He could hold out against Mia, but not Scarlett. With a sigh of resignation, Steven picked up the giant bag of food and trudged over to the barbecue grill.

Mia followed him to help out, while Scarlett and Sarah chatted nearby.

After a while, Mia got bored and wandered off around the ind. Most of the celebrities at the party were people she''d met before. Honestly, she found it kind of boring. On her own birthday, those same stars had practically trampled each other just to show up and bring her gifts-half of which she didn''t even want.fnbc02 ?????? ???? find~novel/fnbc02

The fans at this event were all desperate to get a single signed photo, while the storage room at the Reynolds estate was overflowing with autographed pictures. Some people had gone to ridiculous lengths just to get a selfie with her.

So, yeah-this party? Pretty boring. Apart from the food.

Luckily, she''d asked Sarah to prep a private grill station just for her before the event. Knowing that the best chefs in East Coast were here tonight, she fully intended to take advantage.

So once again, after a round of pouting and fake tears, Steven ended up doing all the heavy lifting at a party—because, well, Scarlett wanted barbecue too.

While Steven manned the grill, Mia couldn''t resist sneaking off again to explore. It was her first time on the ind, after all.

She''d heard that Sarah had opened an insanely popr "Emotional Release Center" here, so she ran off to check it out. Sure enough, a long line had already formed at the entrance.

She plopped down to the side, groaning and stomping her foot. "Ugh, so many people!"

Just then, she spotted someone slipping around the corner-hat, sunsses, and a mask, bundled up like they were hiding from the world.

That was weird.

Mia frowned, thinking for a second. Of course she knew about the unspoken feud between Sarah and Vivian Vivian was always pulling Shady tricks behind the scenes. And at a party like this, people usually wanted the cameras on them. No one would show up dressed like that unless they had something to hide.  s

That had to be one of Vivian''s people.

Without hesitation, Mia jumped to her feet and quietly followed the stranger.

The Emotional Release Center was a four-story building just a short walk from the hotel, Behind it was a small garden—a space Sarah had added so guests could cool off after releasing their emotions inside.  s

Mia followed the mysterious figure into the garden, watching them skulk around

like they were up to something. She stepped forward and shouted, "What are you doing?"

The person froze, clearly not expecting anyone to follow him instead of going to the party.

He straightened up. "I''m lost."

"Liar!" Mia snapped, hands on her hips. She nced around, trying to find something she could use in case things got dangerous. What if this person was nning to hurt someone?

The man lookedpletely confused. "What are you talking about?"

He took a step toward her.

Mia immediately shrieked, "Stop! One more step and I''m calling the cops! What are you trying to sabotage?"

The man paused, then let out a long

sigh. "Miss, I''m just here for the

party. I heard there''s a really famous Emotional Release Center on Pine Mist ind, so I came to check it out I didn''t think I''d get lost."

s

"You''re lying!" Mia narrowed her eyes. "If you were really here for the party, how

could you possibly get lost? There are signs everywhere!"