Chapter 2

Sera' s eyes, cold and sharp, scanned the chaos of flashing cameras. She didn't raise her voice. She didn't have to.

"Leave," she said to the paparazzi. "Or my lawyers will own every single one of your cameras by morning."

The photographers froze, then slowly, reluctantly, lowered their cameras and backed away. Her power was absolute.

She turned that icy gaze on me. "Get in the car."

It wasn't a request. I followed her silently to a sleek, black sports car. The drive back to the city was a tense, suffocating silence. She drove too fast, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. I wanted to explain, to tell her I didn't call them, but I knew she wouldn't believe me. I just sat there, a prisoner in her passenger seat.

When we got back to the set, Brenda rushed over, her face a mixture of shock and confusion.

"She brought you back? She didn't have you arrested?" Brenda whispered to me, her eyes wide. "She's never done that before. She must see something in you."

I didn't have time to process that. A crew member told us the next scene was ready. It was an intimate one, set in a bedroom.

They had me change into a simple t-shirt and boxers. The director cleared the set, leaving only me, Sera, and a single cameraman. The air was thick with tension.

The scene started. I was supposed to be asleep. Sera's character was supposed to watch me, then lean in to kiss me. She moved onto the bed, her movements fluid and graceful. She leaned over me, her hair brushing my cheek.

Her lips were inches from mine. The camera was tight on our faces. Then she whispered, so low only I could hear.

"Pull another stunt, and you'll be a ghost in this industry by morning."

Her eyes were filled with a deep, chilling hatred that made my blood run cold. It was the same look she'd given me right before she died in our past life.

"Cut!" the director yelled, ecstatic. "Perfect! That was perfect!"

Sera immediately pulled away, her face once again a cold, indifferent mask. She got off the bed and walked away without a second glance, leaving me shaken to my core. Did she remember? Was she punishing me?

I was still reeling when Brenda ran up to me, her phone in her hand, her face lit up with a manic grin.

"It's happening! You're trending!" she squealed.

She showed me her phone. It was my social media page. A photo of me and Sera from the set, a candid shot from an earlier, less tense moment, had been posted. The caption was simple: "Something special is brewing." The comments were exploding. "Sera and Liam Dating?" was the number one trending topic.

"I used your account," Brenda said, beaming. "Genius, right? This will make you a star!"

My blood ran cold. "You did what?"

I didn't wait for an answer. I sprinted through the studio, my heart pounding in my ears. I found Sera in her private trailer, already on the phone with what sounded like her legal team, her voice tight with fury.

I burst in without knocking. "Sera, I am so sorry. I didn't know. My agent..."

She held up a hand, cutting me off. Her eyes were blazing. "I don't care who did it, Liam. I care that it happened. You and your desperate, fame-hungry agent have dragged me into a disgusting public spectacle."

"I can fix it," I stammered. "I'll tell them it was a lie, that it was all Brenda's idea."

"And make yourself look like an incompetent fool who can't even control his own social media? No." She shook her head, a bitter smile on her lips. "The damage is done."

"Then what can I do? I'll do anything."

Her gaze was hard. "The only apology I'll accept is for you to stay away from me. Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. When this project is over, I never want to see your face again."

Her words were a physical blow. The disgust on her face was so real, so profound. I felt a familiar wave of self-loathing wash over me. It was my fault. Everything was always my fault.

For the next few days, I did exactly as she said. I avoided her on set. I kept my head down. I focused on my lines. I restrained myself from looking at her, even though every cell in my body screamed to.