My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 54: New Album, New Opportunities

The peaceful days didn’t last long.

They never did whenever Pulse was preparing for a comeback. The entire company immediately shifted into chaos.

Their schedule was once again packed with meetings, recording sessions, dance practice, photoshoots, interviews and content filming.

The members barely had time to breathe.

Nathan finally understood why Pulse was considered one of the biggest groups in the world.

The schedule was terrifying.

But the members never forget to have fun. One morning, Nathan accidentally fell asleep inside a recording studio. River took a photo. Then Aaron posted it in their group chat.

He never recovered from the embarrassment.

Meanwhile, the new album preparations continued. It would contain six songs. All centered around one theme.

Love. Different kinds of love.

From first love to unrequited love. summer love and lifelong love.

And one particular song immediately caught everyone’s attention. Because the company wanted it to become the carrier single.

The composer sat across from Matthew, Robin, and the members.

Then casually dropped a bomb. "We should make a music video."

Everyone agreed.

Then the composer continued. "We need two female leads."

The creative director smiled. "I already have candidates."

Several photographs appeared on the screen.

Nicole Ashford.

Liliana Walker.

River sat straighter. Chris frowned.

The creative director continued.

"Nicole will appear opposite River."

River nodded, trying very hard not to smile.

"And Liliana will appear with Chris."

There was silence at first, but the decision was approved immediately. After all, the public already loved the pairings.

Especially after the Gucci campaign.

Meanwhile, Rhythm was facing their own challenge.

The remaining four members had finally been selected.

Months of auditions had ended and now the group was complete.

Six members.

One dream.

One chance.

The company planned to debut them carefully, slowly but professionally

Then another opportunity arrived that suddenly changed everything.

Matthew called an emergency meeting.

Everyone gathered in the conference room.

Pulse.

Rhythm.

Liliana and Nicolo.

The Managers, Robin and Mary.

Executives.

Even Emily was present.

The atmosphere felt serious.

Matthew stood. Then smiled.

"We received an invitation."

Everyone waited.

"From France."

Everyone became interested.

Matthew continued. "For an overseas concert."

Excitement immediately appeared.

Then he added, "Personally requested by the President."

Everyone was surprised.

"What?!"

Matthew nodded. "It is a significant event."

The company executives looked very pleased.

Then Matthew revealed the second surprise. "I want Rhythm to perform."

The girls froze. Because Rhythm hadn’t even officially debuted yet. The group had only recently become complete. It was risky.

Very risky.

Robin immediately voiced everyone’s concern. "That’s reckless."

Matthew nodded. "I know."

The chairman looked toward the six girls.

"But opportunities like this don’t come twice."

The room became quiet. Because he was right.

A stage in France. An international audience. A chance to introduce Rhythm to the world.

It was too valuable to ignore.

Eventually the proposal was approved. And chaos immediately followed.

Their training schedules doubled. The practice sessions were increased.

Everyone became busy again.

That evening, Chris found Liliana sitting in the living room reviewing campaign schedules.

He sat beside her.

"We’re going to France."

Liliana smiled. "I heard."

Chris nodded. Then Mary suddenly appeared. Like an overworked ghost holding a pile of folders.

"Speaking of France."

Both frowned but their attention was fixed on Mary while she opened one contract.

The overseas solo campaign. The one Liliana had previously rejected.

Chris looked at the contract. Then at France. Then at the contract.

Liliana understood quickly.

"You’re thinking about it."

Chris nodded. "Maybe."

Mary smiled. A dangerous manager smile.

Liliana crossed her arms. "You told me to reject it."

"I did."

"And now?"

Mary pointed toward the concert schedule.

"You’ll be in France. Both of you."

Silence. Then Chris slowly looked at Liliana. And she looked back.

The realization appeared simultaneously. They could work, travel and return together. The contract suddenly looked much better.

Much, much better.

Chris cleared his throat. "I think we should reconsider."

Mary immediately laughed. "So should I prepare the acceptance letter?"

Neither answered. Mary understood the silence.

Across the room, Emily overheard everything.

Then loudly announced, "The married couple is making business decisions together now."

The entire penthouse erupted with laughter.

Chris buried his face in his hands. Liliana turned red.

And somewhere in the city, another article about Liliana Walker’s rising popularity was being published.

