Chapter 291: Chapter 1471-1480

“Wait. You’re staying up?”

“Yeah. I can’t sleep, so I texted a few friends. We’re going to play some video games,” Julian chuckled.

Jessie sat up and held his arm. “I’m more important than your games. You’re not leaving.”

Huh. Julian just wanted an excuse to leave. If he stayed around for any longer, he might let his inner beast loose. “So, you want me to stay?” Hoarsely, he asked, “You do know what that means, right?”

Jessie pursed her lips. It embarrassed her to say this, but still, she mustered the courage to speak. “I know. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Julian gulped. He leaned down and held her hands above her head. “You won’t regret this?”

“I won’t.” She stared right back at him. I won’t regret this.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked huskily. Because of love? I don’t want to force her.

“I-I don’t want you to come down with another cold. Enough with the cold water and shower.” That was the only excuse she could come up with at the time.

But that was enough for Julian—enough for him to see that she loved him. He turned the night lights off, plunging the room into darkness. The only sources of light came from the moon and the twinkling stars outside. The air was turning hot and heavy at a blistering rate, and the only sound that pierced through the air was Julian’s labored breathing. It felt like his breath was made of fire.

Dawn came. Rays of sunshine filtered through the window and into the room, shining on the couple who were sleeping in each other’s embrace on the gray bed. Julian’s chin rested on Jessie’s forehead, while she rested her head against his chest, his arm acting as her pillow. The look on her face spoke of satisfaction, while her nightdress lay on the ground in tatters. Bad quality, perhaps.

Julian woke up first, still in disbelief. What happened the night before was insane, and now Jessie was finally, truly his. A sense of responsibility filled him. He knew he had one more thing to protect now. He kissed her forehead gently as if leaving his imprint on her.

The kiss woke Jessie up, and her eyelashes fluttered as she did. She stared at Julian like an innocent doe, then she buried her face in his chest.

“You weren’t this shy last night,” he chuckled.

But it’s broad daylight now. I can’t do as I please, not when it’s not dark.

“Want to get up?”

“Nah. I want to lie in your bed and sleep in until noon.” Jessie was still exhausted.

Julian drew the curtains shut, keeping the rays of sunshine out, and they went back to sleep.

Eva woke up early in her apartment. There wasn’t much work to do lately, so she asked a senior of hers out for tea. That veteran helped her out once, so Eva got her a gift. Eva had a good reputation in the industry thanks to how she treated people. She would remember all the favors everyone had done for her, and once she made it big, she would return them. The clock struck two, and Eva left her home.

She descended to the underground car park and got in her car, then left the complex.

The moment her car left the car park, a black off-road vehicle with sturdy steel bars installed at the front tailed her. The driver of the off-road vehicle made a call to someone. “Tailing her right now.”

“Good. Do as I say, and you’ll get paid handsomely.”

“I got it,” the man answered. “This is my job, after all.”

Little did Eva know that she was tailed. It was to be expected since most people wouldn’t be this paranoid. She made her way to the restaurant and stopped in front of a red light in a slightly remote area. It was then the off-road vehicle sped up and slammed into Eva’s car.

Eva’s car flipped over and rolled twice before coming to a stop. She was hanging from her seat, unconscious. Her hair tumbled down to the car’s base while blood trickled down her forehead that was slammed into the steering wheel.

The man hopped out of his car and approached Eva, a knife in his hand. He hadn’t been ordered to kill Eva. Instead, he was told to knock her out and slash her face. Indeed, he had received orders to disfigure her.

Eva had no idea danger was closing in and that her beauty was in jeopardy. Fortunately, her guardian angels were looking out for her. A firetruck zipped by just in time. They had just returned from a firefighting mission and ran into this unfortunate event.

A few firemen hopped off the truck, and the criminal tucked his knife away. He then put on a look of worry. “Quick, save her!”

The bonnet of Eva’s car had oil leaking through it, and smoke billowed in the air. First, the firemen rescued Eva from the car, then they put out the smoke. Eva was then taken to the nearest hospital.

At the same time, the criminal returned to his car and made a call. “I failed. I could’ve done it, but some firemen showed up. She escaped with nothing but a wound on her forehead.”

