…..

  Gwendolyn crossed her arms, clearly unvinced. "And do you even have a script? A team? And what about funds?"

  Regal nodded. "I have got the script. The team will e. As for the funds… this check will do."

  Maggie chimed in, skepticism etched on her face. "You do realize how risky that is, right? Movies arely a guaranteed success. In fact, you might ruin your reputation."

  "I know." Regal said firmly, then paused. "But ….I love ema."

  The room stilled, and for a moment, Regal seemed like airely different person.

  His always casual eyes were lit up when he spoke the word ema, as if it embodied everything he cared about.

  Gwendolyn, who had always seen him as detached and unfppable, found herself caught off guard by his rawness and passion.

  She had assumed his nont rea to the book's success was just part of who he was, a man who didn't get fazed by much.

  But now?

  Now she saw someone who genuinely loved what he was talking about.

  It was jarring.

  Jealousy flickered briefly in her chest, ued and unwele.

  Gwendolyn sighed, sliding the check back toward him. "...I hope your movie is as good as your book." She said, her lips curving into a faint smile.

  Regal smirked, taking the check. "It will be better."

  Sensing the shift, Maggie stood up, grabbiablet.

  "I will leave you two to it." She g Regal as she headed for the dood luck."

  With that, she was gone, leaving them alone.

  ….

  They chatted briefly after that, the versation lighter now, but eventually, Regal stood to leave.

  "See you around." He said, standing and heading for the door.

  Just as his hand reached the handle, a voice from behind stopped him.

  "Boyfriend. Why did you dump me?"

  Her tone carried the mix of her characteristipint and whining.

  ??Regal turned, startled. "What?"

  Gwendolyn was still in her chair, avoiding his gaze. Her chair had swiveled slightly to the side, and her puffed cheeks gave her the air of a sulking child.

  "You dumped me. Why?" She huffed, finally meeting his eyes with a meanie look. "Was I not good enough?"

  Oh, gal sighed internally, almost screaming inside.

  Gwendolyn's expression was so cute he almost couldn't help himself …but he mao stop himself.

  "That's just a rumor, and you know it." He replied, exasperation creeping into his tone.

  She waved a hand dismissively. "Doesn't matter… you still dumped me."

  Regal sighed, a chuckle slipping out despite himself. "Are we really having a versatiohis topic?"

  But before he could say anything more, the door opened again, interrupting the moment. Maggie stepped in, carrying a tray with three steaming cups, two coffee and oea.

  The smoke rising from the cups hung in the air.

  Maggie gnced betweewo of them, her brow furrowing in fusion. "Why were you standihe door?"

  Gwendolyn smirked, enjoying the ce to shift the versation.

  "Little Maggie, you believe it? Regal was just about to leave…" She trailed off, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Regal's shoulders dropped slightly as he realized he wasn't getting out of this room anytime soon.

  ….

  .

  "Gwendolyn, what are we doing here?" Regal's voice was low, but the exasperation in it was impossible to miss.

  The bookstore they were now at was quiet, the kind of stillhat only came well after closing time.

  Yet here they were, standing amidst rows of shelves like two people who had lost track of reality.

  Regal sighed, gng at the dimly lit street outside. This wasn't how he had po end his evening.

  But just as he had initially expected, leaving the 'building' had been anything but straightforward.

  Just an ho - He, Gwendolyn, and Maggie had ed up di a nearby restaurant, g it was Gwendolyn's treat for celebration.

  After that, Maggie said her goodbyes, leaving Regal to believe his night was finally winding down.

  By nal should have been heading home or, at the very least, standing at the bus stop as per Gwendolyn's earlier promise.

  But instead, here they were.

  "Shhh~!" Gwendolyn hissed, holding a fio her lips with dramatic fir.

  Iher hand she held a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

  "We are here to withe ground-level impact of our baby." She whispered, her tone dripping with mock seriousness.

