📖 The Story Continues
The story doesn't end here.Continue reading the full story adaptation below and discover what happens next.
We Will Love Again – Episode 06
The door to Crazy Maple Studio flew open, and Joey Hemming strode into the writers’ area with barely contained excitement. An ordinary workday vanished beneath the urgency in his expression.
“Ladies, I’m going to need all three of—” He stopped as he counted the desks and found one conspicuously empty. “Where the hell is Alaina?”
Abigale and Evonne exchanged a quick glance. Alaina had left early, but the truth offered them no advantage. They had long since discovered that making her look unreliable was easier than competing with her work.
“Oh, I think she went to get her nails done,” one of them said with practiced innocence. The lie transformed an absence into vanity and disregard, exactly the impression they wanted Joey to carry.
“Really? During work hours?” His excitement curdled into irritation. “You know what? I’m going to deal with her later.” Neither woman corrected him.
Joey pushed the problem aside because a much larger one demanded his attention. “This is last minute. We have a huge potential investor coming in tomorrow, all right?”
The word huge made both women sit straighter. Crazy Maple was a small entertainment company where every new deal could determine whether projects lived or disappeared. An important investor meant opportunity, money, and proximity to power.
“I’m going to need all three of you to come in extra early,” Joey continued. He needed the office polished, the pitch flawless, and his senior writers prepared to impress whoever walked through the door.
“Who is it?” one woman asked. The question escaped before she could pretend professional restraint. Joey paused long enough to enjoy having news they wanted.
“Who?” he repeated, grinning. “Noah fucking Preston.” The name detonated across the room.
Abigale and Evonne could barely contain themselves. The billionaire from the interview was not merely in Los Angeles; he was coming into their workplace. By tomorrow, they would be seated across from one of the most powerful and desirable men in the country.
Their excitement soon sharpened into calculation. Three senior writers had been ordered to arrive early, but only two needed to be there when Noah Preston evaluated the company. Alaina’s talent already drew enough attention without giving her this chance.
Later, they approached her with matching expressions of helpfulness. “Hey, Alaina,” one called. Alaina looked up, unsuspecting, still carrying the strain the interview had reopened.
“The boss wanted me to tell you to come in later tomorrow,” her coworker said. A small pause preceded the carefully chosen time. “At ten.”
Alaina frowned faintly. A later start was unusual, but she had no reason to imagine a trap. The women had already made certain she was excluded from Joey’s announcement.
“He wants you to grab coffee and snacks for an important guest,” they added. The errand positioned her as support staff rather than one of the studio’s senior creative voices.
“Okay, got it.” Alaina accepted the instruction without argument. She was accustomed to doing whatever the company needed, even when the work carried no recognition.
The women watched her leave, satisfied. By the time Alaina arrived with coffee, the introductions would be over and Noah Preston’s first impression of her would already be ruined.
They believed they were stealing a professional opportunity. They could not know they were arranging something far more dangerous, or that Alaina had once worn the billionaire’s ring.
While Alaina prepared for an ordinary errand, Joey prepared to welcome the man who could own them all. Morning would bring Noah Preston through Crazy Maple’s doors—and everyone except Alaina knew he was coming.
