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chapter SIXTEEN confrontations .
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starr and mason walked back to the set in heavy silence, the air between them thick with unspoken words. starr's mind raced with what she'd say to dylan, how she'd explain everything to mark. mason kept his gaze fixed ahead, jaw clenched, but starr could see the conflict in his eyes.
as they approached the set, the crew members who had witnessed the fight were whispering among themselves, their eyes flicking between mason and starr. it only added to the knot in her stomach. she could see dylan now, sitting on a crate with a bag of ice pressed to his jaw, looking more irritated than hurt.
mark stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as he took in the scene. it was clear he was waiting for an explanation, and starr felt her heart skip a beat. she glanced at mason, who gave her a brief nod, as if to say he'd follow her lead. she wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.
"mark, can we talk?" starr said, her voice steady despite the nerves she felt. she gestured toward the small office just off set, away from prying eyes and ears.
mark's gaze shifted between her and mason before he nodded. "yeah, we need to," he said, his voice calm but laced with authority. he turned to dylan, giving him a curt nod. "you too, dylan. let's clear this up."
the four of them moved into the office, the door clicking shut behind them. the space was small, cluttered with scripts and production notes, but it offered some semblance of privacy. mark leaned against the desk, arms still crossed, as he looked at each of them in turn.
"someone want to tell me what the hell just happened out there?" he asked, his voice even but with an edge that made it clear he wasn't in the mood for games.
starr glanced at mason, who was staring at the floor, his fists still clenched at his sides. she knew he wasn't going to say anything unless she did first, so she took a deep breath and started.
"mason and i were... talking earlier," she began, choosing her words carefully. "and he told me something that dylan said to him. something that, understandably, made him angry."
