To Luca’s surprise, Olivia agreed almost instantly. "All right."

His heart skipped a beat.

He had been prepared for a drawn-out argument, but he had not expected her to yield so easily.

"You…" Luca hesitated, his brows furrowing. "Isn’t this drama really important to you? Haven’t you been preparing for it for a long time?"

Olivia scoffed inwardly.

So he knew. He knew she had poured years of effort into this drama. And yet, he still had the audacity to ask her to give it up for Giselle.

Love? Hate? What was the difference?

Even though he had gotten the answer he wanted, a sense of unease crept into Luca’s heart.

Olivia had been acting strange lately and so unlike herself. It was as if she had become an entirely different person.

Seeing the doubt flickering in his eyes, she smiled and lied effortlessly. "No matter how important this drama is, isn’t our wedding more important?"

Luca’s tense expression softened.

Yes, that made sense. Olivia had always dreamed of marrying him since they got together, hadn’t she?

"I knew you were the best."

Luca raised her hand and touched Olivia's cheek, but Olivia instinctively flinched away.

Luca did not seem to mind. Instead, changed the subject. "Did you like the cake?"

If he had been just a bit more observant, he would have noticed it sitting in the trash.

Olivia smiled again, her lips as smooth as silk. "I ate it. It was delicious."

Luca nodded approvingly, his voice gentle. "Good. Then you should start setting aside time to pick out a wedding dress."

Olivia narrowed her eyes and abruptly changed the subject. "When do you plan to make our relationship public?"

After four years together, this question remained the biggest landmine between them. One question that always led to an argument.

Luca averted his gaze, but his response was the same well-rehearsed excuse. "My career is on the rise right now. If we go public, it could affect me."

He had no idea that soon, Olivia would leave the entertainment industry entirely and was never to be a burden to him again.

She said nothing more, simply pushing Luca aside and murmuring, "I understand. I'm a little tired. You should go."

But Luca did not move. He reached for the hem of her sleeve, his voice soft. "Are you upset? I didn’t mean to leave like that last night. It was an emergency. Giselle loves her cat. I couldn’t just ignore it."

Olivia pulled her sleeve free, indifference flickering in her gaze.

That was when she noticed the red rash on Luca’s neck.

A telltale sign of a cat hair allergy.

Luca was meticulous about his appearance, so he would never allow something like this to happen unless it was unavoidable.

However, Giselle was always an exception.

Olivia let out a cold chuckle. "Angry? Why would I be angry? I wanted you to leave, but you insisted on staying."

Upon hearing these words, Luca’s irritation flared instantly.

"Olivia, how old are you? Stop acting like a little girl throwing a tantrum."

He had known Olivia for years, long enough to believe he understood her. She had always been quick to anger, but as long as he gave her an out, she would eventually back down.

Yet this time, she had been distant for days. If it were not for Giselle, Luca would not have been so careful with her feelings.

But instead of arguing back, Olivia simply sighed, resting her head in her hand as if she were too exhausted to care.

"If that’s what you think, then so be it."

Luca’s frustration only deepened. He stood up abruptly, heading for the door, but not before throwing one last warning over his shoulder. "Olivia, have you thought about what happens if you say things you can’t take back?"

Just as Luca reached the door, a sudden knock echoed through the apartment.

Glancing at the video doorbell, he saw Giselle standing outside.

It was the middle of winter, yet she was trembling in the hallway, clad only in a thin knit sweater.

A pang of guilt twisted in Luca’s chest. Without hesitation, he rushed to open the door.

"Luca, I knew you’d be here."

The moment she saw him, Giselle’s eyes turned red with unshed tears.

"Giselle, what are you doing here?" he asked, frowning.

Giselle didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped past him and headed straight for Olivia, who remained seated in the living room.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

"Olivia, I never meant to steal your role. It was all because of my brother... He acted on impulse."

Olivia took her time, silently brewing a cup of black tea, curious to see how long Giselle would keep up the act.

Before she could talk more, Luca cut in, immediately coming to Giselle’s defense.

"I told you to leave this to me. Why did you come here?"

Giselle’s sobs grew louder. "Luca, how could you say that? Now Olivia must think I'm shameless!"

Luca's heart ached. Without thinking, he pulled Giselle into a gentle embrace and coaxed her softly. "Giselle, Olivia is older than you. There’s nothing for you to feel guilty about. It’s normal for her to look out for you."

