My Husband Is An International Idol

After reading Carl De Vera’s profile, Chris couldn’t concentrate.

Neither could Matthew.

Nor Robin.

The three remained inside the chairman’s office, waiting for Victor Reyes and Sarah Clifford to arrive.

Every minute felt unusually long.

Meanwhile...

Life inside the modeling department continued as though nothing had happened.

The photographers adjusted lighting. The instructors reviewed poses. Models practiced runway walks. The employees hurried from one studio to another.

Everything looked normal.

But Liliana no longer felt normal. Ever since telling Chris about Carl, she had become painfully aware of him.

Whenever she entered a room, she instinctively searched for his face.

Whenever someone approached from behind, she found herself turning around.

Every copied gesture, smile and outfit, they all lingered in her mind.

Chris had been right. Something wasn’t right about Carl.

Ever since joining St. Claire Entertainment, Liliana genuinely felt uneasy coming to training for the first time.

Fortunately, Nicolo never left her side. He accompanied her between studios. Sat beside her during breaks. Even waited outside changing rooms whenever schedules allowed.

It almost felt excessive. But neither of them complained. Not after the envelopes and the photographs.

Around noon, they finished another posing session. The instructor dismissed everyone for a short break.

Liliana sat quietly reviewing tomorrow’s schedule. When Nicolo was about to sit beside her when his phone vibrated.

He frowned.

"The chairman?"

Liliana looked up.

"What is it?"

He read the message again.

"They need me upstairs."

He looked very uncomfortable.

"I don’t want to leave you."

Liliana smiled reassuringly.

"I’ll be fine."

Nicolo didn’t look convinced.

"There are bodyguards outside. There are security cameras. And the instructors everywhere."

She looked around the busy studio.

"No one could possibly do anything here."

Nicolo hesitated. Every instinct told him to stay. But a direct request from Matthew St. Claire wasn’t something he could ignore.

"I’ll be back as fast as I can."

"I know."

He looked at her once more.

"Call me immediately if anything happens."

"I will."

Only after hearing that did Nicolo reluctantly leave.

Liliana watched him disappear through the hallway. Then returned to reviewing her notes.

She never noticed another pair of eyes watching the entire exchange.

Carl.

Standing quietly near one of the studio windows.

Waiting.

The moment Nicolo disappeared around the corner, Carl began walking.

Not hurriedly. Not suspiciously. But calmly and slowly. Liliana sensed someone approaching.

She looked up. Her smile disappeared immediately.

Carl stopped only a few feet away. The polite smile she had grown accustomed to was gone.

Instead, his expression looked strangely calm.

"Lily."

The nickname immediately made her uncomfortable. No one outside her family called her that.

She slowly stood.

"Mr. De Vera."

Carl smiled faintly. "I’ve told you. You can call me Carl."

"I prefer Mr. De Vera."

For a brief second, something flashed across Carl’s face.

Disappointment. And then amusement.

"You’ve become more and more beautiful, Lily."

His voice was low. Cold. Almost emotionless.

Liliana felt her heartbeat quicken. The compliment didn’t sound like admiration. It sounded like ownership.

Instinctively, she took one step backward.

Carl noticed, and smiled.

A different smile. It wasn’t friendly and warm. It was unsettling. Possessive. As though he enjoyed watching her become uncomfortable. And it looked like her fear itself entertained him.

A chill ran down Liliana’s spine.

Every warning Chris had given her suddenly echoed inside her mind.

Don’t stay alone.

Call immediately.

Trust your instincts.

She slowly glanced toward the hallway. Several trainees remained nearby. An instructor was speaking with a photographer. People were around. She wasn’t isolated.

Yet somehow, she had never felt so alone.

Carl took another slow step. Not close enough to touch her. Just close enough to invade her sense of safety.

"You’ve been avoiding me."

Liliana kept her voice steady. "I’m busy."

"No." He tilted his head slightly. "You’re afraid."

She didn’t answer. Because denying it would have been pointless.

Carl already knew.

"I don’t understand."

Liliana finally spoke.

"What do you want?"

Carl laughed quietly. A laugh without warmth. Without joy.

"I’ve been watching."

Her breath caught.

Watching?

Carl’s blue eyes remained fixed on hers.

"I know what you’re hiding."

The words struck her like ice.

Her fingers tightened around the notebook she was holding.

"What... do you mean?"

Carl’s smile widened.

"Everyone will eventually find out."

Another slow step.

"The idol."

A pause.

"And the model. A former housewife."

Another pause.

"For five years."

Liliana’s face lost all color. Her heart pounded so violently she could hear it.

How?

How did he know?

The marriage...

The secret...

Only a handful of people knew. The St. Claire’s and the Sterling’s, Pulse, Victor, Sarah and Robin.

No one else. She tried to think of someone. Maybe she forgot.

But still, no one other than their families and trusted friends.

Carl calmly studied her reaction.

Then nodded as though confirming something for himself.

"So..."

His voice almost became gentle.

"It really is true."

Liliana suddenly realized something horrifying.

He hadn’t known. Not for certain. He had been testing her. And she had unknowingly answered.

Panic flooded through her.

She took another step backward.

"I..."

She looked toward the hallway.

She needed help.

She needed Chris.

She needed Nicolo.

Anyone.

Carl noticed the movement immediately.

His smile disappeared.

"You don’t have to be afraid of me."

His tone suggested the exact opposite.

Liliana opened her mouth.

Ready to call for security.

Ready to shout.

Ready to run.

Before a single word could leave her lips—

A deafening alarm echoed throughout the building.

BEEEEEEP!

BEEEEEEP!

BEEEEEEP!

The fire alarm.

Everyone inside the modeling department froze.

For one brief moment, confusion replaced everything else. Employees looked toward the ceiling. Instructors shouted for everyone to remain calm. Security personnel immediately began directing people toward emergency exits.

The orderly studio transformed into controlled chaos.

Liliana instinctively looked away toward the nearest exit. When she turned back, Carl was already walking into the crowd.

His blond hair quickly disappeared among dozens of employees evacuating the building.

Within seconds, he was gone. Completely. Leaving behind only one terrifying sentence echoing inside her mind.

"Everyone will eventually find out."

Outside the chairman’s office, Nicolo sprinted toward the elevators after hearing the alarm.

At exactly the same moment, Victor Reyes and Sarah Clifford stepped out of another elevator.

The three exchanged worried looks. None of them knew it yet. But the investigation had just become far more urgent.

Because they didn’t realize that this time, the threat hadn’t arrived inside an envelope.

It had spoken directly to Liliana.

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