Once they were somewhere private, Alex asked Debbie, "Is there a problem with Cassidy? She's not unwell, is she?"
Because they had worked together on an advertising campaign, Cassidy and Debbie got along very well. Debbie was kind and gentle, and Cassidy was very smart. Even though they no longer worked together, they still had a very good relationship.
"She hasn't been well recently," said Debbie. "She's been suffering from insomnia and has been having nightmares. She feels depressed, and she's also lost her appetite. Alex, you know the nature of Cassidy's job. If she's seen going to the hospital, she'll be all over the news, and her career will suffer. Can you treat her?"
She pulled Cassidy closer and said, "Cassidy, you don't have to hide anything from Alex. Don't worry about it getting out. Trust me, he can help you."
Cassidy felt a little shy. When she remembered how she and Alex had once slept in the same bed, her face turned red, and she lowered her head slightly.
"Cassidy, we've known each other for a long time," Alex said. And then he joked, "Don't you think my clinic is good enough to treat a big star like you? You don't seem to think very highly of me."
Cassidy smiled. "It's not that, Alex. You've misunderstood me. Of course I think highly of you, and I'm so happy to see you."
She held out her hand, but he waved it away. "There's no need to be so polite. We can skip all the social etiquette," he said light-heartedly.
Cassidy rolled her eyes. She knew she was old-fashioned, but she appreciated how down-to-earth Alex was.
She smiled. "So, do you think you can treat me? I'll be alright, won't I?"
Alex was silent for a moment.
"What do you think, Alex? What do you make of it?" asked Debbie.
Alex looked at Cassidy seriously and asked, "Did you visit the cemetery recently?"
Cassidy looked at him with surprise. "I briefly went there last week, only for half an hour," she replied. "I went there for a walk." She hesitated for a moment. "But what does that have to do with my illness?"
"Well, it's got everything to do with it," Alex replied bluntly. "You've been exposed to some bad energy, and now you're going to suffer from a disaster within the next three days."
Cassidy's face turned pale.
"You've been okay for the past week because you've had the strength to avert it," he continued. "If you wear this amulet, then you can reverse your luck."
He handed her an orange amulet that had a rune engraved on it. "Be sure to carry it with you for a whole week."
Cassidy was surprised, but she took the amulet and casually put it into her pocket.
Alex frowned. "Cassidy, do you think this amulet is a toy?" he asked in a displeased tone. He had expected her to treat it with a bit more respect.
"What? No, Alex. You've misunderstood me," replied Cassidy. "Of course, I'll take care of it. It's really pretty."
"It's not just a pretty thing," said Alex, slightly flustered. "It's an amulet. Do you understand the meaning of it?"
Debbie frowned. When Alex looked at her, he took a deep breath and regained his composure.
"Just tell me what you really think of it," he said. "I don't care what it is; just be honest. If you don't value it, then it won't be of any use to you."
Cassidy thought for a moment. She was a big star, and her opinion was usually respected, so she didn't have to hide anything. "Well, do you really believe that amulets can have an effect on illnesses?" she asked. "We're living in the twenty-first century. I know a lot of people still believe in this kind of superstition, but I've never thought much about it."
It had taken her a lot of courage to say that, but when she had seen Debbie smiling at her, she had felt confident enough to share her opinion.
She didn't think it was disrespectful to Alex. After all, it was just her opinion. Even her fans knew what she thought about various matters and still supported her.
"Did Debbie tell you that I went to the cemetery?" asked Cassidy, trying to break up the tense atmosphere. She giggled.
"Cassidy, what are you talking about? When could I have told Alex that?" asked Debbie, playfully nudging her.
Alex shook his head helplessly.
Debbie was aware of Alex's temper, so she quickly winked at him and gave him a nod.
Alex went silent for a moment, and then he drew a charm on a piece of paper, folded it, and handed it to Debbie.
"You're close to her," he said. "So take care of this for her. She'll need it."
