Chapter 36 The Bracelet Wasn't Even Broken She had poured so much effort into landing the voice role for " Siren " , she wouldn't let Lily get to voice Blaze so easily . She wasn't having it . Today , she had to get the voice acting role for " Blaze " . " Who are you calling a wench ? Yvonne , what's wrong with you ? " Ivan snapped . " Get lost - now . Keep spewing that garbage , and I swear I'll have someone wash your mouth out for you ." " Did I say anything wrong ? Lily's just a dog , a shameless whore ! Casting someone like her will only ruin ' Blaze ' ! Mr. Ivan , you'll regret this ! " The image of Lily and Ivan together last night felt like a thorn lodged in John's heart . Now that it was clear she and Ivan were just working together , his expression softened a little . But the moment he heard Yvonne tear Lily apart so viciously , his gaze turned cold as ice . " Shut up ! " He cut Yvonne off sharply . " I already told you - Lily is my girlfriend . Show some damn respect , or deal with the consequences ! " Ivan nearly laughed out loud at that nonsense . Lily had already released a statement about their breakup , and John still dared to call her his girlfriend ? Dream on . Yvonne's face turned a shade of purple like a bruised liver . Her hatred for Lily deepened . But she was also genuinely terrified of losing her monthly living expenses - 300000 dollars , so she didn't dare talk back to John . She threw Lily a venomous glare and ran off in tears . Elsa's face had also gone pale . She hadn't expected John to publicly defend Lily with her standing right there . What made it worse was remembering how , just last night , she'd leaned in to kiss him - only for him to freeze up , then pull away . Even after she'd taken off her clothes , lowered her proud head , and offered herself to him , he still didn't touch her . The shame had practically made her want to grind her teeth to dust . 1/3 " John , you and Yvonne really are cousins - you're both insane ." Lily hadn't expected John to stand up for her like that . But once your heart's been shattered , a small gesture like that doesn't soften you ; it doesn't move you . Because no matter how many sweet moments he might offer her now and then , they couldn't erase how many times he'd chosen Elsa over her , how deeply he'd hurt her . " I'll say it again - we broke up a long time ago . From now on , I don't care if you live , die , marry , or rot - we have nothing to do with each other . " " Lily ! " John's eyes darkened , dangerous and stormy . But Lily didn't look back . She lifted her foot and walked straight into the recording booth . John instinctively moved to follow her , but Elsa grabbed his hand tightly . He remembered his promise from last night - to stay with her until the end - and in the end , he didn't chase after Lily . " Ivan , I'll head out first ," said Simon . Simon was Ivan's maternal cousin . After a quick word with him , Ivan followed Lily into the recording booth . The heavy doors shut behind them , leaving Simon staring blankly outside . He hated Lily from the bottom of his heart . And yet , every time he saw those red lips of hers , his heart would start beating all out of rhythm . He told himself it was just because she had no shame - because she'd stolen his first kiss . That must be why he got so worked up whenever he saw her . After convincing himself of that , he finally tore his eyes away from the booth doors and went with John to accompany Elsa to the booth next door . Ivan really had a knack for boosting morale . After each take , he would shower Lily with praise . Compliments came pouring out of him like a rainbow - never the same , never boring - until Lily actually started to feel embarrassed . During a short break , Lily stepped out to use the restroom . Just her luck - right outside the bathroom , she ran into Elsa and Yvonne . Elsa knew Simon and Ivan were cousins and had a great relationship . Earlier , she had subtly hinted to Simon that she wanted to voice " Blaze . " 2/3 She hoped he would convince Ivan to drop Lily so she could take over the role . But whether he had been distracted or just didn't care , he hadn't given her any response . There was no way she could let Lily shamelessly hog such a prime opportunity - she had to find another way to knock her out of the game . " Lily , you need to back out of the contract with Mr. Ivan . If you don't , I will not let my cousin marry you ! " Yvonne glared at Lily with fury , teeth clenched as she threatened her . " If you don't want my cousin to completely hate your guts , then march back in there and resign from the voice role right now ! " Lily thought Yvonne sounded like a stand - up comedian ; she couldn't help but let out a cold , mocking laugh . " Marrying John - is that supposed to be some great honor ? Please . I'm not that desperate - I'm not about to settle for some filthy pickle ." "You ! Who are you calling a filthy pickle ? " Yvonne practically exploded . She was used to seeing Lily obsessed with John , willing to sacrifice everything for him . She couldn't even wrap her head around the fact that Lily had just called him a " filthy pickle . " Her gaze slid to the bracelet on Elsa's right wrist . She knew that piece was something special - top - tier imperial marble , and rumor had it Simon had paid 40 million dollars for it . 3/3 In "Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" by CrushReel, Zoe Hale takes a daring step by marrying Ashton Cross, a man under suspicion for her sister's mysterious demise. As their relationship evolves, hidden truths unravel, intertwining love and suspense in this captivating romance novel. 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