Mia was about to leave the cubicle when she heard voices entering the washroom. She froze, her breath hitching as the voices sounded familiar. A lump formed in her throat as recognition struck.

"Are you out of your mind, Natalie?" Ashley hissed, glaring at Natalie. "Who gave you the right to hire me for this?"

Natalie chuckled, shaking her head. "Why are you so worked up over something so trivial, Ash?"

"Trivial?" Ashley scoffed, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "This isn't the issue, Nat! You should have checked with me before making decisions like this."

"Is that really all you're concerned about, Ashley?" Natalie asked, crossing her arms. "Or are you just avoiding working closely with me?"

Ashley stopped, rubbing her temple in frustration. "Are we really doing this now, Natalie? For heaven's sake, can you stop acting like everything I do revolves around you? You're not the center of the universe," she snapped.

Natalie nodded, her smirk never fading. "Well said, Ash. But if this isn't about us—or our past—then why are you acting like this?"

Ashley's eyes narrowed. "All I want is for you to run it by me first—see if your so-called case works for me," she said firmly. "I don't mind working with you, but I'm long done with you personally. All I'm asking is that you at least give me the background on the case, instead of dropping it on me out of nowhere. Just because you're my brother's fiancée doesn't mean you get to make decisions for me. Quit assuming I need your help to solve a case," she added, irritation clear in her voice.

Inside the cubicle, Mia covered her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut, trying not to eavesdrop. Should I step out and pretend I didn't hear anything? she wondered, her heart racing.

Natalie laughed, shaking her head. "Here we go again with the 'my brother's fiancée' line. Come on, Ash, quit it."

Ashley rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Because it's true! You love to power trip. Just because you have that position doesn't mean you can command me to do whatever you want."

"Still the same, Ash," Natalie sighed, shaking her head as she turned on the faucet, washing her hands. "You've got me thinking you're still not over me," she added with a knowing smile.

Ashley raised an eyebrow, clicking her tongue. "You're unbelievable. I'm long past you, Natalie. You're just a stranger to me now. But unfortunately, you're going to be my sister-in-law soon," she chuckled bitterly. "Do me a favor—stop interfering in my business. I want nothing to do with you, so just leave it at that."

Natalie shrugged, dabbing her hands dry with a tissue. She eyed Ashley with a knowing look, clicking her tongue. "Why do I get the feeling that you really can't stand the idea of me being your sister-in-law?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I already told you, I didn't know Azriel was your brother. If I had known—"

Ashley raised a hand, cutting her off. "Just stop. Do what I asked and we'll be fine. No more issues," Ashley said, shrugging as she turned the faucet off.

"Fine," Natalie said with a smirk. "Oh, and by the way, Maya told me she wants you to be Ms. Tran's bodyguard." She waved a hand dismissively before heading out the door, leaving Ashley alone.

Ashley leaned over the sink, frustration evident in the slump of her shoulders. She froze when a faint ringtone sounded from one of the cubicles. Her eyes widened in realization, and she glanced at the cubicles behind her. Shit! she hissed inwardly.

Mia bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut as she clutched her phone in her pocket. Shit, this couldn't be happening.

"Who's in there?" Ashley's voice rang out, making Mia's heart skip a beat. Damn it! Mia cursed to herself. She cleared her throat, then slowly unlocked the cubicle door and peeked out, meeting Ashley's gaze.

Ashley blinked in surprise. "Mia?!"

"I—I didn't hear anything," Mia stammered, forcing a nervous laugh. "Heh, heh."

Ashley raises an eyebrow, still processing the situation. "You sure about that?" she asks, her tone a mix of curiosity and skepticism. She takes a step closer, keeping her eyes locked on Mia.

Mia stiffens, her heart racing as she forces a smile. "I, uh, was just... checking my phone. You know, busy day and all that," she says, her voice a little too high-pitched. "Definitely didn't hear any... personal conversations."

Ashley lets out a low chuckle, crossing her arms over her chest. "Right. Sure, Mia. No big deal," she says, though the amused glint in her eyes suggests she's not entirely convinced.



As they settled into their seats, Mia glanced around in awe at the location of the workshop. The open field was scattered with shooting targets and various other pieces of equipment. She looked ahead, her focus briefly shifting to Inspector Natalie, who was demonstrating something to the group. Mia tried to concentrate, but her attention kept drifting to the person sitting just in front of her.

Shaking her head, she shut her eyes for a moment, trying to refocus on the demonstration. Her fellow actors were also present, quietly watching and listening.

"May I call on Detective Ashley for additional insight into the workshop?" Natalie said, prompting Ashley to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

Ashley sighed, standing up and clearing her throat as she walked toward Natalie. "What is this, another one of your surprise impromptus?" she whispered to Natalie, her teeth clenched as she tried to maintain her composure.

Just as Ashley was about to introduce herself, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Natalie was preparing to strike. Instinctively, Ashley caught the fake knife in her hand, the swift motion leaving everyone in the production team and the actors gasping in shock.

Blinking in surprise, Ashley looked at Natalie, who simply smiled.

"See how alert Detective Ashley is?" Natalie said, shaking her head with a smirk. "If this were a real attack, you'd be bleeding right now." She shrugged, making the remark loud enough for the team to hear.

Ashley chuckled, picking up a red Pentel pen from the table. "You should always be aware of your surroundings," she said, raising the pen as if it were a weapon. "Never turn your back on an enemy; they'll come at you from behind."

Without warning, Ashley moved quickly, attempting to strike Natalie from behind. But Natalie was faster, dodging the fake attack with ease. Still, Ashley wasn't done yet.

Natalie's eyes widened as she realized what Ashley was doing. "A fake one, huh?" she chuckled, but Ashley was already on her back, one arm around her neck, the ink of the pen pressing against her skin.

"If this were a real weapon, Inspector," Ashley said with a playful wink, "you'd be dead by now."

Natalie laughed, shaking her head, while the others cheered, as if they were watching a performance. The tension between them, however, was far from a demonstration—it was personal.

"Is this part of the demo?" Mia whispered to Maya, her voice barely audible.

Maya chuckled. "I think so? The director asked them to show some of the basics, and it's being recorded for review. You'll be doing the same moves," Maya said with a shrug.

Mia gulped, her eyes returning to Ashley, who was now explaining the move she'd just demonstrated. As Ashley met her gaze, Mia felt a sudden warmth rise to her face. Ashley gave her a quick smile, but it didn't last long, yet Mia could still feel the heat building inside her.

Why am I acting like this? This isn't like me, Mia thought to herself, a strange feeling stirring inside her that she couldn't quite place.