Eva’s car flipped over and rolled twice before coming to a stop. She was hanging from her seat, unconscious. Her hair tumbled down to the car’s base while blood trickled down her forehead that was slammed into the steering wheel.

“What? I specifically told you to cut her face up. A forehead wound won’t do anything!”

“What? I specifically told you to cut her face up. A forehead wound won’t do anything!”

“I couldn’t do anything. There were firemen around. I’m in trouble now. I need to settle it, so pay up.”

“Fine, but only a third of the money. We agreed to that, remember? Full sum only on job completion.”

“What? I almost killed someone because of you!”

“I have the cash ready. Come and take it,” Lucy hissed. She wouldn’t pay full price unless the job was completed.

The criminal sped off to meet Lucy. At the same time, Eva was in the hospital for treatment.

Half an hour later, the man came to the meeting spot where a red sports car stood. Before he got out of the car, he whipped out a knife and hid it behind his back.

Lucy had just arrived not too long ago. She had the full sum in cash, but now she had to split it into three parts. Lucy opened up her trunk, and the sight of cash caused the criminal to be crazy. Stupidly enough, Lucy said, “You’re only getting a third of this.” She then proceeded to take the money.

However, the man held a knife against her throat. “I want all of it.”

“No way.” Lucy needed money as well. She had gone to lengths just to withdraw all the money she had for this sabotage. He failed, yet he expects to get all the money from me? She wouldn’t agree to it, obviously, but she did another stupid thing. She fought back. Lucy kicked the man, and it made him snap. His greed took over, and he slit her neck open.

Blood spurted from her wound, and Lucy fell to the ground. The man promptly took all the money and hurried back to his car. I have to get out of here. Then he escaped.

A couple was just walking by. The girl was holding her boyfriend’s arm, and when she noticed Lucy, she screamed.

It made her boyfriend jolt. When he saw Lucy lying in a pool of blood, he too lost his cool, but he quickly whipped out his phone and, with trembling hands, called 911. The cops arrived first. It didn’t take long for them to identify who the victim was. Her ID and driver’s license were in her bag, after all.

Lucy’s father got a call soon enough, and it was the bearer of bad news. His daughter had died. “What?

Who are you? Are you trying to make me angry? Because you’re doing a great job right now. My daughter’s fine.”

“I am a cop, Cornelius. This is not a joke. I need you to come here right now.”

Not too long after the cops called the Constantines, the ambulance arrived. There was no need for the doctors to do anything, however. Lucy’s artery had been cut and she had bled to death.

At the same time, another lady was also in the ER—Eva. Eva’s parents had divorced. Her father died while her mother remarried a foreigner, hence the cops called her manager to let her know what was going on. Sera was in disbelief, but then she called Louie. Louie set aside all his work immediately and sped to the hospital.

Louie tried to barge into the emergency room, but a nurse stopped him. “Sir, the patient is still under medical attention. Please, wait outside. Do not disturb the doctors.”

Louie’s heart sank. She was fine this morning. What happened? Why is she hurt? “What happened?

Why did she go out all by herself? Did you find the perpetrator?”

Sera was worried as well. She shook her head. “I came as soon as I got the cops’ call. I haven’t had time to ask about the details of the accident.”

That had to wait as nothing was more important than Eva.

At the same time, another tragedy was unfolding. The Constantines rushed all the way to the crime scene. They couldn’t believe their daughter was dead, but when they saw their daughter’s corpse lying on the street, both of them almost passed out. However, what they couldn’t accept even more was why Lucy died.

“I am a cop, Cornelius. This is not a joke. I need you to come here right now.”

“We looked into her transaction record. She withdrew a huge sum of money a couple of days ago. We suspect that this is linked to her death.”

“We looked into her transaction record. She withdrew a huge sum of money a couple of days ago. We suspect that this is linked to her death.”

“You have to find the murderer. I don’t care how much it costs. Give her the justice she deserves,”

Cornelius said tearfully. It’s a shame. She could have gotten married to Louie and helped the family immensely, but now she’s dead. The marriage is annulled. It was a double whammy for the Constantines.

Fiona was on her knees, crying her heart out. “My girl! Why… Why did you leave us?” She almost passed out.

