Chapter 1613

"Dream on!" Lucas snapped. "What are you waiting for, then?" asked Stella. Lucas, caught off guard for a moment, quickly regained his composure. "You little vixen, I won't let you get away with this." The night was filled with intense passion. The next morning, Stella had an early shoot. Despite having little rest and a mind full of thoughts from the night, she woke up early. She stirred slightly, feeling the arm wrapped around her waist. "Lucas, let go of me, I need to get up." Lucas held her tight, unyielding and silent, lost in a deep sleep. Growing impatient, Stella pinched him hard on the waist. The sharp pain jolted Lucas awake, his eyes slowly opening. "What's up, honey?" "I need to get up. Let go of me." Lucas lazily reached for his phone to check the time, then pulled her closer into his embrace. "It's just past six, still early. Let's sleep a little more." "I've got an early shoot today." Stella pushed against him with more force, finally breaking free and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, ready to rise. But Lucas was quick, his arm shooting out to pull her back into his embrace. "You've been up all night; you don't have the energy for a shoot. I'll call your director and ask him to schedule your scenes later. Let others go first." Stella shot him a glare. "Filming isn't a one-person show, Lucas. It involves multiple departments—set, props, lighting, you name it. If I bail, it halts work for everyone." That was Stella's way—all or nothing, striving for perfection. Years on set had taught her the value of teamwork in filmmaking; the collaboration of countless individuals behind and in front of the camera. As an actress, she knew her responsibility was to sync with the crew, not to derail the entire production on a whim. "Then I'm getting up and coming with you to the set." "No need for you to stick around," Stella said firmly. "You had a rough night, get some more rest." "An hour or two of workout isn't going to knock me out." Stella rolled her eyes at him, pushing past to get out of bed. As she walked toward the bathroom, she called over her shoulder, "You shouldn't be here just to keep me company. I don't want to be blamed someday for being a distraction, you get that?" "No one would dare say that," Lucas replied, but it was then he caught the deeper meaning in her words. Her mention of "someday" implied that she saw a future with him in it. Some things were better understood than spoken. Lucas could not help but feel a surge of joy, every cell in his body seemingly dancing with happiness. He got out of bed and followed her to the bathroom. "Alright, I'll head back to Hayshiport today. Once I wrap up my work, I'll come back to be with you." Stella casually tied her hair up with a hair tie, grabbed her toothbrush, and began brushing her teeth, having applied some toothpaste. Through the bathroom mirror, she caught sight of Lucas standing behind her. Their eyes met in the reflection. As they gazed at each other, Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Stella, I really want to stay and be with you," he murmured. Stella continued brushing without a struggle, focused on the task at hand. After finishing, she gently patted his hand. "I'll be done shooting in a month, Lucas. Don't waste your time running back and forth." "Not a waste of time at all," Lucas insisted. Stella sighed. "If things go as planned and I get pregnant, I won't be on set for a long while. Then, I can stay in Hayshiport." To live in Hayshiport meant to be with him. Lucas understood and leaned in to kiss her softly. "Alright." Once she was ready to leave, Lucas walked her to the door. "I've arranged for breakfast to be delivered to your set. Make sure you eat. Don't starve yourself." "I know."