?Chapter 956:


    Kristian’s brow creased, just a little. His eyes shifted instinctively toward Gerard.


    Gerard, quick on his feet, feigned a look of surprise, as if Zander’s arrival hadpletely blindsided him.


    Zander, having visited often during previous shoots in Alerith, already knew the door code and moved with the ease of someone familiar. He went straight to the cab and grabbed a couple of sses, pausing to nce at Gerard. “You drinking?”


    “You and my boss go ahead. I’ll pass,” Gerard replied. Alcohol had never been his thing. “I’ll head out and leave you two to it.”


    With that, he made himself scarce, slipping out before anyone could say a word.


    Kristian half wanted to call him back, but Gerard was already gone, too quick for protest.


    Zander poured out the liquor Gerard had brought, filling up both sses. “Why’d Gerard bring this? Bad day too?”


    “No,” Kristian replied, covering the truth with a lie.


    Zander didn’t push.


    They clinked sses, and Zander downed his in one swift motion. Watching him, Kristian adjusted his expression and focused on Zander. “What happened?”


    “Some guy at dinner tonight tried hitting on me,” Zander said, his voice as calm as ever. “Told me I couldnd any role I wanted if I went home with him.”


    It was the kind of thing that happened all the time in their world. Backdoor deals, sleazy offers, spiked drinks—none of it was shocking anymore. Zander had seen it all.


    “Where was your manager?” Kristian asked. He wasn’t overly worried about Zander. Despite his ce in the spotlight, Zander came from a powerful background. He yed it low-key, blending in like any regr guy.


    Your favorite stories are on g?lnσνe??s?c?m


    “He got pulled into another room for negotiations,” Zander replied.


    The whole scene had disgusted him, but it hadn’t been enough to send him looking forpany. Truth was, he was here because Gerard had asked him toe. He had heard that Kristian wasn’t eating or drinking, and his mood was circling the drain. Once his drink was gone, Zander refilled both sses.


    For the next few rounds, he sipped slowly, barely wetting his lips, pretending to drink while watching Kristian closely.


    Kristian was too caught up in his thoughts to notice. If he’d been thinking straight, he would have known better—Zander wasn’t the type to spiral over something that trivial.


    By the time they’d emptied two bottles, Kristian was visibly drunk, the strong liquor hitting him hard and fast. Zander, meanwhile, remained stone-cold sober. He’d barely touched his ss, just ying along while keeping a close eye on his friend.


    He had been studying Kristian the whole time, and it was now painfully clear—Kristian was a mess. This wasn’t the man he knew.


    “How’ve you been?” Zander asked, figuring it was finally the right time. He topped off Kristian’s ss again, his tone light. “How are things with Freya?”


    Neither Zander nor Felipe knew anything about Kristian’s injury, thea, or the memory loss. Isaac hadn’t told a soul. And the rumors that had surfaced online had been brushed off as fake after Kristian made a public return.


    “I lost her,” Kristian muttered, voice heavy and low as he clutched the ss tighter. The alcohol only made the pain sharper, harder to contain.


    Zander paused. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at him. Kristian knocked the drink back in one go, the confession slipping free in his drunken haze. “She’s with someone else now.”


    “Is that man good to her?” Zander asked.


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