Sebastian stood at the edge of the lake, watching Lexi and Dominic search the water.
His patience ran out.
“Connor,” he said calmly.
“Get her out. If she refuses…”
Connor didn’t need the rest.
He moved immediately.
Lexi ignored the calls from shore, focused only on finding the necklace.
Connor waded in and caught her arm.
“Miss Lexi, please,” he said firmly, guiding her back.
Dominic stepped closer, steadying her shoulder.
The tension between the men was obvious.
“Mr. Dominic,” Connor warned, “don’t interfere.”
Lexi gave Dominic a look.
Don’t.
Reluctantly, he let go.
Once on shore, she faced Sebastian.
“Why did you call me? I’m busy.”
“Do you know him?” Sebastian asked.
“No,” she replied without hesitation.
“You’re lying.”
His voice was sharp.
He knew Dominic wasn’t the type to help strangers.
“Believe what you want,” Lexi said.
“I’m going back.”
She tried to step around him, but he blocked her.
“That necklace,” he said quietly. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Is it more important than your life?”
“Yes.”
The answer came without pause.
For a moment, something unreadable flashed in his eyes.
Then he raised his hand.
The necklace hadn’t been thrown into the lake at all.
It was still wrapped around his fingers.
With a sharp tug, the chain snapped.
The crystal beads scattered across the muddy ground.
Lexi froze.
One by one, Sebastian crushed several under his polished shoes.
She looked up, fury blazing.
“Sebastian Blackwood, you’ve crossed the line.”
“You forced my hand,” he said coldly.
The punishment didn’t satisfy him.
If anything, it left him unsettled.
Dominic stepped onto shore just as Sebastian adjusted his cuffs.
“Mr. Dominic,” Sebastian said smoothly, “about that contract—let’s talk.”
Dominic glanced at Lexi, still kneeling in the mud.
She gave him a small nod.
Go.
He followed Sebastian briefly, returning a short while later.
“Forget the contract,” Dominic said lightly as he crouched beside her.
“You matter more.”
Lexi managed a faint smile, guilt flickering beneath it.
There were eighteen beads—one for each year of her life.
She counted them carefully before standing.
“Dinner’s on me.”
He ruffled her shoulder and drove her into the city.
The next morning, Dominic dropped her at the set.
Before he could leave, Lauren hurried over.
“Big brother!”
Dominic frowned.
“Don’t call me that.”
“We grew up together,” she insisted.
“It’s natural, right, Lexi?”
Lexi didn’t respond.
Dominic’s expression hardened.
“I’ve looked into everything you’ve done to her. If we didn’t share a past, I wouldn’t be this polite.”
Lauren’s smile stiffened.
Just then, Lauren herself stepped out of her van, yawning.
“What’s going on? Oh—big brother. Long time.”
“You’re getting bold,” Dominic replied.
Her eyes flickered.
She hated reminders of where they came from.
She leaned toward Lexi.
“Running to him for revenge?”
Lexi smiled faintly.
“We’re from the same orphanage. Catching up isn’t a crime.”
Lauren’s composure slipped for a second before she recovered.
The director called everyone to set.
Dominic gave Lexi one last look.
“Be careful.”
Then he left.
Today, Lexi would play Stella Ambrose—a privileged heiress driven by jealousy.
Rejected in love and overshadowed in success, Stella would turn ruthless, aligning herself with dangerous forces.
The role felt uncomfortably familiar.