The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the headlines had.
Celeste sat in the backseat of the tinted black SUV, phone in hand, jaw locked tight as the morning’s chaos unfolded in real time. The media had turned feral overnight. News tickers screamed across every entertainment network:
CELESTE LAURENT’S ON-SET MELTDOWN: INDUSTRY SOURCES CALL IT “CAREER SUICIDE”
DAMIEN SINCLAIR ACCUSED OF CORPORATE SABOTAGE—WHISTLEBLOWER IMPLICATES MEDIA TYCOON
LEAKED FOOTAGE SUGGESTS SINCLAIR MEDIATED COVER-UP FOR HIS MISTRESS
"Mistress!" That word stuck like thorns in her throat.
Damien’s hand found hers between them. His grip was firm, steady, but the tension in his jaw said everything. This wasn’t just damage control. This was warfare.
“She’s outplayed herself,” he muttered, scrolling through forensic repor
