<b>Chapter </b><b>33 </b>
“Isn’t she an actress? Would we get into trouble?” someone asked.
“Nah, Mr. Lane already said he’s covering for this. As long as we don’t kill her, we can do whatever we
want.”
“Hell yeah! I’ve never messed around with a celebrity before. Man, just thinking about some morous actress from TV getting wrecked behind closed doors? I’m already pumped!”
“She’s almost at 303. Let’s go.”
The two men’s disgusting chatter gradually faded down the hallway.
Veronica gripped the stair rail tightly as a cold sweat broke out along her spine. She had heard how dark
the entertainment industry could be, but she never imagined it could sink this low.
However, she was barely surviving herself now. She didn’t have the power to save anyone.
Veronica took a deep breath. She tried to shake off what she had just overheard, forcing herself not to get
involved.
She nced at the floor n posted on the wall. Room 303 was a corner suite on the third floor, tucked
away from foot traffic. Meanwhile, her meeting with the sportswear brand was scheduled for Room 310, conveniently at the opposite end of the hall.
After going upstairs, Veronica frowned as she stared at the tightly closed door of Room 303 from a distance. Then, a tall, graceful silhouette appeared in her line of sight, stopping outside Room 303 and knocking on the door.
Even with the mask, those striking eyes and signature height made her easy to recognize<b>–</b>it was Jocelyn Tillman, the rising star who’d just led a breakout mystery series.
Veronica had crossed paths with her once before. A year ago, in the early hours of the morning, she had received a <b>text </b>from Heath’s childhood friend, Archie Lane. He had asked her to pick Heath up from a bar.
When she arrived, she caught Heath sitting in a private booth, gently holding Eleanor and murmuring to her in the softest, most tender voice.
For the first time, Veronica nearly lost control. She grabbed a drink, ready to throw <b>it </b>in their <b>faces</b>. <b>Yet</b>, before she could, someone sshed her with a cold ss of alcohol from across <b>the </b>room.
Archie appeared, holding the empty wine ss with a smirk. “Do you see <b>it </b>now? What doesn’t belong to <b>you</b><b>, </b>no matter how <i>you </i>chase it, will never be yours.”
Only then did Veronica <b>realize </b><b>the </b>whole thing was a setup. There was never any drunk Heath waiting for
her; it was just another one of Archie’s twisted games.
She let out augh.
Archie narrowed his eyes. “What the hell are youughing at?”
“I’mughing at you, you desperate littlepdog.”
With that, Veronica threw her drink right in his face. She ignored his furious shouting and stormed out.
At the doorway, she ran into Jocelyn. That night, Jocelyn had been wearing a mask too, her eyes full of concern. She handed Veronica a silk scarf and said, “I think you might need this.”
Three monthster, Veronica heard a rumor that Jocelyn and Archie were dating.
She could only sigh at how this industry really was a small, twisted circle. But even so, Jocelyn had been
one of the rare few who’d ever shown her kindness.
Veronica didn’t hesitate anymore. She looked down at her phone and dialed 911.
Jocelyn hadn’t slept properly in three days, as she was caught up in the whirlwind of filming an intensete -night shoot. The moment she wrapped up, she received a message from her boyfriend, Archie, asking her to meet his family.
“Hi, are you Archie’s family?”
The private room contained only two overweight, greasy middle–aged men who, despite wearing suits, couldn’t hide their sleazy demeanor. However, Archie was nowhere to be seen.
There was no sign of Archie.
One of them rubbed his hands and stood up eagerly, saying, “We’re Archie’s uncles. You must be Jocelyn Tillman.”
“Yes, nice to meet you,” Jocelyn replied, removing her mask and hiding the suspicion in her eyes.
Chapter <b>34 </b>