“No way!” Megan shook her head, refusing to budge. “I’m not leaving you! Even in death, I’ll stay!”

He could hardly believe her stubbornness.

Before he could say another word, his vision blurred, and a sharp pain struck his temple. He raised a hand, trying to steady himself.

Alarm flashed in Megan’s eyes. “What’s happening? Is it starting again? Are you in pain?”

Eric brushed her off with a wave, choosing not to answer. His earlier frustration had already taken a toll.

He shut his eyes and waited quietly for the pain to subside.

An idle thought wandered through his mind. If it had been Hadley who said those words to him…

No. That was never going to happen.

Hadley had just wrapped up reading the portion of the script Lisa provided. Only half the script had arrived, which was typical. In the business, full scripts always came after everything was made official.

At Lisa’s request, Hadley made detailed notes and scheduled a time to meet. Tamara drove her as always, and while they were on their way, the sky opened up and rain began to fall.

Rain unleashed itself in violent sheets, battering the car windows with relentless fury.

“What an incredible downpour!” Hadley exclaimed, startled by the storm’s sudden intensity.

“Indeed,” Tamara replied, her smile brightening. “The sky has been threatening all morning, and the humidity was suffocating. Thank goodness for some relief.”

Hadley sighed. “Hopefully, this will bring the temperature down a few degrees.”

Check what’s new on g@lnovs.c○m

They reached their destination ten minutes ahead of schedule.

Hadley sat patiently until Lisa finally appeared through the entrance.

“Ms. Beckett,” Hadley greeted her with respectful acknowledgment.

“Mm.” Lisa nodded approvingly at Hadley’s professional presence and motioned toward the chairs. “Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss.”

“Alright.”

Hadley settled into her chair, retrieved her tablet, navigated to the document, and extended it toward Lisa with steady hands.

“Excellent.” Lisa took the device gracefully. “I’ve already examined your preliminary work thoroughly.”

Hadley had emailed Lisa several days earlier.

“Now, guide me through your creative process. I suspect certain sections could benefit from deeper exploration.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Before we begin,” Lisa interjected with firm politeness, “please silence your phone completely. I find interruptions incredibly disruptive during important discussions.”

“Of course.”

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