Chapter 2

I returned to the countryside, back to the orphanage that had raised us.

Armed with nothing but my phone and a scuffed-up camera lens, I set out to make my own film.

Working almost non-stop around the clock, I somehow finished it three days ahead of the deadline.

The moment I clicked the "submit" button, I breathed a long sigh of relief.

I stretched and looked out the window. Endless grasslands spread out before me.

Back when we made "The Grassland Dream", Archie and I had pulled all-nighters like this together more times than I could count.

He had a real talent for storytelling, but his s never scored well in college.

During his internships, his work was never considered outstanding.

I knew it wasn't because his stories were bad. He just needed someone who could understand him.

I was the one who could see the stories hidden beneath his obscure writing, translate his vision to the screen, and bring the emotions in his words to life.

That was my gift.

It was the reason why our first collaboration was such a success and why I became his exclusive director.

.

Sharon graduated from a prestigious school overseas, and both her parents were well-connected in the art industry.

I had seen her work. It was polished, modern, and refined.

But Archie's stories were rooted in the raw beauty of the countryside.

I couldn't imagine how the two styles could ever come together without clashing.

Still, it was no longer my concern.

Archie hadn't called me once in over a week.

I shook my head and booked a flight to leave the grasslands in three days.

Just then, David Maddox, the orphanage director, brought Jewel over to me. It was a horse Archie and I had raised as kids.

The horse was old now, no longer able to carry Archie and me as we raced across the grasslands the way she used to.

Mr. Maddox was happy to see me after so long.

"Chloe, remember back when you and Archie were just teenagers?" he asked.

"You were crazy enough to go after a horse thief all by yourself. Archie was so worried that he was almost in tears. He gathered all the local ranchers to search for you because he couldn't bear the thought of you facing the bad guy alone. He even begged the rancher to give you Jewel to make you feel better."

Looking back, I had no idea what gave me the courage.

I held the stolen foal tightly in my arms and screamed at the thief.

Archie stood in front of me with a wooden stick, refusing to take a single step back.

Back then, I was the person he cared about most.

He didn't dismiss the foal as something insignificant or blame me for causing trouble.

He just brushed back my messy hair and tried to comfort me.

"Since you like this horse so much, she's yours. Give her a name."

"How about Jewel?" I asked.

Archie looked into my eyes with tenderness and agreed, "Sure. She's the jewel of the grassland."

Just then, Archie's call came in, pulling me out of my thoughts.

It began with the same apology I had heard countless times before.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. Sharon still has a few more scenes to shoot over the next couple of days. She doesn't know the area well, so I need to stay with her."

Before I could reply, Sharon snatched the phone from Archie, her voice bubbling over with excitement.

"Chloe, it's such a shame you're not here," she chattered. "A few local thugs tried to hassle us. I don't understand their accents. Thank goodness Archie stepped in to protect me. If not, it could've been a total disaster!

"Honestly, he must be working out." She giggled. "When he swept me into his arms, it was so effortlessly smooth."

I nodded, though she couldn't see it.

Archie still protected what he cared about most.

It was just that now, his work and Sharon were all that mattered to him, and I was just an afterthought.

I cleared my throat, cutting off Sharon's excited rambling.

Archie took the phone back and said flatly, "Sharon is a filmmaker, so she naturally makes everything sound more dramatic. I was just helping her out. Don't overthink it."

A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I couldn't help asking, "Archie, do you still remember what day tomorrow is?"

I glanced at the reminder on my phone.

The day "The Grassland Dream" won its award, Archie had held me tightly, overwhelmed with joy.

In front of the reporters, he made a promise, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"Five years from now, I'll bring the most precious person in my life back to the countryside. I'll swear to the sky and earth that I'll give her a home..."

Tomorrow would be that promised day.

But on the phone, he was silent for a long time before finally asking impatiently, "What are you trying to say? Sharon and I are up to our necks in work. Can you stop making trouble and wait until I get back?"

I laughed awkwardly and replied, "Alright, bye."

Then I hung up.