Chapter 123: I’ll personally deal with it myself

Inside the dressing room, Ivy stood in front of the mirror after getting changed, quietly studying her reflection.

Even she had to admit it.

The woman staring back at her looked stunning.

Her makeup was soft yet elegant, perfectly enhancing her features without looking excessive. The fitted dress hugged her figure beautifully, while her hair framed her face in a way that made her appear both graceful and intimidating at the same time.

Still, Ivy couldn’t stop overthinking.

"Don’t you think this is a little too much?" she asked while glancing at Sal and Lola through the mirror. "The makeup, the styling... all of it. Do I really need this much effort for one photoshoot?"

Sal, who had been busy checking the accessories moments ago, suddenly looked up at her.

Then he froze.

"Woah..."

His eyes widened openly.

"I never realized you were this beautiful."

The blunt compliment instantly made Ivy narrow her eyes suspiciously.

Back then, Sal had hardly ever complimented Raven so directly. Hearing it now only made her wonder if the makeup artists had gone overboard.

Meanwhile, Lola stepped forward and gently held Ivy’s shoulders.

"This is your launch shoot," she explained patiently. "First impressions matter in this industry. And trust me, the look suits you perfectly."

Then Lola smiled confidently.

"I’m sure even Fin Campbell will be impressed."

The moment she heard that name, Ivy’s expression shifted slightly.

Fin Campbell.

One of the most well-known photographers in Country S.

People in the fashion industry practically worshipped his work. He was known for being brutally honest and extremely difficult to satisfy. Many established models had failed to impress him before.

The only reason he agreed to this shoot was because Kevin personally asked him.

Meanwhile, outside in the main shooting area, Kevin had already finished changing and was currently doing his solo shots.

"Perfect."

Fin lowered the camera slightly after taking another series of photos.

Kevin casually walked over to him while Fin showed him the results.

"You know I never doubt your skills, Fin," Kevin said with an easy smile.

Even he had to admit the shots looked incredible.

Fin’s attention remained on the screen for a moment before he glanced at Kevin.

"You’re the only reason I accepted this project," he admitted honestly. "But now I’m curious about the woman who’s going to stand beside you."

His voice softened slightly while speaking to Kevin.

Fin had admired him for years ever since he first saw him on a magazine cover. Kevin’s confidence, sharp presence, and effortless charm had always attracted him.

Unfortunately, Kevin only ever treated him like a close friend.

So Fin buried those feelings and kept things professional.

"You won’t be disappointed," Kevin said confidently.

Fin raised a brow.

"We’ll see."

Then he checked the time on his watch before frowning slightly.

"But honestly, why isn’t she here yet? She’s a newcomer and already making people wait?"

Fin valued punctuality more than anything.

In his eyes, wasting time was disrespectful.

Kevin instinctively glanced toward the hallway leading to Ivy’s dressing room.

His thoughts briefly drifted back to last night.

After sending Ivy a goodnight message, he had secretly hoped she would reply.

She didn’t.

Even his morning text remained unread.

The thought alone had bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

But suddenly, his expression brightened.

"Oh, there she is."

The dullness in his eyes vanished instantly as Ivy walked toward them.

Fin unconsciously looked in the same direction.

Then he froze.

For a brief second, even his professional composure cracked.

Ivy looked breathtaking.

Her beauty carried an unusual balance of softness and sharpness that immediately captured attention. The elegant dress complemented her pale skin perfectly, while her eyes held a calm intensity that felt strangely dangerous.

Fin unconsciously stared a second too long.

’What kind of devil disguised as an angel is this?’ he thought.

Still, he quickly masked his reaction and returned to his cold professional demeanor.

"I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long, Fin," Lola apologized politely as they approached.

But instead of answering her directly, Fin kept his eyes on Ivy for another second before finally looking away.

"Newcomers these days really think the world revolves around them," he remarked coldly.

The sharp comment instantly stunned both Ivy and Sal.

The man sounded unbelievably arrogant.

Meanwhile, Lola forced an awkward smile.

"Don’t mind him," she quickly told Ivy. "Fin is just very serious about time."

Even she sounded slightly uncomfortable saying it.

Before Ivy could respond, Kevin stepped closer.

"Lola’s right," he said gently. "Fin isn’t a bad person. He just gets irritated when schedules shift."

Kevin’s gaze never once left Ivy while speaking. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Unfortunately, Ivy still wasn’t convinced.

Something about Fin’s attitude already rubbed her the wrong way.

"Come on," Lola said quickly, trying to move things along. "Let’s start the shoot."

