Cynthia Sharpe stood in the executive suite of Croft Holdings, watching William pace. He was a caged animal, obsessing over the silence from Victoria’s apartment. The stock market had stabilized, but the CEO was broken.
“She’s not answering,” William muttered, staring at his phone. “I need to go back there.”
“You need to stop,” Cynthia said, her voice sharp as a scalpel. She walked to the window, looking out at the city she was paid to manipulate. She realized then that William was lost. He wasn’t mourning a marriage; he was obsessed with a ghost. As long as “Luna” was rising, William would never focus on the empire she was trying to save for him.
If she couldn’t pull him away from Victoria, she would have to destroy the destination.
She pulled out her encrypted phone and typed a message to her contact at *The Sentinel*. It was a blind item, but the details were specific enough to ruin a reputation instantly.
*Subject: A-Side’s Dark Duet.*
*Body: Which rising starlet, known for her ‘angelic’ vocals and mysterious persona, is actually sleeping her way to the top? Sources say Luna is warming the bed of billionaire shark Dominic Valerius to secure her win. It seems her talent isn’t the only thing open for business.*
Cynthia hit send. She watched the message status change to *Delivered*. She wasn’t just fixing a scandal; she was incinerating the competition.