Violeta Reynolds knew the day stretching ahead of her would be brutal. Even after a whole night fighting a fever that left her bones aching, she dragged herself out the door and headed for the studio. What she didn’t expect was to find someone already beating her to it.

Quincy Lawrence was leaning against the wall, running lines for his second lead role under his breath. His voice was one of a kind—not that generic deep, rumbly baritone everyone’s obsessed with these days. It was more like wind rustling through pine trees: cool, quiet, a little aloof. Quincy was built like a dream, broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist. The soft shift of his muscles under his t-shirt had that effortless, easy magnetism that drives young audiences wild. With her background in film, Violeta couldn’t hold back a little feedback.

“Try shifting the emphasis to a different word in that line,” she suggested.

Quincy flinched just a little, then lowered his lashes, leaning in to listen close. Violeta stepped closer and plucked the script right out of his hand. His fingers were long, elegant, threaded with that quiet coiled tension that only made him more attractive.

“Got here early to practice, huh? With this kind of work ethic, Quincy? You’re gonna go far.”

Quincy repeated the line with the adjusted emphasis. “Like this?”

Violeta nodded and glanced at her watch. “Time’s up. Let’s roll.”

Quincy pulled on his cap and followed her out without a word. As they drove, he stared out the passenger window for a minute before speaking. “Can you pull over for a few minutes?”

Figuring he wanted to grab a snack, Violeta pulled off to the side of the road. “Make it fast.”

He was so tall, even with his cap pulled low, his silhouette looked straight off a runway when he stepped out of the car. Violeta took the chance to shut her eyes, trying to soothe the throbbing in her skull and the stinging behind her eyes.

Her phone rang. "Husband" popped up on the screen. She answered, and a lazy, nonchalant voice hummed through the line.

“Did the housekeeper tell me you had a fever last night?” Raiden Evans asked. He’d claimed he was working late again. Lately, his whole “endless overtime” act had seemed plausible enough—until a random text blew that whole lie to pieces a few days back.

“Yeah, it’s gone down now,” she answered.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

Once upon a time, she would have. Now she knew the best she’d get was a quick text passed along through his assistant. All her soft care for him had eroded away, bit by bit, from all his endless absences and his delayed replies.

Her patience, already paper-thin from her splitting headache, frayed a little more. “Raiden. Do you have anything else you wanted to say?”

Lately, that edge of impatience had become a habit in her tone. Raiden frowned, tapping his fingers lightly against the top of his heavy oak desk, when he heard a car door click shut on her end of the line. Was someone with her?

Once, Violeta had been a full-time homemaker, almost totally cut off from any world outside their marriage and their home.

“Who’s with you?”

“An artist from the studio,” she said.

She used to be soft with him, calling just to ramble and check in, all sweet affection. But lately? She’d gone distant. Last night, even with him gone, she hadn’t even bothered to reach out.

Probably just moody, he thought. Too tired to hash it out, he hung up.

Staring at the dead call screen, Violeta let out a tired, resigned sigh. How had she ever thought Raiden was gentle? It had all just been a polished, perfect act. At the end of the day, their marriage had never been anything more than a strategic play to pump up the company’s stock price.

She massaged her temples and closed her eyes again. Beside her, Quincy pressed a pack of cold medicine and a bottle of citrus soda into her hand. The bottle was still warm from his grip, and the little touch settled soft in her chest.

The faint bitter tang of the medicine roused her enough to open her eyes. Quincy watched her for a long second, then looked away, a thousand tiny emotions flickering across his face too fast to name. “Take it,” he said.

She didn’t argue, swallowing the pill down fast, then washed it away with the warm citrus soda.

She managed a hoarse, gravelly “Thank you,” her throat still raw from the fever.

He didn’t say anything back, just tossed the empty paper wrapper into a nearby trash bag.

Violeta gripped the steering wheel and pulled back onto the road. She felt warmth spread slow through her gut, easing the sharp ache of her symptoms. “You didn’t originally study theater, right Quincy?”

