Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

Hank leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight. "Boss, the internet is buzzing over the news. A bunch of your rivals' fans are stirring the pot. Could this bad-mouthin' hurt your rep with the regular audiences?"

Astrid's grin was sly as a fox. "Not at all. It's just pumping up my visibility. After this circus, even more folks are gonna know my name." She seemed to muse for a moment, then said, "Doesn't seem like the buzz is big enough, though. Go buy us another spot on the trending list, will ya?"

Chad raised his eyebrows but didn't say a word.

"Got it," Hank replied, already on it.

Astrid had everything planned out in advance, like a master chess player thinking several moves ahead.

She had only one TV series airing at the moment, and even though her movie had a release date set, it hadn't hit the theaters yet.

Sure, reality TV had pulled in a hefty fan base, but she knew it was talent that kept you in the limelight. Without it, you'd just be a shooting star, blazing bright before fading fast.

She'd known Jay would pull a stunt, so to milk the situation for all it was worth, she'd given him a full day's lead time instead of confronting him immediately.

Her aim was to use Jay as a stepping stone, to get her name out there even more.

Exposure was gold in the showbiz, and she wasn't about to let such a golden opportunity slip through her fingers.

Jay had no clue he was dancing to Astrid's tune, still living in his little fantasy world. He'd fired his old assistant for not cutting the mustard and now had a new one who was sharp as a tack. "Julie," Jay called out, his voice echoing through the plush office. A man walked in, exuding a scholarly vibe.

The man glanced at Jay and nodded slightly. "Everything's set for tonight."

"Any word from Aster?" Jay inquired further.

Julie shook his head. "Not yet, but it's still early. Don't you have a business summit to attend? It's about time."

"Right." Jay stood, and Julie was at his side in a flash, helping him into his jacket.

Jay looked at the man with approval. "Keep up the good work, and you will be rewarded."

"Thank you, sir," Julie replied, nodding. Then he added, "I've picked up your prescription. It's ready; do you want it now?"

Jay hadn't been keen on taking his medicine, but remembering he had an important meeting later, he relented. "Bring it here."

"Right away." Julie fetched the medicine, and Jay downed it without hesitation before striding out.

As soon as Jay left, a sinister smile crept over Julie's face.

Meanwhile, everyone was on the

edge of their seats for the big reveal from a celebrity gossip influencer, with only five minutes until the

nine

o'clock bombshell.

Astrid was sprawled on her couch, gaming away as if she hadn't a care in the world: Her headset on, she was ribbing Jon, "Jon, how can you suck this much? Calling yourself a pro gamer? Do us all a favor and retire before you tank your team!"

Jon's voice crackled through the headset. "Star, you're getting cocky, trash-talking me now?"

"Oh, did I tell you about that thing with Nash Brooke and your brother taking care of Jay?"

Astrid's interest was piqued immediately. "When did this go down? How come I didn't hear about it?"

"You remember when Jay tried to mess with your show? My brother got wind and called a family meeting. After that, those two went to deal with Jay."

"I heard Nash gave Jay a special

concoction. They say he made

spectacle of himself at the clubet Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

got

way too crazy with a handful of girls, almost partied himself to death."