Eva was nearly dead when she was sent to the hospital. Fortunately, the doctors worked their best, and her heart was finally beating as normal. A sliver of color had returned to her otherwise pallid face.

The operation was a success. The moment the doctors emerged from the emergency room, someone hurried up to them. “How did it go, doctor?”

“The operation is a success. She’s stable, but we’ll have to keep her under observation in the ward.”

Louie heaved a sigh of relief as he felt a weight lifted off his shoulder. Eva was everything to him. It would be devastating if the woman he had loved for so long were to die. Thank god she’s still alive.

A while later, someone pushed Eva out of the emergency room. Her forehead was covered in layers of bandages, and she was wearing blue hospital scrubs. Louie thought she looked fragile; it was as if she could break into a thousand pieces at any moment. It made his heart ache. He followed the nurse to the ward, then he carried her and placed her on the bed himself. He let the nurses set up the IV infusion and machines before he approached her.

Louie held her hand softly, and he kissed her palm. Sera was shedding tears. She said, “I’ll leave her to you, sir. This accident requires my attention. Something tells me there’s more to it than it seems.”

“Go.” Louie nodded.

Sera left. All that could be heard in the ward were the beeps of the machines. In the silence, tears welled up in Louie’s eyes. He wished it was him, not Eva who had to endure this.

Meanwhile, fury and sorrow enveloped the Constantines. They were helping the cops out with the case. “Officer, you must arrest the murderer. My daughter deserves justice.”

“I know. We’re looking into it as best as we can.”

Besides the death of Lucy, Cornelius was also worried about something else. The terms of the arranged marriage clearly stated it would be void should either party were to pass away.

Sera was also helping with the investigation of Eva’s car crash. She was going through the footage of the accident. Eva was driving carefully in the footage and did not break any traffic laws, but then a black off-road vehicle sped up and crashed into her car. Eva’s car spun two times before it came to a halt. The mere sight of it almost made Sera’s heart stop. Why did he do that? He could have killed Eva.

What did Eva ever do to him?

“We’re looking into Eva’s network, and we need your help. Do you know this man?”

The man was dressed in black and wearing a mask. All Sera managed to see were his eyes and nothing else. She took a closer look and shook her head. “I have never seen him before, and Eva won’t even get near anyone shady. She tries to live a quiet life, and I’m the one handling the business side of things.”

“Does she have a boyfriend?” Meanwhile, fury and sorrow enveloped the Constantines. They were helping the cops out with the case. “Officer, you must arrest the murderer. My daughter deserves justice.”

“Yes. Our boss, Mr. Louie Gilmore. He loves her deeply.”

“Yes. Our boss, Mr. Louie Gilmore. He loves her deeply.”

“I see. We’ll need his testimonial as well.”

“Alright. I’ll tell him about it. He’ll be here as soon as possible.”

Another officer came in. He told the questioning officer, “Lucy’s death has something to do with this guy as well.”

“Lucy? As in Lucy Constantine? What happened to her?” Sera asked out of curiosity. She and Eva talked about Lucy once, and she wanted to know what happened.

“Lucy Constantine was murdered earlier. Three in the afternoon.”

“What? That’s… That’s unbelievable!” Sera was shocked. Lucy is Mr. Gilmore’s fiancée, but now she’s dead?

Sera hurried to the hospital right after she left the police station. Eva was still unconscious. Sera told Louie he had to make the police station trip the next day, and she also told him about Lucy’s death.

A frown creased Louie’s forehead. “Are you sure it’s her?”

“The cops told me it’s her. I don’t think they were lying. Didn’t anyone tell you, sir?”

“The Constantines haven’t, no.” Louie shook his head. Why haven’t they told me anything? Are they suspecting something? And why did Lucy die all of a sudden?

“They say she was murdered,” Sera spoke with fear in her voice. “Did someone take their revenge on her?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll have to wait for the Constantines to contact me.” Louie wouldn’t look into this himself.

Cornelius was having his testimonial taken at the police station. The cop asked, “Did Miss Constantine contact anyone lately? Has your family been at odds with anyone lately?”

That reminded Cornelius of a certain person, and fury welled up within him. “Yes. He’s my daughter’s fiancé. It’s an arranged marriage, but he refuses to go through with it because he fell for another woman. I think he’s the one who murdered my daughter.”

