The m had been… oo nice.

  After breakfast, Evangeline and Alex fell bato their usual rhythm—work mode. Evangeline had a packed schedule, an evening shoot lined up for her project, while Alex had a meeting with Bill.

  Rachel had already arranged a meeting with Bill Murray. It was supposed to be a simple, straightforward meeting. Pitch the film, get him on board, and move forward.

  But as Alex stood in the garage beside his Aston Martin, watg Evangeline pull her car keys from her bag, he realized something.

  He didn't really wao leave.

  And judging by the way she hesitated, shifting on her feet and chewing the inside of her cheek, her did she.

  There was an unspoken tensioween them, ohat had been simmerih the surface si night whily increased over the breakfast. That kind of tension made people do reckless things.

  Evangeliook a deep breath, adjusting her grip on her bag. "So..."

  Alex leaned casually against his car, watg her with a knowing smile. "So."

  She g him, then at the ground, before letting out a small ugh. "Hey! Stop looking at me like that."

  "Like what?"

  "Like you're waiting for me to do something stupid."

  Alex raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. "Who said it would be stupid?"

  Evangeline huffed, shaking her head with amusement. "God, you're insufferable."

  He took a step forward, a predatlint in his eye. "Yeah... And you wouldn't have it any other way."

  She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came. A blush crept across her cheeks, her pulse rag under his unfling gaze.

  "You really want to keep doing this dance? Circle each other until one of us breaks?"

  "That was my pn."

  Their eyes locked.

  It wasn't pnned, and it sure as hell wasn't smart, but Evangeline found herself leaning in, her body gravitating toward his like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Alex didn't move. He didn't rush it. He just waited, watg her through half-lidded eyes as if he kly where this was heading.

  Their heart was beating hard as the space between them began shrinking. It was as if time itself had stopped. Alex too leaned in forward, a little.

  Just as her lips barely brushed his...

  BRRRRRING!

  Evangeline's ph.

  Loud. Obnoxious. Perfectly timed to ruin the moment.

  She let out a sharp breath, squeezing her eyes shut before pulling back. "Oh, for f..." She sighed. It was her manager.

  Alex chuckled, stepping back as she fumbled with her phone. "Saved by the bell."

  Evangeline shot him a gre before answering the call. "Yeah?" She listened for a sed, then sighed. "Alright, I'm on my way."

  Alex folded his arms, watg her with amusement. "Work?"

  She nodded, log her phone and slipping it bat. "Yeah. Guess I should actually do my job."

  Alex nodded. "Probably a good idea."

  She sighed, running a hand through her hair before looking up at him. "Rain check?"

  Alex's smirk deepened. "You're the one who almost kissed me, Evie."

  Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up."

  She walked around to her car, opening the door before pausing. Looking back at him, she bit her lip as if debating something. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she smirked. "I always win in the end, Wilson."

  Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "We'll see about that."

  With that, she slipped into her car and pulled out of the garage.

  Alex watched her go, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

  "Yeah," he muttered to himself. "This is going to be fun. But damn that phone. Arggg! So close. Well, see ya ime, Evie."

  ...

  [A few hours ter]

  Alex arrived at Bill Murray's office expeg a productive meeting. What he didn't expect?

  Cops.

  The moment he pulled up, the fshing red-and-blue lights of police vehicles greeted him. Officers stood he entraalking amongst themselves while a few reporters loitered around, trying to sneak in photos.

  Alex's brows furrowed as he stepped out of his car. Something was very wrong. His skill to hide his presence was already in effect. He couldn't let others know he was there because troversy starts from rumors and who's better than those reporters?

  His phone buzzed in his pocket.

  Rachel.

  He answered immediately. "Tell me you're seeing this."

  "Yeah," Rachel's voice came through, tense. "I just got off the phoh one of my tacts. Bill's in trouble, Alex. Serious trouble."

  Alex goward the officers, his jaw tightening. "What happened?"

  Rachel exhaled sharply. "Domestic violend drug possession. His wife just filed charges against him this m. It's all over the news."

  Alex ched his teeth. "Shit."

  Rachel tinued, her voice urgent. "This isn't some small sdal, Alex. This is bad. The studio is already pulling ba any projects with his ached. If we try to move forward with him now, we're basically itting career suicide."

  Alex ran a hand down his face. Just his damn luck.

  He looked back at the se in front of him, reporters already spinning their stories, oving in and out of the building.

  There was no salvaging this.

  Rachel's voice softened slightly. "What's the move, boss?"

  Alex sighed. But he quickly calmed his emotions. If not Bill, then he could just find someone else.

  "We find a new lead."

  Rachel was silent for a moment before finally responding, "Alright."

  Alex's grip on his phoightened as he turned back toward his car.

  ...

  [Max & Caroline's Apartment – The Living Room]

  Max and Caroli on their worn-out couch, a wooden coffee table in front of them stacked with ominous-looking papers. Bills. Debts. More bills. More debts. And one particurly terrifying piece of paper with a very rge, very red FINAL WARNING stamped across it.

  Caroline, ever the responsible one, had her ptop open, typing furiously while chewing on the end of a pen. Max, oher hand, was slumped over the couch like a defted balloon, (except for her boobs of course) staring at the ceiling with the dead eyes of someone who had just accepted their impending doom.

