Kaylee held her place at the very center of the stage and drew in a long, steady breath. When her gaze lifted again, everything about her had shifted. A raw, aching emptiness settled over her eyes.

She threw herself into the improv, taking command of the wide, vacant audition hall.

Her arms unfurled with unhurried, measured elegance, as though she were wrapped in layers of rich velvet, gliding through a lone, final waltz among the charred remnants of war. Each step landed with quiet precision, her face set in such fierce concentration it bordered on devotion.

From the dim edges of the auditorium, the director and producers watched in silence, leaning forward without realizing it.

Halfway through, her body snapped with a violent jolt, like a phantom bullet had ripped straight through her spine. She faltered, all color draining from her face as a stifled, uneven breath tore free. When she spoke again, the clarity in her voice had splintered into something thin and fragile.

The director's pulse surged into his throat. The room disappeared for him entirely. He wasn't watching a performer anymore. He was looking at Alexandra herself—fatally wounded after her last act of sabotage, her life slipping away before his eyes.

Her breaths turned faint, her voice dimming like a flame struggling against the wind. The agony in her gaze slowly softened, giving way to a quiet, almost eerie triumph.

When the moment reached its end, all strength abandoned her. She crumpled onto the chilled stage, that final glimmer of victory easing into the still hush of a story come to rest—a deep, marrow-level relief. When her eyelids finally sank shut in calm silence, the entire room froze.

It took a while before the director pulled himself back. "Incredible!" he shouted, his voice charged with excitement. "I knew it! You are Alexandra!"

The producers and casting team broke into applause, yet Declan stayed where he was, his hands knotted tight in his lap.

"No," he snapped, his tone cutting clean through the celebration. "Choosing the lead from a single scene is downright irresponsible! We still have plenty of candidates left to see. There's definitely someone better."

The director looked at him as though he'd lost all sense.

Irresponsible? Someone better?

If Declan hadn't been connected to the lead investor, security would've dragged him out already.

A sharp, icy laugh slipped from Kaylee. She understood Declan's game perfectly—he was stalling for Joyce.

Her lip curled as she exposed him without effort. "If you're that intent on backing your favorite, then bring her in for a comparison read. There's no need to sit there… embarrassing yourself like this."

Declan's face darkened into a blotchy, furious red. He could only watch as Kaylee dipped into a polite bow toward the director and moved for the exit. Jaw clenched, he rushed out after her.

"Kaylee, stop right there!" He charged down the corridor, his hand snapping shut around her wrist like iron. "You're not taking this role! You're handing it over to Joyce!"

Kaylee lowered her gaze to his grip until he released her, a cold, derisive laugh rising in her chest. "Oh? The two of you look awfully close. It's obvious you don't respect me at all as your fiancee. So let's not drag this out—call the engagement off right now."

Declan went rigid, a raw, unfiltered disbelief sweeping across his features.

Kaylee was dumping him? This was the same woman who once clung to every word he uttered, the one who seemed to breathe for his approval?!

He hurried to make sense of it, persuading himself it was nothing more than a petty, jealous outburst.

He deliberately gentled his tone, slipping into a carefully measured, condescending calm. "Are you seriously going to toss aside our wedding over a film? Kaylee, I'm asking you to let this go—for the sake of what we're building together."

He arranged his expression into that well-practiced look of a concerned fiance. "You're meant to be my wife. An acting career doesn't suit you, not when it means putting yourself on display for everyone to see."

Kaylee's mouth twisted, revulsion plain in the curve of it. "It's the twenty-first century, Declan, and you're still trying to sell me that 'dutiful housewife' nonsense? I hate to disappoint you, but my life's ambition isn't to sit pretty as your little trophy wife. I've already severed things with the Harris family. You might as well marry Joyce make her your doll—she doesn't stand a chance in this line of work anyway. Besides..."

She offered him a cutting, sardonic smile. "Trash finds its match. May you stay stuck together till the very end."

Declan's eyes narrowed, his pupils shrinking.

Had Kaylee completely lost her grip on reality?

Watching her turn away from him, something inside him fractured. He surged forward, his face contorting into something harsh and almost savage as he grabbed her arm once more.

"You really think the director holds all the power here?" he snapped. "Let me spell it out for you—the film's main backer is my uncle! One word from me, and you're shut out of the entire industry!"

Kaylee looked at him, visibly startled.

How could the biggest investor behind this project be Declan's uncle? She clearly remembered that—

Taking her reaction as fear, Declan let out a smug, victorious scoff. "Now be sensible. Go tell the director you'll quit and give the role to Joyce; then you come back and marry me. You'll live the rest of your days in luxury. I'll hand you everything you could ever want—so don't act ungrateful."

His words had scarcely settled when a low, ice-cold voice drifted through the hallway. "So... this is how you've chosen to manage the casting I placed in your hands?"

An icy shiver slid down Declan's back. He pivoted rigidly, his veins icing over the instant he caught sight of Caden advancing in their direction, his features set in a chilling, merciless rage.

"I—"

Declan barely got the sound word out before Caden closed in. With an unnervingly vacant look, he yanked Kaylee behind him and drove a precise, vicious strike into Declan's knee.

Kaylee's thoughts emptied. One heartbeat ago, Declan had been upright. The next, he crumpled onto the floor, a broken gasp of pain tearing from his throat.

"Disgraceful," Caden said, his tone laced with disdain as he stared down at him. "You've done nothing worthwhile, yet you strut around like you're someone important in front of a woman."

When his gaze shifted back to Kaylee, the frost vanished entirely. He clasped her hand, his thumb grazing gently over the inflamed skin on her wrist where Declan had seized her. "Are you hurt?"

