Julian gave me a fond glance. &quot;She was my neighbor when we were kids—always crying.&quot;

 &quot;Childhood sweethearts, huh? Seems like fate. If anything happens, be sure to let me know,&quot; I teased.

 &quot;Director Calloway, don’t get any funny ideas. Vivienne and I are just friends,&quot; Julian replied with a grin.

 He knew where to draw the line, especially since I now had a boyfriend.

 &quot;I get it, I get it. These days, everyone’s just ‘friends’,&quot; the assistant director chimed in.

 Alexander raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting coolly between Julian and me. He furrowed his brow slightly.

 He had already warned her—she and Julian were not a match!

 Had she not listened at all? Was she really so enamored with Julian?

 &quot;Alexander.&quot;

 &quot;Alexander?&quot;

 &quot;Hmm? What did you say?&quot; Alexander snapped back to reality, looking at Isabella.

 Is

Alexander paused at her words.

 The memory of that day—Vivienne confronting him with red-rimmed eyes—flashed in his mind.

 Vivienne had said: &quot;You must be deeply in love with her, even using our anniversary to remember her.&quot;

 Vivienne had said: &quot;If you love her so much, why didn’t you just wait for her? Why marry me? I’m not the one you need. Why do you have to demean me like this?&quot;

 &quot;I had something that day. You can choose another day, either earlier or later,&quot; Alexander had said calmly, loosening his collar.

 Isabella’s heart sank.

 Something that day?

 What could that have been? The answer was all too clear.

 She forced a smile, draping her arm around his and teasingly asking, &quot;What was it? Couldn’t you push it back? It’s been so long since you celebrated my birthday.&quot;

 &quot;Sorry.&quot;

 &quot;Alexander, this is my first birthday ba

The next day was Saturday. I had made plans with Julian to visit the Empire of Shadows film set.

 At 10 AM, I arrived outside the set and called Julian. He came out to meet me and led me inside.

 This was my first time visiting a film set.

 As we walked through the lot, I asked, &quot;Is there anything I need to do for a set visit?&quot;

 &quot;No, it's just a casual visit,&quot; Julian replied. &quot;I’ll have some free time during lunch, and we can grab a bite nearby.&quot;

 &quot;Sounds good.&quot;

 Julian took me over to say hello to Director Calloway.

 &quot;When do you start filming your scenes?&quot; the director asked.

 &quot;Not long now, almost ready. You can watch from the side,&quot; Julian answered.

 According to Julian, they were shooting some dramatic scenes, so the set was full of large, constructed soundstages, which meant I could watch the action up close. He l

Julian gave me a fond glance. &quot;She was my neighbor when we were kids—always crying.&quot;

 &quot;Childhood sweethearts, huh? Seems like fate. If anything happens, be sure to let me know,&quot; I teased.

 &quot;Director Calloway, don’t get any funny ideas. Vivienne and I are just friends,&quot; Julian replied with a grin.

 He knew where to draw the line, especially since I now had a boyfriend.

 &quot;I get it, I get it. These days, everyone’s just ‘friends’,&quot; the assistant director chimed in.

 Alexander raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting coolly between Julian and me. He furrowed his brow slightly.

 He had already warned her—she and Julian were not a match!

 Had she not listened at all? Was she really so enamored with Julian?

 &quot;Alexander.&quot;

 &quot;Alexander?&quot;

 &quot;Hmm? What did you say?&quot; Alexander snapped back to reality, looking at Isabella.

 Isabella's eyes darkened as she leaned toward him, whispering in his ear. &quot;Don’t you think Vivien

Chapter 73