Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

Chapter 497

[I never really thought much of Clyde until I saw him on this show. Man, he used to have a celebrity

image as heavy as a ton of bricks, but now he's just one of us—no pretense, no fuss.]

[To be honest, last night the camera caught a glimpse of Joana's bag. If it weren't for her stash of

makeup, that thing would have been light as a feather.]

[Even though Joana gets under my skin, when Clyde shouted out a "Keep it up!", I actually felt a twinge

of sympathy for her. I mean, I couldn't help but laugh...]

...

Joana was on the verge of tears, but she clenched her jaw tight and didn't let them fall.

She looked, well, a little pitiful, truth be told.

After a while, Naylor came back and took some of Joana's stuff, putting it into his own pack. "We're

here for an adventure, not a vacation," he said with an icy edge.

Joana just stood there, silent.

The group kept moving, but Joana couldn't keep up. In the end, she reluctantly discarded her skincare

products but chose to hold onto her makeup. She didn't have the guts to go completely bare-faced like

Astrid.

No one knew how long they'd been walking when they suddenly saw a red tree in the distance. Joana

blurted out, "Can we take a detour? Can we not go through the front?"

Parrish frowned. "What's the deal? Why can't we go down that path?"

Joana pursed her lips and said meekly, "I did my homework before coming here. This mountain is

notorious, and many adventurers have met their end here. Without fail, their last steps were near that

mountain range ahead, where the tree with red leaves stands. The internet is clear on that. Better safe

than sorry, Mr. Naylor. Let's take the long way around—I don't want to die here!"

Naylor looked at Joana and replied coolly, "Don't scare yourself with online tales. Some of that stuff is

just fiction. Mr. Maddox, the crew, and I have already scouted this route. See? I'm standing here in one

piece, aren't I?" NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

With nothing more to say, Joana quietly followed, all the while clutching at Parrish's backpack.

He was annoyed by her but seeing her genuine fear, he let her hang on without a word.

Astrid glanced at the tree and then at the mountain shrouded in mist, whispering to Elio, "This must be

the place."

Elio nodded in agreement.

Parrish, curious and irritated, asked, "What's all this 'place' talk? Can you two stop speaking in riddles?

You know curiosity killed the cat, right?"

"Are you sure you want to know? Maybe you're better off in the dark. Otherwise, you'll accuse me of

flaunting my relationship again," Elio teased, leaving Parrish pretending to be hurt.

Shaking his head in mock despair, Parrish said, "Mr. Lampard, you've changed. You've started to throw

shade at me now. You're not the Mr. Lampard I used to know!"

Turning to face the camera, Parrish addressed the audience, "Viewers at home, I need your support

here! My fans have been saying I've put on weight. Do you know why? It's because I'm constantly

being force-fed this lovey-dovey stuff. Using this platform, I, Parrish, am officially putting out a call for a

sugar mama. I'm tired of trying, and I'm sick of living off love scraps. All I want is someone who can see

through my bravado and cherish my vulnerability. That's all I ask."

...