I'm pursued by superstar after betrayed

Violeta Reynolds could feel every hostile stare burning into her, but she chose to brush them off. The second she and Quincy Lawrence stepped outside, she paused and glanced back at him.

He looked totally unruffled, no trace of disappointment anywhere. It eased the tight knot in her chest just a little. Her cool composure cracked for half a second, but she pulled herself back together fast.

She pulled open the passenger door of the car for him, waving him in first. Quincy nodded politely. "Thanks."

Violeta hit the gas. "Radiant Entertainment just put money into two new TV series. One’s directed by Charlie Snyder, the other by Darius Berry. They’ve got pretty similar themes, but Darius still hasn’t filled the male lead spot or that tricky supporting role. The lead’s already locked down, but if you nail that supporting part? It’ll get you all kinds of attention. This show’s built to kickstart careers—they tailor the script to whatever the talent brings to the table."

"Quincy, I won’t let Raiden’s influence screw this chance up for you."

Lenora Kelly never backs down easy, and the higher-ups are already on edge. With Quincy’s raw talent, he deserves way better than getting pushed to the side.

Quincy stayed quiet, his gaze fixed on the scenery blurring past the window. "I’m not scared," he said softly.

Violeta knew he was just trying to calm her down. In this cutthroat industry, who isn’t scared of getting overshadowed? With how much pull Raiden has right now, it wouldn’t take him anything to tear their whole plan apart.

The only way out? Get stronger, and fast.

The car pulled up outside a cozy little pub. Violeta stepped out, fished out her phone to call Darius Berry, and quickly smoothed her expression—like none of Lenora’s earlier jabs had gotten to her at all.

Darius showed up a few minutes later, looking caught off guard. "Didn’t Charlie already talk to him about this?"

"Charlie’s stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Darius, I brought an artist in to meet you."

That pleased Darius. After all, Violeta was married to the Evans heir, and she was going out of her way to extend this courtesy to him.

"Ms. Reynolds, this…"

"Call me Tessa. No need for formalities—let’s keep this strictly professional. If you can’t do that, I’ll just take this to my brother instead."

Violeta’s family company has always held investments in entertainment—good money, after all. If she hadn’t stepped in, Quincy would never have gotten a foot in the door here.

There are certain rules you don’t break. She couldn’t let Quincy wander off and spend time alone with a stranger she didn’t trust. Loyalty ran bone-deep in her.

Darius hesitated for a beat, then gestured toward the door. "Please, Tessa—let’s hash this out over a drink."

For all his polite front, Darius didn’t really like Violeta. When she first left the industry, she’d canceled several contracts with him out of the blue. If she wasn’t affiliated with Radiant now, and didn’t have her connections, he never would’ve bothered showing up.

She’d basically backed him into a corner, forcing him to give Quincy a shot.

Darius waved them ahead. "After you, Tessa. We can talk over coffee."

As Violeta walked in, she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Quincy right on her heels.

His eyes were dark and tight, his jaw clenched so hard his lips were pressed into a thin line. It was obvious he hated this.

"Wait in the car."

"I…"

"I’m your manager and assistant. You stick to my lead. Just trust me on this."

His steps froze. He hung his head, and after a few long seconds, he finally mumbled, "Okay."

Once Violeta set her mind to a goal, she didn’t let tiny hurdles stop her.

Especially not this—this was all just the price she had to pay for walking away from her career for someone else once before.

"I won’t be long. Wait in the car."

Rules exist for a reason. Unlike half the lazy managers out there, Violeta never coddled her artists.

The entertainment industry is a volatile shitshow—one minute you’re on top of the world, the next you’re forgotten. All she wanted was for Quincy to build a career that lasted.

Inside the pub, Darius got an update on Charlie’s situation, and his contempt for Violeta only grew.

It wasn’t any surprise she didn’t want to stay home playing housewife—everyone and their mom knew her husband was cheating on her.

His gaze drifted over her, slow and lingering.

She was slender, with a tiny waist and long legs. Even barely wearing makeup, she took his breath away.

He’d been in this business for decades, seen thousands of pretty faces, but she still made his head turn.

A sly smile tugged at his lips as he casually ordered a round of whiskey for the table.

"Tessa, is your artist gunning for the lead or the supporting role?"

Violeta frowned. Everyone knew the whole point of this series was to launch the lead’s career—Darius of all people should’ve remembered that.

But she caught his meaning in two seconds flat.

Darius suddenly dropped his hand right on her knee. "A woman that looks like you? Why waste your life stuck with a cheating husband? As for your boy, the role doesn’t matter. I can make it work."

Violeta subtly shifted his hand off her, smiling cooly. "Darius, I don’t think you get it—Raiden already greenlit this. I’m the one calling the shots on who gets spotlighted here. He’d love nothing more than to take out the other man."

Darius flinched back. He knew Raiden’s reputation all too well, and he pulled his hand away, face hot with embarrassment.

He shifted awkwardly in his seat. A married woman playing innocent—what a game.

"Down three glasses of this whiskey, and the supporting role’s yours."

This was top-shelf strong stuff. Three glasses would knock her flat on her ass.

Violeta had known what she was walking into. She’d come prepared.

She fished a pill out of her purse, popped a hangover tablet, chased it with a glass of milk, then set the recording device—already running, capturing every word—right on the table beside her.

"Fair enough. Let’s just hope you keep your word, Darius."

Darius spotted the recorder instantly and realized what she’d done. Violeta was blackmailing him. If he didn’t hold up his end of the deal, this damaging evidence would end up right in Raiden’s inbox.

If he kept his promise, three glasses would leave her completely out of it, and they could wrap this up without any more trouble.

Darius exhaled a long breath. "Tessa, if it wasn’t for this whole mess, you’d have A-list talent lining up around the block begging for this spot."

Violeta smiled. "I was led astray once before. I’m sorry if any of our studio’s artists messed things up for you—this round’s on me."