Kaylee felt his fingers brush against her, a sudden, tingling warmth racing up her arm and making her pulse stutter. His fragrance surrounded her, pulling her mind—unwillingly—back to the hazy intensity of the day before.

Noticing the stunned and wary expression on Declan's face, she abruptly became aware of how close they appeared.

"I'm alright... thank you, Mr. Lloyd," she replied, easing her hand free with quiet firmness. Her tone remained impeccably courteous, impeccably detached. "I have other things to handle, so I'll be leaving now. Goodbye, Mr. Lloyd."

She turned on her heel and left without sparing another glance.

She understood that until her engagement to Declan was formally ended, any visible connection to Caden would only pull him into unnecessary controversy.

She would not allow him to become the subject of idle talk because of her.

Caden's hand fell to his side, his fingers tightening into a hard fist as the veins along the back of his hand throbbed with strain.

He had come here solely because he heard she was auditioning, and this was how she treated him? Such deliberate coldness? Was she really that eager to distance herself just because that annoying wretch, Declan, was present? Did she have no clue what that worthless man had been doing behind her back?

Anger surged through Caden all over again. Seeing Declan still trembling on the floor, he lost restraint and delivered another harsh kick to his ribs.

"Disappear from my sight and take a good look at your own miserable conduct!"

Declan didn't dare speak up. Even with sharp pain flaring through his chest and knee, he forced a trembling, ingratiating smile as he staggered upright. "Yes... yes, Uncle Caden. Right away."

Caden's face stayed grim as he turned away.

After briefly confirming with the director that Kaylee's audition had indeed been exceptional, he strode out of the building—only to halt abruptly. A small figure stood beside his car.

Kaylee had been waiting. The air carried a sharp chill, and she rubbed her hands together absentmindedly, tapping her feet against the ground to keep warm. She looked strikingly endearing.

At least she wasn't entirely thoughtless, he thought.

He exhaled sharply and approached, shrugging off his coat and settling it over her shoulders, his expression still cool. "What is it? Do you need something from me?"

Kaylee blinked, catching the edge of displeasure in his voice.

Was he annoyed because she had dismissed him so quickly inside?

Worried he might truly be upset, she reached out and looped her finger around his little finger. "I didn't mean to do that. Declan and I are still technically engaged... I was only worried about how it might affect you."

The contact was gentle and warm. Caden felt a sudden pull tighten in his chest, his throat shifting as he swallowed.

So, she had been considering him after all.

A faint hint of amusement flickered in his eyes, though he quickly masked it, releasing another cool scoff. "Does he even dare to say a single word against me?"

Kaylee let out a soft, involuntary laugh.

Declan… there was no way he had the guts to go up against Caden Lloyd.

Noticing the tension etched across his face, she gentled her voice. "You're the strongest man I've ever known—no one questions that. I just don't want you lowering yourself over something so utterly worthless."

That sweet, yielding tone struck like a blade he had no shield for. The frost in Caden's expression slowly thawed. He pressed his lips into a thin line, and then reached for the car door and pulled it open, gesturing for her to step inside. "I heard you walked out on the Harris family?"

Kaylee hadn't imagined the news would reach him so fast. She bit down on her lip and gave a small nod. "I did."

A short, scornful chuckle slipped from Caden. "That entire Harris clan… not one of them is worth a damn. Do you even realize your so-called 'sister' and Declan have been sneaking around behind your back for a long time? And yesterday…"

The memory of what had happened made him falter for a brief second. He cleared his throat before continuing. "She was the one behind it. She set you up."

A quiet warmth spread through Kaylee's chest, moved by the fact that he had already dug into her situation. "I'm aware."

Caden's brows drew together, real anger surfacing as his voice dropped into a cold, dangerous tone. "You're aware? Then why haven't you called off the engagement yet?"

Kaylee knew his concern came from a good place. She clenched her hand, her gaze sharpening with resolve. "I will end it. But I'm not leaving without a fight. They owe me—and I intend to reclaim every penny and every shred of pride they took from me."

At her words, an unexplainable sense of ease settled over Caden.

Thank God. She wasn't foolish enough to be blinded by love.

He paused for a moment, masking it with feigned indifference. "Do you have somewhere to stay?"

Kaylee nodded, docile as ever. "I do. I'm staying with a friend at Fairview Estates. If it's not too much trouble, you can drop me there."

A friend?

Caden's brows knitted once more. He had already investigated her past. She had grown up in the countryside until eighteen, and after the Harris bringing her home, she barely had anyone she could call close.

Fairview Estates was an exclusive, high-end community—who exactly was this "friend" of hers wealthy enough to live there and familiar enough to take her in?

A sudden, inexplicable irritation flared within him, yet he held himself back from pressing further. He gave a brief nod and started the engine. When they arrived, he watched quietly as she headed into Villa No. 2.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Caden stepped out of the car and strode straight toward the property management office.

The staff nearly startled out of their wits. "Mr. Lloyd? What brings you here?"

The entire complex belonged to the Lloyd Group, yet Caden rarely appeared in person.

Rubbing his fingertips together, Caden lowered his gaze as his voice turned frigid. "Who is the owner of Villa No. 2?"

The staff hurriedly checked the records. "According to the records we have here… it's a successor to a powerful overseas corporation in Anceron, and…"

Caden's patience snapped. "Is the owner a man or a woman?"

The employee shrank under his icy stare. "I-it's... a man…"

Caden's hand curled into a fist.

Could that be Kaylee's boyfriend? Was that why she had been so quick to draw boundaries with him? Because she was already having someone special?

This was utterly unacceptable! What if this guy turned out to be another scoundrel just like Declan?

Caden's voice sank into a cold, decisive edge. "Have Villa No. 1 cleaned at once. I'm moving in today."