“What’s his name? And his job?”

“Louie Gilmore, the president of Stardom. I’ve signed a contract with his parents regarding the arranged marriage, where the terms state that should he not go through with the marriage, he must give twenty percent of his company’s shares to me. It’s a huge sum of money. I have reason to believe he killed my daughter.” Even Cornelius talked himself into believing this line of reasoning. Louie’s powerful enough. He can do anything for that woman.

“I see. We shall be interrogating him.” The cop held a photo up. “Do you know this person, then?”

“No.”

“We went through your daughter’s call history. The last two calls she made were directed to this person. His name is Zack Lore. He’s a drifter and an ex-convict.”

“My daughter would never get involved with someone like him.”

The cops recorded his testimonial and told the Constantines to go home and wait for the news.

…

Julian and Jessie came to the hospital right after they received Louie’s call. They too were worried about Eva, who was still unconscious and pale as a ghost. Tears welled up in Jessie’s eyes.

“Did you find out who did this?” Julian was furious. Louie went through a lot for this relationship. Just when he finally got to date Eva, she got into this accident.

“The cops are still investigating. Their suspect is a masked man,” Sera answered.

Just then, Louie’s phone rang. He quickly picked it up. “Who’s this?”

“Louie Gilmore? We’re the cops. We suspect that you’re involved in a murder and will need you to come to the police station in thirty minutes.”

“Is this about Lucy Constantine?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there right away.” I expected this. The Constantines do have reason to suspect me. “Julian, you and Jessie stay here. Call me when Eva wakes up. I need to deal with something.” “No.”

“We went through your daughter’s call history. The last two calls she made were directed to this person. His name is Zack Lore. He’s a drifter and an ex-convict.”

“Is Lucy really dead?” Julian asked, worried. And the Constantines think Louie did it?

“Is Lucy really dead?” Julian asked, worried. And the Constantines think Louie did it?

“I need to be at the police station.” Louie nodded.

Louie was in an interrogation room. Unlike most people, he was calm and collected.

“Mr. Gilmore, we’re looking into the case of Lucy Constantine’s murder. Her family said there’s a conflict of interest between you and them. Did you murder her?”

“No. I’ve never gotten that idea.”

“Sources told us you refuse to go through with the arranged marriage because you have a girlfriend. Is your girlfriend Eva Duncan?”

“Yes,” Louie answered all the questions honestly, though it didn’t help his case. He still was the prime suspect, and he was prohibited from traveling abroad.

Eva was starting to stir, at long last. She opened her eyes only for the light overhead to blind her, causing her to groan. “Where am I?”

“The hospital, Eva. You got into a car crash, remember?” Jessie said softly.

Eva closed her eyes. The memory of that car crash still made her head split. She had to hold Jessie’s hand just to overcome her fear of that accident. When she opened her eyes again, she saw everyone who was in the ward. But he wasn’t there. “Why isn’t he here?” She was a little disappointed.

“Eva, Mr. Gilmore watched over you the whole afternoon. He has something urgent to settle, but he’ll be back soon.”

“What’s the business?”

“Lucy Constantine’s murder,” Sera answered.

“What?” Eva almost sat up from the shock. “She’s dead? Who killed her?” Eva felt as if her head just exploded.

“The cops are still looking into it. Mr. Gilmore is having his testimonial recorded, but we know he’s innocent. Don’t worry,” Sera answered honestly. Eva was someone who’d rather hear the hurtful truth than be lied to.

Eva looked at Julian. Julian said, “Don’t worry. I know Louie. He wouldn’t risk his future for this, not when he’s planning on spending his whole life with you.”

Eva clutched her chest, and Sera asked the doctor to check on her. The doctor immediately obliged.

“Nothing too serious, but we need to observe her to see if the concussion has any lasting impact.”

A short while later, Louie strode into the ward. To his delight, he found Eva already awake. “Oh, you’re awake!”

“They suspect that you’re the murderer? What did the cops say?” Eva held his hands. She wanted to hear the truth.

“They did interrogate me. Lucy’s death is bizarre, but I didn’t do it.”

“Did the Constantines call you?”

“No. They think I murdered her. I see they don’t trust me at all. From now on, I’m not helping them anymore.” Louie’s face fell.

