Reed stood at the balcony of his penthouse, looking down at the slowly waking city like a king surveying his empire. After the hostile takeovers he had just maneuvered, he felt like one.A king assembling the pieces of his empire, one recovered debt at a time.The morning air was crisp and cool against his face, and at the height he stood at, it did not carry the hum of traffic and the scent of exhaust fumes that the people down below were forced to contend with. He was high up above it all.Below him, Ruby City stretched out in a patchwork of glass towers and crumbling tenements, of gleaming skyscrapers and shadowed alleys. The contrast was stark and familiar.He took a sip of his coffee and savored the exquisite bitterness. It was imported from somewhere he couldn't pronounce, roasted to perfection, and served at exactly the right temperature.A few weeks ago, he would have been grateful for a lukewarm cup of instant sludge from a gas station.That was one of the things he enjoyed m

"What do you mean there is already someone in there?" Selene snarled.Her voice sliced through the pristine silence of the atelier like a knife through silk. The reception area of Vikkie Jay Couture was a masterpiece of minimalist luxury, white marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and walls adorned with sketches of gowns that had graced the world's most famous red carpets.But Selene saw none of it. Her focus was entirely on the doorway that led from the reception to the private rooms for fittings and consultations.Someone was taking her spot."I already informed you that I would be coming in today for a consultation for my dress," Selene snapped, her manicured nails tapping an impatient rhythm against the polished reception desk. "How dare you try to stop me?"The receptionist, a young woman named Lisa with tired eyes and a practiced smile, shivered at the look in Selene's eyes. It was the look of someone accustomed to getting exactly what they wanted, and who would burn the world do

Before she could fully understand what was happening, before she could wrap her head around what looked like a nightmare, Selene was hit with what was definitely a nightmare.Her eyes widened even further, her jaw almost sweeping the ground.She stood frozen as Miyu walked out after Reed, and at that point, her entrance even overshadowned Reed's unexpected appearance.The famous Miyu Orla, the girl whose posters had adorned Selene's bedroom walls when she was a teenager in the orphanage dreaming of stardom. The girl whose career had been destroyed so spectacularly that it had become a cautionary tale whispered in training rooms across the city.Selene was not a fool, she knew that her striking resemblance to Miyu was what had gotten her noticed by Lucas Scott, Miyu's absence on the entertainment scene had caused a gap which Selene had been brought to fill.From all reports, Miyu had been buried never to be resurrected.Her brain short-circuited as she searched for an explanation. How

"A bet?" Lucas laughed, the sound harsh and mocking. He turned to Selene with mirth dancing in his cold eyes. "I know your ex was broke. I did not know that he was also nuts.""Our break up must have driven him crazy," Selene joined in the laughter, her voice dripping with false pity. She shook her head slowly, as if Reed were a pitiful creature she couldn't help but feel sorry for. "Reed, are you crazy? Do you know what it means to go up against More Heat Entertainment? Against Lucas Scott? You must be delusional."Turning to Miyu, she adopted a softer tone, the voice of a concerned friend, the mask she wore when she wanted someone to trust her."Miyu, I know you don't know me," Selene said, her eyes wide and sweet, practically shimmering with manufactured sincerity. "But despite all of this drama, I used to admire you when I was younger. In fact, you inspired me to make the decision to pursue my dreams."She paused, letting the words sink in, letting Miyu see the "vulnerable" girl u

In his office, Lucas was watching Selene's stream with approval. The leather of his chair creaked as he leaned back, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.The fans did not wait. They had been waiting for her already, their anticipation building for days all over social media, causing Selene to shoot up to the top of the trending table.As soon as she came on screen, the numbers jumped to hundreds, then thousands, and soon after, tens of thousands. The chat was moving so fast it was almost impossible to read, a blur of emojis, hearts, and adoring messages.He had predicted how it would go and he was not at all disappointed. Despite knowing all this, Lucas had put in some proactive measures in place, among the thousands of fans showing up on Selene's screen, some of them had been paid for.Lucas was not one to leave things to chance, he liked to pay for wins.He leaned back and nodded with satisfaction. Everything was going according to plan.A lot of people liked to say that Lucas was