“I’ll take any feedback you’ve got. I know I fit the look, but acting needs real direction. I couldn’t sleep last night anyway, so I rewatched my own editing clips a few times.”

He clutched the trash bag in his lap and gazed back out the window, lost in his own head.

Before long, they pulled up outside Clearwater Studios. Even though it was just a subsidiary of Evans Holdings, Clearwater was one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.

The night before, Violeta had made sure Quincy’s business cards were all ready. She’d designed them herself, his stage name blared bold and clear in English across the front.

An assistant greeted them with a bright smile and led the way inside. “Right this way, Ms. Grey.”

Violeta noticed the whole studio felt tenser, more serious than usual. “Any special guests today?” she asked curiously.

The assistant giggled. “Our big boss is here for an inspection. He’s probably upstairs right now.”

Violeta froze. It clicked, why Raiden would suddenly show up unannounced at the studio. She glanced down the hallway and spotted Lenora Kelly. The truth hit her like a punch to the chest.

A sharp, aching pang twisted right through her heart.

Lenora was leaning against the stairwell corner, holding a water bottle a tall, all-too-familiar man had just handed her. Violeta recognized Raiden instantly.

Raiden showing up at the studio was already surprising enough. But him carving time out of his “busy schedule” to walk Lenora through her audition? That was a gut punch no one saw coming.

Lenora carried herself like a lovesick peacock, preening under the attention of a man who’d once sworn his whole life to Violeta.

Violeta pulled herself together, took a deep breath, shoved all her messy feelings down, and pushed open the audition room door to walk in.

A relationship that’s long past its expiration date is just like chewed-up old gum: it only turns bitter once someone else decides they want a bite of it.

Director Charlie Snyder showed up in a rush, breathing hard as he said, "God, it’s been forever since we caught up. My husband’s a total hardass about me working, so I’ve been laying low out of the industry lately."

Violeta Reynolds shook his hand warmly, greeting him back. "He’s always swamped with work anyway, never checks up on what I’m up to. Charlie, this is Quincy Lawrence—he’s an artist from my studio. Any chance you could throw him an opportunity?"

Quincy already had a solid social media following, and he was slowly gaining traction… but he just hadn’t gotten his big break yet.

Charlie clapped a reassuring pat on Quincy’s shoulder. "Absolutely, I’d love to. Pull up a seat—we’re just about to start casting the secondary male lead."

The choice felt like a done deal at this point—just going through the motions.

Violeta turned to Quincy and whispered an encouraging line: "Just stay calm. Charlie’ll call your name any minute now."

Quincy nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped off to the side to wait.

Charlie settled into his chair and sighed. "With you back on board as our top agent, you’ve definitely earned a spot. This project’s gonna be something special, I swear—it feels like we stumbled on buried treasure."

Violeta looked effortlessly elegant that day. Her natural beauty turned heads with just quiet, simple grace.

She smiled. "There’s always space for a fresh start, right?"

Charlie lifted an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth tugging up into a grin. "Looks like you switched up your game plan. I should’ve seen it sooner."

The lead role auditions got started, but one key candidate was nowhere to be found—conspicuously missing.

Charlie frowned and called out again, sharp this time: "Who’s not here?"

Violeta immediately guessed it was Lenora Kelly. Worried Raiden Evans would run into her if she stayed, she stood up. "I’m just gonna go stretch my legs."

She planned to come back once Lenora’s audition was over and done with.

"Don’t go wandering too far," Charlie warned.

A water bottle in hand, Violeta stepped out into the hallway and let out a long, shaky breath.

When she passed the women’s restroom, she heard a soft, breathy whimper through the door.

"Raiden, I shouldn’t have tried this… I’m late, the director’s already mad at me… Please just cut me some slack…"

For all her desperate words, Lenora had her legs wrapped tight around Raiden’s waist.

Through the partially cracked door, Violeta caught the seductive glint in Lenora’s eyes clear as day.

