A smile, soft as blooming flowers.


    The warmth of her lips faded slowly, and Kieran thought this time, L had slipped away too fast.


    Next time, he''d hold her tight and kiss her deep.


    Until her eyes turned misty, until she saw no one but him.


    When L finally arrived in Mapleford, it was well past lunchtime. Louise and Ash were happy to see her and even cooked a meal just for her.


    Right on cue, Kieran sent a message.


    "Did you get there safely?"


    "Make sure you eat well."


    L lowered her gaze, a soft smile tugging at her lips, and instantly replied with a "Got it" sticker.


    She was halfway through her meal when Matthew arrived. For some reason, he looked a little worn out.


    Was he just tired?


    He sat across from her without saying a word. Even quieter than Jamie usually


    was.


    L set down her spoon. "Something wrong?"


    A flicker of something unreadable crossed Matthew''s eyes before vanishing.


    "No, I just came to check on you. Jamie mentioned you''ve had a rough time with everything at home. She thought you might be feeling down and asked me to keep youpany."


    L nodded, touched by the thoughtfulness.


    No wonder people always said daughters were more considerate, Jamie was proving that sentiment true.


    But having Matthew just sit there silently, keeping herpany, was honestly a little awkward.


    "Go back to the program crew. I''lle find you after I finish eating."


    Matthew hesitated for a moment. "No need. I heard the elementary school is going to be built on the east side of the vige. You should go check it out instead.


    "I''m doing fine on set. Just take care of the school project and head back when you''re done."


    With that, he stood up. "I''ll get going."


    L nodded, watching his retreating figure. Something feels off.


    After finishing her meal, she and Ash met with the vige chief to get an update on the school''s progress. Once the timeline was confirmed, she headed over to the program crew.


    From a distance, she spotted someone speaking with Matthew. Before she could get close enough to hear, the person turned and walked away.


    "Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing the tension in Matthew''s expression.


    "It''s nothing, they were just assigning work. The director''s calling me now, I have to go," he replied evenly.


    L nodded and didn''t press Matthew further. Instead, she turned to find the assistant director.


    The assistant director followed her gaze. "Oh, that guy? He''s another contestant''s manager. Why?"


    L narrowed her eyes slightly. Why would another contestant''s manager be looking for Matthew?


    She kept the thought to herself and let the matter drop.


    Over the next few days, she noticed the same man approaching Matthew-twice more, in fact-but


    she never managed to overhear their conversations


    One evening, as Ash sat beside her ying a game, he suddenly looked up and


    asked, "Why didn''t Kieran message you today?"


    L, who had been focused on selecting scripts, paused. She nced at the time,


    a flicker of confusion crossing her mind.


    Usually, Kieran would have sent a message by now.


    She waited a bit longer, but an unsettling realization slowly crept in.


    She had been in Mapleford for only a week, but Kieran, who rarely texted


    saging her even tent


    to begin with, had been to


    per eventess


    At first, he would text five or six times a day. Then it dropped to two or three. And today? Only once.


    L touched her chin. Wasn''t he pulling away a little too fast?


    They had just started dating. Shouldn''t this still be the honeymoon phase?


    Taking the initiative, she sent Kieran a message.


    30 minutes passed. No reply.


    A faint unease settled over her. She messaged Cole.


    Still nothing.


    The next morning, she finally received a message from Kieran which was sent at around 1:00 am.


    L hesitated for a moment, then booked an afternoon flight back to Northridge. Since she still couldn''t reach Kieran, she took a cab straight to Vermilion Estate. Cindy informed her that Kieran hadn''t been home for three days.


    Frowning slightly, L headed to his office. The entirepany was buzzing with activity, employees rushing around.


    When the receptionist spotted her, she hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Morgan is on a business trip overseas."


    L nodded in understanding, but something still felt off. Why hadn''t he mentioned it to her?


    At least now hisck of replies made sense, he was probably dealing with the time difference.


    Since she was already back, she decided to visit the Morgan Residence and check on Frances and Nicole.


    But the moment she stepped


    through the door, she was met with the sight of Nicole, looking deeply


    troubled. It had only been a few


    days but she seemed to have aged ten years


    L''s heart clenched. "Aunt Nicole, what happened?"