Chapter 72
He let go, allowing her to stand alone, to feel the night and its power.
Lexi gripped her fists, fought the trembling in her body, and gradually felt her heart calm.
Light returned to the set, but Lauren’s sweet, cooing voice soon pierced the calm.
“Sebastian, visiting my set again? How flattering p>
Lauren hooked her arm around him, naturally and intimately.
Lexi blinked, dazed, meeting Sebastian’s gaze from across the sand.
Was it really him who had helped her through the darkness?
Or had it all been a dream?
Sebastian’s faint smile faded as he saw her confusion.
She hadn’t even realized it was him.
Perhaps it would have been better if he’d left her to face that darkness alone…
“Lexi, are you okay?” Logan asked, removing his jacket to offer her warmth.
Lexi shook her head, politely declining.
With the blackout, the director called the scene off until tomorrow.
She sighed and returned to the trailer, hoping to rest—only to find Sebastian leaning casually against the doorway, watching her.
“That was you just now?” she asked while removing her makeup.
Deep down, she wanted it to be him—but also feared owing him too much.
Sebastian didn’t answer immediately.
He stepped behind her, studying her pale, composed reflection in the mirror.
A faint laugh escaped him.
“You really don’t need makeup to look beautiful,” he murmured.
Lexi froze, surprised by his rare praise.
“Your laundry’s here,” a crew member said, dropping a paper bag on the counter and bolting when she saw Sebastian.
“You’re too deadly,” Lexi teased, mischievous, nudging the conversation away.
Better to get Sebastian gone before the whole crew noticed him lingering.
She handed the bag to him.
“Here’s the dress you lent me last time. Returned safe and sound p>
Sebastian glanced at the bag, then back at her.
The dress held immense significance to him, yet he had given it to her with no expectation of reclaiming it.
He felt a flicker of respect—this woman didn’t take advantage.
When his long fingers touched her hands, the chill made her heart skip, and she reflexively shoved the bag into his arms.
Only then did she relax.
She realized she couldn’t be alone in the same room with him—her heart would betray her every time.
Sebastian chuckled lightly—but the moment he opened the bag, his expression hardened to stone.
“This is the dress you returned to me?” he asked coldly.
Lexi yelped as the bag hit her temple.
Inside, the dress had been shredded into pieces, stained with mud and paint.
“I lent it to you in good faith,” Sebastian’s voice was ice, “and this is how you repay me p>
Lexi’s heart raced.
“Please, believe me! I didn’t do this! I know this dress was your mother’s legacy. I’ve been careful with it. Someone must have tampered with it—I’ll find out who p>
Sebastian’s anger flared further.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
“Lexi, you are insufferable p>
Without another word, he stormed out, slamming the door.
Lexi sighed, gathering the shredded cloth.
Restoration was impossible—but she wouldn’t let it rot.
Who had struck from the shadows?
Who was trying to ruin Sebastian’s trust in her?
Determined, Lexi tracked down the crew member who delivered the bag.
Nothing seemed amiss.
The dry cleaner confirmed the dress was delivered intact.
Then her phone buzzed—a call from an unknown number.
“I have the dress,” a disguised voice said.
“If you want it, come get it yourself. Tell anyone, and I burn it p>
Lexi’s chest sank.
The dress had been swapped.
She had been too careless.
Her enemies were clever, calculating, and ruthless.
And now, the game had officially begun.
Luckily, the dress was still intact.
That small relief eased some of the guilt gnawing at Lexi’s heart.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, the caller sent her a location.
A remote garage, far from any neighbors, secluded and silent.
Her chest tightened.
Even so, before dawn broke, Lexi packed her things and set out.
Among her gear was a stun baton disguised like a flashlight.
If the person at the location tried anything, she’d knock them out to retrieve the dress.
Lexi shook her head, dismissing the grim thoughts.
She couldn’t afford fear to cloud her judgment.
The path was muddy, overgrown with weeds taller than her waist.
After an hour, sweat soaked through her shirt.
Exhausted, she sank onto a rock and drank from her water bottle.
After catching her breath, she stood on the rock and scanned ahead.
A small, crimson wooden cabin emerged from the shadows, oddly out of place.
Though worn, it looked solid.
She approached and knocked lightly.
“Come in p>
A low, silky female voice answered, laced with malice.
Lexi steadied herself.
At least it was a woman—her guard dropped just slightly.
She pushed the door open.
The cabin’s interior was sparse.
A single tiny window let in a thread of light.
A woman in black athletic wear, her hair hidden under a cap, slowly turned.
Removing the hat, she let a twisted smile curl at the corners of her mouth.
“Lexi… you came p>
“Lauren? What are you doing here?!” Lexi’s voice cracked with shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Lauren’s smile hardened into a cruel sneer.
“Yes, it’s me. I lured you here p>
She had assumed that Lexi’s scandal with Sebastian would keep her out of his world.
Yet Sebastian, as always, had been watching Lexi closely.
That night, during the blackout, Lauren had seen Sebastian pull Lexi into his arms.
That memory alone had driven her nearly insane.
Others might be blind, but not Lauren.
She had waited, silently, biding her time.
And tonight, she would strike the killing blow.
No signal.
No food.
No water.
Trapped here, Lexi would be helpless within three days.
Her phone had been hacked—any messages she’d sent would never be traced.
Lexi had no family, no one to plead for her.
If she died here, it would be as if she’d never existed.
Lexi’s heart sank as Lauren’s shadow darkened further.
She spun to flee, but a sharp strike from behind knocked her unconscious.
When she awoke, her head throbbed, and her limbs felt heavy.
She struggled to the cabin door—locked.
The tiny window offered no escape.
Lexi slumped onto the floor.
She had underestimated Lauren’s cruelty and decisiveness.
If she died here, no one would even know.