Chapter 13

Claire didn't react much to Alyssa's over-the-top reaction, just gave a soft "yeah."

"My brother, Adrian Fields. We're keeping it under wraps for now, so I'd appreciate it if you could keep it between us."

Alyssa stood frozen for a second, still trying to process everything.

After a beat, she nodded vigorously. "Of course, I won't tell a soul!"

Claire chuckled at her stunned expression. "Thanks for speaking up for me tonight. If you're free sometime, let me buy you dinner."

The two of them had already swapped contacts earlier on their way out of the villa—Claire had taken a liking to Alyssa.

Alyssa waved her hands quickly. "No, no, that's really not necessary!"

She had a way of going into panic mode when faced with something—or someone—she admired. With her messy history online, all she wanted was to vanish into the shadows.

"You're being too modest," Adrian said, standing a bit straighter, his eyes focused on Alyssa. Before she could refuse again, he spoke up.

"Actually, it's not just for my sister's sake. I've got a bit of a selfish reason too. I think you've got real star power. Have you ever thought about switching companies? Why not sign with XR? We'll take care of the penalty fees—you just need to bring yourself."

Alyssa stared, pointing to herself in disbelief. It took her a while to find her voice.

"Me? Are you serious, Mr. Fields?…I mean, haha, I'm really not cut out for that."

She laughed awkwardly, waving her hands again. Her time in the spotlight had been more like a crash-and-burn.

Adrian didn't push. Instead, he pulled out a business card and handed it over. "No need to decide now. Think about it. If you do want a change, call me. Or Claire'll do, too."

Alyssa blinked, suddenly feeling the card in her hand—and then they were gone, driving off.

If it wasn't for the card's shiny gold lettering, she would've thought she imagined the whole thing.

A dream. One too good to hold onto.

—

The red sports car zoomed down the road.

Adrian glanced sideways at Claire, who was busy typing away on her laptop like she didn't have a care in the world."Hey, princess, where are we heading now? Come crash at my place, yeah? Don't go to Oliver's. He's swamped—let's not bug him, okay?"

Claire paused, glanced over with a smirk. "And you're not busy? Picking me up and squeezing in work? Feels like I'd be in your way too."

"I'm not busy! Work's just something I do on the side. Piece of cake!"

Claire chuckled.

She gave everything a last once-over, made sure there were no traces left, then shut the laptop.

"Let's swing by Silverhollow Villa first."

Adrian nearly hit the gas thinking it was the brake. "You serious? You wanna go back to that jerk's place?"

Claire leaned her cheek against her palm, eyes quietly watching the night blur past.

"If I'm gonna start over, I need a clean break. Still got some stuff there. Leaving it at that guy's place? Not exactly polite."

Adrian burst out laughing. "Not polite, huh? That's a good one!"

Before long, they rolled up outside Silverhollow Villa.

A trip that should've taken thirty minutes? Adrian nailed it in twenty.

Claire had left without a trace. She'd been abroad for three years, her existence almost scrubbed from memory.

Someone had already tried to untangle those vines that had no business growing together in the first place. So why not just replant them elsewhere?

Leaving with her favorite roses in hand, Claire was in good spirits.

"My studio's contract with Cooper Enterprises is up. In a few days, take me to sign with yours."

"Not going with our brother?"

"Jewelry, fashion—these things are made to be worn. Your artists can use them on red carpets. Win-win. He won't mind."

"Deal!"

Their red sports car roared down the road, laughter riding on its tail.

The color was hard to miss, so when it shot past a familiar black Spyker, the driver inside couldn't help glancing over casually.

Inside, Nelson's eyes locked in. His pupils shrank fast.

The screech of brakes cut through the night.

Under the glow of a streetlamp by the sycamores, he caught a glimpse of a profile he knew too well—

Claire.