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Chapter One: The Comeback
Los Angeles shimmered under the weight of its own mythology-sunlight glinting off glass towers, whispers of scandal riding through palm-lined streets, and somewhere beneath it all, Lina Reyes watched her coffee grow cold.
She sat in the lobby of Aurelius Studios, the media conglomerate where careers were made-and destroyed-with a single headline. As an entertainment journalist, Lina had interviewed everyone from TikTok stars to washed-up 90s heartthrobs. But this assignment? It was different.
Julian Vale.
The name itself was a relic, whispered with reverence among old-school movie buffs. He was the brooding lead in Silent Halo and the chaotic genius of Starlight Vice. Then, in 1995, at the peak of his fame-he vanished.
No rehab, no scandal, no tragic accident. He was just gone.
Until last week.
When Aurelius announced his return for a "new, career-defining role," the entertainment world lost its mind. Lina, always skeptical but dangerously curious, pitched the story: "The Man Who Skipped Time." They said yes. And now she was waiting, recorder in her purse, nerves in her throat.
"Miss Reyes?" a voice said.
She turned. The studio assistant gestured toward the elevator.
"He'll see you now."
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The penthouse suite wasn't what she expected. No luxury, no entourage. Just dim lighting, old books, and a man standing by the window in silence.
Julian Vale.
He turned, slowly. His face was untouched by time. Same intense blue eyes, same angular jaw. He looked... thirty-eight. Exactly the age he was when he disappeared. And yet-there was something timeless in the way he looked at her.
"You're not what I expected," he said, voice like worn velvet.
"Neither are you," Lina replied, lifting her recorder. "Let's start there."
He smiled faintly. "Careful. Stories can trap people in the wrong timeline."
She froze, mid-click.
Was that a joke?
He stepped closer, the air between them charged, humming with something she couldn't name-something impossible.
And in that moment, Lina knew two things:
1. Julian Vale wasn't just hiding.
2. Whatever had taken him... might come back for both of them.
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