"She’s naughty," Ziva said suddenly, a small smirk playing on her lips.

Elara turned back to her. Her eyes stayed on Ziva’s face for a small second. Then she walked toward her. "Thank you," she muttered quietly.

Ziva frowned and let out a small sigh. "Come on... thank me for what? You’re acting like you’re the only one in this. Whatever you got into, we’re both in it to–"

She didn’t get to finish before Elara stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

Ziva froze instantly, her eyes widening as her hands lifted awkwardly into the air, unsure of where to go.

"Thank you for everything," Elara murmured against her shoulder, her grip tightening slightly.

Ziva’s heart started racing. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, her thoughts scattering.

After a while, Elara pulled back and stepped away, her usual calm expression slipping back into place like nothing had happened.

Ziva slowly lowered her hands, letting them rest at her sides. She then cleared her throat to break the silence. "Don’t make me emotional," she muttered with a faint smile. "We have a lot to plan, and we need to act fast."

Elara turned away from her and looked out the window.

"Yes," she said quietly, her expression hardening again as a thought crossed her mind. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

* * * *

Later that afternoon, Elara and Ziva went back to the filming building to collect their belongings. The place was almost empty now, nothing like before.

The director and the main cast were gone, leaving behind only a few crew members who were moving around and packing things into boxes.

Elara didn’t pay any attention to the looks they received as they walked up the stairs. They simply went to the room given to them, packed all their luggages, and left without a word. When they stepped out of the building, neither of them lingered.

Ziva returned to Starfall, while Elara went back to Grandpa’s place.

That night, Elara lay on the bed in her room, her phone in her hand. Beside her, Zia was fast asleep.

The little girl had insisted on staying with her, saying she didn’t know when Elara would sleep there again. Her mother had no choice but to agree since Zia usually spent most of her time with Grandpa.

Zia turned again for what felt like the hundredth time, throwing one leg over Elara’s lap and resting her arm across Elara’s face, just under her nose. Elara let out a tired sigh and gently moved away, freeing herself before returning her attention to her phone.

She hadn’t wanted to check the internet before. But she had done so anyway.

Since the incident involved Relanie, and Relanie was a well known singer, most of what she saw was about the wrap up party.

As she scrolled through the screen, one clip caught her attention.

It showed the exact moment her dress slipped... and the moment Relanie fell. The person who posted it didn’t seem to be on anyone’s side because the part where Relanie tripped was slowed down and replayed several times before the video continued, drawing attention to it.

Elara tapped into the comments.

Most of them were from Relanie’s fans.

"What exactly is funny here? Someone almost got hurt and you’re replaying it like a joke."

"Stop trying to twist the situation. We all saw what happened. Relanie didn’t fall for no reason."

"Elara embarrassed herself and decided to drag someone else down with her. Disgusting."

"She was only trying to help, and this is how Elara repaid her? By pushing her? What kind of person does that?"

"I used to like Elara Veyne’s voice, but after this... I’m done. Her attitude is terrible."

"So this is who she really is. All that calm image was fake."

Elara’s lips pressed together slightly as she read through them. Then she exited the comment section without reacting and continued scrolling past the endless stream of videos and posts.

After a while, a thought crossed her mind and she opened the page those high school students had created to support her.

There was nothing new. They hadn’t posted anything since the day before.

A quiet, bitter laugh slipped from her lips before she moved on. The next post that appeared was also from the party, but this time it was just a photo.

What stood out wasn’t her dress or Relanie’s fall. It was something else. The caption read:

What did Carris Riole see on Elara to make him look so shocked?

Elara furrowed her brows a little as she read it, then she looked at the image.

Carris was standing close to her, his hand moving to cover her shoulder with the coat. His gaze was fixed on her, and there was a clear look of shock on his face.

Elara stared at it for a long moment, confusion flickering in her eyes. She didn’t even remember this happening... Or maybe she was too distracted to notice. The picture looked too real to be edited.

"Isn’t that you?" Zia’s voice suddenly came from beside her.

