Chapter 90

Marguerite sidestepped his hand. "I really don't have time for your drama. Goodbye."

The beautiful girl turned to leave, her hair swirling and releasing a faint, sweet scent.

Joshua leaned in, his voice low and urgent. "Marguerite! I know you time-traveled!"

Her steps faltered. She turned back, her eyes filled with a deep, probing curiosity. Who had blabbed? No, that was impossible. The few people who knew her secret had no connection to Joshua. He must have figured it out on his own. The male lead of a novel couldn't be an idiot.

"So what?" she challenged.

The question caught Joshua off guard. Right, so what? It wasn't like he could turn her over to some government agency for study.

He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Marguerite, what I mean is... we never broke up."

"Let's break up, then," she said.

Joshua was speechless. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt, though in hindsight, it made perfect sense. After all the scandals he'd been involved in, a proud woman like Marguerite would never accept him back.

"Marguerite, don't be like this. As soon as I knew you were back, I skipped two days of filming just to find you. I..."

"Stop, stop right there," Marguerite interrupted. "You not showing up to work is a reflection of your own irresponsibility and lack of professional ethics. It has absolutely nothing to do with me."

Nancy stifled a laugh. She had half-expected Marguerite to be moved, but instead, she was as clear-headed as if she'd just taken a cold shower.

The slum entrance was a high-traffic area, and by now, several people had recognized Joshua. He had made a conspicuous entrance, without sunglasses or a mask. Phones were already out, recording him. He wasn't as irritable as he had been the day his car was hit; in fact, he was holding his chin high, trying to show off his sharp jawline.

But Marguerite had no desire to end up in the tabloids again.

"Let's go!" she said, grabbing Nancy's arm and breaking into a run.

Before Joshua could react, Marguerite was already a blur in the distance. Was this really happening? He didn't chase after her he knew he couldn't catch her anyway

He ran a hand through his hair and walked back to his sports car. He hadn't managed to win Marguerite back yet, but that was okay. He had achieved another goal. The

bystanders had taken photos and he would have his team craft a

compelling story around them. His fan base wasn t

built on a squeaky-clean image; on the contrary, his playboy persona was part of his brand. He didn't fear scandal-scandal kept him relevant.

And when George saw the news, he would be miserable.

Did George really think he would just let the car crash incident slide? Not a chance.

He had won Marguerite's heart once, and he could do it again. George had better prepare himself for another round of soul-crushing despair.

Back in his car, he sent another message to the private investigator.

[Get me Marguerite's phone number.]

The reply came swiftly: [Fifty thousand.]

Joshua scowled at the exorbitant price, but he had no choice. He had to be able to contact her. He'd already spent a hundred thousand just tracking her down, he was sparing no expense for her

After transferring the money, a message from his younger brother, Joseph, popped

up.

[Bro, did you go see that girl? What did you say to her? She hasn't messaged me in two days!]