Chapter 333 Shadows of the Stand–In


    <b>Carl’s </b>POV


    The stage lights stabbed at my eyes as I stood in front of the camera, starting over for what felt like the hundredth time. My legs were nearly frozen stiff.


    All night.


    I had been filming all night, soaking in cold water over and over. The chill seeped through my clothes and burrowed into my bones. I clenched my teeth, trying to summon the aura of the “dominant alpha” the director demanded.


    But the actors nearby whisperedints, not loud but sharp enough to cut. “This guy isn’t professional at all. A half–baked model, acting like he’s on a runway, preening at the camera instead of ying the role…”


    Heat rose to my face, shame burning under my skin, but I didn’t dare talk back.


    The director’s expression darkened. He roared, “Hit your marks! Feel the camera! Again!”


    I bit my tongue. Acting wasn’t my strength. My face was.


    But this damned role demanded I keep throwing myself into icy water while trying to look tender and tormented. It was torture.


    My manager whispered at my side. “Bear with it. Don’t make trouble.”


    I gritted my teeth. If only Leslie were here. She promised she’d look out for me.


    Instinctively, I reached for my phone–then froze. Damn it. I didn’t even have her number. Stupid. What a stupid mistake.


    I stole a nce at the director ring at the monitor, his face sour enough to kill.


    Swallowing the humiliation, I forced myself to go on. My mind was filled with Leslie’s cool face.


    Her pine–scented pheromones seemed to linger at my nose, giving me strength.


    Wait. That wasn’t my imagination. The scent was real. She was here,


    Had shee at dawn to watch me?


    She cared. She hadn’t abandoned me.


    This was her way of testing me.


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    Chapter 333 Shadows of the Stand–In


    My eyes stung with emotion. I almost cried.


    <b>Leslie’s </b>POV


    The moment I stepped out of the car, I regretteding.


    <b>31 </b>


    Finished


    The ce was swarming with people. Fans and paparazzi had rushed in for Carl’s face, shes blinding my eyes. The air was choked with pheromones, a buzzing hive of noise and disorder.


    My pine–scented pheromones surged with irritation. Forcing down my temper, I stered on a wless, polite smile and waved at the crowd.


    Grace itself on the surface. Inside, I wanted nothing more than to leave.


    “Liam,” I murmured without breaking the curve of my smile, “go fetch Carl.”


    My money tree couldn’t be left to waste.


    Liam slipped away, vanishing into the chaos like a shadow.


    A reporter mustered courage to push close, his microphone nearly hitting my face. “Leslie, are you here to visit Carl on set?”


    I tilted my head, smile warm, and said nothing.


    Let them guess.


    A single shot of me standing here was enough to light up their careers.


    Then trouble arrived.


    Kirby.


    His mint–scented pheromones shed through the air like knives, making my chest tighten.


    He stepped right up beside me. My smile froze.


    “Asphodel bristled, “Why won’t this guy’s ghost stop haunting us?”


    I smothered the urge to roll my eyes. He spoke low, his voice calm. “I invested in this film too.”


    Ha. Then this project was doomed to flop.


    <b>Reporter’s </b>POV


    Kirby’s arrival only ignited the scene further. He was nothing like the distant, cold figure in magazines. The top button of his shirt was undone, his suit jacket slung casually over his arm,


    18:54 Mon<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>


    …


    <b>31 </b>


    Chapter 333 Shadows of the Stand–In


    giving him a rakish air.


    The moment he appeared, the crowd of reporters parted instinctively.


    Finished


    He stepped to Leslie’s side, looked at her warmly, and smiled–like ice thawing into spring. Precious and rare.


    Cameras clicked wildly.


    “Kirby, are you also here to see Carl?”


    Everyone knew what Carl’s fame rested on. To put it bluntly, he was Leslie’s stand–in for Kirby.


    And now the real one and the stand–in were in the same frame.


    The thought alone was electrifying.


    “Yes…”


    Kirby actually admitted it. He hade to visit Carl.


    And with Leslie by his side?


    For a heartbeat, the chaos fell silent. No one knew how to react.


    Then, right on cue, Carl came bounding over, joy written all over his face.


    Send <b>Gifts </b>


    208


    B


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    …


    P:


    31


    Burn in the Alpha Princess’s Wrath


    Chapter 334 The Spotlight Trap