As he spoke, he shot Olivia a meaningful glance, silently urging her to say something, but she only took a slow sip of tea, deliberately feigning ignorance.

Luca's patience finally snapped. His voice sharpened. "Olivia, didn’t you just agree to give Giselle the role? What’s with this attitude now? Are you going back on your word?"

Before Olivia could respond, Giselle stepped forward and gently took her hand.

"Olivia, I’ve admired you since we were kids. We grew up together. I know our friendship is stronger than this. You won’t hold it against me, will you?"

Olivia set down the tea leaves, pressing her fingertips against her heated temples before speaking in an icy tone. "You two are unbearably loud. You're disturbing my rest."

"I haven't been feeling well lately and need some peace. Can you do me a favor and give me some silence?"

The moment those words left her lips, both Giselle and Luca were stunned.

Luca quickly regained his composure, striding forward to seize Olivia’s wrist.

"Olivia, can you stop with this attitude? Do you always have to be so sharp-tongued?"

Olivia’s gaze turned ice-cold. She gritted her teeth, enunciating each word with deliberate precision. "I told you to leave."

That look in her eyes struck Luca harder than he expected.

There was coldness, there was impatience, but there was no love.

In nearly ten years, they had known each other and never once had she looked at him like this. Like he was nothing. Like he was an enemy.

Yet just moments ago, she had been speaking about marriage. About a future together.

Frustration flared in Olivia’s chest. She yanked her wrist free from Luca’s grasp and raised her voice. "I already told you I wasn’t feeling well! I told you to leave! Why don’t you understand?"

Giselle flinched in fear, clutching the sleeve of Luca’s coat. Her voice trembled with fear. "Luca, let’s go… Olivia is so scary."

But this time, Luca did not pay her any attention.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto Olivia, refusing to back down. His voice was hoarse, desperate. "Are you saying this because you're truly upset, or…"

"Because I truly want peace and quiet."

Olivia closed her eyes, exhaustion weighing heavily on her. She let out a weary sigh.

"Luca, just go. I just want some peace. You're both too noisy."

Luca pulled Giselle along and stormed out without a second glance.

But before the door shut behind him, he threw out one last parting shot.

"Olivia, I’m done talking to you! Even if you come crawling back and beg for forgiveness, I won’t take you back!"

As the door slammed shut, Olivia exhaled slowly and sank into the sofa, exhaustion washing over her.

She kept reminding herself that all of this would be over soon.

True to his word, Luca did not contact her for three whole days.

To spite her, he even appeared as a special guest on a dating show.

In this show, he was surrounded by trending influencers, rising internet celebrities and all sorts of glamorous women.

Luca was certain that a jealous woman like Olivia would not be able to stand it. He expected her to swallow her pride and reach out within twenty-four hours.

But as the second day of filming rolled by, there was no single message from Olivia.

A flicker of unease crept into Luca’s mind. He wanted to walk out of the studio and go straight to her, but the show’s recording was not finished yet, so he had no choice but to stay.

Then came the interactive segment. The host mischievously asked Luca to call a woman he was closest to and pretend to confess to her.

The cameras were rolling. Luca hesitated for a moment before dialing Olivia’s number.

This time, he told himself, just this once, he would take the initiative.

Beep... Beep...

The dial tone rang endlessly, but no one picked up.

A confused frown settled on Luca’s face. He called again and again. Still, no answer.

The host chuckled, teasing, "Come on, Luca, you should call Olivia. You two have known each other for so long, yet she still won’t pick up your call?"

The other guests joined in, laughing.

"Oh my god, is this what they call ‘just friends’? Are you sure?"

"There were always rumors about you two being together. Any truth to them?"

Luca forced a smile, his fingers tightening around the phone as he silently prayed for Olivia to pick up.

But at this moment, the director called for an emergency stop and the live broadcast that was being watched by tens of thousands audience was abruptly cut off.

The entire set fell silent.

Then, Luca’s manager came running at full speed, face pale as a sheet.

"It’s over. It’s all over! Olivia’s reputation just collapsed! And you… you just called her on live TV! We’re screwed!"

Luca’s mind went blank. "What did you say?"

His manager, looking like he was about to faint, shoved his phone into Luca’s hands. "See for yourself!"