  Regal sighed inwardly, choosing to ignore her calling his book their 'baby'.

  He wasirely sure if she was teasing or subtly hinting at something deeper.

  With Gwendolyn, it was always a guessing game.

  One moment, she was lighthearted and pyful, and the , she would act like it was all in Regal's head.

  Ding–!Dong–!

  The bell above the entrance jingled softly, interrupting his thoughts.

  Two teenage girls ehe store, their chatter breaking the quiet.

  One of them ractically boung with excitement.

  "Just give me a minute! I o grab something!" She said, already heading for the shelves.

  Her friend trailed behind, arms crossed, her expression a mix of impatiend indifference. "Make it quick."

  The excited girl darted down the aisles, sing the shelves. But soon, her excitement gave way to frustration.

  Uo find what she was looking for, she approached the store's ter.

  "Excuse me." She asked the store owner, holding up her phone. "Do you have a copy of this?"

  The man g the title dispyed on her s and shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, we sold out. The st copy went earlier today."

  Disappoi clouded her face. Behind her, her friend shrugged, clearly unmoved.

  She said ftly. "Just wait until it's ba stock."

  "You don't get it, Jessica." the first girl replied, clearly distressed. "My friends said it's the best book they have ever read!"

  At that moment, Gwendolyn stepped forward with a fident smile, holding the book in her hand.

  Oher hand, Regal just stayed baot expeg her to make a move.

  "You take this." Gwendolyn offered, extending the book with a sense of pride that was almost palpable.

  Regal could see her expression. She was too proud of how well the book was doing, and she wasn't hiding it.

  "Uh, no. Ho–!" Jessica begaone ced with suspi, as though trying to figure out why a random stranger would give away a book so casually.

  " I?!" the irl interrupted, her excitement bubbling over. She practically snatched the bowendolyn's hand, her gratitude spilling out in a rush. "Thank you so much!"

  "Don't mention it," Gwendolyn said breezily, waving off her thanks like it was no big deal. "I was just browsing anyway."

  The girl quickly paid for the book at the ter before Jessica could object.

  As the two exited the store, Jessica finally grabbed the book from her friend, flipping it over with a skeptical look.

  "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." She read aloud, her toral. Then, after a pause, she added, "Written by Regal Seraphsail. That name sounds aybe I will read it too."

  "You should! But only after I am done!" Her friend shot back, holding the book tightly with an air of possessiveness.

  "Hey!" Jessica protested, reag for it again.

  Their pyful bickering faded into the distaheir voices growing softer as they stepped outside.

  ….

  Meanwhile, watg the se, Gwendolyn's expression shifted entirely.

  The pride she had funted so effortlessly moments ago began to darken, repced by an expression far more ominous.

  Her gaze lingered on the girls as they disappeared through the door, her thoughts visibly spiraling into something deeper and less fttering.

  It wasn't the book's popurity that bothered her, oh, no.

  It was the casual remark. Regal is cool.

  She seemed to pletely sidestep the fact that with the book's success, Regal's name - and, by extension, her publishing pany - was gaining tra.

  Her lips pressed into a thin line as her thoughts swirled. Then, with sudden resolve, she muttered under her breath. "Maybe I should just get my book back."

  "No, you don't." Regal reacted sharply, stepping forward and catg her wrist before she could leave.

  His grip was steady, his expression a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

  She turo face him, her narrowed eyes betraying a flicker of embarrassment.

  "...Nothing." She murmured, her voice soft but entirely unving - the hesitatiorayed her true feelings.

  Regal studied her for a moment, his grip loosening as he let out a weary sigh. "Sometimes, I really 't figure you out."

  At that, her demeanor shifted once again. Like the snap of a rubber band, her smirk was back, fidence restored.

  "That's part of my charm, Junior." She quipped, her tone pyful yet enigmatic.

  Regal rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he turned away. "Yeah, sure."

  .

  ….

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

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