Debbie nodded, and then she gave Cassidy a reproachful look. Alex's expression was cold, and he didn't pay any more attention to Cassidy.
Cassidy reminded herself that Alex could kill people just by staring at them, and suddenly her face turned pale.
Fortunately, Debbie was there, and Cassidy instantly felt calmer when she looked at her.
Debbie put the amulet carefully into her bag, and then she went to the kitchen with Cassidy.
Debbie was very good at cooking, but Cassidy couldn't cook at all, so she just helped. The atmosphere in the kitchen was very harmonious.
Meanwhile, Alex was feeling a little annoyed that he couldn't be alone with Debbie.
After dinner, Debbie and Cassidy left together.
***
As Alex was getting ready to go to bed that night, his phone rang with a call from Debbie. He picked it up and answered.
"Alex, something terrible has happened," she said in a panicky voice.
Alex was taken aback. "What's wrong? What's the matter?" he asked impatiently.
"Cassidy went to the studio after we left the clinic." Debbie's voice became shaky. "She had an accident while filming, and she asked me to call you because she's so scared."
Alex put the phone down and quickly got into his car to make his way to the Watergate Center where the studio was.
Debbie had arrived at the Stardust Films studio as soon as she had heard the news.
Cassidy had been filming a scene that involved swinging on a rope. But the rope had snapped, causing her to fall onto the floor with great force. Fortunately, there had been landing mats laid out beneath her, but she had still suffered an injury to her forehead.
Even though it wasn't life-threatening, Cassidy was in a state of shock.
She had filmed many similar scenes before, but she had never suffered any injury.
That evening, before filming, the film crew had carried out various safety inspections. Cassidy was a big star, so the crew had made sure not to neglect their duties. Unfortunately, the accident had still happened. Afterward, the first thing Cassidy had done was call for Debbie.
Debbie sat on a small stool beside Cassidy, looking nervous. She was glad she had called Alex, and she felt better knowing that he would arrive soon.
The police had already arrived and were questioning the film crew. Because Cassidy was injured and could have fallen to her death, they wanted to make sure there wasn't any foul play.
After some investigation, both the police and the crew agreed that someone must have done something to cause the accident, and the police started to take everyone's witness statements.
Paramedics had also arrived and were treating Cassidy.
But Cassidy didn't move, didn't speak, and didn't even seem to feel any pain.
Debbie was worried and couldn't understand how Cassidy could have ended up like this.
Suddenly, she remembered what Alex had told them at the clinic and quickly walked over to Cassidy. She took the amulet from Cassidy's pocket to check it, and then she gasped.
Half of the orange amulet had turned black, and as she watched, it disintegrated and turned to ash, as if it had suffered from Cassidy's injury.
Debbie was astonished. How could this have happened? she wondered.
She wanted to put the amulet back into Cassidy's pocket, but a gust of wind blew in through the window and scattered the ashes across the floor, leaving the rune on the amulet incomplete.
Just then, an anxious-looking lady rushed in, followed by several of her companions. She made her way straight toward Cassidy.
When the director, Brett Anderson, saw her, he quickly went over to greet her, and the film crew started whispering among themselves.
"That's Cassidy's mother, Gemma. I heard she owns a real estate company"
"Yes, she's very wealthy. She even invested in the development of the Watergate Center"
"Her father is also a very important man. He's the CEO of a medical association, and he owns many pharmacies and clinics"
"The family is worth billions! It's unfortunate what happened today"
The crew members continued to gossip, feeling envious of Cassidy.
Alex finally arrived, and after he and Debbie had greeted each other, they looked at the crowd of people surrounding Cassidy, looking concerned.
Meanwhile, Gemma was reprimanding Brett for his carelessness.
As Brett was explaining the incident to Gemma, he kept looking over at Cassidy.
Soon, Gemma stopped asking questions and seemed to be satisfied with the answers. The incident was explained without any twists or turns in the story. She didn't say anything more. She decided to wait until Cassidy had been stabilized and the police had fully investigated the matter. Then, perhaps, everything would be clearer.