Ridley's blood turned to ice when he caught Aileen's words, his thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm.
After ending her call, Aileen stepped in from the balcony to find Ridley planted by the door like a statue. Her face drained of color.
"Con... Ridley... When did you get back?"
She had no clue how much he'd overheard.
Ridley stayed silent, studying Aileen with hollow, distant eyes.
The woman standing before him felt like a complete stranger.
After several heartbeats of silence, he spoke. "What did you mean about 'capturing Ana for revenge'?"
Aileen's pulse stuttered—he'd heard everything.
Guilt forced her gaze away as she scrambled for an excuse, lips barely moving. "What 'capturing Ana for revenge'? Ridley, you must've misunderstood. I've got this audition coming up, remember? That was the producer on the phone asking me to practice some villain dialogue. I was just improvising, so don't read into it."
"Really?" Ridley's stare didn't waver.
