Dark Side of the Spotlight

Livid was an understatement for what Wes was feeling.

He’s spiraling out of control. Even after dispatching the police and the Ashthorne family's private security unit, he couldn’t settle down. He’d lost it the instant he heard what happened.

“I-It’s Mia! She’s been taken away!’

Alice, pale-faced and sweaty, had come running into the movie set out of nowhere.

Disbelief and suspicion blanked his mind at first, their shared past keeping him from trusting her words. But then, it sank in—the car that morning, the unlocked door. Cold, gut-twisting dread gripped his chest like a vise, then adrenaline shot through and propelled him to move.

‘This sort of thing… I’ve been wary of it from the start, have even taken precautions…’

It never occurred to him that the odds were on this scale. The kidnapping scheme was meticulous, with the first two attempts being mere diversions. Since the investigation into both incidents was underway, he relied too much on the leads and allowed himself a false sense of safety.

They’d been so near all along.

“Damn it!” Wes seethed on the edge of his seat, hands balled into fists. “I should’ve known, should’ve known better than to let my guard down.”

“Please stay calm, Young Master,” Seth urged, voice even and controlled. “We already have a suspect, and everyone’s searching high and low.”

Wes didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to Mia. He didn’t know if he could live after letting her down. He didn’t know if he could stop himself from crossing lines he swore he never would.

Every fiber of his being burned with rage, ready to set the world ablaze if he were to find her harmed.

“I’ll kill him.”

The air itself shivered.

Even the fluorescent lights overhead seemed dimmer, as if flickering away from his fury. The room held its breath for a long moment, suspended between panic and terror.

“You’d let Mia date a murderer?”

Claire stepped in, arms folded over each other. Caleb trailed after her, a deep frown on his face.

When he didn’t respond, she continued, “Lucas, right? I had a feeling he’d get to you sooner or later. That stunt he pulled during my recital? He did that because he knew you’re coming. In truth, he doesn't care about me anymore. But he thinks you do, and that’s why he’s onto me.”

“Your point? Do you mean to say I shouldn’t have messed with him in the first place?” he muttered in a low, thick tone.

She sighed, shaking her head. “You may act all-powerful, like nothing can touch you, but everything you’ve done—it’s for a reason.”

“Wes,” Caleb spoke up, drawing their attention. “You took on our burdens when we’re young, thinking you’ve got nothing to lose compared to us, who had much to pursue. But it’s different now, isn't it? You found something worth protecting, so it’s our turn to do this for you.”

“You missed one important detail.” Claire pulled out a stack of papers and slid it across the desk. “Keith Stonehill. I heard from Liam that he used to visit L’Atelier with Lucas, and it's Lucas himself who's backed his career starting from when he’s still a trainee.”

His eyes widened. “He’s under a contract?”

“Seems so. He used to work in a club owned by that man.”

“Sir, look,” Seth called out, pointing at a certain address on one document. “It’s the same with Ms. Jackes and Ms. Aceron, and Ms. Quin already said they’re acting as accomplices.”

“That guy wasn’t at work today, either,” he grunted.

“You know a club under his management?”

He didn’t know. He’d been there.

Wes long sensed an oppressive darkness from that place, and as fate had it, Lucas turned out to be the one who had brought that gilded pit into being.

---

Mia cried, the tears streaking down her face without relief.

“It shouldn’t be so bad, should it, princess?”

‘Stop. Don’t call me that.’ More fell. ‘Only he can call me that.’

“Your boyfriend is also a model. Why can’t his girlfriend be, too?” Lucas stalked across the room while she sat motionless on the couch, cameras all around them. “Say, why don’t we sign a deal? I can make you shine bright like a star—brighter than that sun you adore! Perhaps, that’s why you’re with him? You wish to soar high and join him in the skies. However, unlike him, you’re born without wings.”

“T-That’s not true,” she managed to retaliate. “I-I’m…with him b-because I love him. It has…n-nothing to do with w-whatever you think.’

“In that case, let me tell you.” He smirked, far from finished. “Rumors about him being in a secret relationship aren’t new. Many speculate that he’d already asked out other girls. Yet for some reason, he never dated. Isn’t that odd? With his looks alone, any woman would fall for him. But why didn’t he end up with anyone until now?”

Mia didn’t want to believe a word this man said, but then, she remembered how Wes used to disguise himself.

She knew she should’ve asked about it. There had to be a reason why he hid his identity, but she couldn’t bring herself to question him. She hoped he’d be the one to open up to her.

“Anyone who’d catch his eye wouldn’t hesitate to go out with him. Can you imagine someone like him getting turned down?”

‘I saw it.’ Her heart throbbed at the memory. ‘But he’s in disguise that time, and if he always did that when he confessed to someone, then...’  

“It gives me the impression that he doesn’t want a long-term relationship. Well, of course, it could be that he’d only lost interest, or he’s rejected, as impossible as that was, or he just never bothered to commit. You know, like some ladies’ man.”

Absurd. Inane. Nonsensical.

“He isn’t like that,” she hissed under her breath, eyes steely and unyielding.

He snorted, unfazed. “If you know him that well, are you confident enough to say that he has chosen a poor, country girl like you, out of everyone else, just because he wants to?”

‘How does he…? We just met, and yet…’

“You think someone so meek, so timid can be with him? You can’t even face these cameras, and I've heard you’re not good with people.”

‘Stop… Stop… Please, no more…’

“You won’t last long in this world, young lady. I’m sure he knows that, too. You’d do nothing but hide behind his back.”

Mia could no longer bear it. As much as she tried not to be affected, she couldn’t, not when everything Lucas said had plagued her mind before. Even after all she’d been through with Wes, she still couldn’t believe that he was together with her.

‘What if it wasn’t me who approached him that day? What if someone else reached out to him? Would he…fall in love with that person instead?’

“Oh, but there might be one thing he wants from you.” Lucas went to stand in front of Mia, grabbing her chin to make her look straight at him. “You have a beautiful face.”

Her skin crawled, and she shook uncontrollably. She tried to pull away, but she was firmly held in place.

“I can show you how to make use of it, that you don’t need that man to thrive.”

At that moment, Keith returned wearing a crisp, black blazer over a charcoal shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of slim-fit jeans. It’s a casual look, but a stark contrast to her own disheveled state. There’s that familiar ease to his movements, which should’ve been comforting, but it made her feel more exposed instead.

As Keith hovered over one of the cameras, preparing the angle, Mia felt herself disappearing behind the lens. ‘How? How can I get out of here?’

“Here, boy,” Lucas beckoned Keith over, smirking. “Both your singing and acting careers are doing well. Let’s see if photoshoots are also your thing. Come and show me what you’ve got.”

A scandal—that’s what Lucas was after.

To ruin Wes, he had to continuously break through a fortress of untouchable power, of insurmountable wealth and prestige. But using Mia, he could finally strike against that perfect illusion he had spent all his life constructing.

He considered her his weakness, and he planned to weaponize it. But she couldn’t drag Wes down, couldn’t stain him. She needed to figure out a way, even if it meant putting herself at risk.

Mia turned to Keith.