Another headline. Another photograph.

Another reason for someone watching from the shadows to become even more obsessed.

Unaware of the danger approaching them, the next destination had already been decided.

France awaited.

And with it, opportunities.

Success.

Fame.

And perhaps new problems waiting on the other side of the world.

The following morning, Chris walked into the recording studio carrying a flash drive.

The sound engineer immediately looked excited. "You finished it?"

Chris nodded. "I finished it."

The engineer blinked. Then quickly took the flash drive.

A few minutes later, the demo played through the studio speakers.

The room became completely silent.

The melody was beautiful, soft, melancholic and painfully emotional.

When the song ended, nobody spoke.

The engineer removed his headphones. Then looked toward Chris.

"This is going to make people cry."

Chris smiled. Because that was exactly the point.

The company immediately selected it as the carrier single. And shortly afterward, the music video filming began.

The story followed four childhood friends of two boys and two girls who grew up together. They shared the same dreams and supported each other.

But fate was cruel.

One boy secretly loved one of the girls but before he could confess, he died, leaving behind nothing but memories and regrets.

The second pair loved each other deeply. But circumstances forced them apart. Neither stopped loving the other. Yet they chose to separate to watch each other from afar, believing distance was kinder than staying together.

A tragic story. A beautiful one.

Chris and Liliana were cast as the separated couple.

River and Nicole played the other pair. The couple whose story ended in loss.

The moment the filming began, everyone understood why the director had chosen them.

River and Nicole naturally portrayed youthful friendship.

Their scenes felt warm, comfortable and real.

But Chris and Liliana were something else entirely. Their scenes carried years of history, affection and of things left unsaid.

The separation scene was scheduled for the afternoon. And by the time the cameras were ready, the atmosphere on set had changed.

The location was a train station. Rain machines had been installed. The sky above remained gray. It was the perfect backdrop for goodbye.

The script was simple. Liliana’s character would leave. Chris’s character would stay behind.

Neither wanted it. But neither could stop it.

The director explained the scene. Then, stepped back.

"Let’s do one rehearsal."

The cameras rolled.

Liliana stood beside the train door with a suitcase in one hand, tears filling her eyes. Across from her stood Chris, motionless and heartbroken.

The director expected them to rehearse. Nothing more.

Instead, the entire set became silent. Because the emotions felt real. In fact, painfully real.

Liliana’s eyes trembled. As though she was desperately trying not to cry, trying to remain strong. She tried to smile despite knowing she was breaking inside.

Chris stared at her. The look in his eyes alone made several staff members emotional. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t exaggerated. But it was a quiet grief. The kind that hurt the most. A stare that came from losing something precious.

The train horn sounded. Liliana took one step backward. Then another. Her lips moved slightly. It was a silent goodbye. Because saying it would make everything real. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

The cameras continued recording. Nobody interrupted. Nobody moved. Even the crew forgot they were watching actors.

Chris looked away briefly. As though he couldn’t bear watching her leave. Then forced himself to look again. One last time.

The expression nearly broke everyone’s hearts.

His face had a mixture of regret, love, pain and acceptance. All at once.

When the director finally yelled, "Cut!"

Nobody reacted for a moment.

The silence lasted several seconds. Then someone quietly wiped their eyes. Then another.

River looked genuinely emotional while Nicole was crying openly.

Even Leo looked affected, and Aaron stared at the monitor, speechless.

The director slowly stood. Then looked toward Liliana, still stunned.

"That wasn’t acting."

Liliana blinked. "What?"

The director pointed at the monitor. "That was incredible."

Several crew members nodded immediately.

The director laughed..Then shook his head. "Why are you training as a model?"

Liliana looked confused.

The director continued. "You should be an actress."

The entire set agreed. Every single person.

Meanwhile, Chris remained quiet. Because he remembered something.

A little girl sitting beside a river years ago, talking about dreams and about the future. She talked about becoming an actress someday.

For a moment, watching Liliana standing beneath the studio lights, it felt as though that dream wasn’t so far away anymore.

And somewhere in the corner of the set, the director was already making notes.

In that music video, one thing had become very clear.

Liliana Walker wasn’t just a model. And she definitely wasn’t just an idol’s rumored love interest.

She was a star waiting to happen.