Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime-Chapter 104: Silence

[148 Days Left to Live]

Kaelion Voss sat in the dressing room, elbows on his knees, phone in hand. The last flashes of the camera from the photoshoot still lingered in the back of his mind, but his attention wasn’t on the shoot at all. He kept staring at his screen, refreshing the messaging app that remained heartbreakingly silent. No blue tick. No reply. Not even a hint that the message was read.

It had been a week.

He let out a breath, leaned back, and ran a hand through his slightly damp hair. His stylist had just finished adjusting it after the last shoot, but Kaelion barely noticed.

"Still nothing," he muttered to himself.

He had messaged Zephany Draven twice. The first one, the very morning after he visited her office at Air Media. It was short, polite, and enthusiastic.

"Hi Idol! Good morning! I’m just right here waiting for your reply about yesterday. But take your time I just wanna wish you a great day today.

-Kaelion."

The second message, sent just yesterday, was more reserved and professional.

"Hi Ms. Zephany,

I hope this message finds you well. I understand how busy things must be on your end, especially with your work. Please don’t feel pressured at all. I just wanted to gently follow up on our previous conversation. I would still love the opportunity to collaborate with you musically. Your music has a unique quality that I think could make something truly special. Whenever you feel ready or if you’d like to discuss the project further, just let me know. I’m happy to wait. Thank you again for even considering it.

Warm regards, Kaelion Voss"

He had carefully worded it, making sure it wouldn’t come off as clingy or too personal. Still, nothing. Not even a thumbs-up emoji.

Kaelion tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. Had he said something wrong? Was she put off by his approach? Maybe she wasn’t interested in working with someone like him. Maybe she found the whole interaction a burden.

He wasn’t used to this. Silence. Rejection, even. People usually came to him, not the other way around. Fans, producers, journalists, colleagues—everyone. But with Zephany, it was different. Her silence made him more curious, more anxious. And it was driving him insane.

Outside the building earlier that day, a group of fans had gathered around the studio exit. The moment Kaelion stepped out, gasps echoed among the crowd. Phones rose into the air. A few bold ones screamed his name, but none dared to rush up to him. He had that untouchable presence. Arrogant. Mysterious. A star so distant he could be admired only from afar.

A teenage girl among the crowd whispered to her friend, "Oh my God, he’s even more handsome in real life."

Her friend nodded. "I want a picture, but I’m scared I might faint just talking to him."

Kaelion had simply walked by with a brief nod, a small wave, before disappearing into the black SUV waiting for him. That was his usual world.

But here he was now, on a couch, deflated, waiting for a reply from a woman who might not even care.

His manager, Jace, stood by the door with arms crossed. Next to him, the assistant stylist, Kana, flipped through some wardrobe notes but kept glancing Kaelion’s way.

"He’s been staring at his phone for thirty minutes," Kana whispered.

"No," Jace said. "Try two hours. I swear he missed half his lines during the last shoot. We had to do seven retakes for a single frame."

"Did something happen?"

Jace sighed. "Don’t know. But he hasn’t been this distracted in years. Even during his busiest tours, the guy was a machine. Now? He checks his phone like it holds the meaning of life."

Kana grinned. "Must be a girl."

"You think?" Jace rubbed his temple. "He went to Air Media last week. Met someone there, some journalist. Zephany Draven. He said he wanted to collaborate with her, but honestly, she hasn’t said yes yet."

"Wait. The one from the viral piano video?"

Jace nodded. "That’s the one."

"She’s pretty," Kana admitted. "But that can’t be all. I mean, Kaelion doesn’t just get distracted by beauty. He’s always been... I don’t know, too focused."

"Exactly." Jace looked at Kaelion again. "Whatever it is about her, it got through."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Kendrick sat alone in the high-tech surveillance room, a quiet hum from the machines filling the space. The lights from multiple monitors cast a bluish glow on his tired face.

He leaned forward, eyes scanning the footage from the hidden camera planted in Barmon Diamond’s hotel suite. Nothing. Just Barmon, lounging in a robe, sipping whiskey, watching TV like he had no criminal past.

"Still no movement," Kendrick muttered.

He scratched his head, frustration creeping in. "Why aren’t you doing anything?"

Every day for the past week had been the same. Kendrick would wake up, see Zephany off to work, then lock himself into this room. Watching. Waiting. Barmon was the last lead tied to what happened twelve years ago. The mission Cassius gave him wasn’t just about surveillance. It was personal.

But Barmon had done nothing suspicious since the ribbon-cutting incident.

Kendrick sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Come on man. Do something."

His phone buzzed on the desk. Cassius.

He answered.

"Anything happened?" Cassius asked on the other line, voice calm but firm.

"Nothing yet," Kendrick replied.

"Keep watching."

"Alright." Kendrick ended the call and stared at the screen again.

Outside the door, the apartment was quiet. Zephany had left that morning like usual, soft-spoken and half-asleep, giving Kendrick a quiet smile before slipping out.

He had no idea that another man was silently hoping for a message from his wife.

And Kaelion had no idea that Zephany was watching the underground world, not just some regular social media app.

And Zephany? She had no idea how two very different men were thinking about her from opposite corners of the same city.

The silence lingered on all sides, but it wouldn’t last forever.

Because silence always comes before the storm.