Chapter 2

Those amber eyes belonged to a face that looked like it had been sculpted by a flawless, unforgiving god.

Karina's brain rapidly sifted through the original owner's memories. The identity clicked instantly. Jefferson Stein. The untouchable A-list actor. The apex predator of Hollywood. A massive, walking complication she had zero interest in dealing with.

Karina immediately took a half-step back, putting physical distance between them. She wiped every trace of emotion from her face, replacing it with a cold, business-like mask.

"My apologies. Low blood sugar. I lost my footing," she said. Her voice was flat, devoid of the desperate fawning every other actress in this town used when they looked at him.

But inside Jefferson's head, a completely different voice exploded. It was loud, brutally honest, cynical, and crystal clear.

[Holy shit! Look at those pecs! That face! This is the absolute ceiling of human male genetics! Too bad he looks like a frigid block of wood! ]

Jefferson's massive frame went completely rigid. His pupils dilated in shock, and his gaze swept the hallway like a radar.

Aside from his tense agent Julian and the stone-faced bodyguards, no one was speaking. The hallway was so quiet he could hear the hum of the air conditioning.

Jefferson's eyes snapped back to the pale, indifferent woman standing in front of him. His frown deepened.

Karina noticed him staring. Annoyance flared in her chest, but she kept her polite, fake mask on and gave a stiff nod.

[What the hell is he looking at? Has he never seen a hot girl with low blood sugar? If he keeps blocking my way to a burger, I swear to God I'll strip that expensive haute couture suit off him and use it as a mop. ]

The voice boomed in Jefferson's skull again.

He sucked in a sharp breath, his fingers curling into tight fists at his sides. He was staring right at her mouth. Her lips hadn't moved a single millimeter.

Julian noticed his boss's strange reaction. Assuming Jefferson was pissed about the cheap stunt, Julian stepped right in front of Karina, blocking her view of the actor.

"Miss Abbott, please mind your professional boundaries," Julian warned, his tone dripping with condescension.

Karina gave a careless shrug. She didn't have the energy to argue with idiots. She turned sideways, pressing her back against the cold wall, and squeezed past the group.

[This agent acts like a Chihuahua guarding its food. Whatever. Eating is more important. I'm literally starving to death. ]

The crisp, sarcastic thought drifted into Jefferson's mind as she brushed past him.

He could smell the cheap, synthetic strawberry scent of her shampoo. The contrast between her cheap reality and her arrogant, violent thoughts created a bizarre, jarring disconnect in his brain.

Jefferson whipped around, staring hard at her swaying but rapid retreat. A storm of shock raged in his amber eyes.

"Jeff, are you okay?" Julian asked, trying to soothe him. "I've seen a million D-list actresses try to climb the ladder like that. Just ignore her."

Jefferson took a deep breath, forcing his racing heart to slow down. His voice came out slightly hoarse. "Julian... did you hear anyone talking just now?"

Julian looked confused and shook his head. "No. Just me warning her. Why? Have you been shooting too many back-to-back scenes? Are you hallucinating from exhaustion?"

Hallucinations.

Jefferson rubbed his throbbing temples. That was the only logical, scientific explanation. But his gut told him something was terribly wrong.

He pulled his gaze away from the hallway, forcing his face back into its usual, untouchable mask, and took long strides toward the director's monitors.

On the other side of the set, Karina finally burst into the craft service area.

She walked right past the bowls of organic kale salad and locked her eyes on the hot food cart in the corner. She grabbed two double cheeseburgers and a massive cup of iced cola.

Finding an empty corner, she shoved the burger into her mouth, chewing aggressively, completely abandoning any image of Hollywood grace.

The rush of carbs and fat instantly smoothed out the violent jitters of her low blood sugar. Color began to seep back into her pale cheeks.

As she chewed, she replayed the encounter with Jefferson in her head, mentally scoffing at the rumors of his 'untouchable' status.

Meanwhile, Jefferson reached the monitors. Arthur saw him and immediately rushed over, his face glowing with excitement.

But Jefferson wasn't listening to the greetings. Inside his head, the voice was still there, fainter now, but distinct.

[Oh my god... this cheese... so good... one more bite...]

A strange, twisted expression crossed Jefferson's face. He took a black coffee from an assistant and took a long sip, trying to use the bitter taste to drown out the bizarre experience.

He knew for a fact that the woman named Karina was nowhere in his line of sight. Yet, he could 'hear' the pure, unadulterated joy she was getting from eating trash food.

He pulled out his phone, opened the browser, and typed: [Symptoms and treatments for auditory hallucinations caused by severe fatigue. ] He hit search.