of living?!”

Who was the hottest young star in the entertainment industry right now?

No matter who you asked—

The answer would be Jason Cardwell.

Vivienne was practically losing her mind.

“Did they make a mistake?! Wasn’t he filming overseas?! Even if he came back, why would he take a second male lead role?!”

Vanessa muttered, her tone low,

“I heard he never accepts anything but male lead roles… and besides, this production is backed by Starlight. Why would a Longster artist come here?”

Moments ago, Vivienne had been relieved she avoided those “intimate scenes.”

Now—

She was nearly going crazy.

“Damn it! How did this happen?! Isabella’s luck is ridiculous! That role should’ve been mine—mine! She stole it shamelessly!”

Those nearby showed no surprise. Everyone knew Vivienne had publicly confessed to Jason before and was obsessed with him.

After a struggle, Director Phil finally calmed the crowd.

“Jace, look at this—you’ve already captured all the ladies here! Handsome men really have it easy!”

Jason grinned lazily.

“Director, didn’t you hear? They all just want to sleep with me. You’d better protect me.”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry—your partner is Natalie Frostman. She’ll protect you! Eh? Where’s Isabella? She kept asking about you, why is she missing now?”

Jason’s lips curved slightly.

“Maybe I scared her away.”

“Possible!” Phil laughed. “Most girls in the country are your fans—maybe she’s overwhelmed!”

At that moment—

Isabella walked over.

Her expression was already perfectly composed.

She extended her hand.

“Senior Jason, nice to meet you. I’m Isabella Hartley. It’s an honor to work with you.”

Jason reached out.

But the moment their hands met—

He almost lost control.

This crazy woman—

She was practically crushing his bones.

Still, he forced a calm expression.

“Ah… Bella. So it’s you…”

“Oh? You know each other?” Phil asked, surprised.

Jason smiled meaningfully.

“Of course we do.”

Instantly, all eyes turned to Isabella.

Her hand trembled slightly.

She was this close to beating him senseless.

Finally, Jason added lazily,

“We worked together on the set of Blue Bird before.”

Relief washed over her.

“Director Phil,” she said modestly, “I was only a stunt double back then. I’m surprised Senior Jace remembers me.”

Phil laughed.

“What a coincidence! Since you already know each other, no need to warm up! Let’s start with something exciting—a confrontation scene!”

Isabella: “…?”

A confrontation scene?

Director… please don’t.

They are not familiar.

Jason smiled brightly.

“Sure.”

Isabella stared at him.

She really wanted to pluck out those smug little canines.