Kingsley's POV
I chased after her and found Freya sullenly waiting at a red light at an intersection.
I approached her, removed my jacket, and draped it over her shoulders.
Freya didn't glance back at me.
I pursed my lips and said, "Your shirt is dirty."
"None of your business!" Freya snapped, whipping her head around with red eyes. "Where were you when I needed you? Who are you sympathizing with now?"
Looking into her reddened eyes, I remained silent and reached out to gently wipe away the coffee stain that had just splashed onto her cheek and hadn't been cleaned.
Freya waved my hand away, saying, "Leave me alone; I'm not your mate anymore!"
My fingers trembled, and my throat tightened. I opened my mouth after a long pause and whispered, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry is the most useless thing in the world to say," Freya said, still looking at me with red eyes. "Now that you know what your mother did to me, whether it's your sister or your mother, don't ever mess with me again, including you!"
As soon as the words left my mouth, the red light turned green. Freya turned around and walked away briskly.
The crosswalk, about a dozen meters away, felt like an insurmountable chasm, distancing Freya from me. For the first time, I felt that she was so distant from me. My heart ached.
My wolf whimpered with grief. I thought I had everything under control, but I was exactly the one who hurt her the most.
Jeremy pulled the car up to me and said, "Alpha."
I snapped back to reality, opened the door, and got in, saying, "Let's head back to the office."
Back at the office, I buried my head in the piles of paperwork on my desk, hoping to distract myself from the pain of Freya's departure for a while.
Before long, Jeremy brought up several packages, some of which contained products from partner companies, and some held documents requiring my signature. I sat behind my desk and started opening the packages.
Midway through, I unexpectedly found an unsigned letter. It only had the recipient's information, but no sender's details.
I pinched it, and it turned out to be nothing more than a thin layer, resembling a sheet or two of paper.
I unwrapped it to find a slip of paper with two lines of text: "Come by and sit in on a trial tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at the Athana Courthouse."
Twenty minutes later, Jeremy entered and reported, "The mail was delivered by a courier. It's unclear who dropped it off for now. The lawsuit at the Athana Courthouse tomorrow involves stand-in actress Starry suing a couple of netizens for cyber violations."
I wore a blank expression. I didn't really know who Starry was, but her name sounded vaguely familiar.
Jeremy had to explain further, saying, "That's the actor who was originally scheduled to play the role in the promotional video for 'The Legend.' Didn't you use your connections to get Tracy to take that role?"
I finally remembered and said, "What kind of lawsuit did she file?"
"Infringement of reputation and defamation," Jeremy responded after a pause. "She had previously been targeted by Tracy's fans online and suffered from depression. Not long ago, she hired a lawyer to send a cease and desist letter to those who had harmed her online reputation, and that's the case that's going to trial tomorrow. By the way, she's being represented by Finley."
"Finley?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Starry is actually going to appear at the trial tomorrow. She's never shown her face online, so this lawsuit is still generating a lot of media attention."
I pursed my lips and rubbed my fingers lightly over the letter.
Who could this letter be from?
I picked up my cell phone and called Finley.
"Finley, do you have a lawsuit tomorrow?"
Finley answered on the other end, "What's going on?"
"Can you give me Starry's contact information? I have something to ask her."
Finley was silent for a moment, pursing his lips. "I'm sorry, Alpha, but this involves a client's privacy, and I have to adhere to my professional ethics."
I fell silent for a moment and whispered, "Does she know me?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you." Finley's voice came from the other end of the line.
At this point, I could be fairly certain from his response that I had likely met this Starry before.
I fortified my resolve within, speaking in a deep voice, "Tell her something for me. If she intends to use this incident to gain attention, she's playing the wrong game. I'll make sure she regrets sending me that letter."
With that, I disconnected the call.
The following morning, Jeremy and I arrived at the scene.
I was a bit late, and upon entering, the public gallery was nearly filled. Only a few empty seats remained in the front row, so Jeremy and I took our places there.
The atmosphere was lively, with everyone discussing today's case. Some were fervent Tracy fans, while most were entertainment reporters eager to uncover firsthand news.
I overheard two young girls in the back row whispering. Although I couldn't quite grasp the full extent of their conversation, it was evident that they were undoubtedly fans of Tracy since they harbored strong hostility toward the "Starry" stunt double when they were talking.
I furrowed my brow and turned to Jeremy, asking, "Is this what fans are like these days?"
Jeremy whispered back, "It's not even the worst of it. Nowadays, celebrity fans can be extremely passionate, both online and offline. Arguments and insults can get pretty intense. Honestly, there's almost nothing they wouldn't do."
I frowned.
Was this the kind of environment Freya would encounter when she entered the industry to shoot her movie?
The thought left me feeling concerned, prompting me to send a text message to Henry.
"I'm considering investing in Quinn Media."
Shortly after, I received Henry's response.
"Then come to my office this afternoon, and we can discuss it further."
I was just about to reply to the message when the court suddenly came to life.
A familiar scent drifted in.
I raised my gaze to witness the judge, the plaintiff, and then the defendant enter, one after the other.
Beside Finley, there was a woman wearing a distinctive ducktail hat, her mask tightly covering her face, yet her silhouette seemed oddly familiar.
I furrowed my brow, eager to identify her, but before I could take another step, she abruptly halted, and her gaze locked onto me.
In that moment, my heart raced as a thought struck me—could it be Freya?
Freya locked eyes with me, then followed Finley to the plaintiff's seat.
I instinctively stood up, only to be halted by the bailiff next to me.
I reluctantly resumed my seat. Amid the chaos in my mind, one realization became increasingly clear: Starry was Freya, the plaintiff today.
How could she possibly be Starry?
After all these years, I hadn't noticed at all.
Certain memories I'd never cared about before began resurfacing.
I recalled a time when Freya quizzed me about Starry, asking for my opinion on the casting change in "The Legend."
What had I said then? Oh, right, I dismissed it as the other side's publicity stunt, and Freya had become furious.
Then, I remembered that after Freya first mentioned to reject me, she had moved out of our house, and the very next day, I bumped into her at Sky Games.
Back then, I had thought Freya was stalking herself. I was such a fool.
I felt overwhelmed by guilt. I had personally given Tracy the role in "The Legend" that once belonged to Freya.
Now, Freya was facing troubles because of it, and I couldn't deny my role in the situation.
Jeremy still hadn't realized that Freya was Starry, who seated on the plaintiff's table now and continued to remark, "She doesn't look as bad as the internet rumors suggest."
I forced a tight-lipped smile, saying nothing.