Chapter 5

Aria Bennett's Starfeed comments section exploded overnight.

["Get out of the entertainment industry, you shameless hack! Stop dragging Nolan Reed into your mess!"]

["Rumor has it Aria slept her way to the top. How dare she cling to Nolan for clout?"]

["Drop dead, Aria. People like you belong in hell."]

Vicious curses flooded the page, each laced with venom. Aria’s fans tried to defend her, but their voices were quickly drowned out by the tidal wave of hate.

"Aria, look at these comments..." Tessa Morgan’s fingers trembled with anger, her eyes reddening.

Aria merely chuckled and tossed her phone onto the couch. "Let them rage. The louder, the better."

"But—" Tessa stomped her foot in frustration.

"Serena Blake set a trap, and I didn’t take the bait. Of course she’d stoke the flames." Aria leisurely painted her nails. "The bigger the scandal now, the sweeter the payback when the truth comes out."

Tessa froze. "You have a plan?"

"Obviously." Aria blew on her freshly polished nails. "If Grant Mercer contacts me in the next two days, tell him I’m too upset to see anyone."

"You’re switching agents?" Tessa’s eyes widened in realization.

Aria winked. "Smart girl."

The next day, at Aurora Entertainment headquarters.

Aria strode straight toward the CEO’s office but was intercepted by his secretary.

"Miss Bennett, Mr. Sterling is occupied." The secretary’s disdainful glance made it clear she viewed Aria as just another fame-hungry starlet.

Unfazed, Aria handed her a slip of paper. "Tell him it’s about his sister’s life."

Skeptical but wary, the secretary took the note. Five minutes later, Aria was ushered inside.

Marcus Sterling sat behind his expansive desk, sharp eyes dissecting her. "How do you know about my sister?"

"Physiognomy." Aria met his gaze without flinching. "Your scattered brow indicates a sibling in distress. And the Sterlings only have one heiress this generation."

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. "Go on."

Aria pulled a silk pouch from her bag. "This talisman can temporarily suppress her symptoms. If you doubt me, wait until midnight—she’ll suffer sudden heart palpitations. Place this under her pillow, and you’ll see."

Marcus took the pouch, his fingers brushing against the cool fabric. "What do you want?"

"A new agent." Aria smiled. "And a chance to clear my name."

Marcus toyed with the pouch. "If this fails—"

"I’ll accept any consequence." Her voice was steel.

At exactly 11 PM, screams erupted from Elise Sterling’s bedroom. Marcus burst in to find his sister gasping, her face ghostly pale as she clutched her chest.

Then he remembered.

He shoved the talisman beneath her pillow.

Three minutes later, her breathing steadied, and she drifted into peaceful sleep.

Marcus stared at the slip of paper, his expression unreadable.