Alter Ego: His Sultry Lover

The chain of the bracelet was slick, camouflaging into her skin, except for the small flower that matched the necklace Cage's parents gave her. If one didn't look closely, they would not be able to see it.

Stephen was rubbing his scrappy beard as he cursed.

"This is exactly what we wanted," Corey spoke out. "We want them to show up so we can figure out who it is." Corey patted Katherine's shoulder, surprising everyone in the room. "Don't worry ma'am. We're here to protect you." 𝑓𝗿𝐞𝘦𝘄ｅ𝘣n𝘰𝘷eƖ.c𝘰𝗺

"We weren't going to get them on the first night," another one spoke.

"It really is serious, isn't it?" Katherine sighed.

"Serious, but not dangerous." Corey kept out the part that there was a potential for that. "You have been forewarned. That is the greatest trump card in our hands. They know the location of this property so there might be attempted break-ins. There will be no physical harm done, so please don't worry."

Cage put his hand on the small of her back. "Are you okay?"

"It's fine. They can try tearing me away from you. I won't let it happen." She smiled reassuringly even though she was the one threatened with bodily harm. "We'll be fine."

Cage dearly hoped that what she said was true.

- - -

It was a ruthless day on the set. The director was driving Cage insane with his nitpicking. He kept changing his mind about how he wanted to shoot a particular scene. Cage was usually very patient with such things. The movie would be the director's child and any fault in cinematography would be blamed on him, so Cage understood.

The scene was physically taxing, that was all. It was a single shot where Cage had to run for a long period of time. He was in shape, even on set, he would not forget his morning workout. By afternoon, he was exhausted.

Cage bit the inside of his cheek as the director asked to change the angle of the shot yet again. It took all his willpower not to huff and puff at every turn. Instead, he dragged himself to his chair and slumped down in hopes of getting some rest. He groped for his phone to distract himself from his aching muscles.

"Tired?" Giselle asked, plopping down the chair beside him.

"Obviously," Cage grumbled.

"I have a personal opinion that I am wondering if I should tell you."

"What's that?" Cage leaned down to grab a bottle of water and unscrewed it. He looked at her in confusion and took the first sip. The cold water went down his throat, giving him a shred of relief.

Giselle leaned over the chair, setting aside her courtesy of keeping away to stop people from speculating something disastrous. "The director is a little fickle."

Cage couldn't agree more. Yet, he also couldn't stop himself from joking with his newbie. "If the newspaper reports you to be an uncooperative diva in the news, don't think I gave the tip, okay?" f𝙧ee𝘄𝐞𝚋𝐧૦ѵeƖ.c𝘰𝓶

Her eyes widened comically before she realized that he was teasing her. "I won't blame you," she said confidently. She looked on either side of her to see if someone was listening in on them. "I haven't acted in as many sets as you but don't directors have a plan for the scenes beforehand? Mr Director keeps changing his mind... seems like a waste of money and resources." She shrugged.

"Yeah. He is an artist. He second guesses himself and can't contain the many ways the same scene can play out. He also demands perfection. That's why he wins awards." He gave her a pointed look. "You'll soon realize that this set is better than a lot of others. Some have horrible planning for outdoor shoots. Some have lax security while others may have people who don't know what they are doing." He shrugged. "Imagine having to scrap a perfect scene because no one informed the director there was a train scheduled. A whistle in the distance ruined the whole thing."

Giselle huffed. "No kidding. Though, it is upsetting that someone keeps watching us." She paused. "Which reminds me, I haven't been getting any letter recently. I still feel like someone is watching me, but... is there something on your end?" She looked concerned.

"I can't divulge a lot but I have been receiving a lot of letters. Especially about Katherine." His eyes hardened as he thought about it.

A small team of people approached them, engulfing the two actors who needed their makeup retouched. Cage watched with attention every face in the crew, trying to figure out who it could be. They were somewhere close. When he looked at Giselle, he could feel how uncomfortable she was. She must have been looking at every member of the crew with suspicion as well.

None of the makeup crew were really looking at them. Cage could also feel that the artists were tired of touching up makeup every fifteen minutes. Cage and Giselle were just a job to them. Get it done. Get out of the way. Finish as soon as possible.

"I can't stand the paranoia," Giselle admitted in a small voice after the team had left.

"Do you regret it?" he asked.

"Regret what?"

"Taking the job. I mean, I promised you that you would be safe, but you are in constant fear for your life. If you were in danger, your bodyguards will protect you at all costs." He smiled at her reassuringly.

"I've been thinking about it..." she trailed off.

"Don't think about it. Focus on your job and you'll find yourself more confident."

"How is Katherine, though?" Giselle asked. "I've been getting on video chats with her a lot. I like watching her," she said with a shy smile. Cage's stomach turned.

This was a possibility Stephen had produced. What if Giselle was the one sending all the letters, making the rumors go around that she was receiving letters, getting into a scandal with Cage... things of that nature. It surely would have explained why the stalker knew little details about Cage's day and what Katherine was wearing.

"You've been watching her?"

"Yeah. I like talking to her and watching her videos. They are so entertaining." And that was a great reason to watch someone.

Cage had to stop himself.