Jefferson stared at the medical articles on his screen about 'schizophrenia' and 'neurological auditory hallucinations.' His frown deepened, a dark irritation clawing at his chest.

Just then, a sickeningly sweet wave of perfume hit his nose.

Candice Meadows walked up to the monitors, her face arranged into a mask of pitiful innocence.

"Jeff, what a surprise to see you here," Candice said, lowering her voice to sound breathy and vulnerable, angling her face to show off her best side. "We had a little accident on set earlier. I'm so embarrassed you had to see that."

Jefferson calmly locked his phone and slid it into his pocket. He gave her a freezing side-eye and leaned back, putting physical distance between himself and her suffocating perfume.

"I was just passing by to see Arthur," he said. His tone was dead flat. He didn't offer her a single extra syllable.

Candice's fake smile twitched, but she quickly recovered, opening her mouth to try again.

Arthur cut her off completely.

"Jeff! Perfect timing! You will not believe what I just caught on camera!" Arthur yelled, completely ignoring Candice's awkward presence.

Arthur's fingers flew across the control board. He pulled up the unedited long take from a few minutes ago-the exact moment Karina caught Candice's wrist and dominated the entire room with a single look.

Jefferson's eyes locked onto the screen.

When he saw the dead, bloodthirsty look in Karina's eyes, his pupils contracted sharply.

This was the exact same woman who, just moments ago, had stumbled into him because of low blood sugar, screaming in her head about wanting a burger. The contrast was staggering.

On the screen, she looked like a drawn blade. The raw, oppressive power radiating from her was so authentic that even Jefferson, a two-time Oscar winner, felt a jolt of genuine awe.

"Look at those micro-expressions! Look at the tension in her jaw!" Arthur slapped his thigh in excitement. "She's a genius! All those PR articles calling her a talentless vase are pure bullshit!"

Standing next to them, Candice watched her own pathetic, stumbling fall on the monitor. Her fingernails dug so hard into her palms they almost broke the skin. Jealousy ripped through her chest like a saw.

She couldn't let Jefferson think highly of that bitch. Candice took a deep breath and let out a dramatic, helpless sigh.

"Karina has been acting really strange today," Candice said softly. "It's probably because Kole is about to go on that reality dating show with her. She's just putting on this edgy act to get his attention."

Candice smoothly dropped the gossip, trying to reduce Karina's stunning performance to the desperate tactics of a obsessed ex-girlfriend.

Jefferson turned his head. His deep, amber eyes swept over Candice's hypocritical face, slicing through her dirty little calculation in a second.

"Is that so?" Jefferson's voice was quiet, but it carried a terrifying weight. "Because from where I'm standing, the way she looked at you... she genuinely wanted to kill you."

The words choked Candice. The blood drained from her face, leaving her pale and trembling. She took a step back, unable to form a single word of defense.

Right at that moment, the crisp voice echoed in Jefferson's brain again.

[Burp- This iced cola is literally giving me life! If only I had some fried chicken to go with it. ]

The corner of Jefferson's mouth twitched upward. It was a microscopic movement, but the heavy irritation caused by his supposed 'hallucinations' miraculously vanished.

He turned his head toward the craft service area in the distance. He couldn't see clearly through the crowd, but he knew exactly where she was-hiding in a corner, burping without a shred of dignity.

Arthur caught that fleeting smile. "Jeff? Are you interested in her?"

Jefferson pulled his gaze back, his face returning to its untouchable coldness. "Her acting is passable. Which is more than I can say for some vases who only know how to spray perfume."

The insult hit Candice like a physical slap across the face. Her cheeks burned a dark, humiliated red. She bit her lower lip so hard she tasted copper.

Realizing she was only humiliating herself further, Candice muttered a weak excuse, grabbed her assistant, and fled the monitor area like a beaten dog.

Once inside her luxury trailer, Candice swept every expensive bottle of makeup off her vanity. They shattered against the floor. Her chest heaved violently.

"Call the gossip blogs right now!" Candice screamed at her assistant. "Leak the story that Karina threw a diva fit and assaulted me on set! I want her cyberbullied into the ground before that reality show even airs!"

The assistant shrank back, pulling out her phone to contact the troll farms. A massive storm of public hatred was already brewing in the dark corners of the internet.

Back on set, Karina wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her stomach was full. She stood up, ready to finish the last scene of this miserable day.