Elara’s heart jumped.

She quickly lowered the phone and pressed it against her chest, throwing the room back into darkness. Then she raised it again and switched on the flashlight.

Zia’s big eyes appeared instantly in the light. They were completely clear and awake, as if she hadn’t been asleep at all.

"Zia," Elara said quietly, a hint of warning in her tone. "Why are you still awake? You should be sleeping."

"I’m not sleepy anymore," Zia muttered and shifted closer, her small body pressing against Elara’s side. "Elara... show me that photo. It’s you, right? Are you singing there?"

Her eyes were bright with curiosity, but she didn’t wait for an answer. "I want to be like you," she continued softly. "I want to sing on a stage, and many people will come and watch me." Her face lit up as she spoke. "Do you think they’ll like me?"

Elara looked at her, still a little unsettled that Zia had been watching the videos with her.

"Of course they’ll–" She suddenly paused, lost in thought.

Her mind went back to the cold light of her phone... the insults, the mocking comments, the cruelty of people who loved to pull you down just as much as they loved to build you up.

For a moment, she wanted to tell Zia the truth. That the world she admired wasn’t just beautiful lights and pretty dresses. It could be cruel.

But looking at Zia’s hopeful eyes, her throat tightened. She couldn’t take that away from her.

"They’ll like you," Elara muttered softly. "They’ll surely like you."

She reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Zia’s ear.

"But Zia..." she murmured. "If you do this, you have to promise me something."

Zia blinked. "What?"

"Promise me you won’t sing just so people will like you," she said, her eyes gleaming in the dim room. "Sing because it’s yours. Because it makes you happy. If you only sing for their applause... the moment they stop clapping, it will feel like you’ve lost your voice. And I don’t want that to happen to you."

She pulled Zia a little closer, letting the girl rest against her shoulder.

"And... keep your heart safe," Elara whispered. "Don’t let anyone turn your dream into something painful. There will be people who try to control you because they have the power to put you on a stage. They’ll claim it’s for your own good, but in the end... it’s only about what they want. Don’t let anyone trap you in a cage and call it a gift."

She laced her fingers with Zia’s and looked down at her.

"Yes," she repeated softly. "They’ll like you."

Zia’s eyes grew wet as she listened. Then she buried her face into Elara’s shoulder. "Elara... I want to tell you something," she mumbled, her voice muffled.

"What is it?" Elara asked calmly.

"Grandpa and scary suit uncle are doing something," she whispered. "And they don’t want you to know."

Elara’s lips pressed together at that. "What do you mean?"

Zia lifted her head slightly to look at her. "Yesterday, when Grandpa and I were sitting on the porch and he was telling me a story, he suddenly said the sun is getting very low for him. He said his eyes are getting a bit tired, but he’ll be happy if he gets to see you shine on your big stage before it goes completely dark." She frowned a little. "What does that mean? What happens when the sun gets low for someone? Does Grandpa need new glasses?"

Elara went quiet for a small second.

Why would he say something like that.

Then she let out a small breath.

It wasn’t unusual for older people to speak like that when they felt tired... but hearing it from Zia made her uneasy.

She reached out and patted Zia’s back gently. "It just means he’s tired. You know Grandpa isn’t as strong as before."

Zia nodded, then continued.

"And one day... Scary suit uncle came with his assistant. Grandpa showed him a blanket. He said it’s yours."

Elara’s brows drew together.

"Scary suit uncle picked it up and said he had seen something like it before. I didn’t understand what they were talking about... but Grandpa didn’t want me to stay there. He also told him not to tell you anything."

Zia hesitated, then added, "Grandpa also asked him why he was doing so much for you... and why he was looking into where you came from."

Elara’s expression stilled.

Looking into where she came from?

A small laugh of irritation escaped her throat.

What the hell was that even supposed to mean? He had always been reaching his hands into the private part of her life which he has no right to touch. And now, here he is touching her childhood belongings. Why would Grandpa even allow him?

She was still lost in that thought when her phone suddenly rang in her hand.

It was Ziva.