“Now we have to look into Eva’s car crash. There’s something more about it. Something sinister,”

Jessie said.

“Yeah. Lucy died right after Eva got into the car crash. That can’t be a coincidence.” Sera made an offhand comment.

However, that gave Louie an idea. Wait. Eva’s car crash could be something Lucy orchestrated. Later that day, Louie asked Julian and Jessie to go home first. Sera went home as well while Eva was told to stay in the hospital for three days for now.

The cops worked through the night on the case. Eventually, they noticed one similarity between Lucy and Eva: both ladies loved the same man. That was the clue they needed to find the truth. Some arduous investigation later, they finally made some headway. Lucy had withdrawn a huge sum of money. Right after that, Eva’s car was tailed, and the criminal crashed into her, causing an accident.

Subsequently, the criminal called Lucy and murdered her over the cash. “They suspect that you’re the murderer? What did the cops say?” Eva held his hands. She wanted to hear the truth.

Louie stayed by Eva’s side during her stay at the hospital. She had nightmares every night due to her head injury. The medication didn’t help much. Fortunately, every time she woke up, she would see Louie by her side, and it made her feel safe.

Louie stayed by Eva’s side during her stay at the hospital. She had nightmares every night due to her head injury. The medication didn’t help much. Fortunately, every time she woke up, she would see Louie by her side, and it made her feel safe.

The Constantines lost sleep over this case as well. They were awaiting the investigation results. Losing their daughter impacted their lives heavily. Their child was gone before they were. “I know it’s him. He killed our girl!” Fiona roared.

“Let’s see what the cops say. If he is the murderer, we’ll see to it that he faces judgment.”

“My poor girl. We can’t let her murderer go unpunished, no. Blood will have blood.”

Three days had gone by after the accident and murder. At 9.30AM on the fourth day, the cops called the Constantines, asking them to make a trip to the police station. At the same time, Eva received a call as well. After confirming she was fine, the cops asked her to make a trip to the police station to record her testimonial.

Louie gave her a ride to the police station. The moment they got out of the car, they ran into the Constantines.

Agitated, Fiona came to berate Eva. “You witch! You got our daughter killed! You give me my girl back, you little b*tch!”

“Watch. Your. Tongue. Mrs. Constantine,” Louie hissed.

“You. You did this to my daughter! You killed her because you wanted to marry this little b*tch, didn’t you? We’ll make you pay for it!” Fiona growled, her eyes tearful.

“Don’t talk to him, honey. He’ll pay for what he did. If I had known he was an ingrate, I wouldn’t have helped his parents.”

“Mr. Constantine, I swear I didn’t do this,” Louie answered seriously for old times’ sake and for the help they gave his parents back then.

“You’re denying it? I’m sure this woman has convinced you to kill our daughter. You thought Lucy got in your way of finding love, didn’t you? How could you be so evil and kill her just to avoid marrying her?”

After thinking about the matter for an entire night, Louie had figured out the whole case. No. Lucy brought this on herself. Karma bit her in the *ss faster than she could imagine. “If you want answers, ask your daughter what she did. Oh, no, you can’t. She’s dead.” Louie then led Eva into the police station.

The cops talked to both parties. Eva entered the interrogation room for the recording of her testimonial while Louie stood guard outside the room. Sera arrived a while later.

The cops asked Eva about her meeting with Lucy, and she answered honestly.

In another room, the Constantines were told of the investigation’s results and another piece of good news. Lucy’s killer—Zack Lore—had been arrested and would arrive at the police station soon.

“Officer, Louie is right there. Why aren’t you arresting him?” Fiona demanded.

“According to our investigations, Mr. Gilmore is innocent. He has nothing to do with this case.”

“What? But he hired this Zack character! You’re letting him off the hook just because he’s rich? Did he bribe all of you?” Fiona refused to believe this.

“Calm down, Mrs. Constantine.”

“Calm down? Calm down? How can I calm down when that killer and his b*tch are still alive? My daughter died! She was only twenty-seven. And she wasn’t even married yet!” Fiona started bawling like a baby.

The cops had gotten news of Zack’s arrival, and they swiftly went into interrogation mode with him.