Karina tossed her empty cola cup into a trash can with perfect precision. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her cheap windbreaker and walked down the hallway, heading back to her dressing room for a touch-up.

As she rounded the corner, Candice blocked her path. Two massive bodyguards and an assistant flanked the lead actress.

Candice had already reapplied her makeup. A vicious sneer twisted her lips. The sweet, innocent mask she wore in front of Jefferson was completely gone.

"Karina, don't think you can turn things around just because you got lucky in one scene today," Candice spat, her voice dripping with venom. "You'll never wash off the label of being a desperate, obsessed stalker!"

Karina stopped walking. She kept her hands in her pockets and didn't even lift her eyelids. She looked at Candice as if the woman were nothing more than empty air.

At the far end of the hallway, hidden in the shadows, Jefferson had been on his way out. Hearing the commotion, he stopped. His piercing gaze locked onto the confrontation through the dim light.

[Is this idiot a fly? Why is she buzzing around everywhere I go? ]

Karina's crisp, annoyed thought crossed the physical distance and slammed right into Jefferson's brain.

Jefferson raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned his broad shoulders against the wall, and decided to enjoy the show.

Seeing Karina ignore her, Candice thought she was scared. She took a step forward, emboldened. "Kole and I are going to be the main couple on the reality show. You better behave yourself and play your part as my stepping stone!"

Karina finally looked up. Her eyes were as dead and calm as stagnant water. She stared at Candice, visually assessing the structural integrity of the woman's body.

[That neck is so thin. One quick snap and it's broken. But there are cameras here. Murder is illegal. Too much paperwork. ] Karina weighed her options seriously in her head.

In the shadows, Jefferson heard the casual, murderous thought. His pupils dilated. His heart skipped a beat for no logical reason. She wasn't joking.

Candice felt the hairs on her arms stand up under Karina's dead-eyed stare. Relying on her bodyguards, she yelled, "What are you looking at? ! I'll have them throw you out!"

[If this idiot says one more word, I'm going to give her a beautiful roundhouse kick to the jaw. I guarantee she'll be drinking her meals through a tube for the rest of her life. ] Karina sneered internally.

"Pfft-"

Standing in the dark, Jefferson actually laughed out loud. The mental image was too vivid. He could perfectly picture Candice flying through the air like a broken doll.

The low, rich sound of his laugh was jarring in the quiet hallway. Candice and Karina both snapped their heads toward the shadows.

Jefferson stepped out into the light with slow, deliberate grace. The dim wall sconces illuminated his flawless face, catching the lingering trace of amusement in his eyes.

Candice's face changed instantly. The arrogant bully vanished, replaced by a terrified, fragile rabbit. "Jeff... what are you doing here?"

Karina frowned slightly, a flash of high alert in her eyes. [Does this block of wood have a fetish for eavesdropping? ]

Hearing that, the amusement in Jefferson's eyes deepened. He was absolutely certain now. He wasn't losing his mind. He had acquired a supernatural ability that belonged exclusively to this woman.

He ignored Candice completely. He walked straight up to Karina, his tall frame towering over her. He looked down, his gaze carrying a heavy, probing aggression.

"The security here is garbage. Any random fly can just buzz its way in," Jefferson said coldly. His words were directed at Karina, but his freezing eyes slid over to Candice.

Candice turned ashen. She heard the undisguised insult loud and clear. Her eyes welled with tears, and she bit her lip.

Before things could escalate, director Arthur came running down the hall, clutching a walkie-talkie. "Karina! Thank God you're still here!"

Arthur ignored the bizarre tension in the air. "That scene had so much raw power, I decided to rewrite the script! You're officially wrapped for the day! You can go home early!"

The moment Karina heard the word 'wrapped', the rigid tension in her shoulders vanished.

[Thank God. I can finally go to sleep. Whoever wants to work this garbage job can have it. ]

Jefferson listened to her sudden shift into pure laziness, fighting the urge to smile. He realized he was actually looking forward to hearing more of her unfiltered thoughts.

Karina gave the director a polite nod of thanks. Without sparing a single glance at Jefferson or Candice, she turned and walked into her dressing room, shutting the door.

Candice stood frozen, her nails digging bloody crescents into her palms. Not only had she failed to humiliate Karina, but she had also embarrassed herself in front of Jefferson again.

