"I really did get lost," the man said again.

"Then why are you all wrapped up like that? Who are you hiding from?" Mia narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying it.fnea8d Find the newest release on find?novel/fnea8d

The man let out a shortugh, half amused, half annoyed. He nced around- no one else was nearby. Then he took off his sunsses and lowered his mask, lifting his chin slightly toward her.

"Now do you see why I''m dressed like this?"

"Why?" Mia asked, still suspicious. Sure, he was handsome-just a tiny bit inferior to her brother.

The man stared at her in disbelief and pointed to his face. "You seriously don''t recognize me?"

"I''m warning you-don''t try to act like we know each other. I have no idea who you are," she said, lips pursed, clearly unimpressed.

He looked utterly thrown. Taking a slow step forward, he tried again.

"Stop! Don''te any closer!" Mia raised her voice. "I swear, if I scream, every security guard on this ind will be here in seconds."

The man took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.

"I''m Lucas Lansworth," he said.

"Lucas Lansworth?" Mia frowned. "Who''s that?"

Lucas stared at her,pletely stunned.

He had debuted at neen and had only been in the industry for three years. But from the very beginning, his career had skyrocketed-he''d won Best Supporting Actor for his first role, then starred in back-to-back hits. By twenty-two, he was already the youngest actor to win Best Actor. He was, by all definitions, a rising legend.

"You really don''t know who I am?"

Mia looked him up and down with a frown. "Of course I do. You''re a bad guy. One of Vivian''s people, here to sabotage Sarah!"

Lucas''s expression darkened. "Miss, I''m really just lost."

"And why should I believe that? Then why were you sneaking around?"

"Here, take out your phone. Search my name."

Mia reluctantly pulled out her phone, typed in his name-and sure enough, up popped a flood of search results and photos. He was exactly who he said he was. A national award-winning actor.  s

So what?

She calmly locked her phone and gave him a nk look. "And?"

Lucas blinked. "I''m here on vacation-not as a celebrity. Just as myself. If word gets out that I''m here, it could cause major problems for my team."

He hadn''t expected her to be this nonchnt. Most people either screamed or begged for selfies the moment they recognized him.

Mia paused, thinking. Sarah had mentioned inviting a certain award-winning actor who''d turned her down. So this was him?

"Fine. I guess misjudged you," she said atst. This is the garden behind the Emotional Release Center. It''s a chill-out zone for

people after they''ve gone thr

session. If you''re lost, I can walk you out."

s

“Thanks,” Lucas said as he slipped his mask and sunsses back on and followed her.

"But seriously," Mia said, ncing back at him. "What''s an award-winning actor even stressed about?"

Lucas''s voice turned low. "The more

sessful you are, the more

pressure there is youre scared people won''t like you. You worry about ticket sales, about scandals, about being exposed or canceled."  s

As soon as Mia heard the word scandal, her eyes lit up. She scooted closer with excitement.

"Ooh, tell me more. I love gossip. Especially the juicy stuff."

Lucas chuckled. "What kind of gossip are you into?"

"The scandalous kind," Mia said with a grin. "The juicier, the better."

He thought for a second. "Alright... for example, there''s a certain Best Actress-

turns out she''s actually trans."

Mia gasped, practically bouncing on her heels. "No way! Who? Who is it?"

"Linda Tanner."

"Her?!" Mia''s jaw dropped. "She gave me a watch for my birthday once! And her chest looked real! I can''t believe it-wait, seriously?! Is that even true?!"