"Raiden, learning from you is such a rush… wait—who’s out there?"

Raiden chuckled, pinching Lenora’s cheek smugly. "Well, sweetheart, where’d you learn a line like that?"

"Tighten up, don’t let anyone find out!"

Violeta went pale, her heart dropping straight to her stomach.

She stumbled back a step, and suddenly a pair of hands clamped over her eyes.

"Don’t look. It’ll only break you."

Her water bottle slipped out of her hand and clattered to the floor. The noise made Lenora jump. She glanced up at the sound outside and nudged Raiden fast.

Raiden let go of Lenora and turned, spotting the abandoned bottle on the carpet.

He calmly straightened out his wrinkled shirt—after all, they hadn’t actually gotten caught doing anything too bad, just messing around.

Unsure if someone had taken photos or if trouble was brewing, he stepped out into the hall and called his assistant. "Pull the security footage."

"Find out who was around here, and make sure nothing gets out that could ever reach Violeta."

Lenora fixed her clothes in the bathroom mirror, racking her brain. She remembered someone had slipped out of the audition room not long ago—definitely going to check what was going on.

"Raiden, leave this to me. I know who it was, and I’ll make sure they keep their mouth shut."

Raiden drew himself up to that lofty, aloof stance he wore so well, and pinched Lenora’s cheek lightly. "Smart girl."

"I know what I’m doing. Let’s grab dinner later, yeah?"

He chuckled and glanced down at his watch.

That watch had been a gift from Violeta, given to mark one of the biggest moments of his life, and he’d never taken it off since.

While the two joked back and forth, eager assistants quickly swept Raiden away. He walked with his chin held high, straight into the audition room.

Inside, everyone already looked uncomfortable, but their expressions were all dead honest.

Charlie was visibly impatient when Lenora sauntered up, and he was already two seconds from dismissing her entirely—until someone hurriedly leaned in and reminded him: "Director, the boss put her here."

Charlie scowled. Wasn’t the boss Raiden?

But Violeta was standing right there.

It clicked, and Violeta confirmed it with a casual shrug: "I don’t claim her. She’s his problem."

And besides, everyone knew Raiden doted on her in ways that didn’t need saying out loud.

Lenora introduced herself all sweet and began her audition.

Her acting was an absolute trainwreck. The whole room sat in cringing silence, and even her own cheeks burned red with embarrassment.

She’d stayed up all night with Raiden, and completely blanked on every line. This was nowhere near even her mediocre usual standard.

She quickly jumped to excuse herself to Charlie: "Director, I was busy with my boyfriend last night! I didn’t mean to forget my lines, I promise I’ll be prepared next time!"

When she finished, she shot Violeta a sharp, threatening look. "This isn’t over. Whoever saw something better watch their back."

Lenora’s beauty had always been unrivaled in the room, but Violeta’s striking looks outshone hers without even trying.

Nobody likes to be upstaged, especially not in showbiz—where your face is your whole career.

Charlie was not impressed, and his tone dropped straight to ice: "I don’t care who she’s connected to. She’s not gonna ruin my auditions."

Lenora, who’d been coddled and praised everywhere she went, felt tears spring to her eyes at his words.

Her agent immediately pressed a tissue into her hand and jumped in: "Director, poor Lenora had such a rough night! It’s not what it looks like, we’re so sorry for the disruption. C’mon Lenora, let’s just call Raiden, okay?"

The agent was dead set on not letting Lenora lose out, always ready to stir up drama to get her what she wanted.

As she was led away, Lenora never took her glare off Violeta.

Violeta watched as the call connected.

On the other end, soft calming words came through, and Lenora visibly relaxed right in front of her.

That’s when Violeta started to put it together—why Raiden indulged Lenora so much.

Lenora’s smile, her whole demeanor… it was uncannily similar to someone else.

She was almost the exact spitting image of the unattainable muse from Raiden’s youth.

