Chapter 29
The next evening, Nance University.
Emma rode her scooter across campus in a floral sundress, a canvas tote hanging from one shoulder.
The setting sun spilled warm gold across the campus, catching in her hair as she passed.
Heads turned.
That wasn't particularly unusual.
Before she'd practically disappeared from campus for her internship, Emma had been one of the most talked-about girls at Nance University.
And now that she was suddenly back—
people noticed.
"Wait—is that Emma Carter?"
"No way. She actually came back?"
"I haven't seen her in forever."
"I heard she's been doing an internship."
"An internship? She's an acting major. Why isn't she auditioning?"
"Because getting acting jobs isn't that easy. Background work barely pays anything, and decent roles usually go to people with agents, connections, or a lot of luck."
"Didn't Dylan used to chase her?"
"Oh my God, yeah. He was obsessed with her."
"His family's loaded too. I still can't believe she rejected him."
"I thought Chloe was the campus favorite now. She's practically famous."
"Didn't Dylan start chasing Chloe after Emma rejected him?"
"I heard that too."
Emma rode past without hearing any of it.
A few minutes later, she parked her scooter outside the university auditorium.
Rehearsal was scheduled for six.
Emma checked the time.
5:59.
Perfect.
She walked inside.
Backstage, Chloe Dawson's expression tightened slightly the moment Emma entered.
A floral sundress.
Minimal makeup.
Canvas tote.
Nothing particularly elaborate.
And somehow, Emma still looked effortlessly beautiful.
Dylan noticed her too.
He was a film directing student, and Chloe had asked him to direct their showcase production.
He hadn't seen Emma in a long time either.
Mostly because she'd blocked him ages ago.
The moment he saw her again, surprise flashed through his eyes.
She was still ridiculously beautiful.
Bright eyes.
Delicate features.
A narrow waist.
The kind of face cameras loved without needing much help.
Unfortunately, the words that came out of his mouth were considerably less flattering.
"Nice of you to finally show up."
Emma looked at him.
Dylan crossed his arms.
"We've all been waiting. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were some huge movie star."
Emma recognized him immediately.
Of course she did.
It was difficult to forget a man who had once covered the lawn outside her dorm with hundreds of candles to confess his love.
Emma had responded by dumping a bucket of water over the entire display.
Then she'd leaned out the window and yelled,
"Stop creating a fire hazard!"
Dylan had considered that one of the greatest humiliations of his life.
Emma remembered something else too.
The message he'd sent her afterward.
Emma had blocked him immediately.
Sorry.
She didn't have time for that either.
"Didn't you say six?" Emma asked pleasantly.
Chloe walked over.
"Yes. Six. Everyone else got here at five-thirty."
Emma glanced at her.
"If you wanted me here at five-thirty, you should've said five-thirty."
Chloe's expression stiffened.
Dylan immediately stepped closer to her.
"Forget it. Don't waste your time arguing with her."
Then he looked at Emma.
"Some people don't take this seriously. That's why they can't get acting jobs."
Emma:
"......"
She'd been here for approximately one minute.
This was already exhausting.
Dylan clapped his hands.
"All right. Let's get started. Everyone knows their scenes, right?"
There were a little over a dozen students involved in the production.
Chloe quickly recovered her composure.
She looked around at everyone.
"We have a special guest coming to coach us tonight, so please don't embarrass yourselves."
One of the girls raised her hand.
"Chloe, is it Leo Fontaine?"
Chloe lifted her chin.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Then she gave the girl a pointed look.
"Don't ask questions you don't need to ask."
Emma stood off to the side, reading through her script.
She didn't have many scenes.
Her character, Princess Vivienne, was a minor villain.
A beautiful, unstable princess who became obsessed with the male lead—a foreign prince being held hostage in her kingdom.
Vivienne had him dragged to her private chambers and tried to force him into becoming her lover.
Unsurprisingly—
that relationship did not end well.
He eventually killed her.
Emma had two major scenes.
One where Vivienne humiliated and threatened him.
And another where he came back for revenge.
Simple enough.
Because of tonight's special guest, everyone went to the dressing rooms to put together basic costumes and stage makeup.
Everyone except Chloe had to make do with what the department provided.
Chloe had brought her own professional stylist.
Her costume had been specially prepared too.
She even had a private dressing room.
Inside, Dylan handed Chloe a coffee.
"Emma has no idea we've already run through our scenes a bunch of times, does she?"
Chloe gave a cold laugh.
"That's her problem."
She took the coffee.
"She barely comes to campus. Besides, she has two scenes. She's not exactly important."
Dylan smiled.
