He glanced at his watch. Around this time, Hadley was likely on her way to the event venue.

Pocketing his phone and grabbing his keys, he stepped out.

The door across the hall stood slightly open. From inside came muffled voices—and the sound of someone crying.

His chest tightened. Was that Hadley? Was she crying?

Without a second thought, he stepped forward and knocked. “Hadley, it’s me. Zane… can I come in?”

“Zane?” She appeared at the door, startled.

Why was he here? Did something happen?

But he spoke first. “What’s going on?” His voice was soft, but his eyes searched her face.

Her cheeks were dry. Her eyes clear. He let out a breath. She hadn’t been crying.

“I was in the hallway and thought I heard someone crying,” he explained. “Guess I was wrong.”

“You weren’t.” Hadley gave a faint, strained smile. There was someone crying in her room.

Zane looked past her. Chelsey and Tamara were inside.

“Hadley, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault,” a voice choked out between sobs.

Zane finally realized that the one crying was Hadley’s young assistant. The girl’s face had gone pale. From the sound of it, she had made a serious mistake.

“What happened?” He looked toward the others, then leaned closer to Hadley. “Don’t you have an event today?”

“Yes, I do.” Her brows pinched together in frustration. “I was just about to leave when something came up.”

This wasn’t just any event. It was a promotional appearance for her new drama—her first official outing as an actress.

L?t?st cнαpt?rs ιn glnov?ls.

The outfit she was supposed to wear had been provided by the brand sponsoring the event.

Elvin had recently secured a partnership for Hadley with that brand. Whether it would lead to a higher-tier collaboration depended on this probation period, where the brand observed everything—including how she presented herself in their clothes.

So the clothes weren’t just clothes. They were part of the job.

But when Chelsey had gone to collect them, she realized the suitcase had vanished.

Chelsey kept crying, unable to hold it in. She was the one responsible for managing Hadley’s wardrobe. This mistake was entirely hers.

Her eyes had already turned puffy from the tears. “Hadley, I’m so sorry…”

“Stop crying.” Tamara’s tone was sharp but not cruel. “Crying won’t fix it. We need to think—”

“I’m sorry…” Chelsey sobbed harder, then quickly bit her lip, trying to hold it back. She didn’t want to upset Hadley any further.

“Tamara.” Hadley shook her head gently.

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