It was a haunting resemblance—one that could tug at anyone’s heartstrings.

Violeta Reynolds swore off messy, complicated relationships long ago. Even with all the messy feelings churning inside her, she kept her head in the game, focused on what was right in front of her.

A few feet away, Charlie Snyder suddenly leaned in. "Did you hear? Raiden’s here today. He brought some artist in to audition. You knew about this, right?"

Given how things stood between everyone, if Raiden Evans really showed up without Violeta having a heads up? Letting just anyone walk through that door could have major consequences. Raiden’s pull was not something to mess with.

Charlie waved off her worry quick. "Relax, I already talked to him."

Charlie huffed out a relieved breath. Not too far off, Lenora Kelly was throwing one of her over-the-top fits, and he couldn’t help but mutter, "God, she’s so much more dramatic than she needs to be."

Violeta never saw any comparison to Lenora as a compliment—if anything, it was just embarrassing. Lenora was shallow, clawing her way up the social ladder by sending late-night selfies to any guy who’d look her way.

But then again… from an outsider’s point of view, was Violeta really that different? She was relying on Raiden, after all. That thought must’ve crossed more than a few people’s minds.

Anyone who didn’t chase a career of their own got side-eye around here. The whole "stay-at-home wife" thing sounded utterly ridiculous to her. Foolish, even.

Jittery, especially with Lenora carrying on so close, Violeta made an excuse. "Charlie, I’m just gonna run to the restroom."

The words barely left her mouth when Raiden walked in, flanked by a whole group of people. His eyes locked with Violeta’s for just a split second. Lenora practically sprinted over to him, her eyes glinting like Christmas morning.

She hung all over his arm, gazing up at him like he hung the moon. Raiden always indulged her every little whim—even schmoozing directors to get her whatever she wanted.

A sharp-dressed, handsome man caught Violeta’s eye, and that familiar knot of unease twisted in her stomach again. She’d just found out minutes earlier this guy was a talent agent, here with an actor auditioning for the second male lead.

Lenora pouted a little, batting her eyelashes and turning on the charm for Raiden. "Raiden, can’t I have a say in who gets that second lead spot?"

Raiden arched an eyebrow, his gaze sliding over to Violeta—who still carried that soft, youthful glow everyone noticed.

"Why the sudden interest?"

"Isn’t it obvious? Don’t girls usually get whatever they want when they turn on the sweet talk? Or am I just bad at it? C’mon, that’s old-school, right? I should get a little say, shouldn’t I?"

He chuckled, and Charlie cut in fast. "Raiden."

Charlie wasn’t about to let anyone make a fool of Violeta right in front of him—not when he could keep this whole thing a playful back-and-forth with Raiden instead.

Violeta was right there in the room, after all.

Raiden gently brushed Lenora off his arm, his tone cooling a degree or two. "Lenora can handle picking the second lead."

Charlie wiped the sweat off his brow. "Raiden, there’s been a misunderstanding here—"

Before he could get the whole sentence out, Lenora cut him off.

"Raiden, I found the person who was sneaking photos of us earlier. They know Charlie, and I already gave ‘em a warning."

Raiden’s face darkened for a heartbeat.

Charlie’s brows pinched together. It clicked—this had to be the moment Violeta walked in on everything. He glanced back over at her, sitting quiet as a mouse in the corner of the room.

Violeta had stepped out earlier, and come back looking pale as a sheet. Yeah—she’d seen the whole thing go down.

How could Raiden not realize his own wife was the one who’d caught him red-handed?

"Charlie, what’s the problem here?" Raiden’s presence loomed over the room, and those words hit Charlie’s chest like a sledgehammer.

He knew keeping Violeta in her position here would be next to impossible without Raiden’s stamp of approval.

Charlie hesitated, glanced at Violeta’s unreadable calm face, and exhaled a heavy sigh.

"No problem. I’ll do whatever you say, Raiden."

Raiden gave a short, indifferent nod. "See if you can slot Violeta into a suitable role down the line," he added offhand.