Scared out of his wits, Zack confessed all of his crimes. Not even one detail was spared. After comparing evidence and fingerprints, Zack was identified as the murderer and Lucy as the mastermind.

The cops asked Eva about her meeting with Lucy, and she answered honestly.

Louie and Eva were about to leave, but a cop stopped them. “Mr. Gilmore, Miss Duncan, we need you at the conference hall.”

Louie and Eva were about to leave, but a cop stopped them. “Mr. Gilmore, Miss Duncan, we need you at the conference hall.”

“Did something happen?” Louie asked.

“It’s about Miss Duncan’s accident. We’ve cracked the case.”

The Constantines had just entered the conference hall when Eva and Louie came in. The sight of those two made Cornelius and Fiona’s blood boil.

“Silence. You are summoned because these cases are more closely related than you think. We’ll be explaining the whole thing to you now.”

“Officers, it’s them! They killed my daughter! You need to arrest them!” Fiona pointed at Eva and Louie.

“Calm down, Mrs. Constantine.” The cop then played some videos. The first one showed Lucy withdrawing her money at the bank. All the cash was tucked away into a big sack, and she left with it.

“Your daughter withdrew a large sum of money five days ago. Two hundred and twenty grand, to be exact.”

“She must have had some use for it,” Fiona quickly explained, though she didn’t know why Lucy needed that money.

The next video showed Eva in the underground car park. After she was gone, an off-road vehicle followed her closely. Twenty minutes later, they came to a quieter road, and Eva’s car was sent flying away. Zack was seen getting out of the car and approaching Eva’s car, but the firemen showed up. Eva was then taken to the hospital. “That car crash was a job request—to crash into Eva’s car and slash her face up. Zack took it, but before he could finish his job, the firemen showed up.”

“Who did this? Who hired him?” Louie wanted to know who the mastermind was. His fists were balled up. If it weren’t for the firemen, Eva would have been ruined. This is my fault. I didn’t think Lucy had the capability for evil at this level. She tried to ruin Eva’s life.

Eva couldn’t believe this car crash was an attempt on her future. She had thought it was a regular accident.

The Constantines exchanged a look, and Fiona sneered. “It could be anyone. I bet tons of people would love to destroy her. Look at her. She’s a little b*tch who knows no shame.”

Eva looked at Fiona. Oh, so that’s how it is. She mocked, “I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Oh, sorry. Didn’t fall far from the tree.”

“What did you say?”

“Silence. Mr. Gilmore raised a crucial question. The one who wanted Miss Duncan’s face slashed was none other than Lucy Constantine. She envies Miss Duncan’s looks, and so she hired Zack to slash her face.”

The Constantines couldn’t believe this. Cornelius gnashed his teeth. “Impossible. My daughter couldn’t have done that.”

“My daughter was as beautiful as this woman. She couldn’t have done this.”

The cops played a few more videos. They were voice recordings of what happened in the cars. The first one was the recording of the call Zack made while the second one was the recording of what happened in Lucy’s car. They had argued about the sum of money that should be paid.

The Constantines cried the moment they heard their daughter’s voice, and they could see why the cops came to the earlier conclusion.

“And so, Zack went to meet Lucy. She refused to pay him in full, so he took her life and escaped with all the money. Do you need further clarification, Mr. and Mrs. Constantine?”

“So, I can sue them for damages then?” Eva asked coldly.

The cops nodded. “You can.”

“Very well. Mrs. Constantine, I shall sue your family for what your daughter did to me.”

“Have a heart, will you? We just lost our daughter, and you wish to sue us?” Fiona started playing the victim.

“What did you say?”

“Silence. Mr. Gilmore raised a crucial question. The one who wanted Miss Duncan’s face slashed was none other than Lucy Constantine. She envies Miss Duncan’s looks, and so she hired Zack to slash her face.”

But Eva refused to spare them any sympathy. She icily said, “I’ll go through due process.” She pulled Louie up. “Let’s go, Louie.”

But Eva refused to spare them any sympathy. She icily said, “I’ll go through due process.” She pulled Louie up. “Let’s go, Louie.”

“Y-You’re not leaving!” Fiona shouted.

“Louie, you promised us that plot of land, remember? Don’t forget to give it to us.” Cornelius stood up at once. Even in the face of his daughter’s death, all he cared about was profit.

