Antonia was waiting outside the office, arms folded, and her gaze steady. “Come in,” she said, holding the door open.
Ms. Leighton sat behind her desk, sunlight spilling across the polished wood. She didn’t rise, but her attention sharpened as soon as they entered. Antonia closed the door behind themand took up a post by the window. “Thank you for coming so quickly,” Ms. Leighton said, her voice calm but edged with gravity. “Please, sit.”
Kel perched on the edge of the sofa, Madeline beside her. The room felt suddenly smaller. Ms. Leighton folded her hands, considering them both. “I want to be transparent about what happened this morning,” she began. “The equipment failure on set was not accidental. Our technician found evidence that the gimbal’s wiring had been deliberately damaged.”
Madeline’s eyes widened. “Sabotage?” she whispered.
Antonia nodded, expression unreadable. “We’re investigating,” she said. “So far, only a handful of people had access to the gear. We’re interviewing everyone, but I wanted to ask you both if you noticed anything unusual. Anyone on the crew behaving oddly. Any strangers near the equipment.”
Taking a deep breath, Kel replayed the morning in her mind. She’d been focused on Madeline, on the sound-check, on the way Ruthi barked orders. She tried to recall every face. “Nothing out of the ordinary,” she said slowly. “Everyone seemed busy. There was a new grip, but he stuck with the main crew. I didn’t see anyone near the camera who shouldn’t have been.”
She glanced at Madeline, who shook her head. “I was too nervous to notice much,” Madeline admitted. “Ruthi was… intense. I was only trying to stay out of the way.”
Antonia’s gaze lingered on both of them, as if she were searching for cracks, but then she nodded. “If you remember anything, even if it feels insignificant, let me know,” she said. “Until we get to the bottom of this, I’d like you both to be watchful. If you see anything strange, report it immediately.”
Nodding, Kel felt unease prickling down her spine. “Do you think we’re the target? Or Ruthi? Or—”
“We don’t know yet,” Ms. Leighton said with a thin smile. “It might be someone trying to disrupt the shoot, or somethingmore personal. Until we have answers, I want everyone on alert.”
Madeline’s hands twisted in her lap. “Does this kind of thing happen often?”
“No,” Antonia answered. “Security here is tight. That’s why this stands out.” She paused, then softened. “Don’t let it ruin your stay. We’ll handle it.”
Ms. Leighton leaned back in her chair. “The part will arrive tomorrow, but not until late,” she said, her tone shifting, lighter but still deliberate. “That means you have a day off. I suggest you take advantage of it. There’s a cove on the north side of the island. The snorkeling is superb, and the staff will pack you a lunch. Consider it a gift. Sometimes, a little distance gives us the clarity we need.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Kel saw Madeline’s shoulders relax a fraction, though her eyes still held worry. “Thank you,” Madeline said. “That sounds perfect, actually.”
Kel met Ms. Leighton’s gaze. “We’ll let you know if we remember anything.”
“Good,” Antonia said, opening the door for them. “Enjoy your afternoon. Let us worry about the rest.”
Back in the corridor, Madeline let out a shaky breath. “That was… a lot.”
Wrapping an arm around Madeline, Kel drew her close as they walked. “We’re okay. We stick together, right?”
Nodding, Madeline leaned in. “Right.” Kel pressed a kiss to Madeline’s hair, her own nerves rattling beneath her calm. “Whatever is happening on the island, I won’t let anything come between us.”
12
Madeline leaned against the cool tile railing of her balcony, the ocean’s hush a steady background to the soft glow of her phone screen. The sky was deep blue velvet now, scattered with stars, and the island lights below cast shimmering ribbons across the lagoon. Somewhere in the gardens, a band was playing faint jazz. It was all enough to almost make the evening feel normal.
She typed a quick message to Kel. “I still can’t believe they’re making us take a day off. What if I forget how to act by tomorrow?”
A second later, Kel’s response came back. “You could never forget. But I’ll quiz you on your lines over breakfast. Or, you know, feed you croissants and coffee until you remember you’re brilliant.”
Madeline smiled, warmth blooming in her chest. She let herself sink into the quiet, the ordinary rhythm of their banter, until movement on the path below caught her eye. She peered over the balcony rail, squinting through the semi-dark. Someone was walking from the far side of the lagoon, a shadow stretching long ahead of her. It took a second for Madeline to recognize the stride. Purposeful, shoulders back, and almost military. It couldonly be Ruthi Shay. But not the Ruthi she’d seen at the shoot or in meetings. This version of Ruthi… was smiling. Not the tight, “I’ll eat you for breakfast” smile, but something looser. Her hair was down, swinging.She looks. Madeline searched for the word.Relaxed?
She snapped a photo and sent it to Kel. “Is it just me or does Ruthi look… happy? Did she find a secret wine cellar out there?”
Kel’s reply came fast. “Maybe she wrestled a wild boar, and it finally gave her the respect she deserves?” There was a pause and then a second message. “Seriously, though, she wasn’t at dinner. Where was she?” Madeline watched as Ruthi paused to chat with a staff member. Actually chat, not bark orders. It was as if the island had swapped her out for a friendlier doppelganger.
Madeline typed. “Do you think she’s here for a fantasy, like I am? I mean, she doesn’t seem like the “find your bliss” type, but… maybe even directors need dreams?”
“What would Ruthi’s fantasy even be? A world where actors don’t improvise?” Kel wrote back.
Madeline snorted, then covered her mouth, glancing around as if someone might have heard. “Or maybe she wants to direct a commercial that doesn’t get sabotaged.”
“Now THAT’S a fantasy.”
