Chapter 616

Evelyn Sinclair stepped out of Nathan Blackwood's suite, her mind immediately shifting back to work. She descended to the lobby to meet Dominic Kingsley.

The incident remained strictly confidential.

Only Dominic's sharp instincts had picked up on the disturbance. The official withdrawal statements from Cassandra Blake and Giselle Fontaine's agencies had likely been arranged by Nathan himself.

They spent the afternoon strategizing how to salvage the show and minimize losses. Yesterday's marathon filming session had already replaced two participants.

Fortunately, it was only May. There was still time to recruit new talent for reshoots.

But Evelyn had no intention of participating in the reshoots.

Repeating the same games would feel painfully artificial. Her acting skills weren't professional enough to pull off such deception convincingly.

Dominic had secured Arabella Winslow - a legendary divorced actress who normally wouldn't consider reality TV. Somehow, he'd persuaded her to give it a two-day trial.

The second replacement was Isadora Vanderbilt, a 25-year-old actress Lucas Sterling had recommended. Isadora had been married for seven years, the golden couple of Hollywood.

Until last week, when her husband's infidelity surfaced. Isadora's public defense of him had drawn widespread ridicule.

Now she needed to control the narrative. Her participation would serve as the perfect platform to announce their divorce - far better than letting tabloids break the story.

With both replacements secured and scheduled to arrive in days, the production team breathed easier.

Dominic planned to shoot other segments first to facilitate post-production. Evelyn returned to her room for a quick shower. Her phone displayed multiple missed calls from Isabella Montgomery.

Evelyn frowned. Hadn't she silenced her phone? She immediately returned the call, which was answered before the second ring.

"Finally!" Isabella's voice crackled with urgency. "Are you okay? Was that wine spiked? Did Nathan Blackwood try anything?"

Evelyn froze mid-step. The mention of wine triggered fragmented memories.

Right. She'd been video-calling Isabella while drinking. Then... Her brow furrowed. "How did Nathan get into my room?"

Isabella hesitated, guilt creeping into her voice. "I...I panicked. Asked him to check on you. I thought someone might have drugged you."

Evelyn's breath caught. Nathan had taken care of her all night and left without a word? Without Isabella, she'd never have known.

An odd sensation fluttered through her chest - light as a feather's touch.

Isabella interpreted the silence as confirmation. "It was drugged?!" She pinched her brow, staring at the cloudless sky outside her window. Her instincts had been right.

Regret flooded her. She should have gone herself, not given Nathan that opportunity. "Oh God... Did that bastard take advantage of you?"

The line went silent. Evelyn exhaled slowly, keeping her voice measured. "Relax. Just trace amounts of hallucinogens. I'm fine. Someone like him... doesn't exploit vulnerable situations."

Isabella released a shaky breath. "Thank God. If he'd touched you, I'd have carved him up like Thanksgiving turkey."

Evelyn chuckled. "Spare his worthless hide."