Jefferson stared at the closed dressing room door for a long moment. He turned his head slightly toward Julian, who was standing behind him.

"Tell the PR department to pull every single piece of data on Karina Abbott's current online reputation," Jefferson ordered.

Jefferson walked out the main gates of the studio lot, surrounded by his wall of bodyguards. The dying sunlight of the Los Angeles evening hit his cold, aristocratic face.

A black, bulletproof Maybach was already idling at the curb. The driver respectfully pulled open the heavy rear door.

Arthur came jogging out after them, his face plastered with a desperate, fawning smile, trying to secure Jefferson for a cameo in his next film.

Jefferson stopped. He shoved one hand into the pocket of his tailored trousers. His tone was flat, but the oppressive weight of his authority was undeniable. "Arthur, your set is too loud today."

Arthur froze. Cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. Everyone in the industry knew the second son of the Stein family despised unprofessionalism and noise.

"That actress, Candice. She spends too much energy spraying perfume and socializing in the hallways," Jefferson said, casually adjusting his cufflink. It was a lethal, precise strike.

Arthur understood immediately. The apex predator was expressing extreme dissatisfaction with Candice. He nodded frantically. "I understand completely, Jeff. I won't let her ruin the atmosphere of the set again."

Jefferson gave a curt nod and bent down, sliding into the spacious leather backseat of the Maybach. The heavy door slammed shut, cutting off the noise of the outside world.

Inside the car, Julian sat in the passenger seat. He turned around, staring at his boss in absolute shock. "Were you... were you just standing up for that Karina girl?"

Jefferson leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. His voice was lazy. "I was simply stating a fact that affects Hollywood's industrial standards."

Julian rolled his eyes, mentally calling bullshit. But he didn't dare cross the man who paid his salary, so he kept his mouth shut.

Just as the Maybach began to pull away from the curb, Jefferson's eyes snapped open. He caught a faint, static-like frequency buzzing in his brain.

[Hey! Taxi! Stop right there! My legs are going to fall off! I need to go home and lay down! ]

Jefferson turned his head and looked out the tinted window.

Karina was standing on the sidewalk, wearing a cheap, faded windbreaker and a battered backpack, waving frantically at a yellow cab.

She had scrubbed her face clean of makeup. In the sunset, her bare face possessed a breathtaking, fragile beauty, but her movements were as rough and aggressive as a construction worker's.

The cab pulled over, and Karina slid into the back seat like a slippery eel. The car sped off down the street.

As the taxi drove further away, the crisp voice in Jefferson's head grew fainter and fainter, until it completely disappeared into silence.

Jefferson's long fingers began a slow, rhythmic tapping against the leather armrest. His eyes darkened, turning dangerous. He had just confirmed the physical rules of his telepathy: it had a distance limit.

"Julian," Jefferson said suddenly. His voice filled the quiet cabin.

"Yes, boss. What do you need?" Julian straightened his spine immediately.

"That reality dating show pitch deck Leland Finch sent over. Heartbeat Weekly. Send it to my tablet."

Julian's hand jerked, nearly dropping his own tablet onto the gearshift. He whipped his head around, his face pale. "Excuse me? ! That trashy, scripted dating show? !"

"You are an A-list actor with zero scandals! If you go on a show like that, your fans will literally riot!" Julian protested, his voice rising in panic.

Jefferson didn't raise his voice. He simply turned his head, his cold, amber eyes fixing on his agent with an eerie, unblinking stillness. The silence stretched for a suffocating second. "Just send it, Julian," he said softly, the quiet authority in his tone far more terrifying than a shout.

The crushing weight of Jefferson's dominance slammed Julian's mouth shut. Gritting his teeth, Julian tapped his screen and forwarded the file.

Jefferson looked down at the glowing screen. He scrolled to the cast list. Karina Abbott's name was right there, highlighted in red ink with the note: Controversial Foil.

His fingertip slowly traced over her name on the glass. A dark, predatory smirk curled the corner of his mouth.

He was going to find out exactly what secrets this woman was hiding-the woman whose thoughts had violently forced their way into his silent world.

At that exact moment, Julian's phone rang. It was the head of the PR department. "Julian! The data you asked for on Karina just exploded! The whole internet is ripping her apart for assaulting Candice on set!"

Hearing the panicked voice through the phone, a terrifying, icy glint flashed in Jefferson's eyes.

Someone was trying to touch his prey. They were asking for death.