The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1433

Of course it was.

The second Kenneth realized it, he felt a weird ache in his chest. He found himself actually wanting to know who her ex was, what made him so unforgettable, that even sitting here with Kenneth’s face right in front of her, she could space out thinking of someone else.

“Kenneth.” The director looked utterly pleased as he watched the monitor, a beaming smile spreading across his face. “Honestly, it’s a loss for the film industry that you’re only acting now.”

That performance was something else. No wonder J was so insistent about bringing Kenneth in. These two looked like they’d stepped right out of a romance novel.

“Yeah.” Kenneth just nodded, glancing over at Emily as she stood in the corner, fully back in character for someone else’s audition. His fingers twitched at his sides. He could tell himself it was just a script, just acting, but watching her get close to another guy made his skin crawl.

“Kenneth…”

“I’ve got stuff to do.”

He yanked at his collar, irritation bubbling up again. He shot a hard look at Emily and the guy she was acting with before making a quick exit.

Emily watched him leave in a rush, still a little stunned. Did he just glare at her? For what? Seriously, with a temper like that, if they were actually filming together she doubted she’d get through the day without getting bullied at least once.

***

The audition clips went public, and within thirty minutes Kenneth’s video had blown up all over the internet. He was trending, all the hot searches had his name, and headlines couldn’t get enough.

[I’m just going to say it: Kenneth is our Storm male lead and I will not be taking questions.]

“I’m sure.” Emily traced her fingers around the mug, her eyes lingering on the screen. There was Kenneth, all sharp lines and quiet confidence, practically glowing. Anyone would fall for that. Anyone except him, apparently.

“I only got into this line of work for him, you know? Spent years at his side, but none of it made him actually fall for me.”

She forced a smile and let the coffee linger on her tongue, its sharp bitterness digging in like a final reminder that something needed to end.

“Every time I see him, I just… lose control. The more I look, the more impossible it feels to let go.” Her eyes started to sting, and she quickly blinked back tears.

Kenneth wasn’t getting any younger. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year, some girl would sweep him off his feet for real. Emily couldn’t sit by and watch him love someone else. Not up close.

“Pam, I’m really tired.” The words came out almost a whisper as Emily slouched against the table, voice rough. “Let this movie be my last goodbye to everything that came before.”