EPISODE 2
1212 Words
Scene 5: Unmasking the Ice King
(INT. BLACKWOOD MANSION – EVENING)
Kara paces her bedroom, her frustration bubbling over.
KARA
(muttering to herself) Do what you want, Kara. Just don’t expect me to play along.
She scoffs, mimicking Sebastian’s icy tone.
KARA
Well, Sebastian, I don’t need your permission.
She grabs a silk robe from the closet and drapes it over her shoulders. If she’s going to shake up this story, she needs to understand the dynamics at play—specifically, the woman who still holds his heart.
She sits at the vanity, recalling everything she wrote about her—Isabelle Laurent. The childhood sweetheart who left him for a dream abroad, leaving Sebastian with a heart so frozen, not even his marriage could thaw it.
KARA
(to herself, thinking aloud) He’s not cold because he wants to be. He’s protecting something.
Her mind races. Isabelle wasn’t due to return for at least another year in the novel. But what if she returned early? Kara’s stomach twists at the thought.
A sudden knock startles her.
MAID (O.S.)
Madam, dinner is served.
Kara exhales, steeling herself.
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Scene 6: A Marriage of Strangers
(INT. DINING ROOM – NIGHT)
The dining room is a masterpiece of wealth—chandeliers casting a golden glow over an impossibly long table, silverware gleaming under the candlelight.
Sebastian is already seated at the head of the table, his posture rigid, his eyes scanning a document as if the food before him is an afterthought.
Kara stops in the doorway, suddenly hyper-aware of her role. She’s not just Kara, struggling writer. She’s Kara Blackwood, the wife of a man who barely acknowledges her existence.
Not anymore.
She strides toward the chair beside him—not the one at the far end where she usually sits. Sebastian glances up, his gaze flickering with something unreadable.
SEBASTIAN
(coolly) You’re sitting there now?
KARA
(matching his tone) I don’t see a reason not to. Unless, of course, my husband objects.
A pause. Then, he gestures subtly—an invitation or indifference, she can’t tell.
She takes her seat.
The first few minutes pass in silence, the only sounds the clinking of cutlery and the soft crackle of the fireplace. But Kara refuses to let this be another silent dinner.
She sets down her fork.
KARA
Sebastian.
He doesn’t look up.
SEBASTIAN
Hn.
KARA
How long are we going to do this?
That gets his attention. He finally looks at her, his expression unreadable.
SEBASTIAN
Do what, exactly?
KARA
Act like strangers.
A slow, measured silence.
SEBASTIAN
Isn’t that easier?
She expected that answer.
KARA
For you, maybe. But I didn’t sign up to be furniture in my own marriage.
Sebastian exhales through his nose, setting down his glass.
SEBASTIAN
(quietly, almost dangerous) And what exactly do you want, Kara? A love story? Passion? Grand gestures?
His tone is edged with something unfamiliar.
She meets his gaze head-on.
KARA
I want the truth. About you.
Something flickers in his expression—a crack in the mask. But just as quickly, it’s gone.
He leans back, swirling the wine in his glass.
SEBASTIAN
Be careful what you wish for.
Kara doesn’t flinch.
KARA
Maybe you should be, too.
Their gazes lock, tension thick in the air.
For the first time, Sebastian Blackwood looks at her—not past her.
And Kara realizes something.
She’s not the only one playing a role in this marriage.
Scene 7: The Ice Begins to Crack
(INT. BLACKWOOD MANSION – MASTER BEDROOM – NIGHT)
Kara closes the door behind her, her heart still hammering from dinner.
Sebastian had looked at her tonight—not as a stranger, not as an inconvenience, but as something else.
She steps to the window, staring at the sprawling city skyline. The wind howls, rattling the glass.
KARA
(to herself) He’s hiding something.
She chews her lip, thinking. In her novel, Sebastian never truly hated Kara. He simply saw her as… irrelevant. Just a name on a marriage certificate, a placeholder.
But now?
Something in his eyes had changed.
She turns back toward the bed. It’s massive—easily big enough for two. But, of course, Sebastian never slept here. He stayed in his study or his private quarters.
KARA
(muttering) Cold-hearted CEO trope. Right.
She throws off her robe and climbs under the sheets, determined to rest.
Then—
A faint sound.
She stills. The hallway outside her door creaks.
Footsteps. Slow. Measured.
Her pulse spikes.
KARA
(whispers) Sebastian?
No response.
She listens, barely breathing. The footsteps stop just outside her door.
A long silence.
Then… the doorknob twists.
Kara bolts upright.
The door opens slightly. Not fully—just enough for her to see a dark silhouette standing there.
Her blood runs cold.
KARA
(sharply) Who’s there?
No answer.
She scrambles out of bed, her heart pounding. But before she can reach the door, the figure disappears.
Gone.
She rushes forward, yanking the door open—
Nothing.
The hallway is empty.
Her breath comes fast and shallow.
KARA
(to herself, gripping the doorframe) Okay. Not creepy at all.
She quickly locks the door, backing away.
Something is wrong.
This was supposed to be a romance novel.
So why does it suddenly feel like a thriller?
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Scene 8: Ghosts from the Past
(INT. BLACKWOOD MANSION – STUDY – LATE NIGHT)
Sebastian stands by the window, whiskey glass in hand, staring at the city below.
A storm is brewing. He can feel it.
He hears the faintest shift of fabric behind him. A presence.
SEBASTIAN
(without turning around) You were told never to come here again.
A soft chuckle. Feminine. Familiar.
WOMAN’S VOICE
And yet… here I am.
Sebastian turns slowly.
Isabelle Laurent stands in the dim light, her expensive coat draped over her shoulders, her dark eyes gleaming with unreadable emotion.
ISABELLE
It’s been a long time, Sebastian.
He exhales, swirling the whiskey in his glass.
SEBASTIAN
Not long enough.
ISABELLE
(smirking) Ouch. Is that how you greet an old lover?
His jaw tightens.
SEBASTIAN
What do you want?
She steps forward, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor.
ISABELLE
I heard a rumor. That you actually went through with it. That you married her.
Sebastian doesn’t react.
ISABELLE
Tell me, Sebastian. Is she keeping your bed warm?
His grip tightens around the glass.
SEBASTIAN
Leave.
ISABELLE
(softly, teasingly) You don’t look happy.
He turns away, but she steps closer.
ISABELLE
You still love me.
Sebastian’s expression remains cold, but his silence betrays something else.
Kara’s voice suddenly echoes in his mind—I want the truth. About you.
His grip loosens slightly.
And Isabelle sees it.
She smirks, tilting her head.
ISABELLE
Or maybe… she’s getting under your skin.
Sebastian exhales sharply, as if shaking off the thought.
SEBASTIAN
You should go.
Isabelle studies him for a long moment. Then—she leans in, her lips brushing dangerously close to his ear.
ISABELLE
I’m not leaving this time.
She pulls back, her eyes gleaming.
ISABELLE
Let’s see what your wife thinks about that.
And with that, she walks away, her perfume lingering in the air.
Sebastian stares after her, his expression unreadable.
A storm is coming.
And Kara has no idea what she’s about to be caught in.
(FADE OUT)
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- Writer