Charlie shared a quick look with Lenora, but eventually just asked the question hanging in the air. "Do I take orders from Lenora, or from Violeta?"

Before he could even finish, Lenora was clinging tighter to Raiden’s arm, batting her lashes and whispering his name all breathy: "Raiden…"

Raiden smiled that indulgent smile of his, like Lenora’s little power grab wasn’t even a blip on his radar—didn’t even register as a threat to Violeta.

"We’ll go with whatever Lenora wants for now."

Charlie was left speechless, and snuck a quick glance over at Violeta.

But Violeta didn’t even bat an eye. She’d turned her full attention to Quincy Lawrence, walking him through what to expect at his audition in a soft, steady voice—like the whole drama by the door might as well have been happening on another planet.

The second lead auditions were about to start anyway.

Charlie trundled back to his seat and sighed.

"Tessa, with what’s going on with Raiden and Violeta’s marriage…"

"Charlie, let’s get the auditions started," Violeta cut in, her voice calm and steady as ever.

Charlie remembered how bright they’d both looked when they first got married. He’d been meaning to warn her—Raiden was running around with half a dozen women on the side, and playing by the old rules just left you open to getting stabbed in the back.

"Let’s get this going, then, yeah?"

Out of all the second lead candidates, Quincy Lawrence stood out head and shoulders above the rest. He fit the role like it was made for him. Even if a few people muttered that the part was already locked in for someone else, no one could deny how talented he was.

Violeta watched him go, genuine admiration softening her gaze, full appreciation for what he could do.

Charlie felt pleased, finally able to breathe easy as he got ready to sign off on the casting—then Lenora stepped right in front of him.

She tilted her chin up just so, her lipstick half gone, like she’d been making out with someone five minutes earlier.

"Charlie, I don’t want this guy for second lead. I get to pick."

She waved over another actor, who looked stunned by the sudden opening—over the moon that he might actually get his big break.

Everyone knew Lenora had connections.

If she picked you, you were basically guaranteed the part.

Violeta’s expression didn’t shift an inch. "Quincy’s performance was stellar. He’s perfect for this role."

Lenora crossed her arms over her chest and arched a brow. "Performance? I didn’t feel a damn thing. And do you know who my boyfriend is? I can make a career or break it with a snap of my fingers. My guy has that kind of power."

Sweet-talking Raiden was one thing. Throwing that power around in front of everyone else? That was a whole other level.

Charlie finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and cut in. "Do you even know who you’re talking to?"

Violeta lowered her eyes. She knew fighting Lenora out of jealousy was a waste of time. Whoever won depended entirely on where Raiden stood—and he was clearly on Lenora’s side. Fighting for her pride wasn’t gonna get her anywhere.

She smiled, cool as a cucumber. "I don’t know who Lenora’s boyfriend is. But I do know a certain married man over there, right? Do you really think parading an affair around like this is smart, Lenora? Chill out. What you’re doing right now could ruin everything you’ve worked for. Laying low would be the smart move here."

Lenora’s face twisted for a second. She’d forgotten she was supposed to keep her relationship with Raiden under wraps.

"I warn you! If any of this leaks to the press, no other artist will work here! This industry doesn’t have room for mouthy people who can’t keep a secret!"

Violeta huffed a laugh. She could see Lenora’s insecurity clear as day. Lenora was rattled because none of her cheap tricks were phasing her.

She turned back to Charlie. "Charlie, I’m taking Quincy with me."

Lenora’s face twisted into something ugly. "Just wait! You’ll see! You’ll regret this!"

She screamed the words after Violeta, who was already halfway out the door, Lenora’s furious shouts bouncing off the walls behind her.

The tall man following right behind Violeta suddenly paused and turned back. His gaze was so intense, Lenora froze solid, couldn’t move an inch.

By the time she came back to her senses, her face was burning with embarrassment. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran off, dead set on complaining to Raiden and making that man pay for embarrassing her.