Chapter 24
Hazel's POV
"Sister-in-law!"
Anna's cheerful voice rang through the grand hallway the instant I stepped off the last stair. She darted forward, light as a breeze, and wrapped her arm around mine with a hug that pulsed with uncontainable energy.
"Mother, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," I said as I approached Mrs. Paula. The relief that softened her expression told me she had feared worse—that I might have returned wounded, never mind whether her son limped home whole.
I slid onto the sofa beside her just as Val came down the staircase. He moved with quiet dominance, every step measured, his gaze cool as glass. Without a word, he settled on the armchair opposite us, as if the world beyond his mother barely existed. Yet we all knew the truth: no matter how distant he acted, her presence always drew him home.
"Brother," Anna chirped, "while you were out on a killing spree or whatever mysterious thing you do, you missed the show Sister put on at her audition!"
Val gave no sign he'd heard. His face remained an unreadable mask. Anna huffed in mock defeat and nestled closer to me.
Mrs. Paula's warm voice followed. "The results will be out soon. I can already imagine you winning."
I let a small, crooked smile slip. "Don't place bets just yet. The industry is a crooked game. Besides, I doubt I'll win both the modeling slot and the female-lead role."
Anna's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Still, the way you humiliated Dawn—perfect! She strutted like a peacock until you clipped her feathers. One second she owned the room, the next she wanted the floor to swallow her whole. Your trick worked like magic."
I reached over to brush a loose curl from Anna's forehead. "Don't let pride like that tempt you, little one. Pride and arrogance make even the strongest woman easy prey. People step on the proud without mercy."
She blinked at me, absorbing the warning.
Despite her boundless enthusiasm, I couldn't deny that having a younger-sister type around warmed something lonely inside me.
Anna recovered quickly. "If you do win both roles, what will you do?"
"Reject one." I said it lightly, watching her eyes widen.
"Reject one? Why?" Her brows drew together, and even Mrs. Paula looked startled.
"During the audition I stirred a little chaos," I said, plucking an orange segment from the plate a maid had just set down. "I plan to decline one role and hand the chance to whoever places second. Consider it… strategy."
Anna's frown deepened. "Sister, that's risky. You could be blacklisted. No more auditions. Maybe no work at all!"
I smiled at her concern and popped the orange slice onto her lips to silence further protests. "Do you really think I went there without a bigger plan? I caught Sir Carlos's attention—that was the goal. A man with his reputation doesn't forget talent. And Judge Lucy? Brilliant and merciless. The other judges are prodigies too, but Carlos's eye for raw skill is legendary. With his endorsement, I'll have work when I want it."
Anna still looked doubtful. "You're fearless… or scheming."
Mrs. Paula chuckled around a bite of cookie. "Indeed. Scheming suits you."
"The world isn't innocent," I replied with a small shrug. "Playing kind and naïve is the worst shield. People will use it as a blade against you."
Mrs. Paula's gaze sharpened briefly, then softened. "I'm not against a clever plan. But be careful. Schemes have a way of circling back."
Anna tilted her head, curiosity bright in her eyes. "So what's your real reason for stepping into entertainment?"
"I want a name of my own," I answered without hesitation. "I hold certificates in half a dozen fields, but I need to find which path fits best. I already have a bad reputation in certain circles—now I want a professional one. Independence matters more to me than anything. Relying on someone else has never been my thing."
Mrs. Paula smiled with quiet approval, as if that answer pleased her more than she'd admit.
"I made soup," she said suddenly, a playful glint lighting her eyes.
I blinked. Soup.
A single word, but my mind immediately spun.
Not that kind, surely. The drama-mother-in-law kind, simmered with secret herbs to strengthen a man, boost vitality, spark fertility, or—worst of all—double as an aphrodisiac.
Heat crept up my neck. Absolutely not.
I kept the thought buried, letting only a polite smile show. The gunshot scars on Val's body already kept intimacy at bay; I had no desire to wake tomorrow with an aching or sore body or a life quietly taking root inside me.
No, thank you. I'll find a way to dispose of that soup before it ever reaches Val.
"Sister, which audition will you reject?" Anna asked again, her face bright with eager curiosity.
Her question tugged me from my thoughts. I blinked, momentarily lost. Was she not following anything we'd just discussed?
"All this only matters if I win," I said at last. "If not, forget the conversation entirely."
Anna pouted, her lower lip jutting like a child denied sweets.
But a quiet prickle of instinct brushed my senses.
Something felt… off, I felt uneasy.
I studied her more carefully. Her cheerful mask slipped for an instant. The glow in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a glint I hadn't noticed before—something thoughtful, almost calculating—as she stared at the fruit bowl. It wasn't dark, not exactly, but it was a shade of Anna I hadn't seen.
My gaze slid to Mrs. Paula, serene as she savored the last bite of her cookie.
A slow smirk curled my lips.
Rule number two, I reminded myself. Never trust anybody. Even the most loyal dog can bite. I've set a few traps of my own. Soon enough, we'll know who is friend and who is foe.
The room fell into a comfortable hush. Sweet citrus perfumed the air.
But under the quiet, something subtle shifted—like the faint crack before a storm.