A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

Portia practically stumbled upon Julius, panting and out of breath. She'd been running for what felt like forever, only relaxing when she was sure no one was chasing her anymore.

"There you are," Julius said, his expression a mix of relief and mild confusion.

After all, plenty of people wanted to be associated with him, but Portia's reaction earlier had been priceless. She'd made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with any rumors about them.

She'd shut down all the gossip in a heartbeat.

"Sorry about that," Portia blurted, still catching her breath. "I just panicked. If people think I'm your girlfriend, it's going to be a pain for me, and honestly, not great for you either!"

"Plus, you have so many fans. If anyone finds out you're really Julius, you can kiss your freedom goodbye. It was just a quick fix!"

Portia glanced at Julius, a little sheepish. "You're not mad, right? I wasn't actually calling you a plastic surgery nightmare or anything. I mean, I get along with you guys, but we all know what's up. Callie told us everything."

She looked genuinely concerned, worried she'd crossed a line.

But Julius just shook his head and offered her a crooked smile. "It's fine, really."

"And thanks, by the way, you were so quick on your feet. You probably saved us a lot of trouble."

Portia waved him off. "No big deal. Lucky for you, it's not too crowded over here. But seriously, you should still be careful. Someone could recognize you any second."

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a face mask, handing it to him. "Here, better safe than sorry."

"Good idea," Julius said, taking the mask and slipping it on.

With most of his face covered, he could pass for just another guy in the crowd. Even if someone did a double-take, he could just play it cool and deny everything.

"Let's go,” Portia said, finally letting out a sigh of relief. "I heard there's a street show that way. Wanna check it out together?"

"Sure, why not?" Julius replied, falling in step beside her.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fair.

After splitting up from Calliope and the others, Mavis found herself wandering solo.

She checked the group chat but decided not to meet up with anyone just yet Instead, she drifted between the booths and food trucks, taking in the sights and smells-hot dogs, funnel cakes, the works.

She paused at a shooting game booth, curiosity getting the better of her. A few

bucks later, she picked up the BB gun, drawing a small crowd.

"Is she here alone?" someone whispered.

"Look at the way she's holding that, she knows what she's doing!"

"Seriously impressive. She must be a pro!"

“Please, she's probably just striking a pose, though, I gotta admit, that pose is pretty badass."

People around her buzzed with speculation, but Mavis tuned them out, focused on the row of balloons lined up at the back of the booth.noveldrama

She took aim and fired-pop! One balloon down. Then another. Then another. She didn't miss a single shot.

It was almost like watching Annie Oakley herself, one shot, one balloon, not a single BB wasted.

The booth owner just stared, slack-jawed. In all his years running the game, he'd never seen anyone, let alone a woman, nail every single target.

People hardly ever won prizes at his booth. Mavis was the first.

Norton, who'd been wandering nearby, noticed the crowd gathering and wandered

over to see what the fuss was about.

When he realized it was Mavis at the center of attention, he couldn't help but watch, impressed.

With every shot, the crowd grew quieter, a sense of awe falling over everyone as they watched

her utterly flawless, cool asace, and sharp as a tack.