Chapter 7

Back then, she had assumed Aurelia was just a nobody - an orphan with zero backing. She hadn't gone in blind, either. She even hired a private investigator to dig into Aurelia's background, and the result couldn't have pleased her more.

An orphan, no connections in all of Northvale. If it weren't for marrying Finnian, she wouldn't have even gotten through the doors of the Dawson Group, let alone posed a threat.

People like her? Easy to get rid of. That's why she dared to fake test results to drive her out...

But now, what the hell? How did Aurelia suddenly become Starborne?

Things had spiraled way beyond what Serena had expected. After vanishing for two months, Aurelia came back with this Starborne identity and a whole new vibe - confident, radiant, practically unmissable. Serena hated it, hated her, but deep down she had to admit, the woman was shining now.

And if Finnian saw her like this...

No. No way.

She worked her ass off to get them divorced. Even if she hadn't officially gotten together with Finnian yet, she'd never allow Aurelia to get close to him again.

With that thought clouding her mind, Serena took a breath and forced a smile. "Is Ms. Starborne referring to my little accident during the commercial event last month? Don't worry, it wasn't serious. I've pretty much recovered - it won't affect shooting at all."

Aurelia raised her brows slightly.

Last month's event accident, and she's already recovered?

Her eyes dropped to Serena's stomach, and her brows furrowed deeper.

So... Serena had a miscarriage?

If that's what really went down, then taking on this film gig actually made some sense.

Emma glanced back and forth between the two, feeling something was seriously off. She couldn't quite name it, but the vibe between them was tense, charged.

The thing was, the so-called event accident was clearly a cover-up. Serena had been hospitalized for a week, and she never gave Emma a straight answer about why. Finnian had kept it under wraps, and Emma hadn't dared dig.

But now, hearing Aurelia's tone - and seeing how she kept glancing at Serena's stomach - something clicked in Emma's mind.

Her mood dampened. Finnian was the top dog in Northvale, and gossip said he was dating Serena - but he'd never confirmed it himself. And now Serena might've secretly lost his child...

From the looks of things, Serena wasn't exactly his ride-or-die, even if the public thought otherwise. Emma had been banking on Serena making it big, but after watching closely, she realized Serena and Finnian weren't nearly as cozy as the tabloids made them out to be. That only made her more determined - this film had to go off without a hitch.

Step one: get on good terms with Miss Starborne.

With that in mind, Emma quickly smiled and said, "You don't have to worry, Miss Starborne. Serena's got a solid dance background - those stunts are a breeze for her. Last month's injury's pretty much healed now. I promise, she's good to go!"

"Oh? Is that so, Miss Hughes?" Aurelia looked at Serena, her eyes crinkling with a smile that didn't quite reach the warmth it pretended to have. There was a trace of mockery in it.

Others might've missed it, but Serena caught it loud and clear.

She couldn't give up now - not after everything she'd sacrificed to land this role.

Trying to keep her expression calm, Serena forced a gentle smile. "You can rest easy, Miss Starborne. I'm in great shape."

"Is that right? Well then, I'll be watching," Aurelia replied, casually swirling her juice. "Here's to a smooth collaboration."

Serena didn't move.

Emma nudged her lightly under the table. "Why are you zoning out?"

Only then did Serena snap back, her face showing a flicker of unease. She lifted her glass and clinked it awkwardly in the air toward Aurelia before downing the wine in one go.

Aurelia just took a polite sip from her juice and set it down again.

It wasn't exactly subtle - anyone with half a brain could tell Aurelia wasn't feeling too friendly toward Serena.

The air around the table grew awkward.

Edward noticed. He glanced at Serena, who had gone silent ever since finishing her drink, her head lowered. Then he looked at Aurelia - composed, graceful, completely unfazed.

He knew this little spitfire had never been one to take things lying down. But she wasn't the type to stir up trouble for no reason either.

After watching that round of interaction, it clicked for Edward - Serena must've screwed up somewhere down the line.

Still, he had to admit that Aurelia was much more restrained tonight than usual. Maybe it was out of respect for him... or maybe she was just waiting for the right moment to pounce.

Just then, the private room door opened.

Lucas stepped in and gave Edward a small nod. "Sorry we're late, Director Tate."

Serena's head jerked up. Finnian strolled in behind Lucas, tall and poised.

She froze. Her pupils shrank slightly.

And out of instinct, her eyes darted toward Aurelia -