"I'll talk to Liam about it," Hazel said.
"Oh—that's right… I forgot to collect his number," she thought to herself.
"Dior, have you eaten? I'm starving."
Dior shook her head. "No, I made some salad for us. You know tomorrow we're going to eat Vorden's food."
"Right."
They both went to eat, chatting lightly. After dinner, Hazel took a quick shower, then carefully arranged all the new clothes in her closet.
She lay on her bed and brought out her phone.
Opening Instagram, her eyes widened slightly.
"I've gained another 2 million followers… that makes it 9 million."
She checked her post.
"Four million likes… wow, I'm really progressing well," she murmured with a smile.
"Dior, how many followers have you gained?" Hazel asked.
"I gained 1.5 million—so I'm at 7.5 million now. But my account still isn't verified," Dior replied.
"Same here."
They talked for a while before eventually falling asleep.
The Next Morning
They woke up early, took their baths, and dressed casually. After cleaning their room, they were almost ready to leave when Hazel's phone rang.
An unknown number.
She answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello, love."
Hazel paused. "…Who is this?"
"Liam."
A small smile formed on her lips. "Miss me already?"
"You have no idea how much," he replied smoothly.
Hazel shook her head lightly. "Liam, there's something I want to talk about."
"Hmm? Go on."
"There's a rule among my friends," she said. "Whoever gets their first boyfriend… that boyfriend has to treat the group to a meal."
There was a brief silence.
"Didn't you say you wanted a secret relationship?" Liam asked.
"I did… but they're my best friends."
"Fine," he said calmly. "When I'm back, we'll take them out. I'm curious to meet them. How many are they?"
"Two. Dior and Vorden."
"…Vorden?" His tone changed slightly.
Hazel immediately sensed it.
"Vorden is my childhood best friend," she said quickly. "We're just friends—nothing more. We met Dior in grade five, and we've been together ever since. You don't need to worry."
A pause.
"…Fine. Just don't let him touch you."
Hazel rolled her eyes slightly. "Okay, bye."
She ended the call and saved his number.
"Who was that?" Dior asked.
"Him. He agreed to take us out—and Vorden too."
Dior raised a brow. "Why did you tell him about Vorden?"
"I don't want him misunderstanding things and hurting Vorden," Hazel replied.
"…Fair enough."
"Are you going to tell Vorden?" Dior asked.
"Yeah… I just don't know how yet."
"Hmm."
"Let's go. He'll be waiting."
They stepped outside, and Hazel called a cab.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at Vorden's apartment.
Inside, people were already moving around, setting up cameras and equipment.
Vorden spotted them and hurried over.
"You guys came just in time," he said, handing them a script.
Before they could say anything, the director walked up.
"You have 10 minutes to memorize your lines."
"10 minutes is too small," Hazel said immediately.
The director sighed. "Fine. 15 minutes."
He walked away.
Vorden scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry…"
Hazel and Dior gave him a sharp glare.
"You should be," Dior said, dragging Hazel along.
They sat down and quickly began studying the script.
A man sat beside them.
"Hi, I'm Conner—one of the judges."
"Hazel," she replied. "Also a judge. And this is Dior."
"Nice to meet you both."
"You too."
They began rehearsing together.
"Everyone in position!" the director called.
"And… action!"
A well-dressed man stepped forward.
"Hello everyone, I'm your host, Chris Arthur. Today we have contestant Vorden Grey, representing the Grey family. He has made it to the semifinals."
The camera shifted.
"Joining us today are our judges—Hazel Collins. How do you feel being here?"
Hazel smiled calmly. "It's my first time judging a cooking show, but I've watched many. It's an honor to be invited."
"Glad to have you. Next, Conner Joel—your restaurant just earned its third star. How does that feel?"
Conner nodded. "It feels rewarding. A lot of hard work paid off."
"And what do you expect from today's contestant?"
"I've been to many shows. I hope he impresses me."
The host chuckled. "We'll see. From the Grey family, he might just surprise us."
He turned.
"And here we have Dior George. Is that your real name or a nickname?"
Dior blinked for a second—that wasn't in the script—but she quickly recovered.
"It's my real name."
"Interesting. What are your expectations?"
"I expect a clean performance, good presentation, and amazing taste," Dior replied confidently.
"Perfect. Now… let's see what's in the basket."
The camera zoomed in as Vorden stepped forward and opened it.
Inside were the mystery ingredients.
The challenge had begun.
Backstage, Hazel watched quietly, her heart beating a little faster.
Not because of the show…
But because everything was changing.
Her fame.
Her relationship.
Her future.
And somewhere out there—
Liam was watching too.
💖🕳💖🕳💖
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To be continued…