  "So," Caroliarted, adjusting her gsses. "The good news is, we made 3,300 from the cupcake deal with Alex."

  Max bli the ceiling. "Amazing. We're basically millionaires now."

  Caroline ignored her sarcasm ayping. "After dedug ingredient costs, delivery fees, rent for the kit, utilities, and, you know, existing as human beings… that leaves us enough moo keep our kit space for about a month. If we don't die of stress-induced heart attacks first."

  Max groaned. "Ugh. Why does life cost so much money? You were right. I should up my expectations and standards. I should just go for a rich, guy. Like ar Daddy."

  Caroline side-eyed her. "You would've cheated on yar daddy with a motorcycle guy named Jax within the first three months."

  Max thought for a bit. "...Nah! As long as he keeps us happy... Ah! I mean, me happy."

  Caroline exhaled, rubbiemples. "Okay, now onto the real nightmare. Your debts." She picked up a stack of papers and started flipping through them. "Let's start with the least horrifying one. Your student loan..."

  Max groaned even louder. "Oh, we're starting with that again? That's like saying, 'Good news, you only have to fight a shark before fag the Kraken.'"

  Caroline held up a very official-lookier. "Acc to this, you still owe 17,000 in student loans. And from what I tell, you've been aggressively avoiding them."

  Max sat up slightly. "In my defense, I thought if I ighem long enough, they'd just... I don't know. Go away?"

  Caroline gave her a deadpan look. "Yeah, that's not how debt works."

  Max flopped bato the couch. "Damn it."

  Caroline tinued. " up: Gary the Meat Guy. You owe him 500."

  Max sat up again. "Okay, in my defense, I was going to pay him back."

  Caroline held up another piece of paper. "Max, this is literally a threat letter from him. It says, and I quote, 'You have three weeks to pay up or I start colleg in blood and fingers.'"

  Max waved it off. "Pfft. Cssic Gary. He's all bark, no bite."

  Caroline looked at her ftly. "Max. He owns a butcher shop."

  Max hesitated. "...Okay, fine. Some bite."

  Caroline tinued flipping through the stack. "Alright, now onto something I didn't even know was a thing... your women's tennis gambli?"

  Max winced. "Ohhh. Right. That."

  Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Max."

  "Okay, okay! So teically I bet a rge amount of money on women's tennis," Max admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "I thought I had insider knowledge! I knew Sharapova was gonna win!"

  Caroliured dramatically at the bill. "But she didn't!"

  Max groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Serena Williams destroyed her."

  Caroline pihe bridge of her nose. "How much?"

  Max mumbled something under her breath.

  Caroline leaned forward. "Max. How much?"

  Max coughed. "...Four thousand dolrs."

  Caroline screamed.

  Max cpped a hand over her mouth. "SHHHHH! You wan us evicted?"

  Caroline was hyperventiting. "Four... thousand... dolrs?! Max, we don't even have four hundred dolrs in spending money right now!"

  Max held up her hands. "Okay, okay! But look, it's fine! I talked to the bookie, and he said I have some time to..."

  Caroline grabbed another letter and waved it in her face. "Max, this literally says 'FINAL WARNING. PAY UP OR ELSE.' There's a doodle of a guy breaking someone's kneecaps in the er!"

  Max blinked. "Oh. Huh. Didn't notice that before."

  Carolihrew the letter oable, leaning bad rubbing her face. "Max. I love you. I really do. But what the hell is wrong with you?"

  Max groahrowing herself bato the couch. "Ugh! I don't know! Bad decisions are fun in the moment, okay?"

  Carolitered under her breath, "I need better friends."

  Then, as if the financial gods themselves were mog them, the sound of a car arm bring from outside made them both jump.

  Caroline closed her eyes. "Please don't tell me that's reted to us."

  Max peeked through the window. "Nope. Just general city chaos. We're good."

  Caroli out a slow breath. "Alright. The only thing keeping us alive right now is your dinner meeting with Alex. That bigger deal he promised could actually get us out of this hole."

  Max smirked. " you believe it? Me going on a date with Alex? Oh, so many things could g and..." She was already imagining things like how she would mess up and Alex would drag her to his special BDSM basement where both of them would do something very kinky.

  Caroline shot her a look. "First of all, you're not dating him. Sed, this is business. So please, for the love of all things holy, do not screw this up by being your usual unfiltered, chaotic self."

  Max pced a hand over her heart, feigning offense. "Excuse you. My unfiltered and chaotibsp;self is exactly what got me this meeting in the first pce."

  Caroline pihe bridge of her nose. "Max. He is our only shot at financial survival right now. Do not make a sugar daddy joke. Do not flirt yourself into an early grave. And definitely do not call him 'Daddy' in public."

  Max gasped dramatically. "Caroline! How dare you take away my god-given right to call him Daddy?"

  Caroline grabbed a pillow and smacked her with it. "I swear to God, Max..."

  Max cackled, dodging the pillow attack. "Fine, fine! I'll try to behave. But no promises. Besides, you blew your p on him on your first date with him. Now, don't get jealous..."

  Caroline sighed, rubbiemples. "I'm gonna have an aneurysm before the week is over."

  ----[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS PLS]----

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  [8 advance chs] [All chs avaible for all tiers]

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