He was looking forward to watching Emma embarrass herself too.
"The university's livestreaming tonight."
He leaned against the counter.
"You're going to kill it."
Chloe smiled.
Obviously.
She was already the most recognizable person in their group.
And tonight—
Leo Fontaine was coming.
Chloe had appeared in one of his movies before. She'd played a small supporting role and shared several scenes with him.
Surely he'd remember her.
And if she could convince Leo to perform a scene with her tonight...
Chloe's smile widened.
With the university livestreaming the entire thing?
That clip could go viral overnight.
And if she asked him in front of the cameras—
surely he wouldn't refuse.
At the entrance to the auditorium, a tall man dressed entirely in black stepped through the doors.
Black cap.
Black mask.
Casual clothes.
Only his eyes were visible—cool, distant, unreadable.
Even with most of his face hidden, his height and presence drew attention almost immediately.
"Professor Evelyn."
Leo Fontaine gave the silver-haired woman waiting for him a small nod.
Professor Evelyn smiled.
Leo had once been her student.
Her most successful student, in fact.
And because she mentioned him so often, a few of the other faculty members occasionally teased her about it.
Leo Fontaine probably doesn't even remember you anymore.
That had annoyed her enough that, on impulse, she'd finally sent him a message asking whether he'd be willing to come back and coach this year's graduating acting students.
Leo still sent her a message every holiday.
He wasn't someone who forgot the people who had helped him early in his career.
Still, after sending the invitation, Professor Evelyn had immediately wondered whether she'd asked too much.
Leo's schedule was notoriously packed.
She hadn't expected him to say yes.
But he had.
He'd simply told her to coordinate the time with his assistant.
"I didn't think you'd actually have time to come," Professor Evelyn said. "I'm not interfering with work, am I?"
"No."
Leo's answer was quiet and simple.
He respected Professor Evelyn.
She had helped him when he was still a student, and this was the first favor she'd ever asked of him.
If his schedule allowed it, he had no reason to refuse.
Besides, turning down his former professor's first invitation without a real conflict would only invite unnecessary speculation.
One appearance at his old university was easy enough.
Professor Evelyn smiled.
"Good. This is actually their first full rehearsal, so your timing is perfect."
Leo nodded.
That made sense.
Correcting actors early was useful.
Once they'd rehearsed a scene the same way twenty times, changing their instincts became much harder.
Professor Evelyn continued as they walked.
"My class has several groups. I picked this one because they're the strongest overall."
The university president, who had joined them, smiled warmly.
"We really appreciate you coming back, Mr. Fontaine. These students are incredibly lucky."
He gestured toward the auditorium.
"We're livestreaming tonight through the university's official account. If there's anything you'd rather we avoid filming, just let us know."
"Nothing in particular," Leo said.
"You can stream normally."
There had been no advance announcement.
No promotional campaign.
Nothing.
Leo Fontaine had simply returned quietly to his former university to coach a group of graduating students.
Which, naturally—
meant the internet was about to lose its mind.
Inside the auditorium, students and faculty members were already gathering.
The moment Leo walked in, whispers spread through the room.
People stared.
Several students visibly reached for their phones, then thought better of running over to him.
The livestream had already begun.
The university's official account posted:
The viewer count exploded.
Comments began flying across the screen.
The livestream audience continued climbing.
Backstage, someone rushed in.
"They're ready. We can start."
Leo took a seat in the front row, where he could stop a scene whenever necessary and give notes.
Chloe was the female lead.
Naturally, she was the first person scheduled to appear.
But instead of beginning the scene—
she walked straight off the stage.
Toward Leo.
"Mr. Fontaine!"
Leo looked up.
Chloe smiled brightly.
"Hi. It's me—the girl who played your character's younger protégé in The Return."
Leo's eyes rested on her.
A beat passed.
"Sorry?"
Chloe's smile faltered.
"Chloe Dawson."
She laughed awkwardly.
"We worked together on The Return. I played your character's protégé. We had several scenes together."
Leo thought about it.
Then said calmly,
"Sorry. I don't remember."
Chloe:
"......"
Her fingers tightened slightly.
But she recovered almost immediately.
"That's okay!"
Her smile returned.
"I'm playing the female lead tonight. I'm sure I'll give you something to remember this time."
The livestream comments immediately exploded.
Chloe extended her hand.
Leo looked at it.
Then stood just enough to give her a brief, polite handshake.
"Good luck."
His voice was cool and distant.
Nothing more.
Chloe's cheeks warmed anyway.
Her eyes lit up.
"I'll do my best."
Leo released her hand and leaned back in his seat.
"Let's begin."