Lucien quietly pulled a few tissues from the dispenser beside the table and handed them to Rachel.
Her trembling fingers accepted them as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, trying hard to regain some composure.
After watching her for a moment, Lucien asked calmly, "So only you and Anne have been experiencing this? No one else in the crew has shown anything unusual?"
Rachel took a slow breath and nodded.
"As far as I know, no. No one else has complained about nightmares or strange incidents."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"But because Anne and I have been acting… unstable lately, most of the crew has started keeping their distance from us."
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
That alone was enough to make him think.
If the entity had chosen only specific targets, then this was no random haunting. It was deliberate.
For a few moments, the table fell silent.
Neither Jamie nor Rachel dared interrupt Lucien while he was thinking.
Outside the coffee shop window, the noisy film crew was beginning to disperse after another failed shoot. Equipment was being moved, assistants were shouting instructions, and the entire set looked tense.
Lucien finally spoke.
"Go back to the set and stay close to Anne. Don't let her be alone."
Rachel immediately nodded.
"Alright."
As soon as she left, Lucien turned his gaze toward Jamie.
"You explained everything about me to them?"
Jamie gave a confident nod.
"Of course. You told me to spread your name when we last met."
A grin appeared on his face.
"See? I brought you business."
Lucien gave him a dry look.
This wasn't exactly the kind of business he had meant.
Still, Jamie quickly asked, "So? Did you figure anything out?"
Lucien's expression turned serious.
"I have a few guesses."
He paused.
"And this thing is far more troublesome than the last one."
Jamie's face instantly stiffened.
The memory of Ravensfield and Mary Shaw still haunted him. Even now, just remembering that cursed town made his spine go cold.
If even Lucien was calling this spirit troublesome, then whatever was hunting Anne and Rachel was clearly far more dangerous.
At that exact moment, angry shouting suddenly erupted from outside.
Lucien turned his head toward the source of the noise.
Near the set, a heavily bearded middle-aged man was yelling furiously at Rachel.
Even through the glass, Lucien could hear every word.
"Damn it! What is wrong with your actress?!"
The man's face was red with rage, saliva flying from his mouth.
"She only has a few lines! Just a few lines! And she still can't get them right?"
He jabbed a finger toward Anne, who stood nearby with her head lowered.
"Do you know how much money we lose every day because of this?"
Rachel quickly tried to explain.
"I'm sorry… Anne hasn't been sleeping well lately. Her mental state—"
Before she could finish, the director exploded.
"If she can't sleep, then let her go sleep somewhere else! Do you expect me to buy her sleeping pills too?"
His voice became even harsher.
"Unprofessional. Useless. Hollywood is filled with women like her."
Several supporting actresses nearby exchanged mocking smiles, clearly enjoying the scene.
Lucien's expression darkened.
Anne was swaying slightly where she stood.
Her head drooped lower and lower.
That wasn't submission.
That was exhaustion.
No—
it was something worse.
Her consciousness was slipping.
Lucien immediately stood up.
Jamie followed without hesitation.
By the time they reached the crowd, the director was still venting his anger.
"Don't think you can rise in this industry just because you know how to please powerful men!"
The insult hung in the air.
Before he could continue, Lucien stepped directly in front of him.
"Are you done?"
His voice was calm.
Cold.
"I need to speak with them."
The director blinked in surprise before sneering.
"And who the hell are you?"
Lucien didn't even bother answering.
His eyes had already shifted to Anne.
Her body swayed again.
Then Lucien felt it.
A cold, malicious aura.
Something dark was leaking from her like invisible smoke.
His pupils narrowed.
She had already fallen asleep.
At the worst possible moment.
Without hesitation, Lucien strode forward and caught her collapsing body before she hit the ground.
At the same instant, his hand moved inside his coat.
A yellow talisman appeared between his fingers.
In one swift motion, he pressed it against Anne's forehead.
The Purifying Talisman activated.
For a brief second, a faint golden glow shimmered across the paper.
Then Lucien's expression changed.
The power inside the talisman was being consumed at an unbelievable speed.
The yellow paper darkened.
Wrinkled.
Then—
crack.
It shattered into fine ash.
The dust scattered through the air.
Lucien's eyes sharpened instantly.
What a terrifying vengeful spirit.
To destroy a purified talisman in mere seconds…
this ghost was leagues above ordinary evil entities.
Around them, the crew immediately burst into chaotic whispers.
"Did you see that?"
"Where did that yellow paper even come from?"
"Was that some kind of magic trick?"
"I told you those two women have gone crazy."
"Now they've even hired some weird exorcist actor."
The chatter spread rapidly.
The director's face twisted with fury.
In his eyes, Lucien had just publicly humiliated him.
His rage exploded.
Grabbing a nearby prop rod, he stormed forward and raised it over his head.
"You freak! Can't you hear me talking?!"
The rod came crashing down toward Lucien.
But before it could land—
Lucien moved.
His hand shot out like steel.
He caught the director's wrist mid-swing.
The man's expression froze.
A sharp pain shot through his arm as Lucien tightened his grip.
It felt like being clamped by iron.
The prop slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.
Lucien's voice turned ice-cold.
"Get lost."
With a single kick, he sent the director rolling across the floor in a miserable heap.
Gasps erupted from the surrounding crew.
Before anyone could react, Lucien lifted Anne into his arms and rushed toward the nearest private resting trailer.
Jamie instantly understood.
"Rachel! Move!"
His sharp shout finally snapped Rachel out of her panic.
The moment she saw Anne unconscious in Lucien's arms and the destroyed talisman dust still lingering in the air, her face went pale.
She finally realized—
the thing in the dream had already begun attacking in reality.
And this time—
it had struck in broad daylight.