ore she could stop them, hot and si

shoulders trembled with the force of her sobs. The weight of the night-the unpaid bills, Ryan's desperate cal

nder, a release she hadn't

ith notifications that clawed at her attention. Social media alerts, comments,

er own life. The fans who still believed in her, the haters who reveled in her

ion droned on, now playing some late-night talk show, its host's laughter a hollow echo in the sparse room. She didn'

ie. Her hands fumbled to gather the scattered envelopes-bills, notices, reminders of her failures-sta

knew you'

rs sagged with relief. She let the papers fall from her

tailored blazer and sleek jeans were a stark contrast to Diana's oversized hoodie, but the warmth in her dark eyes softened t

a comedian she vaguely recognized. "What difference does it make? Now or tomorrow, i

loor beside Diana, her movements graceful despite the late hour. "The difference is that tomorrow, we'll go through it strategically instead of

reen. The comedian's punchline landed, and the audience r

ers deftly sorting through them. "Fine. If you insist, we'll go thr

tightening. "Tell Hanna

ed up, her brows

simmering beneath her exhaustion. "She'll just say the same thing in a different

, but her voice stayed eve

into a faint, bitter

h of anger crossing her face

than she intended. "He has a life too.

knew. She saw it in the way Martin avoided her eyes when he drove her to events, in the way her stylist's smiles had grown strained. Zari, her manager and oldest friend,

her voice softening.

were paying me when we started." Her lips quirked into a half-smile, a reminder of the days

at, a wry smile tugging at her lips.

hen another, her brow creasing as she read. Then, abruptly, she looked up,

. "I know, right? A hell of a major hit." She shook her he

e took on a sly edg

rily, already sen

cross the screen with practiced ease. "Well, while you were drownin

though it was inconsistent at best. Her PR team had warned her to tread carefully-not to post too much, not to seem too desperate. N

ow: Diana on the red carpet, her gown catching the light like liquid starlight; Diana laughing with a B-

ack at Zari, confusio

een with a manicured nail, "is wha

nd sluggish from exha

ee," Zari groaned, her exasp

tion before-Zari's not-so-subtle suggestions about leveraging her looks, her charm, her *availability* to secure

voice was firm, a li

her eyes gleamed with dete

tone sharper. "How many

her voice dropping to a conspirat

tired of the convers

her hands flying up. "What- it's a

inking deeper into the c

nt bubbling over. "The Duke. Y

stry, a man whose name was synonymous with power. He owned clubs, studios, entire careers. She'd heard celebrities mention him in interviews, their voices dripping with

her voice cautious.

face before she spoke. "There's... a prop

hock and disgust roiling in her

sively. "Have you *seen* him, Dee?

unimpressed. "Looks d

voice earnest now. "Do you have any idea

. "And even if I did, how many of those 'nigh

ALG's reputation? The women who get close to him? He

n from obscurity to stardom after a single meeting with The Duke. She also knew the cost. The whispers that followed, the labels that stuck. *Opportunist. Gol

and phone, her movements jerky with suppressed

arms, her brow ar

n her lips. "Like the fact that I'm starvi

et slapping against the marble. Zari's sigh followed h

f waver for even a second-she wasn't sur