The bodyguards stepped aside, finally allowing Celine and Hailey to approach Nikki.

"Nikki, you've become a big star!" Hailey exclaimed, her gaze fixed on Nikki.

Nikki raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips. "Yup. I've got a boyfriend, and he's the one who made me a big star."

"A boyfriend? Nikki, you're dating someone? How come we never heard about this boyfriend before?" Hailey exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Nikki's smile widened. "My boyfriend is handsome, rich, and spoils me endlessly. He loves me so much."

As she spoke, Nikki stepped forward and gently took Celine's hand. "Celine, I'm doing so well now. You must be happy for me, right? You'll give me your blessing, won't you?"

Celine's clear eyes lingered on Nikki's face for a moment. After a pause, she replied, "Nikki, congratulations."

"Celine, thank you. I'll get going now. Let's catch up soon, okay?"

With that, she turned and walked away, her entourage falling into step behind her.

Hailey frowned, her confusion evident. "Celine, who do you think Nikki's boyfriend is? There aren't many people in Mercity who could give someone the kind of resources she's talking about."

Mercity wasn't a massive city, but it wasn't small either. The circle of wealthy elites was tight-knit, and the number of those with the power and money to propel someone like Nikki to the top was even smaller.

Celine's gaze lingered on Nikki's retreating figure until it disappeared. "I don't know either," she said.

"Celine, I don't think Nikki is really in love. She looks like she found herself a sugar daddy. Someone's obviously funding her rise," Hailey said bluntly. "The question is, who's this sugar daddy?"

Celine's gaze lingered in the direction Nikki had disappeared before she took Hailey's hand. "It doesn't matter. Nikki's already gotten what she wanted. Hailey, I'm hungry. Let's go have dinner."

"Alright," Hailey replied, letting the matter drop.

Nikki strode down the hotel corridor with her entourage trailing behind her. Diana walked beside her, matching her pace. "Nikki, tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., we need to be at ELLA for a magazine shoot."

"ELLA?"

Nikki's eyes sparkled. "Isn't Robin Smith the deputy editor of ELLA magazine?"

"Yes, she is," Diana nodded briskly.

A knowing smile spread across Nikki's face. She remembered Robin all too well; she was Celine's best friend.

"Alright. We'll be there on time," Nikki replied, her voice deliberate. "This is going to be interesting."

The next day, Celine had just finished her class when Hailey rushed over.

"Celine, have you heard? Nikki went to ELLA today to shoot a historical-themed magazine spread for her upcoming movie, Whispering Splendor, but something happened. While she was suspended on the wire rig, the harness snapped, and she fell! She got hurt and had to be rushed to the hospital."

Celine froze, her mind racing. She hadn't heard anything about it. She didn't typically follow celebrity news, but apparently, the entertainment headlines were ablaze—Nikki had been injured on set during a wire stunt gone wrong.

"How is Nikki?" Celine asked.

"She's hurt, but it doesn't seem too serious."

Celine's brow furrowed as something clicked in her mind. "Hailey, where did you say Nikki went for the shoot?"

"ELLA," Hailey repeated.

Celine's stomach dropped. She quickly took out her phone and dialed Robin's number. The phone rang several times without answer. Growing more uneasy, Celine immediately called Robin's assistant.

The call connected instantly, and the assistant's trembling, tearful voice came through. "Ms. Smith… something terrible happened. She's been taken! She's at the police station!"