∙ 𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁 ∙

Ep 21 - Off-Script and On-Site (Pt 1)

He takes a step closer — not invading, but testing.
She doesn't back away.

LISA
(half-serious, half-flirt):
"Don't get any ideas, Winters. This isn't a date."

SEAN
(grinning):
"Sure it's not. You just texted me at midnight, snuck out, and showed up in heels. Totally not a date."

Lisa rolls her eyes but hides a laugh, brushing her hair back.

LISA:
"You're ridiculous."

SEAN:
"And you're gorgeous."

Beat. He softens — tone lowering.

SEAN:
"You did amazing last night, by the way. That performance... "Glow." You looked like you owned the stage."

Lisa looks down, almost shy — something rare for her.

LISA:
"Thanks."

LISA
(sighs):
"I just wish my mom could see me up there — not the brand she built."

Sean tilts his head, studying her.

SEAN:
"You mean the "clean pop princess" thing?"

LISA:
"Exactly. That's not me. I'm noise and color and guitars and chaos. She keeps trying to turn me into something perfect — something marketable for her and Anders Stone."

SEAN
(perceptive, gentle):
"Maybe perfection's just another kind of cage."

KALEENA (V.O.):
"He listens — and that's all it takes. In a city where everyone performs, silence starts to feel like safety."

Lisa looks up at him, surprised. Then — she laughs quietly, genuine this time.

LISA:
"You actually listen."

SEAN:
"Only when the girl talking makes it worth my while."

She shakes her head, but her smile lingers.

He extends his hand, eyes gleaming.

SEAN:
"Come on. Let's get out of here. No cameras. No handlers. Just... the real you for a while."

Lisa hesitates, eyes flicking toward the street.
The music from inside spills out in faint pulses — "Baby, you could have it all..." still echoing from Ratzik's suite miles away.

Then, softly:

LISA:
"Alright...but this stays between us."

SEAN
(smirking):
"I'd be offended if it didn't."

He opens the door to his sleek black SUV. Lisa climbs in beside him, her pulse quickening as the city lights blur through the tinted glass.

The SUV pulls away into the night — two silhouettes against the soft neon.

[INT. RATZIK'S HOTEL SUITE — NIGHT]

The city outside flickers like a low-burning flame. Curtains ripple softly, the room glowing in shades of amber and seafoam.

Addison's breath catches as Ratzik's hands glide up her arms — not forceful, not tender, but claiming. He doesn't rush. He studies her — like a painter memorizing the curve of a line before he dares to touch the canvas.

Ratzik
(whisper, low):
"I love when you sound like that... for me."

KALEENA (V.O.):
"Funny thing about power —
it sounds a lot like love when you whisper it slow enough."