CHAPTER 74: YOU MAY NOT HAVE HELD A GRUDGE, BUT I DO.

Soon, Lola and Slater reached an old convenience store. They pulled over to the side of the road, with her staring at the store intently.

"Uh..." Slater cleared his throat. "What are we looking at?"

"Shhh." She hushed, not taking her eyes off the store. "Quiet. I can’t see properly."

Slater zipped his mouth and narrowed his eyes at the store. "You know, I’m quite good at spying on people."

But she ignored him, taking it as his usual nonsense. A second later, she perked up as she saw someone walk out. There, walking out was Cedrick, carrying bags of black trash bags.

"Stay right here," she muttered in a hurry, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"But—" Slater bit his tongue as she looked back, pointing a finger at it.

Lola circled her pointy finger at him to make a point. "Slater, the last thing I want is to get smothered to death by your fans. I don’t want attention, and that face of yours, even if you cover it, will garner unnecessary attention."

"Stay here," she stressed, leaving no room for negotiation.

Having said her piece, she jumped out of the car and marched to where Cedrick was headed. Slater, on the other hand, stared at her figure and furrowed his brows.

"And that disguise won’t garner attention?" He wondered in dismay. "Even I would stop in the road if I saw her walking in the street."

Slater lowered the window and yelled, "Big Sis, be fast, okay?!"

Lola heard his yell and shook her head, throwing all thoughts of Slater or his brother out of her mind. She walked down a side alley and stopped in the middle. Her eyes quickly caught Cedrick, who was dumping large trash bags into a bin.

Cedrick paused as he suddenly felt the light dim a little. He caught someone’s shadow stretched to his feet. Turning his head, he almost jumped in surprise at the sight of a zombie-looking witch standing by the entrance of the alley.

Is she... homeless?

With her spiky, frizzy, uneven hair, thick white makeup, and other ridiculous things on her face, he had to wonder. He glanced at the end of the large trash bin, where a carton lay as if someone had been sleeping there overnight.

"Oh," he whispered, looking back at her. "I’m sorry—I didn’t touch your things. Just threw some trash."

"Huh?" Lola’s face contorted, her gaze veering to the cartons, making her face twist in dismay.

Cedrick walked toward her and moved to the side, keeping his head slightly low. "Excuse me."

Lola sighed in exhaustion and rolled her eyes, taking a step to make way for him. No matter how little the gap, he managed to squeeze himself out of her path.

"Goodness," she murmured. "And here I thought you were thinking about it."

He had already taken a few steps away when he caught her quiet murmur. His brows drew together, and he looked back at her.

Lola slowly turned on her heel, facing him squarely.

"The Angel’s Revenge," she said, her voice slightly dry. "I left you a note the other night. Didn’t you see it?"

A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes for a second as he studied Lola before remembering the strange family from a few nights ago. But instead of focusing on her remarks, he had a more pressing concern.

"How did you manage to look the same but also very different?" he asked curiously, almost making her choke. "I think the last time... it’s not like that." He didn’t even know if she looked better or worse. What a complicated look.

"Seriously? That’s what you’re going to ask?"

He let out a short chuckle. "No, I mean thanks, but no thanks."

Cedrick didn’t linger and turned on his heel to walk away. Her look might have been distracting, but he understood why she was here.

"I want you to take Ryker’s role." Her words made his steps stop.

"A villain’s role?" he arched a brow and looked back at her, snorting. "Then, that’s even more reason for me to refuse."

"So, you know he’s a villain?" Lola crossed her arms, tilting her head. "You’re following the story."

"The Angel’s Revenge is promoted so heavily that even those not interested will know about it."

Lola smiled, her brows rising. "So, what do you think?"

"I think it’s bullshit," he answered without a second thought. "It’s over-hyped, but it’s just a generic story. Nothing special about it. There are better scripts out there."

"Brutal."

"I’m sorry," he said. "I saw on the calling card that you’re Taz, and I assume you’re the creator behind it."

"Yet, you still said all that?"

His smile remained, as if this had become a friendlier conversation. "You asked for my opinion, but that doesn’t change my appreciation for your offer. Thanks, but everything about the industry is something I’ve already put behind me."

"I see." Lola rocked her head, watching him resume his steps. "So, throwing trash from an old, small convenience store that even a toddler could rob is better than the dream you put behind you?"

Hearing her unfiltered remark made him frown. "You don’t know what you’re talking about."

"I know exactly what you’re talking about," she returned just as quickly as he criticized her work. "Manager Park."

Cedrick froze, his eyes wide. His complexion paled as if someone had just poured a bucketful of ice water over him at the mention of that name.

Lola took a step forward, stopping just two steps from him. Despite her eyes being covered with white contact lenses with only a small dot in the middle, they exuded determination.

"He’s the reason you are doing all of this," she smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "You may not have held a grudge, but I do. I always do."

Cedrick furrowed his brows at her. "What did he do to you?"

"Not to me directly, but he manages someone I don’t like." Her smile stretched as she offered her hand. "Let’s just try this partnership. If you hate it, then you’re free to go back to all your part-time jobs."

She paused, tilting her head to the side. "But if this works, I’ll promise you... your brother’s education and your mother’s medical needs will never be a problem anymore."