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    “No.” Vanessa’s face darkened instantly. She denied it without a second thought.

    Lillian looked at her unpleasant expression, then at the live camera. Lillian realized her question had been inappropriate and hurried to apologize.

    “Sorry. It just slipped out. I didn’t mean anything by it. Vanessa, is your stomach bothering you? I have some stomach medicine. I’ll go get it for you.” She started to head upstairs, eager to escape the awkward atmosphere.

    “No need. I just can’t stand the gamey smell. I’ll go outside for some fresh air.” Vanessa refused. She stood up and walked toward the door, not even nning to eat dinner.

    “I’ll go check on her.” Spencer followed with a worried look.

    The others nced at each other. No one knew what to say for a moment.

    “Want more? Thirsty? Maybe have a milkshake first?” Brian was uninterested in the others. He focused solely on taking care of Jessica.

    “Yeah. Give me another te.” Jessica held out her empty te. She really had a big appetite right

    now.

    Brian took the te and quickly refilled it with pasta. Jessica took it and kept eating.

    The others, calmed by theirposure, gradually rxed and went back to enjoying their meal.

    But as they ate, fewer and fewer people remained in the living room.

    By the time Jessica finished her yogurt and looked up, only she and Brian and some crew members packing up the filming equipment were left in the room.

    The live stream had ended. The rest of the time was free for them.

    “All done? How about going for a walk together?” Brian stacked the tes. Someone woulde to clean them upter.

    “Sure” Jessica patted her full stomach. She thought a walk would help digest the food, so she wouldn’t feel bloated at night.

    Brian helped her up, and they strolled outside slowly.

    The sky was filled with sunset glow, painting the horizon bright orange–red.

    The wind blowing in carried the scent of sand–apletely different feeling from the city where they lived.

    7:24 pm bP /b

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    Next to the guesthouse was a stand of oak trees. Beneath them, various low shrubs grew in a scattered yet orderly way. With autumn there, most had turned yellowish–brown. Only a few still had hints of green.

    After leaving the guesthouse, Jessica pulled away from Brian’s support. The path was t and the streetlights were bright. She didn’t think she’d trip.

    Brian didn’t insist. He just reached out, took her hand, andced their fingers together, a little firmly.

    Jessica nced down at their hands, looked away, and kept walking.

    She didn’t pull back. That made Brian’s mood noticeably better.

    Not far from them, under an olive tree, Connor pulled Sabrina back into his arms as she tried to leave. Before she could get angry, he bent down, nuzzling her cheek yfully like he was begging.

    “Sabrina, just give me a kiss. Please?” Connor said.

    “Let go.” Sabrina pushed hard at his shoulder but couldn’t move him.

    “Nope. Not until you kiss me,” Connor said brazenly. He tilted his face right up to her lips.

    “Quit it,” Sabrina huffed and pushed him again.

    “I’m not messing around. I just want a kiss from you. What’s wrong with that?” Connor said.

    Then he suddenly lowered his gaze, staring at Sabrina with an affectionate look. “Or are you shy? But there’s no one else here, Sabrina.”

    As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp cracking sound came from behind them.

    Jessica looked at the dry branch under Brian’s foot, then at Sabrina and Connor, who’d quickly pulled apart and turned to ilook /iat them. It was so awkward,

    “Uh, sorry to interrupt. We’ll leave right away,” Jessica said, her scalp tingling. She waved awkwardly at Sabrina and started to pull Brian away.

    “Byei…/ii” /iConnor tried to say, but Sabrina elbowed him hard in the arm. He winced in pain and couldn’t say another word.

    After shutting Connor up, Sabrina fought down her awkwardness, stepped forward, and tried to say something to ease the tension.

    “I told you…” She’d barely gotten three words out when two sets of footsteps, getting closerb, /bcame from up ahead.

    The four of them looked at each other and instinctively ducked behind the olive trees.

    7:24 pm P

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    The sun had setpletely and the moon hadn’t risen yet. The fairly bright lights, weakened by the forest, looked really dim. One’d never notice the people behind the olive trees if they didn’t look closely.

    Once Jessica was hidden, she realized they probably didn’t need to hide at all. Even if they ran into other guests, it wouldn’t matter.

    Sabrina clearly realized this, too. She lifted her foot and stomped hard on Connor’s instep.

    She thought, ‘It’s all his fault. He made me so flustered that I wasn’t thinking straight.

    Just as they were wondering whether toe out, a quarrel suddenly broke out up ahead.

    “I’ve told you so many times. There is no such thing. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.” Vanessa’s voice,cking the coquettish tone she’d put on during the live stream, was sharp with anger and irritation.

    “You think I’d believe that? Tell me the truth. How many months along are you? Who’s the father? Spit it out so I can make ns.” Spencer’s tone, no longer gentle like during the live stream, was icy cold.

    “What do you mean by ‘how many months‘? There’s no such thing. Stop talking nonsense!” Vanessa denied it firmly.

    Spencer stared hard at her stomach. “You’d better be telling the truth.”

    Vanessa stared right back, not backing down. “Of course, I’m telling the truth. Quit being so paranoid all the time. It’s annoying.”

    She was starting to regret agreeing to this contract marriage with him. She thought, ‘He did nothing for my career. He couldn’t even make me look good during the game. He couldn’t even get us dinner. He’s worse than the young men. A total loser.’

    Spencer scoffed, “Me? Paranoid? That’s rich,ing from someone with your track record.”

    He and Vanessa had long agreed to do their own thing. But her messy love life still annoyed him. It bothered him even more when her personal life messed with his career.

    “Quit talking about me. You’re no better. Don’t act like I’ve wronged you,” Vanessa snorted.

    Spencer stared at her coldly. “You know that’s not what I mean. But Vanessa, I’m warning you. You’d better really not be hiding anything. Neither of us is that famous. If word gets out you cheated while married, you’ll end up cklisted.”

    If that happened, he wouldn’t lift a finger to help her. Not throwing her under the bus to get some extra attention would be the best he could do for this rtionship.

    “Same to you,” Vanessa shot back. ‘If cheating rumors break, who knows who’ll get caught first,‘ she

    7:24 pm P

    thought.

    “You!” Spencer was fuming.

    He thought, ‘I tried to warn her. And that’s the attitude she gives me?‘

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    Vanessa ignored himpletely. She yanked her hand out of his grip, turned around, and walked off. Spencer was so angry that he kicked the roadside tree hard.

    The four people behind the olive trees watched them walk away one after the other. They all felt a little stunned.

    They thought, ‘So this is what a model celebrity couple in the entertainment industry is like?‘