Lexi sank onto a bench outside, pressing a hand to her stomach.
“Must be something I ate… or maybe it’s just a chill. I’ll be fine soon.”
“That won’t do. I’ll get medicine. Wait here.”
Before she could respond, Isabella darted off, gone in an instant.
Lexi frowned.
She hadn’t eaten anything unusual… except that box of cookies earlier.
Could they be the cause?
But if so, why had Isabella rushed to buy medicine with such urgency?
Something didn’t add up.
Determined, Lexi returned to her room to check for the cookies.
They were gone.
Someone had taken them deliberately.
A small kindness from Isabella now felt like a potential trap.
When Isabella returned with medicine, she found Lexi calmly sitting on the bench.
Lexi accepted the pills and water without breaking her composure.
“I’ll take these later. You go on.”
Isabella nodded and left.
Lexi pocketed the pills instead of discarding them, planning to get checked at the hospital.
At the hospital, the tests brought relief: her nausea and vomiting were caused by food—not pregnancy.
The missing cookies meant the doctor couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had triggered it, but Lexi’s condition wasn’t serious.
Night fell, light rain falling as the city hummed around her.
Despite lingering illness, filming didn’t stop.
Three people mentioning it turned into a crowd-wide rumor.
Given her past with Julian Reed and Sebastian Blackwood, she quickly became a pariah.
The director even summoned her for questioning.
Lexi had no proof of who started the rumor, but she vowed to find out.
Her period had been delayed, and memories of that drugged night made her shiver.
Faint bruises and marks remained.
Could it have been…?
Before she could dwell further, a black Maybach blocked her path.
Bodyguards grabbed her, tossing her into the car.
Rain and headlights blurred past as the vehicle sped off.
She slammed her head inside the car, crying out.
“You feel pain too?”
The cold voice made her freeze.
No need to look—she knew who it was.
“I’m human. Of course I feel pain,” she replied, straightening.
“Are you pregnant?” Sebastian Blackwood lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his icy gaze.
Lexi scoffed.
“Who told you? Lauren? Isabella?”
Sebastian said nothing.
He remembered that night clearly.
The stakes were heavy.
“Go to the hospital,” he ordered, his tone cutting.
Connor, his assistant, nodded.
They arrived quickly.
“I’ll stay. You go ahead,” Lexi said, determined.
Tests confirmed her relief: she wasn’t pregnant.
Sebastian, however, didn’t share her joy.
A flicker of subtle disappointment shadowed his expression.
Near the set, he yanked the door open and shoved her out.
“If I ever catch you being careless with other men again… you’re finished!”
Shivering and aching, Lexi returned to the set and posted her results on the announcement board.
She would uncover whoever had spread the rumor.
“It’s just a test. Any hospital can provide one for two hundred bucks,” Isabella sneered.
“Then get one yourself and show me!” Lexi shot back.
“You haven’t even thrown up, why bother? But you… messing around with that wild man… now you have to prove your innocence in a foolish way,” Lauren added, disdain flashing in her eyes.
“Truth will speak for itself,” Lexi said, turning away.
Later, chaos erupted during the rehearsal of the wedding scene between Vanessa and Thomas.
Makeup was scattered, costumes thrown.
Lauren, furious, pointed at a young makeup artist.
The girl cowered, tears streaming.
“Lauren, what are you doing?” Lexi said, helping her up.
“Ask her yourself,” Lauren spat.
The girl, Mia, had spilled expensive makeup by accident.
“I didn’t do it on purpose! Please, help me explain,” she whispered.
Lexi straightened, addressing Lauren firmly.
“You still have a scene to shoot. Let it go.”
The director sighed, unwilling to intervene in the feud but cautious of offending a star.
“Fine. Mia, don’t come in tomorrow. Lexi, apologize to Lauren, and we’ll move on.”
Lexi’s fury ignited.
Forced to apologize yet again, she clenched her teeth.
Sebastian had punished her, and now the director too—what more humiliation awaited?