The next morning at nine, Cassius's suite living room felt calmer than the night before. Keira had already changed into a simple black dress with a beige trench coat—clean, low-key, perfect for the day.
Her agent had rushed it over at dawn. When she saw Keira in Cassius's room, the woman gave them both a knowing look. Cassius had met her once before, so he opened his mouth to explain, then thought better of it. Sometimes silence was smarter.
Keira looked better. The dark circles had faded and her energy felt steadier. She spun in front of him in the dress. "Does this work?"
Cassius smiled. The British rose had that vulnerable charm even when she tried to play it cool. "It's perfect. Red carpet's tonight. This is just rehearsal and press warm-up. No need to go full glam."
Keira nodded and checked her hair in the mirror one more time. Cassius's phone buzzed—Vin Diesel. "We're downstairs in the lobby. You ready?"
"Coming down now."
They took the elevator. In the lobby, Vin, Paul Walker, and Michelle Rodriguez were waiting. The second they saw Cassius and Keira walk out together, the teasing started.
Paul whistled first. "Yo, Cass. Not gonna introduce us?"
Vin gave that classic guy-to-guy smirk. Michelle just raised an eyebrow.
Cassius knew exactly what they were thinking. Explaining would only make it worse, so he kept it simple. "This is Keira Knightley. She's here to support the premiere."
"Hi," Keira said with a warm smile. "I'm a huge fan of the series—especially that vault heist in Five. That was badass."
Paul grinned. "Good taste. I was sore for two weeks after filming that."
Vin bumped fists with Cassius and muttered low, "Damn, man. British rose and everything? You work fast."
"It's not like that," Cassius said, already tired of the assumption.
"Sure, sure," Vin winked. "We're all adults here. Your secret's safe."
Cassius gave up. The group piled into the SUV and headed for Leicester Square. On the way, Paul asked Keira about her latest project.
"Just wrapped an indie," she said. "Thought today would be a good distraction."
"You picked the right crew," Michelle added. "Fast 6 will get your adrenaline pumping so hard you'll forget whatever's bothering you."
Outside the windows, London was already covered in Fast 6 promotion. Bus stops, building walls, even taxi tops. Vin and Paul dominated the posters, but Cassius's face sat front and center on the right side.
"Big push," Cassius said.
"Universal's serious," Vin answered. "They dropped five million pounds just on London marketing. They want this to be the year's biggest box-office winner."
"You confident?" Keira asked.
"Always," Vin said with a grin. "We've got the best team, the best cars, and—" he glanced at Cassius, "the best new guy."
Cassius felt his ears heat up. The SUV pulled up near Leicester Square. The whole area had been transformed—red carpet stretching from the street to the theater, media zones and fan areas already set up. Even though it was morning, a crowd of fans was already waiting.
Cassius spotted a group of Asian students holding signs with his name. They lit up when they saw him.
"Cassius! Over here!"
He walked over. Security tried to stop him, but he waved them off. "It's fine. I know them."
The fans surrounded him, excited but respectful. "We're exchange students in London! We came just for you!"
"I took the train from Manchester!"
"My parents cried when they saw your Oscar speech!"
Cassius smiled. "Thanks for traveling so far. Have you eaten yet?"
"Yeah, we're good! What are you wearing tonight? Can we get a picture?"
"Of course." Cassius turned to security. "Mind snapping one for us?"
He stood in the middle of the group, gave a thumbs-up, and let them take photos. After a few minutes he reminded them to stay safe and not push too hard later.
Back in the holding area, Paul teased him. "International superstar now, huh? Fans crossing borders for you."
"They're students. Coming all this way means a lot."
Keira had stayed quiet in the corner, watching the whole interaction. When Cassius sat beside her she spoke softly. "You're really good with them."
"Should be. Without fans I'm nothing."
She was quiet for a moment. "I used to be good with fans too. Signings, photos, talking to everyone. Now I'm scared. I keep wondering if the stalker is hiding in the crowd."
Cassius looked at her. "Most fans are just normal people who love the work. The bad ones are rare."
"I know. But once bitten, twice shy."
Cassius raised an eyebrow. "Your Mandarin's solid."
Keira's cheeks went pink. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
By late afternoon the premiere was in full countdown. Everyone changed into their looks. Cassius wore the deep gray Dior suit—sharp cut, broad shoulders, clean lines. The stylist gave him a simple slicked-back style that made him look older and more polished.
Keira stepped out in a champagne knee-length dress with silver heels, hair swept into an elegant updo. She stared at herself in the mirror and took a shaky breath.
"Nervous?" Cassius asked.
"A little. Haven't walked a red carpet in forever. And it feels like someone's watching from the dark."
"Security's tighter tonight," he promised. "I'll be right beside you the whole time."
At five-thirty the red carpet officially started. Leicester Square was packed—screams, camera flashes, hosts shouting. Vin and Paul led the way and the crowd lost it. Michelle and Jordana followed, then Tyrese and Ludacris.
Cassius and Keira were second to last. The second they stepped onto the carpet, the flashes doubled.
"Cassius! Left side!"
"Keira! This way!"
"Closer together!"
Cassius rested his hand naturally at her waist. Keira stiffened for a second, then relaxed and smiled for the cameras. From the fan section came a familiar shout : "Cassius! Keira! You look good together!"
