Amanda nearly leaped from her seat. "What?!" The Mitchell family was growing increasingly irritated by her dramatic reactions.

Her eyes welled with tears the moment her call with the agent ended. She had been teetering on the edge of B-list celebrity status. That television series was meant to cement her position!

"What's wrong now?" Samuel asked impatiently.

"My agent just informed me the producers want to recast my role."

Samuel frowned deeply. "If I recall correctly, that's Windmill Studios, owned by Levine Holdings. Did you offend someone from their inner circle?"

"Absolutely not! I don't even know them!" Amanda denied vehemently. She began crying in frustration. "Samuel, you have to get that role back for me! This is crucial for my career!"

Samuel felt equally perplexed. Casting decisions weren't typically reversed once finalized.

Then a memory surfaced. "I heard Nathan Davis and William Levine grew up together. They remain close friends despite William usually being overseas. Perhaps Nathan asked William to interfere with your career..."

"That despicable Nathan!" Amanda snarled viciously, not questioning Samuel's theory at all.

"If you want the role back, I suggest you speak with Nathan... or approach William directly," Samuel proposed.

"What are you implying?"

"Father mentioned recently that William expressed interest in meeting you. Wouldn't securing that role become effortless if you married into the Levine family?" Samuel explained.

"Never! I refuse to become someone's baby mama! Not in this lifetime!" Amanda rejected immediately. "I'd rather confront Nathan than deal with William!"

Samuel remained silent. His sister had been spoiled since childhood. No one could force her into anything she disliked.

...

"Achoo!"

Nathan suddenly sneezed in his luxurious private suite at the exclusive Regent Lounge.

Who could be thinking of him at this late hour?

"Why are you spacing out?" Andrew Saunders urged him. "It's rare for the great William Levine to join us. Drink up!"

"Hear, hear. Nobody leaves here sober tonight," Nathan quickly added.

Present in the room were William Levine and Ethan Parker—all childhood friends who rarely gathered since William spent most of his time abroad.

The last time all four had been together was eight years ago, celebrating William's return.

He had drunk heavily that night, then vanished.

"Just like that, he disappeared for eight years," Nathan murmured, feeling unexpectedly sentimental.

As he raised his glass toward William, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Slightly annoyed, Nathan answered since he didn't recognize the number. "Who is this?!"

...

Earlier, Amanda had retreated to her room. Swallowing her pride, she decided to call Nathan despite her misgivings.

Her expression darkened when she heard his indifferent tone.

She hadn't changed her number—how could he not recognize it?!

Was he doing this intentionally?

Men could be utterly disgusting!

"It's Amanda Mitchell."

Nathan paused momentarily before recalling who she was. "What do you want?"

"I know you're harassing me because you can't move on, but don't you think you're being childish? Let me be clear—I'll never be interested in you. The more you bother me, the more I'll despise you—"

Nathan hung up immediately. He wouldn't let some delusional woman ruin his evening.

On the other end, Amanda stared at her phone screen in disbelief.

[Call ended.]

Nathan had hung up on her?!

Fury surged through her, and she nearly hurled her phone across the room.

Gritting her teeth, she sent him an angry text.

[I'm meeting you tomorrow. Don't you dare run away!]

Nathan glanced at the message, concluding Amanda suffered from severe delusions and princess syndrome. "Who was that?" Andrew asked casually, noticing Nathan's reaction.

"Amanda Mitchell," Nathan replied with a scoff.

"...I thought you had a thing for her in high school? Over her already?"

"Had a thing?" Nathan snorted dismissively. "Weren't we all captivated by pretty faces back then? Honestly, I prefer Elise—she's the most striking of them all!"

William's fingers tightened around his glass.

Ethan glanced at him, a faint smile touching his lips.

Meanwhile, Andrew began gossiping. "Speaking of Elise, her wedding with Samuel Mitchell really went south, didn't it? I heard his family is using it as grounds for annulment."

"Probably unhappy about her past," Nathan commented while sipping his drink. "I mean, it's understandable if men have issues with it, but if Samuel does, he shouldn't have pursued Elise in the first place! She sacrificed everything for Mitchell Corp—I saw her getting drunk while entertaining business partners myself. Vomiting everywhere, even enduring inappropriate touching. I thought then that Samuel would be inhuman if he didn't marry her... and he's proven to be exactly that!"

William's grip on his glass tightened further.

Nathan quickly changed the subject. "Oh, let's stop talking about the Mitchells altogether. They're nothing but trouble! Drink up, everyone!"

He never liked discussing topics that dampened the mood.

Nevertheless, William grew quieter as the drinking continued. Eventually, Ethan set down his glass and gestured. "Let's step out for a smoke."

They both exited the private room and headed to the balcony garden for fresh air.

As they lit their cigarettes, Ethan spoke first. "I've encountered Elise a few times myself. Once, she actually suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding, and I had to rush her to the hospital."

William slowly exhaled a large cloud of smoke, letting it swirl before his face, obscuring his expression.

"Still, I could tell she's incredibly resilient," Ethan added calmly. "Most people wouldn't be able to break her."

William finished his cigarette unusually quickly, stubbing it out and changing the subject. "Here's some insider information: Elizabeth York will replace Amanda Mitchell as the lead actress in a Windmill Studios television project."

Ethan blinked, then responded immediately, "She'd never agree to work with Windmill."

"That's not her decision to make. Just be prepared." In reality, Elizabeth had attempted resistance but failed.

"Understood," Ethan replied.

"I'm leaving now. Inform the others for me," William said before departing.

In his car, William could only think about what Nathan and Ethan had revealed about Elise...

Suddenly, he commanded, "Change of destination. Head to Crestwood Heights."

"Yes, Mr. Levine," the chauffeur responded, turning the car around.

Upon arrival, William went straight into the apartment building and stopped outside Elise's door. He rang the doorbell.

After a moment, Elise opened the door.

His flushed cheeks and the strong scent of alcohol told her he was intoxicated.

Had he gone drinking after their dinner together?!

Elise's rationality warned her that William posed danger at this moment. It was very late, and they were alone...

However, as she attempted to close the door, she suddenly found herself pulled firmly against a warm, solid chest as he gathered her tightly in his embrace.