Louie turned around and stared at the Constantines. “We’re over, Constantines.”

“Louie, how could you? My daughter may be gone, but you can’t cut us off. We helped your family out when you needed it most.”

“And you’ve been reaping the rewards all these years. I gave you everything you asked for. The favor is repaid.” Louie held Eva’s hand and left.

Not only did the Constantines lose their daughter, but they also lost the plot of land they were supposed to get. Yet, they couldn’t do anything about it.

Eva felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders the moment they emerged from the police station. She rested her head on Louie’s shoulder and took a deep breath. Smells like fall now. “We can finally be together.”

Louie held her shoulders. He was still shuddering from the near tragedy that could’ve happened.

“Thank god you’re fine.”

“Will we still be together if my face really got slashed?”

“Of course. If your face was slashed, I’d scour the world for the best doctors for you. We would face it together.”

Eva smiled. Thank god I’m fine. I’d probably die if my face was slashed. The case was cracked, and the arranged marriage was no more. Eva had a bit of a scare, but in return, she could finally be with the love of her life without worries.

Three days later, Eva’s manager sued the Constantines for damages and demanded payment of nearly two hundred grand. The Constantines lamented their fate, but they had to pay the price or they would be imprisoned.

Louie, Eva, Julian, and Jessie had dinner at a fine dining restaurant. It was a happy dinner. Eva’s forehead was covered in a layer of bandage which she hid under a hat, but she looked a lot better now.

Her skin was glowing, and she had a great appetite.

“I can’t wait to attend your wedding, Eva,” Jessie said.

Previously, Eva would sigh every time her wedding was mentioned, but now, she answered happily, “We’ll hold one as soon as possible.”

“Yeah. Louie’s at that age. He should be raising a family by now.” Julian smiled. He wanted Louie to get married soon.

“I’ll try to hold the wedding before Christmas,” Louie said swiftly.

None of them talked about the Constantines as it would just ruin the mood.

Julian and Jessie took Gilmore Corporation’s private jet the next day and flew to their film set. They didn’t have time to fool around at work as they had to shoot some crucial scenes. Only about a month was left until the shoot was supposed to wrap up. All the crew members realized that Julian and Jessie’s chemistry got a lot better, especially during the romantic scenes. The look in their eyes told a thousand stories. That was how everyone knew that Julian and Jessie were dating in real life.

Jessie messed up a few takes of a scene where she needed to cry while hugging Julian. She thought that it was impossible because every time she hugged him, all she wanted to do was smile. Only delight filled her heart when she was with him, so how could she cry?

“Jessie, just imagine something really bad. Like maybe Julian was stolen by another woman?” Vincent suggested.

Jessie shot Julian a look. What? So, you’re going to let another woman come near you?

“Yeah. Louie’s at that age. He should be raising a family by now.” Julian smiled. He wanted Louie to get married soon.

Julian sighed in silence. Vincent, just shut up and do your work. You’re going to ruin my relationship at this rate.

Julian sighed in silence. Vincent, just shut up and do your work. You’re going to ruin my relationship at this rate.

Oh, whoops. Vincent quickly smiled. “That won’t happen in real life, don’t worry. Just a little hypothetical. Calm down, Jessie.”

“I need some onions.” Jessie had no choice left.

Her assistant got her an onion, and she chopped it a little. That worked well and she started crying.

“Alright, now!”

Jessie darted back to Julian and rested her head on his shoulders. She was crying uncontrollably on camera. It was a good take, but Jessie was still crying even after the scene. No matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, they still felt tingly. Well, guess I have to take her to the waiting room and give her all my love, Julian thought.

When the couple emerged from the waiting room, Jessie’s eyes were still a little red, but so were her lips. The shooting went by really fast, and everyone had fun, especially the couple. One week went by before anyone realized it. Jessie was particularly sore after the shooting session today as she had to wear the stunt wire for the whole day. Julian was worried for her. He rubbed some soothing salve all over her after they returned to the hotel and tried to convince her to use a stunt double.

Jessie didn’t mind him rubbing the salve all over her, but she wasn’t about to use a stunt double. When Julian was done rubbing the salve on her, Jessie turned around and was met with a gaze of desire.

