Next morning, Rassel got up and quietly prepared for work. As she was getting ready to leave, Noah hug her from behind, holding his car keys.
"I'll drop you off," he offered casually.
Rassel paused, surprised by the offer. Though Noah usually picked her up at night, the idea of him dropping her off in the morning felt too risky. If someone saw them together, especially arriving at work, it could raise questions she wasn't ready to answer.
She gave him a polite but firm smile. "No, it's okay. I'll just take the bus or find my way there."
Noah's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't push. "Alright. At least let me drop you somewhere nearby. It'll make things easier for you, and I won't be seen near your workplace."
After a brief hesitation, Rassel nodded. "Okay. That sounds fine."
Later that day at work, Rassel was caught off guard when she saw Nuala walking into her department without any prior warning.
"Nuala?" Rassel blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Nuala crossed her arms, her tone playful but firm. "I'm here because you've been keeping your mysterious boss or friend, or whoever he is, a secret for too long. So today, when your shift ends, I want to meet him. I need to see this person you keep talking about. At least I'll know my best friend is safe when she disappears at night."
Rassel's eyes widened. "No, no, no, this isn't okay. You can't just come here because of that."
"Why not?" Nuala raised an eyebrow. "People have their reasons for keeping things private, yeah, but are you seriously saying you're keeping things private from me? Are you hiding something?"
"No! Of course not!" Rassel said quickly, shaking her head. "It's just... I want to keep it simple. He's my boss, nothing more. There's nothing serious going on."
But Nuala didn't buy it. She wasn't backing down.
"I still want to meet him," she said firmly. "You've been acting different, and I don't like guessing. I want to see who this guy is."
Rassel hesitated, feeling the pressure build as she tried to keep the truth buried just a little longer.
Rassel gently pulled Nuala aside, lowering her voice. "I know you're worried about me. I know you just want me to be safe. You care about me, and I love you for that. You know I love you, too."
Nuala's expression softened slightly, but she remained silent, waiting.
"Please," Rassel continued, "just go for now. When I'm ready for you to meet him, I promise—I'll bring him to you myself. It's not like I'm keeping secrets. It's just... he's my boss. Whatever's going on between us, it's not official yet. And until he gives me a sign that it's okay to share things with others, I want to keep this private."
She looked down, then back into Nuala's eyes. "I'm asking you as your friend. Please trust me. Just give me time."
Nuala sighed and finally nodded. "Fine. I'll leave. But I'm giving you one week."
Rassel's heart sank.
"One week," Nuala repeated, serious now. "If you don't bring this mystery man to me by then, I'm coming back here—and I'm not playing nice. I'll speak louder if I have to. I'll do whatever it takes to find out who he is."
You know I'm the only friend you have in this city. Your family is far away, and if something happened to you, I'm the one they'd hold responsible. I need to know who this man is. I have to protect you."
She pointed a warning finger. "So next time I come here, either I meet him face to face, or I dig him out myself. Got it?"
Rassel could only nod, the weight of her secret pressing heavier than ever.
The only way out of this… is to cut Noah off completely.
So she did.
Without warning, Rassel stopped replying to his calls. She ignored his texts. Day by day, she pulled away—completely, silently, and deliberately. She didn't even give him a reason. She just vanished from his life like a shadow slipping through cracks.
While Rassel tried to disappear, Noah was left in the dark.
At the same time, Noah was deeply involved in preparing for an upcoming project with Melissa. The two had been working late together, and the rumors around them had started to fly—whispers that maybe something romantic was brewing. Some even believed they were secretly dating.
But Noah had made it clear to Rassel—before the silence began—that nothing was going on with Melissa. "She's just a co-worker," she'd said firmly. "That's all."
And Rassel believed her. This wasn't about Melissa anyway.
It was about Noah.
Because deep down, Rassel feared what would happen if Nuala ever found out the truth about her and Noah. She couldn't imagine Nuala's face if she learned what had been going on behind closed doors. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting the one person who truly stood by her.
So Rassel made a decision.
She would cut Noah off, no matter how much it tore her apart.
She would bury her feelings to protect her friend.
And she would hope—maybe foolishly—that time would make it easier to forget the man who made her feel everything.
While Rassel stayed silent, trying to distance herself, Noah was still caught up in work—filming on set, surrounded by cameras and lights. Melissa was there too, as usual. They had a few scenes together, shared a few laughs between takes. It was harmless. Just professional.
But someone took a picture. Maybe a crew member. Maybe a fan who had slipped onto the set.
And like wildfire, it spread.
The photo showed Noah smiling at Melissa, his hand resting casually on her shoulder. It wasn't intimate, but it was enough to spark the rumors again. Within hours, the internet was buzzing.
"New power couple alert!"
"They look so rich and perfect together!"
"This is the kind of match we love—class, beauty, and money."
Rassel saw it on all social media, impossible to miss.
And as much as she tried to convince herself it didn't matter that it was just fans talking nonsense, it still stung. The picture. The comments. The way everyone seemed to cheer for Noah and Melissa as if it were already written in stone.
It felt like a slap.
But what hurt more wasn't just the photo. It was the silence on his end, too. He hadn't called. Hadn't texted. Maybe he was giving her space… or maybe he was starting to move on.
Rassel turned her phone over and set it aside.
She told herself she didn't care. That this was exactly what she wanted.
But the heaviness in her chest said otherwise.
Noah hadn't heard from Rassel in days.
At first, he thought she was just busy. He'd told himself maybe she's tired, maybe she needs space. But now, it was starting to feel like something else—something deeper. Her silence was no longer quiet... it was loud. Loud enough to make his chest feel heavy every time he looked at his phone.
He wanted to call her again. He almost did—over and over—but something always stopped him.
And then he saw the photo.
Melissa had texted it to him first, laughing it off. "We're trending again, superstar. Fans are shipping us like crazy."
He opened the post, brows furrowing as he read the comments.
"They look so expensive together. Literal goals."
"This is who Noah belongs with—someone who understands his world."
He clenched his jaw.
He didn't reply to Melissa. Didn't like the post. Didn't say a word.
Instead, his thoughts went straight to Rassel.
Had she seen it?
Was this why she'd gone quiet?
Did she think he'd choose image over emotion, over her?
Noah stood in his dressing room, staring at the mirror but not seeing himself. His heart was beating faster than it should.
He didn't care about the fans. Or the perfect picture they wanted to paint of him. But he cared about her.
And if he lost Rassel because of a stupid photo and a bunch of rich people's fantasies… he didn't know how he'd forgive himself.
Noah didn't wait any longer.