Chapter 143

"During the break, Mr. Foster is treating everyone to iced drinks. Line up and come get them one at a time."

The PA's voice echoed across the set.

The moment Cordelia stepped out of the scene, Kaida rushed over with a towel and pressed a cold drink into her hand.

Cordelia glanced at it. Kaida quickly explained, "Bianca had her assistant Kaia bring it over."

Cordelia smiled knowingly.

Kaida leaned in and whispered, "These drinks are from Mr. Foster. She's probably just showing off."

Speak of the devil. Cordelia had barely settled into her chair when she looked up and saw two figures approaching side by side.

Bianca was saying something to Nathan, a demure smile on her face.

Nathan nodded absently—then his gaze locked onto Cordelia's.

She tilted her head away, avoiding those dark, intense eyes.

She had zero interest in dealing with either of these two right now. Making a scene on set would only generate bad press and drag the production onto trending lists again.

But despite her efforts to stay invisible, some people had no sense of boundaries.

Kaida's voice dropped to a hiss. "Cordelia, Mr. Foster is heading this way. Bianca's right behind him."

Cordelia's brow furrowed. She was silently cursing her luck when a crew member appeared out of nowhere. "Cordelia, there's a lady outside asking for you."

Cordelia blinked. "A lady?"

The crew member nodded. "Yeah. Expensive clothes, luxury car."

Cordelia thanked them, stood, and walked toward the exit without a backward glance—deliberately avoiding Nathan's gaze.

Nathan watched her retreating figure, not once looking back. His brow creased.

Was she avoiding him on purpose?

His expression turned cold. Dark.

Bianca noticed the shift instantly. The corner of her mouth curved up—barely perceptible.

But her satisfaction was short-lived. Nathan was already striding after Cordelia.

Bianca's eyes went ice-cold.

Every time Nathan visited the set lately, he used 'checking in' as an excuse, but his attention was always fixed on Cordelia.

Bianca was nothing more than a convenient shield—moved around wherever needed.

They were divorced, and Cordelia still couldn't stay in her lane.

Time to teach her a lesson.

Bianca returned to her rest area, face stiff.

Kaia was still holding a drink, her smile bright and genuine. "Bianca, Mr. Foster really does care about you. Look—he's here again today. The whole crew gets to benefit because of you."

Bianca's smile remained, but her eyes went flat.

She glanced at Kaia. The assistant's smile faltered, and she lowered her head. "Bianca."

Bianca sat down, beckoned Kaia closer, and murmured into her ear, "I need you to do something for me."

---

Outside the studio gates, Cordelia immediately spotted the luxury car parked at the curb.

She frowned slightly, walked over, and tapped on the window.

A moment later, the glass slid down, revealing a woman's face half-hidden behind oversized sunglasses.

Something about her seemed familiar. Cordelia ventured a guess. "Mrs. Landry?"

Bethel removed the sunglasses and gave Cordelia a thin smile. "Get in. I need to talk to you."

Cordelia's stomach flipped.

They'd only met yesterday, and now the woman had tracked her down. This couldn't be good.

Despite the unease, she climbed in and pulled the door shut. "Mrs. Landry, what brings you here?"

"I'm not interrupting your work, am I?"

Cordelia shook her head. "We're on a break."

Bethel smiled. "Good."

Silence settled between them.

As the younger one, Cordelia couldn't just let the awkwardness hang. She offered, "Mrs. Landry, have you ever seen a film set before? Would you like to come inside and look around?"

Bethel didn't bother with false modesty. She lifted her chin. "Lead the way."

Cordelia regretted the invitation the instant it left her mouth.

She'd forgotten Nathan was still on set.

Her boyfriend's mother running into her ex-husband—that was a disaster waiting to happen.

She hadn't expected Bethel to accept so readily. Steeling herself, she opened the car door and stepped out—only to nearly collide with Nathan jogging toward her.

Her expression tightened. She stared at him, willing him to read the room and back off.

"What's wrong?"

Bethel's puzzled voice came from behind her.

Cordelia smoothed her expression, turned, and extended her hand. "Mrs. Landry, careful—the ground's a bit uneven here."

Bethel nodded and took Cordelia's arm as she stepped out of the car.

The girl's attentiveness earned a small measure of approval. Poised, not obsequious, and considerate. Not bad.

But the thought had barely formed when Bethel noticed the man standing not far away, staring openly in their direction.

Her expression shifted.

Nathan Foster's face was well-known in these circles. Bethel recognized him immediately.

Her lips pressed together. She glanced at Cordelia, saw the tension in the girl's face, and put two and two together. Nathan was here for Cordelia.

Whatever faint warmth she'd been feeling evaporated.

She slid her sunglasses back on. Her voice was flat. "That man keeps staring at us. Someone you know?"

Cordelia could feel the shift in Bethel's energy. It puzzled her, but she answered honestly. "That's my ex-husband."

She'd never hidden anything about her past from Logan or his family. Axel and Bethel knew she'd been married before.

Cordelia didn't consider it something worth concealing.

Bethel's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Well. At least you're honest."

Without waiting for Cordelia's reaction, she lifted her chin and strode toward the set. Over her shoulder, she added, "Deal with him. I don't want a tail following us around."

Cordelia could hear the displeasure loud and clear.

She turned, her face hardening, and walked straight toward Nathan. "Why did you follow me out here? I thought I'd made myself perfectly clear."

Nathan's jaw was tight. "Who was that woman?"

Cordelia almost laughed. "You already know, don't you?"

Playing dumb.

Nathan's thin lips pressed into a hard line. "So you really did meet Logan's parents?"

Cordelia's tone was clipped. "That's none of your business. Stop following me. You're exhausting."

She turned to leave.

Nathan caught her arm. "Don't tell me you actually think the Landry family will accept you. Mrs. Landry's attitude was dripping with contempt—so why are you still throwing yourself at them?"

Cordelia wrenched free of his grip. "Mrs. Landry looks down on me? And your mother was so much better?"

Since her memory loss, Delta hadn't visited once. Hadn't even called. That said everything about how much she valued Cordelia as a daughter-in-law.

As far as Cordelia was concerned, anyone had the right to say that to her. Anyone except Nathan.

She warned him not to follow her again—or she wouldn't be polite about it.

She rubbed irritably at the wrist he'd grabbed, turned on her heel, and pulled out her phone to call Logan.