Chapter 8

Joel interrupted her: "None of this has anything to do with me. As long as you're happy." With that, she grabbed the fruit platter and walked away, ignoring the expressions of the three people behind her. That evening, an unexpected guest arrived at Aunt Marie's house. It was Mr. Steenburg. The internationally renowned director was in the midst of preparing for his new film, a project Rosanne had gone to great lengths to secure the lead role in. Her earlier stunt of taking Joel's trophy had also been part of her ploy to bolster her chances. Joel learned for the first time that Aunt Marie and Mr. Steenburg were longtime friends. At dinner, Joel chatted briefly with Mr. Steenburg, sharing some of her thoughts on character interpretation. What began as casual conversation soon shifted when Mr. Steenburg's interest visibly piqued at her insights. Before leaving, he asked sincerely, "Joel, would you consider being the lead actress in my film?" Joel froze, her heart wavering for a moment. But in the end, she politely declined. Mr. Steenburg looked regretful but respected her decision. Joel assumed he would turn to Rosanne instead, but to her surprise, the next day brought a flood of headlines announcing that Rosanne had been rejected by Mr. Steenburg. Rosanne bombarded Joel with messages: "Joel, are you jealous of me? Is that why you had to take this from me?" "You know how much I sacrificed for this role! Why did you have to steal it? Don't you already have enough?" "You care about Chris and Daniel, don't you? I won't let you off easy!" Every word dripped with venom, devoid of her usual pretense. Joel frowned. What did she mean by saying Joel had taken something from her? Joel had turned down Mr. Steenburg's offer. Even if she had accepted, it wouldn’t have been unjustified. Unwilling to get entangled with Rosanne, Joel exited the chat and instead messaged Elsa, one of her few close friends in West Brooke. Elsa, saddened by Joel’s imminent departure, insisted she attend a charity gala as a farewell gesture. The charity gala was a glittering affair, filled with elegance and clinking glasses. Elsa threw her arms around Joel in a tight hug, her face brimming with reluctance. "You're really going back to get married? No more West Brooke? No more acting?" Joel patted her on the head, her tone calm and resolute. "If there's a chance, I'll visit again. My dad’s right—following the path arranged by family is the safest choice." Elsa pouted angrily. "It's all because of Chris and Daniel! They're so bewitched by Rosanne that they treated you like this. You should send them wedding invites just to spite them!" Joel chuckled and tried to comfort her. "Who knows? Maybe my so-called fiancé will turn out to be the better choice." As they chatted, Joel spotted Chris and Daniel. Unusually, neither was with Rosanne, and both wore sullen, stormy expressions. A flicker of doubt crossed Joel’s mind. The two men zeroed in on her from across the crowd and marched toward her with determined intensity. Chris grabbed her wrist, his voice tight with anger. "Joel, what did you say to Mr. Steenburg? Why did he say he only wanted you as the lead and not Rosanne?" Joel was stunned. It was true that Mr. Steenburg admired her, but she had already declined his offer! She had no idea why he would make such a statement—perhaps it was simply his way of rejecting Rosanne? Her silence only deepened their misunderstanding. Daniel's expression was a mix of shock and hurt. "Rosanne said Aunt Marie knows Mr. Steenburg, and you met with him privately. Is that why she didn't get the role? Is it true?" "You always said you'd earn everything on your own. Why are you caught up in all these backdoor dealings now?" His voice carried a note of betrayal. "You've changed!" Daniel had always respected Joel's dedication to her craft. He often brought her warm water during shoots, smiling as he said, "You look so captivating when you're focused." If Joel had chosen to rely on family connections, it would shatter his admiration for her. Joel opened her mouth to explain. "I didn’t—" "You didn’t?" Chris cut her off, his teeth clenched. "If you didn’t, why would Rosanne say all those things?" Then came the bombshell. "Do you know she tried to kill herself?" Chris spat. Joel's mind went blank, like a thunderclap silencing all thought. As she stood there frozen, a camera flash went off in the corner. Joel snapped out of it in time to spot a paparazzo retreating quickly. It wasn’t hard to imagine what tomorrow's headlines would look like: "Joel Irwin Stops at Nothing to Steal Roles." "Entertainment Mogul and Award-Winning Actor Enraged Over Joel Irwin." Under the mounting pressure, Joel’s thoughts crystallized. She met Chris and Daniel’s accusatory gazes with icy calm. "How is Rosanne?" "She was saved but needs to stay in the hospital," Chris sneered. "What? Are you going to say she’s faking it now?" "Exactly." Joel’s blunt response momentarily stunned them. Her tone was cold as she continued. "Yes, my aunt knows Mr. Steenburg. Yes, he wanted me for the lead role. And yes, I turned him down."