Page 74 of We Own the Stars

Lacie’s dressed casually, in a beige cashmere sweater and tight-fitting leather pants. No entourage today, I see. Only a Denorran gentleman in a black suit. His mustard-yellow eyes narrow on mine. It’s unsettling to see a Denorran outside of Nocturne and raises about a billion red flags.

“My, testy, testy. I was just saying hello,” Lacie says, taking a step closer toward me. My back presses up against the counter. “Where’s Kallista?” Her voice is soft and demure, but her eyes are as cold as ice. Her inquiry isn’t motivated by any kindness, I know, not by any stretch of the imagination.

“Getting ready for tonight,” I grind out, then start to turn back toward the Cristalite bartender.

When the bartender notices Lacie standing there, a red tinge creeps across his stone-sharp features. He’s so elated by her presence, in fact, he nearly drops my drink. He catches himself, then plants it down in front of me on a coaster.

“My friend, please enjoy this drink! I put all my love and effort into it!” he says, and I lift the drink to my lips. It’s as delicious as it looks. The frosty concoction is sweet like honey, with a cinnamon finish and the smooth burn of something on the backend. Whisky? I can’t tell what it is, but I love it.

Lacie sits down on the stool next to mine, and I clench my jaw. Great. She’s determined to ruin my only joy, I guess.

“Miss Lacie, I’m ecstatic to have you inside my bar!” the bartender chirps, his eyes flashing from black to yellow again.

Lacie rolls her eyes at him and waves her perfectly manicured hand in the air. “Get me a Vespar sunrise. On the rocks,” she says in a stern voice.

The bartender’s face drops half an inch, and my heart breaks for the man. He doesn’t deserve that sort of treatment, but of course Lacie would act this way. She doesn’t even respect the people who work directly for her, so why would a random bartender be any different?

“Would it kill you to be nice for once?” I taunt her.

Lacie shoots me a dirty look, and the Denorran hisses at me. She doesn’t take the bait. Instead, she pulls up her terminal to read the latest news on one of her favorite gossip rags. Her pink lips curl into a comically cruel sneer, then she turns to direct it at me.

“Oh. Oh, ho, ho. This is interesting. Very, very interesting,” she says in a greasy tone. “You and Kallista are hooking up? You know, I had a feeling.”

My stomach bottoms out, and I pin her with a horrified look as all the color drains from my face.

She flutters her thick, dark lashes at me. “Hah. It’s true then. It’s written all over your face.” Then she tilts the screen so I can read the headline sprawled across HAHA Entertainment’s website.

Kallista enters love hotel under fake name with bodyguard? We have all the details!

Oh, fuck. We are so, so screwed, aren’t we?

41KALLISTA

Ican’t stop crying. The tears run down my face in fat, salty streaks as I try to bury my face in my hands, away from the prying eyes of Margot, Luthor, and Lydia. There’s no way I can perform in this state, but they won’t let me get a word in edgewise. Not to defend myself or Xavian.

Luthor is furious, of course, and wants to sue Xavian for breach of contract while Margot tries to talk him down. She’s tried for the past hour to convince him to let Xavian finish out the job here on Cristal. He won’t hear it. It’s like he has concrete in his ears.

“I can’t believe you would jeopardize your reputation even further like this,” he snaps as he paces the floor in front of me. The hotel room is, at the very least, soundproof. Lydia’s face is bright red as she types away furiously on her terminal, no doubt trying to do some sort of damage control.

“A love hotel?! The star princess was seen in a love hotel with her bodyguard. Do you understand the scandal you just brought upon yourself? On us all? It’s like you don’t even care about Lydia’s job.” His cheeks and nose are bright pink, and his eyes glint in the dim lighting of the room.

I’ve never seen Luthor this furious before. And I’m just sitting here taking it like a scolded child. What the fuck? They wouldn’t even let Xavian sit in on the meeting and forbade him from coming into my room like he’s some sort of pariah. Luthor even threatened to have him tossed out of the hotel entirely by security!

“Who I sleep with is my business,” I say, trying my best to keep my voice even. Gray rocking is my best bet in this case, but it’s not just me I’m worried about. Xavian’s career is on the line, too. “And you have no right to tell me how or who I can date.”

“That’s … actually not true,” Margot says softly as she fidgets over by the wall terminal. “It explicitly stated in his contract not to fraternize with the talent. You, Kallista. While the executives would be well within their rights to sue him, I think that would be a gross overreaction. Losing his job and access to you is enough, I feel.”

My eyes widen. “Wait, what? You can’t deny me access to my own boyfriend. That’s ridiculous. I’m not a doll you can move around to your heart’s content!”

Lydia flicks her gaze over to mine and frowns. Sympathy flashes across her face.

“I agree with Margot. Suing is a bit much, Luthor. I’ve never seen Kallista happier,” she presses. “Maybe we should try taking all of this down a notch. If she says he’s her boyfriend, then that’s a lot better than her sleeping around, right? A boyfriend is better for her image.”

I dig my fingernails into my scalp so hard it hurts. “Can we stop talking about my image as though I’m a product to be sold and not a fucking Human being?!”

Everyone in the room flinches, even Luthor, at my sudden outburst. Another sob makes my lungs ache, and Margot sits down on the bed next to me to put her arm around my shoulder. I know she’s only trying to help, but god, I wish her arm belonged to Xavian right now. I would do anything to hug him.

“We haven’t been fair to you,” Margot murmurs. “You’re right. This is too much, and it’s been going on too long.”

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