Amelia Lockhart stood at the entrance to the village, suitcase in tow, waiting for her manager, Holly Yardley.
The live shoot for the first episode of *Fated Love* had finally ended half an hour ago. All that was left was to wait for the production team to post the photos of the four pairs of Random Lovers to the show's official account.
A black Bentley pulled up and stopped quietly beside her. Amelia Lockhart, ever considerate, scooted over a bit and went back to looking at her phone.
[Ethan Quinn Refuses Photo with Amelia Lockhart]
[Amelia Lockhart, Get Out of Showbiz]
Seeing that she was trending for two separate topics, Amelia Lockhart felt she was destined to walk further and further down the path of infamy.
Yardley had said it herself: infamy was still a form of fame. As long as Amelia generated buzz, she could get access to Ethan Quinn!
Take a show like *Fated Love*—an actress of her caliber would never have been invited. But because she'd shamelessly declared her crush on Ethan Quinn, she'd become famous for being hated by the entire internet.
They said she was a clout-chaser.
They said she was a toad trying to eat swan meat.
How outrageous!
She was the prettiest Little Phoenix on Mount Cinderwood, and besides, Ethan Quinn wasn't a swan!
As she scrolled, Amelia Lockhart was surprised to find a Super Topic about herself: "The Cursed Ship: Dawn & Dusk, Let's Gooo!"
She clicked on it. The original poster had written a long-winded post of several hundred words, and it had a surprisingly high number of likes.
Dawn & Dusk Ship Captain: The ship I stan isn't just a rare pair, it's a cursed one! (crying laughing emoji) I absolutely live for this dynamic: the freakishly strong older-sister type and the pretty boy who pretends to be delicate! And our boy Ethan doesn't even seem to be fighting it! I can't—I have to lead the charge for this ship! Next, a deep dive into the details of the dating show's live stream…
Amelia hadn't even finished the long post when she felt an intense, cold gaze on her. She looked up, confused, and her eyes met a familiar pair of black irises.
The rear window of the black Bentley was completely rolled down. Ethan Quinn was sitting inside, gazing at her impassively.
There was no way Ethan Quinn could see what was on her phone, but Amelia felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of guilt. She quickly turned off the screen and offered him a sheepish smile. "Is something wrong, Mr. Quinn?"
Ethan Quinn remained silent. Instead, a handsome man with a wide grin in the passenger seat spoke up. "Ms. Lockhart, has your ride not shown up yet? We've got space. I'm a friend of Ethan's. My name is Silas Linden."
Amelia gave him a curious look. When Silas Linden smiled, he had a perfectly harmless air about him...
'He actually looks a bit like that irritating Lord of Fate from the heavens.'
Amelia Lockhart knew who Silas Linden was. As *The Art of War* says: know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories. Since coming to the mortal realm, she had paid very close attention to everyone around Ethan Quinn.
Ethan Quinn was a cold person with a remarkably small circle of close friends—just Silas Linden. Silas wasn't technically in the entertainment industry himself. He was a wealthy heir with a sharp mind for business, and he'd already made quite a name for himself just through his investments and partnerships.
For instance, he was an investor in *Fated Love*. There were even rumors online that Ethan Quinn had only agreed to join the show as a favor to Silas.
Ethan Quinn watched Amelia Lockhart quietly. When he saw her staring at Silas Linden with a curious expression, his dark gaze wavered, and he lowered his eyelids, hiding his expression.
Silas Linden caught this in the rearview mirror, and the smile on his lips widened. He sounded even more enthusiastic. "Ms. Lockhart, you probably don't know this, but the main road to the village is under maintenance. It won't be cleared anytime soon. Your manager's car is probably stuck in the traffic."
"Why don't you hop in with us? We can take another route back to the city and still make it in time for dinner. It's a country back road, not on any GPS. If your manager doesn't know it, she'll never find her way here to pick you up."
Silas Linden had effectively blocked off every possible refusal, all while maintaining that perfectly harmless smile.
Amelia shivered.
'This guy is getting more and more like the Lord of Fate!'
She was all too familiar with that silver tongue. Wasn't it his same glib persuasion that had tricked her into leaving Mount Cinderwood and descending to the mortal realm to repay a karmic debt?
"This roadwork isn't going to be done anytime soon," he continued. "Once night falls, it'll be tough to find a place to stay in this village. You might have to sleep on the streets, maybe even run into some wolves or tigers. And even if you don't end up on the streets..."
Amelia quickly held up a hand in a 'stop' gesture. The man was as gratingly persuasive as the Lord of Fate. If she didn't get in the car, he'd probably talk her ear off all night.
'Besides, she really wanted to find out if this man was the Lord of Fate...'
The driver quickly got out to put her suitcase in the trunk. Seeing that Silas Linden had no intention of moving to the back, Amelia had no choice but to get in from the other side of the car.
"Sorry to interrupt, but would it be all right if I hitched a ride? My manager isn't here yet, and I don't know how long I'll have to wait. I have something urgent to attend to, so I need to get back as soon as possible."
Amelia had just settled into her seat when she heard Ruby Sawyer's voice approaching. A moment later, the flamboyantly dressed woman herself appeared outside the window.
Silas Linden offered an apologetic smile. "I'm terribly sorry. We'd be honored to give you a ride, Ms. Sawyer, but the car is full. Ethan doesn't like to be crowded."
A flash of resentment crossed Ruby Sawyer's eyes. She looked at Amelia sitting inside and forced a smile. "Amelia, darling, I really do have something urgent I need to get back for. Would you mind swapping with me?"
Amelia replied with a perfectly straight face, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Sawyer. I'm only hitching this ride because I have urgent business to get back to as well. Why don't you tell me what your emergency is? Maybe I can help you out once I'm back in the city."
Ruby Sawyer hadn't expected Amelia to refuse. Her expression instantly soured, but remembering she was in front of Ethan Quinn, she forced herself to say, "Well, if we both have urgent business, I suppose I'll just wait for my manager."
Silas Linden smiled. "Ms. Sawyer, again, my apologies. Here's my card. If your manager doesn't arrive soon, I can have my driver circle back and pick you up."
Ruby Sawyer's expression brightened instantly. She immediately took the small card and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Linden."
The window slid shut, and the black Bentley pulled away slowly. Ruby Sawyer carefully tucked Silas Linden's business card into her handbag, then shot a venomous glare at the departing vehicle.
Getting Silas Linden's contact information was, of course, a huge win.
But that Amelia Lockhart was truly shameless. Ruby had seen her standing by the car much earlier and assumed they were just talking. Who would have thought she'd actually get into Ethan Quinn's car!
'The woman would stoop to anything.'
Ruby Sawyer glanced smugly at her phone's photo gallery. She had secretly snapped a few pictures. As soon as she got back, she would hire some paid trolls to smear Amelia Lockhart online!
'Just another clinging vine trying to attach herself to Ethan Quinn. Does she really think a top celebrity's fans are pushovers?'
Inside the car, Silas Linden remarked casually, "I thought you'd agree to her request, Ms. Lockhart. After all, you didn't want to get in the car in the first place."
Amelia gave an awkward laugh and hesitated for a moment before replying, "Actually, I saw her there from the start. I just figured that if she was in such a rush, she would have run right up to the car instead of just standing under a tree with her parasol..."
'Besides,' she thought, 'I still need to figure out if this Silas Linden is actually the Lord of Fate...'