Chosen Mate of the Beastmen Empire by Lewis Reed

Chapter 440

In the ward, Nyx lay in bed, propped up by a soft pillow, flanked by two males.

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Seafarion peeled fruit with focus, a long spiral of peel dangling evenly without breaking. Meanwhile, Kai held a bowl of hot soup, blowing on each spoonful before feeding it to her.

Jouste stood there, speechless. He vaguely recalled seeing something like this before, but with men surrounded by doting women, not nearly this attentive.

Seeing a visitor, Nyx coughed lightly, embarrassed, sitting up straighter. "What brings you here?"

Truthfully, she wasn't hurt and felt fine, but both males acted like she'd been through something awful, insisting she stay for observation.

Jouste snapped out of it, guilt washing over him as he sighed, “It's all my fault you got hurt!"

He'd invited Nyx to audition but failed to ensure safety. Never in a million years did he think the girl he watched grow up, who often played at his studio, would do something like this over a role that wasn't hers.

This wasn't petty-it was outright harm. She didn't just target Nyx but anyone who might take her role, convinced that crippling them would secure it for her. Such malice from a kid he'd always doted on left Jouste reeling.

If it had been anyone else, they might've been dead or maimed by now. The culprit would've slipped away in the chaos, and with the local authorities' track record, it'd likely be brushed off as an accident-or buried by her family's influence if clues surfaced.

That's why she'd been so reckless. But she didn't

shutting her down with a few words, and the other

Nyx having two top-tier protectors. One was the richest man alive,

Jouste shifted his gaze to Kai. "Excuse me, sir, do you know a Leopardo?"

When he was young, just starting in film, a noble gentleman named Leopardo funded his debut project, kickstarting his

career.

That low-profile benefactor vanished after, but Jouste never forgot his face, even decades later. Seeing Kai gave him a jolt, like seeing Leopardo again. 'How could two people look so alike? It's like he never aged a day, he thought.

Kai glanced up at him. "He's a distant ancestor of mine." Leopardo was one of the aliases he'd used living here.

"You really look like him." Jouste marveled, studying Kai with admiration. "Have you studied martial arts? Ever thought about acting in my films?"

In decades of work, he'd seen countless action stars, some with family-trained skills, but Kai's display still stunned him. If Nyx's fight scenes showed top-tier skill, Kai had top-tier power.

Kai almost shook his head but paused. "If it's a romantic role with Nyx, I'd consider it."

Jouste fell silent. He'd tried not to overthink it, convincing himself Nyx and Kai were just friends, but Kai's words shattered

that illusion.

Glancing at Seafarion, he saw a hint of jealousy, yet the man stayed close to Nyx. 'What kind of relationship is this?' he wondered.

Seeing Jouste speechless, Nyx's eyes darted awkwardly. She'd picked up some language skills lately and understood Kai's

comment.

'An old director like him probably can't handle something this unconventional-he must be shocked, she thought.

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Chapter 440

Before she could ease the tension. Jore laughed heartily, nodding at her just like your

The industry was full of messy finge-men flaunting multiple lovers wasn't rare, even seen as alwag. If they could, as em Nye

She wasn't some power-atmiting creep or buying affection-Beatarion and Kai willingly fell for her, proving the was genuinely likable

"If I were decades younger, I might've chased you ton, Jouste teased, grinning wider as both men glared at him.

her head helplessly, patting her partners hacks. "Young you must've been a handsome, talented guy, but I'd only admire you platonically-my heart's already with

eyes widened, amazed at her language knark. She picked this

officially dubbed her loves, couldn't

fast. Sherilyn had bribed a crew member to loosen ladder screws

sought top lawyers, only to fail miserably. He knew Seafarion was behind it but

should be thankful. Otherwise, a few years in jail wouldn't cut

father sighed glumly, "I know, I get

finally regretted spoiling her too much. He should've stopped her small misdeeds early, not covered for her-now she'd hit an

join the trial aftermath, staying abroad just four or five days to lock in her role with Jouste before leaving the hospital and returning

she'd had an accident, urged her to rest, saying she could skip episodes or quit-no big deal. But Nyx kept

audience will

fan favorite-quitting after one episode

the excuse, fans would call it

apart.

only stepped in as a last-minute fill-in-her popularity was an accident; she shouldn't

I'll play it safe, stay low-key, aim for early elimination, and finish this gig!' she vowed. But dreams were grand, and reality

hit big, or the show planned to push culture all along-the

opera.

knew opera, thinking they'd shine, but the expert teacher still raved about Nyx, even wanting to take her as a student

to the producer, "How

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Chapter 440

not a contest-she wanted others to get a chance. The producer agreed at some thots. The sug

performance day, no amount of humility outshone the audience's keen eyes-Nyx's

giving her a middling score, only to get blasted by fans

against the judges. Backstage, facing the

talent," they said graciously,

The audience loved Nyx, and so

it

"It's pure talent!"

praise. She hadn't studied opera, but back in ancient times, with

Kai interrupted their chat, handing her a small

than any assistant, though he clearly wasn't

a big deal, but his exact identity eluded them, hinting at his stature. They teased Nyx

Flattering a

the incident, both males seemed traumatized, sticking to her like glue, taking

couldn't tell-turning leopard and crashing through her window at midnight, refusing to

her bed. Naturally, Seafarion wouldn't

that the bed was big enough. One accident skyrocketed her mission

up at her work, and gossip spread like wildfire, with no PR cleanup. If anything, they fueled it, slyly spreading word that Nyx preferred one

online, fans ate it up. Such a wild

but her phone kept pushing it-she even stumbled on fanfiction, making her cringe and

episodes, the show's pattern seemed set, and when Nyx won a third time by popular demand, the producer decided to center the season on

spotlight. The whole crew gelled, the vibe unusually chill. But

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the set, sensing

to speak. She grabbed a blunt guest to ask, and they stammered,

see

Nyx blinked.

internet lately and had no clue what was up. Pulling

unblocked apps and saw the top

show's a joke-they think we're stupid. Are

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backing gets you first every time. No matter how great

are, they're her sidekicks.

compete?]