One fan yelled, "Brother-in-law got a new sister-in-law?"
Cassius almost laughed out loud.
In the press line, a reporter asked him, "As an Asian actor joining the Fast franchise, do you ever feel out of place?"
Cassius answered calmly. "The heart of Fast is family. Family isn't defined by skin color. Dom and the crew accepted me because of what I bring, not where I'm from. That's real diversity."
The host nodded and turned to Keira. "Keira, you're here as Cassius's date tonight. What's your relationship?"
She smiled easily. "We're good friends. I admire his work and I love the series, so I'm here to support him and the movie."
"Any future collaborations?"
"Nothing planned. But who knows what the future holds?"
They kept walking. Near the theater entrance, Keira suddenly froze. Cassius followed her gaze. Behind the media barricade stood a man in a gray hoodie, sunglasses, and mask, filming them with his phone. The spot was half-hidden—if Keira hadn't reacted, no one would have noticed.
Cassius signaled the nearest security. Two guards moved in fast. "Sir, media pass, please."
The man tried to turn away. The guards blocked him. He yanked off the mask and sunglasses—a regular-looking white guy in his thirties with wild eyes. His lips moved silently, but the shape was clear: "You're mine."
Keira went pale. Cassius stepped in front of her and told security, "Get him out of here. Call the police."
The moment passed quickly. The man was escorted away and the red carpet rolled on like nothing happened. But Keira's hands were shaking.
Cassius held her hand tight. "He's gone. You're safe."
She nodded and forced a smile until they reached the theater doors. Inside, away from the noise, she finally exhaled.
"Thank you," she whispered, eyes glassy. "If you hadn't been here I would've lost it."
"You don't have to thank me."
The lights dimmed. The Fast 6 opening hit with loud music. Cassius sat beside Keira and felt her slowly relax into the story. When his character first appeared—driving through London streets, taking down bad guys—the theater cheered. Keira leaned close and whispered, "You look really good driving like that."
Cassius turned his head at the same moment she leaned in to say more. Their lips brushed in the dark.
Keira jerked back, face burning. The theater was pitch black—no one saw. She trembled. Cassius gently covered her hand on her lap until she calmed.
The movie flew by. When the credits rolled the entire theater stood and applauded. The premiere was a hit.
Afterward Vin slapped Cassius on the shoulder, grinning. "You hear that crowd? We nailed it!"
"Congrats," Paul added. "Universal just told me presales are breaking records. You brought something special, man."
Cassius just smiled.
Once the credits finished and the house lights came up, the cast moved to the front for the Q&A. The host, Simon, took the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give another round of applause for the Fast 6 team!"
Vin stepped forward. "Thank you, London! Thank you to everyone who showed up tonight. This movie is sweat, engine oil, and just enough crazy."
Paul grinned. "Plus about fifty wrecked cars."
The crowd laughed. The Q&A was mostly light—fun stories from set, character questions. One fan asked Cassius about the biggest challenge joining the series.
"Learning to drive like a stuntman," he answered. "Justin Lin wanted as much real action as possible. I spent weeks on the track practicing drifts, powerslides, all the wild stuff you saw. Now at least I won't rage in London traffic—though I don't recommend trying it."
The audience chuckled.
Midway through, Simon announced, "We have a special gift from a fan who'd like to present it to Cassius personally."
A spotlight hit a young woman in the crowd—early twenties, glasses, holding a long paper tube. She looked nervous but walked to the stage when guided.
"Hi everyone. My name's Lin Wei. I'm from China studying illustration at University of the Arts London. I'm a huge fan of Cassius."
She handed him the tube. "I spent two months on this. I wanted to give it to you."
Cassius took it, surprised. "Can I open it now?"
"Please."
He untied the ribbon and unrolled a two-meter hand-painted scroll. The theater went quiet, then filled with gasps.
It was a watercolor-and-ink timeline of his entire career. Han Lee from 2 Broke Girls with his feng shui compass. The Green Lantern coder in his suit. Peeta in the arena looking back. His Fast 6 character driving through London streets. Star-Lord in the red jacket with the elemental gun. Every major role, every key co-star—Vin and Paul high-fiving in the background, Michelle leaning on her bike, Jennifer tripping on the Oscar stairs, Kristen waving from the distance. Even Gunn with his walkie-talkie and Justin Lin behind a monitor.
The lines were clean, the colors perfect. It captured every version of him.
Cassius stared at it, throat tight. He couldn't find words.
Paul leaned in. "Dude. That's insane. She even got my jawline right."
Vin chuckled. "My arms look bigger than they are."
Keira stood beside Cassius and said quietly, "She poured everything into this."
Cassius took a breath and looked at Lin Wei. "Thank you. This is the most meaningful gift I've ever received."
Lin Wei's eyes filled. "You're welcome. I just wanted you to know we've been watching every step—from extra to Oscar. You gave us strength. I wanted to give some back."
The crowd started clapping hard. Some fans were wiping tears.
Simon stepped in smoothly. "Lin Wei, how long have you been drawing?"
"Since I was a kid. But this scroll… the idea came after your Oscar speech. You said because of us, you became stronger. I wanted to show you—you're our strength too."
Cassius stepped forward and gave her a gentle hug. "Thank you."
The applause was deafening.