Chapter 13
[ 483 words ]
Chapter 13:
Sparkle was my heart—a jewelry line I had raised from the ground up. I needed to make sure everything reached the finish line exactly as it should.
No matter how deeply Ethan had failed me, I still owed my work that much.
Ivy, tucked neatly inside Ethan’s embrace, threw me a smug little smile. “I’ll cooperate, Lianne. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
I pulled in an unsteady breath, forcing down the sickness twisting in my stomach. “Then I’ll see you at the studio tomorrow at nine. Don’t be late.”
Without sparing those two another look, I turned on my heel and left.
у𝗼𝗎𝗋 𝗱аil𝗒 𝗱о𝗌𝗲 о𝖿 𝗇о𝗏𝖾𝗹𝗌 𝗼n 𝗀𝘢𝘭𝗻𝗈𝘃𝘦𝗅s.соm
By the following day, the shoot was underway.
Ivy, made bolder by Ethan’s blatant favoritism, started acting more and more demanding on set.
“Lianne, this latte isn’t hot enough. Go get me a fresh one.”
“Lianne, the sunlight is unbearable today. Can you put some sunscreen on me? The assistants are far too clumsy, and I don’t like them touching me.”
Her nonstop commands had the crew trading looks.
Everybody knew I was the project lead, not her personal maid.
But with Ethan hovering over Ivy the way he did, all they could do was bow their heads and act occupied.
I put up with Ivy’s absurd requests through gritted patience, carrying them out one after another like a machine.
As long as the project turned out well, what did one little disgrace matter?
We pushed on until dusk, when the director finally announced, “That’s a wrap!”
A deep breath slipped out of me in relief as the exhaustion slammed into me all at once.
I rolled my shoulders, but a sudden spell of lightheadedness turned everything hazy.
I braced myself against a table, telling myself it was probably low blood sugar or plain exhaustion.
With my keys in hand, I hauled my drained body toward the open-air parking area.
The evening wind was mild, giving me the smallest bit of relief after the punishing heat of the day.
“Lianne?” A crisp, familiar voice rang across the quiet lot.
I turned around, and the gloom hanging over me lifted at once. “Frank! It’s really you! It’s been so long!”
Frank Mill used to be the person I was closest to back at Pack Academy.
His hair was trimmed short and tidy, and his bright smile carried a warmth that stood in total contrast to Ethan’s cold distance.
“What are you doing here? Are you filming something?” I hurried toward him.
Frank looked me over with an easy smile. “So it really is you. I’ve been shooting a magazine cover at the studio next door for the last two days. Just finished. What about you? Why are you still here so late? You don’t look well.”
“I’m filming a commercial. Things have been hectic lately,” I answered, smiling anyway despite the bitterness stirring in my chest.
“Since we’ve run into each other, how about grabbing dinner?” Frank offered. “It’s been years. You owe me a proper catch-up, busy bee.”
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