My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 31: Monday Chaos

The final morning at the villa arrived far too quickly.

For most people, the weekend felt like a dream. For the Sterling cousins, it was easily one of the greatest experiences of their lives.

For Pulse, it had been a rare chance to relax away from cameras and schedules.

And for Chris, it had been the happiest weekend he had experienced in years.

Which was exactly why he wasn’t ready for it to end.

The villa was still quiet when Liliana woke up. The sun had barely risen. Everyone else was asleep.

Chris stirred beside her, blinking awake as she slipped out of bed.

"You’re up already?" he murmured, voice still heavy with sleep.

Liliana smiled softly. "Couldn’t sleep anymore."

Chris pushed himself up, running a hand through his messy blond hair. "Then I’ll come with you."

After getting dressed, the two of them headed downstairs toward the kitchen together.

Only to discover they were the only early risers. Chris stretched his arms before glancing around.

"Perfect timing."

Liliana raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Breakfast." He rolled up his sleeves with determination. "I’ll help," he added quickly.

Liliana immediately looked doubtful.

"Should I be worried?"

"That’s offensive."

"It is also accurate."

Chris pointed accusingly at her. "I can cook."

"Sure."

"I can."

Liliana smiled. "Sure."

Twenty minutes later, the kitchen looked like a battlefield.

Eggshells somehow ended up on the floor. Flour mysteriously appeared on the counter. And one unfortunate bowl had met a tragic end.

Chris stared at the broken pieces. "I blame gravity."

Liliana laughed so hard she nearly dropped the spatula. "You broke a bowl."

"It attacked me first."

"Of course it did."

Chris frowned. "You don’t believe me."

"No."

"You’re a terrible wife."

"And you’re a terrible assistant."

Neither noticed that two people had quietly entered the dining area.

Leo and Aaron. Both had originally come downstairs searching for coffee. Instead, they found something much more interesting.

The two stood silently, watching and observing suspiciously. Because Chris and Liliana were acting far too familiar.

The interactions felt natural, comfortable and effortless.

Chris handed her a cleaning cloth without being asked. Liliana accepted it automatically as though they had done this countless times before.

A few minutes later, Chris attempted to crack another egg. The result was catastrophic. The shell fell directly into the bowl.

Liliana burst out laughing. "You did the same thing before."

Chris groaned. "Oh no."

"How many times do I have to tell you that isn’t the correct way?"

Chris pointed at the egg. "It still opened."

"That wasn’t the goal."

"It became an egg."

"It became a disaster."

Leo slowly looked toward Aaron.

Aaron slowly looked back.

Neither spoke. Neither needed to. Because they both felt something was very strange.

Breakfast was eventually served.

And despite Chris’s best efforts to destroy the kitchen, the food turned out excellent.

Everyone gathered around the large dining table. The conversation was lively. The laughter was constant. And the atmosphere was warm.

Yet throughout the meal, Leo couldn’t stop observing Chris and Liliana.

The more he watched them, the stranger everything seemed.

Later that morning, Leo finally cornered Chris.

The two stood alone near the pool. The ocean breeze carried the scent of saltwater through the air.

Leo crossed his arms. "We need to talk."

Chris immediately sighed. "That’s never a good sign."

"I saw you."

Chris blinked. "Saw me doing what?"

"Going into Liliana’s room."

Silence.

Chris maintained a perfectly calm expression. Years of media training were finally proving useful.

"You were spying?"

"I was walking."

"You were spying."

Leo ignored him. "What were you doing there?"

Chris answered immediately. "I couldn’t sleep."

Leo waited. Chris waited too.

Finally Leo spoke. "That’s it?"

"That’s it."

"You spent over an hour in there."

Chris shrugged. "I asked if she had sleeping pills."

Leo stared at him. Chris stared back.

Neither moved. Neither blinked.

Eventually Leo sighed. "I don’t believe you."

Chris laughed. "Then why ask?"

Leo shook his head. "Because you’re hiding something."

"Everyone hides something."

"Not like this."

Chris simply smiled.

Unfortunately for Leo, there wasn’t a single crack in his story. Eventually he gave up. For now. But the suspicion remained.

The rest of the day passed far too quickly.

Photos were taken. Games were played. Phone numbers were exchanged. Promises were made.

And before anyone was ready, five o’clock arrived. It was time to leave.

Immediately, complaints erupted.

"No!" Emily protested dramatically. "We should stay another week."

"A month," Nicole corrected.

"A year," River added.

Robin nearly developed a headache.

The group gathered near the entrance while luggage was loaded into the vehicles.

Then another argument began. "We’ll take the Sterlings home."

River pointed toward their van. "We have plenty of space."

Aaron nodded. "So do we."

Mary looked ready to accept very quickly.

But Robin disagreed. "No."

Everyone turned toward him. "No?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

River frowned. "That’s not a reason."

"It is for me."

The debate continued for several minutes. Until Liliana finally stepped forward.

"It’s okay."

Everyone looked at her.

"We should go separately."

Robin nearly cried from relief.

"Thank you."

Liliana smiled. "We already caused enough trouble this weekend."

The others reluctantly agreed. One by one, goodbyes were exchanged.

Chris and Liliana exchanged glances, smiled at each other before entering the vehicle.

Then the vehicles departed, driving in different directions and leaving the villa behind.

Monday morning.

Chaos arrived. Absolute chaos.

Inside St. Claire Entertainment, dozens of employees ran through hallways carrying tablets and phones.

Managers shouted. Public relations teams panicked. Marketing teams celebrated.

And Robin considered retiring.

"What happened now?" Chris asked.

Robin pointed toward a screen. The internet had exploded again.

Photos from the villa had somehow made their way online. Thousands.

No. Millions of people were sharing them. Fans immediately began creating theories especially about certain pairs.

River and Nicole.

Aaron and Rose.

Chris and Liliana.

Leo with Mary, Nathan, and Nicolo.

The comments multiplied by the second. Some fans called them adorable. Others demanded explanations. Several fan accounts had already created edits and videos.

One photo in particular caught everyone’s attention.

Chris standing beside Liliana while looking at her.

Not the camera. Not the crowd. Just her.

Robin buried his face in his hands. "We’re doomed."

Chris looked at the photograph then smiled. Because unlike everyone else, he wasn’t worried about the rumors.

He was worried about something else. Someone had sent those photographs. Someone knew about Liliana.

And now, the entire internet was suddenly paying attention to her.

Which meant the game had just become far more dangerous.