Starred and Claimed

Diana, and the illusion of the evenin

ambition that still clung to her silver-sequined gown. The fabric shimmered faintly in the dim

relentless-pressed harder than the corset

rpets unfurling like rivers of blood, camera flashes popping like gunfire, and the low hum of industry chatter weaving through the crowd. She'd navigated it all with practiced grace: her smile a polished crescent, her laughter a carefully t

balancing on those glittering torture devices. She padded across the living room, the city lights sprawling below her like a sea of fallen stars. Los Angeles glittered mercilessly, i

the sparse room. leather couches, a glass coffee table, and a potted fiddle-leaf f

ed on, and there she was: Diana, mid-laugh, her

ber of her eyes, the effortless elegance of her movements. But it couldn't see the ex

cut through the silence. "Some star," sh

ood, no leftovers-nothing to suggest this was a home and not a stage set. She grabbed a bottle, the glass cool against her palm, and twisted off the cap. The first sip was a balm to her parched

ilver, and she draped it over the bed, its delicate fabric catching the moonlight. Underneath, she was just Diana-bare-skinned, vulnerable, her body no longer a prop for the industry's gaze. She caught her reflection in the full-length mirror:

ingle, the one she'd poured her soul into, had been shelved without so much as a press release. "Strategic planning," they'd said, their voices dripping with corporate sympathy. But Diana knew bet

, washing away the glitter and the grime of the evening. She closed her eyes, tilting her head back, and for a moment, she could pretend the world

Her tablet sat on the coffee table, its screen dark but taunting, beside a neat stack of envelopes. A sticky note in her assistant's pre

t envelope. The paper crinkled under her fingers, the words blurring together: *Final Notice. Overdue Invoice. Payment Due Imme

temples until they ached. "Will it ever stop?" she whispered

nd of artist in their right mind pauses their career before they've even peaked? But it hadn't been her choice. The agency had benched her, their promises of new opportunities dangling like bait on a hook. Meetings led to dead ends, ne

eant a penalty fee so astronomical it would bankrupt her. Worse, it would bar her from

, her eyes scanning the numbers. Another loss, another failure. Regret clawed at her chest. Maybe she should have p

She didn't need to look to know who it was. Ryan. Her brothe

ut. Her fingers hovered over the phone, h

rough, low and laced with the

cing herself. "Wha

. Then a sigh. "I messed

re a refrain she'd heard too many times, each one a needle in her alr

ce. I swear.

. Mu

em, thick and suffocating, b

n her chest. Higher than last time. Higher than she could afford. Her

Ryan," she said, her voi

said, his words soft but pierci

ollapsing under the weight of a career she couldn't save. But instead, she let

hing her reflection in the darkened glass of the window. Her hair was damp, curling loosely ar

they cal

how close she wa