In a dimly lit hotel room, Elena watched with burning indignation as the heavy-set man at the end of the bed slowly pulled on his clothes.
"Mr. Carter," she rasped, "when do you plan on fulfilling your promise?"
The man turned his small, piggish eyes toward her and let out a huffy laugh. "That supporting role in Deep Friendship? It's probably not going to work out."
Elena's scream echoed against the walls. "What do you mean, 'not possible'? You promised that if I... if I went to bed with you, that role was mine!"
Mr. Carter finished dressing, looking at her with pure mockery. "I said I'd try, but my assistant, Carmen, blocked the recommendation. What am I supposed to do?"
"You didn't say that at first!" Elena shrieked. Since her plot against Diego Solis had failed, she hadn't expected him to be so thorough in dismantling her career. She had been forced into a corner, using her body—the only currency she had left—to bargain with this man. And after everything, she had received nothing but contempt.
Now, her life was lower than that of a stray dog.
Mr. Carter laughed, reaching out to slap Elena's face mockingly. "You can only blame yourself for messing with the Solis family and the Harris's wife. Diego ordered your 'execution' in this industry; nobody is going to risk their neck for you."
He left the room in a jovial mood, leaving Elena sitting in a daze. Tears tracked down her sore cheeks until she began to laugh—a hollow, broken sound that grew into a crazed, distorted cackle.
"Blame myself? Fine. If I'm cheap and they're noble, then this 'cheap' one will make them regret ever looking down on me!" She screamed frantically, throwing everything within reach at the walls. "Amanda! I will never let you go!"
The Boiling Point
Vance arrived at the military camp gate just in time to pick up Amanda. The crew had secured an hour's leave from Director Maxwell, and they sped back toward the city.
The meeting point was the entertainment agency. The scandal had moved with terrifying speed, fueled by paid internet trolls, leaving no time for a measured response. Amanda remained silent throughout the drive, her head bowed and her knuckles white as she gripped her lap.
Next to her, Jasper's jaw was set in a hard line. He pulled out his phone, went to his profile, and posted a single, provocative status:
"Whoever touches her, your ending won't be a good one."
The post was a drop of water in boiling oil. In the front seat, Jasper's manager nearly fainted as his phone began to blow up with notifications. "Are you trying to kill me or your career?" he yelled. "That post is a death wish! Do you think the anti-fans won't use this to bury you both?"
"Tell them to shut up!" Jasper roared, the sound making the driver swerve slightly. He turned to Amanda, who was quietly sobbing. "I won't let you cry! It's completely unreasonable!"
Amanda looked at him through tear-filled eyes, stunned.
"If you shed one more tear," Jasper threatened, his voice cracking with emotion, "I will personally hunt down every single person on the internet who cursed you. If it takes a month or a year, I'll finish it! Seeing you cry makes me want to hit someone!"
Startled by his intensity, Amanda quickly turned away, hiding her face. After his outburst, Jasper panted, staring out the window until they arrived at the company.
The Knife in the Dark
The group hurried out of the car, focused on getting inside the building to manage the crisis. They were so rushed they didn't notice a shadow sprinting toward them from the side of the entrance.
"Go to hell!"
The high-pitched scream cut through the air. Before anyone could react, Elena appeared, her eyes bloodshot and a knife clutched in her hand, lunging straight for Amanda.
Amanda froze, her mind paralyzed by fear. Winter, seeing the blade, didn't hesitate; she threw herself in front of Amanda, squeezing her eyes shut to receive the blow.
"Winter!" Amanda screamed.
But the pain didn't come for Winter. Both girls opened their eyes in bewilderment to see a figure standing between them and the attacker. Jasper had moved with lightning speed, blocking the path. Elena's knife was buried deep in his stomach. With a frantic, jagged motion, she ripped the blade back out.
"Jasper!"
Everything had happened in a matter of seconds. Jasper collapsed to one knee, his face instantly draining of color. Amanda rushed to him, her hands trembling as she pressed down on the wound, but the blood was already staining his shirt a horrific, vibrant red.
"Quickly! Call an ambulance!" someone screamed.
"Don't... don't cry," Jasper gasped, his voice straining to remain steady. He raised a blood-slicked hand to wipe a tear from her cheek. "I can't... I can't bear it."
I can't bear to see you sad. I can't bear to see you hurt.
Seeing that she had struck the wrong person, Elena's madness only deepened. She dodged the hands reaching for her and raised the knife again, charging at Amanda.
"Die! Just die!"
But this time, the blade never reached its target. A hand caught her wrist mid-air, and with a brutal, fluid motion, the knife was turned back. The steel sank straight into Elena's own abdomen.
Elena's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the man who had appeared out of nowhere.
"You..."
"If you want to touch Amanda, did you think to ask me first?"
Quentin's eyes were like shards of ice, devoid of any human warmth. He looked at Elena's agonized face and silently twisted the blade deeper, relishing the sound of her pitiful cry.