“You’ve been working through the night for two days straight. You should get some rest, you know.”

Jessie pulled her clothes down just in case the sight of her skin stoked his flames of desire.

Julian narrowed his eyes. “What? You think I can’t go on?”

Oh god. You and your ego. So cute. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest. “I know you can still go on. I just don’t want to tire you out.”

Julian let her off the hook. It wasn’t because his stamina was running low, but because she had to rest after the day she had. And so, the couple scrolled through their phones. He played a few matches to wind down while Jessie was scrolling through some shorts. That was when she noticed a few guys doing some sexy dance moves. She kept replaying that short, and that attracted Julian’s attention. He took a quick look and noticed the video she was watching. She’s watching a video of other guys while she has me by her side? He had no idea what to feel.

“Hey, why are you watching them? Look at me. I’m better than them.” The jealous Julian pulled his shirt up, showing off his abs to Jessie.

Her cheeks burned, and Julian covered her head with his clothes, pushing her closer to his chest.

Jessie giggled as she rubbed her cheeks against his chest, causing Julian’s flames of desire to flare up. He was going to let her off the hook that night, but he couldn’t do that now. Not after she kept replaying that video. If I don’t give her what she wants, she might keep searching for similar videos.

“You don’t seem tired at all. Why don’t we take this to the bed and have a little dance?”

“Oh, you can dance? I want to see,” said Jessie happily.

Of course, I know how to dance. I was the dance champion during the first year of my career. He gave up dancing after he started acting full-time. He could still dance, however. “You should get to know more about me,” he said in a grating voice before pressing his lips against hers.

Jessie’s heart exploded with delight. Her heart would always flutter every time she saw his pictures and compilation videos that were made by his fans. And now I’m his girlfriend. This is bliss. She was really proud of herself. Her boyfriend was the man of every girl’s dream, but now he was hers and hers alone.

“Hey, why are you watching them? Look at me. I’m better than them.” The jealous Julian pulled his shirt up, showing off his abs to Jessie.

It was a passionate night, but Jessie paid the price for it the next day. Getting out of bed was too much for her after all that action, so her schedule was delayed.

It was a passionate night, but Jessie paid the price for it the next day. Getting out of bed was too much for her after all that action, so her schedule was delayed.

Lisa, who was filming in a set near Julian and Jessie, had caught wind of the rumors. Everyone said that they were dating and shared a room every night. She was disappointed, and she knew Jessie was now on the list of people she should never offend. At first, she thought she had a chance with Julian, but her hopes were dashed. In fact, all the female celebrities’ hopes were dashed.

Time flew, and it was close to wrapping up the shoot. Whenever Jessie had time, she would videocall her sister and parents. November came, and with it, the chilly winds of fall. Finally, the shooting came to an end. It was a wrap.

On the final day of shooting, Julian walked up to her with a bouquet in his hands. There were people around them, but he didn’t care. He hugged Jessie and kissed her forehead. Jessie was the only person he had eyes for. Nobody else was worth his time. Everyone envied the couple, especially the ladies. Once upon a time, Julian belonged to everyone, but now he was Jessie’s.

At the same time, one piece of good news reached Julian. Louie was already preparing for his wedding. Pretty soon, we’ll get to attend their wedding.

Jessie celebrated her final night on set with a big feast. Everyone was invited. Lexie even found a boyfriend among the crew members. He was a part of the camera crew, and they had fallen in love.

All Jessie wanted was to take a break. The filming had been hectic, and rest was a luxury.

On the night before their return to Averna, snow fell. It was a beautiful scene, and Jessie found herself in the fields outside the hotel. Beside her stood Julian, who was taking pictures of the snow together with her. Then, she posted a photo of their backs on her social media. Her caption read, ‘Here’s to many more years of you by my side’.

Jessie would love to make her relationship public, but the time was not right. To her surprise, Julian was the first one to like her post. That honor used to belong to Lexie. When Jessie checked her post later in the night, there were already more than thirty thousand comments underneath all because of Julian’s like. His fans kept a close eye on his day-to-day activities, and his liking of Jessie’s post led them here. Everyone was speculating about who his girlfriend was. Rumors said he was dating the female lead of his new show, but there was no evidence yet.