The production studio was colder than usual.
Lina wrapped her coat tighter around her, trying to ignore the hushed conversations trailing behind her heels.
"She's only famous because of him—"
"Didn't she just pop up out of nowhere?"
"I heard she cried her way into Kael's bed—"
[System Notification: Passive Threat Level Rising]
Category: Peer Jealousy / Narrative Distortion
Suggested Action: Strategic Deflection or Direct Confrontation
She didn't engage.
But her hands clenched tighter around her coffee.
Ren caught up with her near the makeup chairs, tilting his head.
"You hear them?"
"I hear everything."
"Want me to say something?"
"No," she said. "They'd just spin it into 'two men fighting over her.'"
Ren raised a brow. "Two?"
Lina gave him a sharp look.
He laughed. "Relax. I know he's the one you want."
She didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
The shoot that day went well—better than expected. Lina's presence on camera had shifted again. She was no longer simply "elegant" or "stoic." She was commanding.
And it made people nervous.
Later, in the break room, she came face to face with someone she hadn't seen in over a year.
Mira.
Hair longer now. Makeup flawless. Eyes sharp.
"Lina," she said smoothly. "You look… different."
"I should," Lina said. "I changed."
Mira's smile didn't touch her eyes. "Seems you landed well. Everyone's talking about you."
"Strange," Lina replied. "You sound like you hate that."
Silence.
Then Mira stepped closer. Too close.
"Be careful," she whispered. "The higher you climb, the more people will reach to pull you down. Even the ones you used to call family."
Lina didn't flinch. "You were never my family."
That night, she called Kael.
"I saw her today," she said.
"Mira?"
"She's back."
Kael's voice dropped. "Do you want me to handle it?"
Lina looked out over the city. Lights like false stars.
"No," she said. "This one's mine."
[System Notification: Trauma Proximity Triggered]
Memory Integration Accelerated
New Task Unlocked: "Cut the Thread" – Face the Person Who Broke You.
Reward: +Resilience, +Reputation Immunity (Partial), +Truth Influence
Failure Penalty: Emotional Regression / Vulnerability Spike
She closed the prompt.
"I'm not scared of her anymore."