The second month of Kai’s African tour dragged on painfully for Elara. She had fallen into a numb routine under Damien’s complete control. Every morning she woke up, applied makeup to hide the bruises, did a quick breathing exercise, wore a big smile on her face and filmed her regular solo content — long vlogs about resilience, missing her boyfriend, and staying strong in the spotlight. These videos continued to perform extremely well. Her follower count had crossed 2.8 million, and brands were offering her life-changing deals but Damien continued to decide which ones she could accept. He enjoyed the power he held over her career as much as he enjoyed her body.
The group chat with the girls still somehow remained her only real connection to the outside world. Jade was happily settling int