As everyone headed toward the set, Fin silently watched Kevin interacting with Ivy.

And the more he watched, the more jealousy quietly crept into his chest.

Kevin looked comfortable around her.

Relaxed.

Interested.

Fin had never seen him behave this naturally around anyone in the modeling industry before.

’What’s so special about her?’

Meanwhile, Lola and Sal stood off to the side while James eventually joined them.

Unlike the others, James barely paid attention to the shoot itself until his phone suddenly buzzed.

The moment he checked the screen, his eyes widened dramatically.

"Holy shit."

Sal and Lola immediately looked toward him.

"How did people already find out Kevin’s shooting here today?" James muttered in disbelief.

Lola’s face instantly changed.

"James," she snapped quietly, "didn’t I specifically tell you Ivy’s debut had to remain secret?"

James looked horrified.

"You think I leaked it?" he defended himself immediately. "Someone must’ve photographed Kevin arriving earlier. Fans are already crowding outside the studio."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"With Kevin’s popularity, hiding his schedule is practically impossible anymore."

Then suddenly Sal frowned while staring at the phone.

"...Why are people insulting Ivy?"

Lola immediately grabbed the phone from James.

Her brows furrowed deeply as she scrolled through the comments flooding social media.

Most of the people commenting hadn’t even seen Ivy properly yet.

But simply hearing Kevin was paired with a female model had already triggered chaos online.

"She’s probably another desperate social climber."

"Kevin finally ruins his image for a random woman."

"She better not think she deserves him."

"Watch her use Kevin for attention."

"She probably begged for this opportunity."

The harsher Lola scrolled, the darker her expression became.

Meanwhile, Ivy remained completely unaware of the cruel comments being thrown at her online before people had even properly seen her face.

"James, get rid of those comments," Lola said sharply as she shoved the phone back into his hands. "I don’t want anyone degrading my model."

James immediately straightened.

"Alright, alright, I’ll handle it," he muttered while quickly opening different accounts and reporting posts.

But before he could continue, another voice interrupted him.

"And if you don’t handle it properly," Sal said coldly from the side, "I’ll personally deal with it myself."

The moment those words left his mouth, both James and Lola instinctively looked toward him.

Then they froze.

Sal had always carried a soft boy-next-door image. He was cheerful, harmless, and usually the easiest person to approach.

But right now?

His face had darkened visibly.

The usual warmth in his expression was completely gone, replaced by a coldness neither James nor Lola had seen before.

Even James felt his heartbeat stutter slightly.

"...Okay," he said carefully. "Noted."

Lola quietly glanced between Sal and the ongoing photoshoot.

Honestly, even she felt angry reading the comments.

People online were tearing Ivy apart without even knowing who she was.

All because she had been paired with Kevin.

Meanwhile, not far away, Kevin stood beside Ivy while Fin adjusted the lighting for the next set of shots.

Neither of them had any idea what was happening online.

"Closer," Fin instructed while looking through the camera lens.

Kevin naturally stepped nearer to Ivy without hesitation.

The movement instantly made several staff members glance at each other nervously after remembering the comments flooding social media.

Unfortunately, the internet was already losing its mind.

***

Meanwhile, inside Xander’s office...

Taylor stared at his phone with his mouth slightly open while scrolling through the endless comments posted under Kevin’s fan accounts.

Kevin was one of the top models signed under their agency, and over the years he had built an enormous fanbase.

Unfortunately, not all of those fans were sane.

Some were supportive.

Some were obsessive.

And the toxic ones were always the loudest.

Whenever Kevin got paired with any female co-star, chaos followed immediately. Fans would insult the woman, dig through her past, spread rumors, and sometimes even leak personal information online.

Taylor frowned deeply while reading the comments targeting Ivy.

"This is getting ridiculous..." he muttered under his breath.

Since he had nothing urgent to work on earlier, Taylor had casually opened Lola’s social media profile out of boredom.

That was how he accidentally discovered the fan pages already posting leaked pictures from today’s shoot.

And unfortunately... the comments section had turned into a battlefield.

Taylor hesitated briefly before finally walking toward Xander’s desk.

"Boss," he called carefully.

Xander didn’t immediately respond.

His attention remained on the documents in front of him while he signed a few papers calmly.

Taylor swallowed nervously before turning the phone screen toward him.

"Look at this comment."

Only then did Xander finally lift his eyes.

Taylor awkwardly cleared his throat and read aloud one of the posts.

"She probably begged for this opportunity. But boss how did she know that"

Taylor said without thinking much, but the second he looked at Xander, his entire body went rigid.