Her Partner's Darkest Fear is She'd Outshine Him

Marianne used to be religious about texting Kennedy reminders—what to wear, how the weather was, what to eat. But today, she didn't send him a single text.

Normally, a quick errand would've been no big deal. Yet Kennedy insisted on dragging Marianne into it.

[Marianne, Suzie's stomach hurts. Bring over that box of meds from last night ASAP.]

He sent the message, but all he got back was a little red exclamation mark.

'Fuck… Did she block me?' Kennedy wondered, his brows pulling together, his face darkening.

'Damn it,' he cursed internally, realizing Marianne did block him. 'When it really came to Suzie, that woman always blew things out of proportion. Completely unreasonable!'

But he knew Marianne—she'd come crawling back soon enough, picking up right where she left off as his walking weather report.

Marianne had a makeup test scheduled with Director Angus, so she'd arrived at the set early. It had been years since she'd worked, and she wasn't exactly A-list anymore. Making people wait on her wasn't an option.

Unfortunately, Kennedy's crew was filming right next door.

"Scene one, take 36. Action!"

Kennedy was playing the male lead, rejecting the supporting actress's confession of love. The scene required her to steal a kiss from him.

It should've been easy—just a quick peck, like a bird snatching a crumb. But Suzanne managed to mess it up 35 times, her lips pressing against his over and over.

"Uncle Ken, I don't know how to kiss. I'm so nervous…"

"Uncle Ken, I still don't know…"

The crew was losing patience, but with Kennedy on set, no one dared to speak up.

"It's okay, Suzie. Let's try again," Kennedy said calmly, ruffling her hair.

When he glanced up—he saw Marianne walking toward him.

'Hah. I knew it,' Kennedy thought to himself. 'She came before I could coax her.'

"Aunt Marianne!" Suzanne called out with a bright smile. "Are you here to visit Uncle Ken? He's teaching me how to act!"

Marianne cursed under her breath but stayed where she was, arms crossed. Suzanne's acting was terrible, and Marianne watched the young girl make a fool of herself

"Uncle Ken, Aunt Marianne doesn't like me hanging around you. Maybe we should skip this scene?" Suzanne suggested.

Kennedy disagreed. "Why should her opinion matter?"

As if to spite Marianne for daring to break up with him, Kennedy suddenly pulled Suzanne into his arms. Their lips met in a heated kiss as they entwined with each other.

"Cut! Perfect!" the director called.

Finally, the scene was done.

Marianne stood frozen, her nails biting into her palms.

The stress must've hit her baby because nausea came rushing in like a tidal wave. She clutched her belly, hand over her mouth, barely holding herself together.

Kennedy pushed Suzanne aside and looked Marianne's way.

Marianne forced herself upright and made her voice sound loud. "God, it's the middle of the day, and some people are already making me want to puke."

Of course, she still couldn't stand Suzanne.

Kennedy let out a long breath, but when he looked again, Suzanne was no longer beside him.

After seeing how seriously he kissed Suzanne, why did Marianne bother them?

Marianne found an empty corner to sit, wiping her mouth clean as her stomach settled.

"Aunt Marianne, I'm sorry! Kissing Uncle Ken is just part of the job," Suzanne chirped as she walked over.

Her tone was sweet, but the smug look on her face gave her away.

"Good for you. Hope it pays off big," Marianne shot back, her face unreadable.

"Then why are you sitting here all alone? Not feeling well?" Suzanne smirked. "Or are you just jealous?"

But Marianne wasn't in the mood to play nice. "If you've got time to worry about me, maybe focus on improving your acting instead. At least then the crew won't look ready to quit."

Suzanne blinked in disbelief. 'Since when did this quiet little mouse grow her claws?'

Then, she fired back, "No matter how bad my acting is, Uncle Ken will always back me up. What about you? What do you even have?"