Tilda blinked, then teased, "Oh, come on. No matter how busy he is, he wouldn't dare miss a date with you, right?"

Corrine shot her a side glance. "You make me sound like some kind of tyrant."

The comment made Tilda chuckle and a fleeting thought crossed her mind: Corrine definitely called the shots in their relationship.

Corrine rolled her eyes and asked, "What's so funny? And how can you even laugh in a situation like this?"

Tilda knew exactly what she meant.

Corrine wondered why Tilda still had the energy to laugh with a rival constantly lurking in the background, waiting for an opportunity.

Tilda tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her smile softening. "Well, should I be crying instead?"

Corrine grabbed the pitcher and poured them both glasses of water. "If I were in your shoes, just thinking about Rita would make me want to explode. Yet here you are, completely unbothered."

Tilda swirled her glass absently. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'A calm mind leads to a long life'? Do you know why?"

She let the question linger before answering it herself. "Because people who stay calm don't waste their energy on things that don't matter. They focus on themselves instead of stressing over irrelevant people."

Corrine scoffed. "Oh, come on. If that were true, smart people wouldn't be balding from stress while the fools thrived."

Tilda blinked, momentarily at a loss. "And why, exactly, would fools thrive?"

A smirk tugged at Corrine's lips. "Because they don't overthink anything. They just go with the flow, living carefree lives."

Tilda stared at her, silent for a beat. She thought that the logic somehow made sense.

Shaking her head, she changed the subject. "Anyway, let's order. I'm starving."

The two quickly browsed the menu and placed their orders.

Once the waiter left, Corrine leaned forward slightly. "By the way, have you and Lyndon talked about Rita joining the production crew?"

Tilda didn't hesitate. "Yeah, we have. He said that if I'm still bothered by her, he can have her replaced."

Corrine arched a brow. "Really? So, did you tell him to go through with it?"

Lifting her cup to her lips, Tilda took a slow sip before answering, "Don't you think that if I show a little generosity right now, Lyndon will appreciate me even more?"

Corrine blinked, waiting for Tilda to elaborate.

Tilda lowered her gaze slightly, swirling the cup in her hand. Her voice was calm, but her words carried a quiet weight. "You know, Rosanna has always been the one etched in Lyndon's heart. I could never replace her."

She took a slow sip, then continued, "As a result, I should come to terms with that. If I insist that he replace Rita right now, he might be open to the idea, but it would push him further away from me. Because the person helping Rita is Casper-Rosanna's younger brother. If I ask Lyndon to remove Rita, he'll feel indebted to Casper, and in return, he'll only treat Casper better."

Her fingers traced the rim of her cup. "It's better to let him feel indebted to me instead. That way, over time, he'll grow more attached to me-without even realizing it."