Chapter 474:

Rylie chuckled, half from disbelief and half from his dramatic delivery. She leaned in closer to speak over the pounding bass. “Since when did you start managing boy bands? You even know these guys?”

He pointed to one of the performers. “That one’s Vincent Hinks. His dad once saved my life back when I was overseas. Vincent always wanted to be famous ever since he was a kid, so I pulled some strings, helped him join an agency. Where he is now? That’s all him. The kid put in the work. I’ve got to respect that.”

Rylie followed his gaze just in time to spot the wink tossed toward their direction by the dancer with mixed heritage. There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes — but the second they landed on Deandre, that sparkle shifted. His energy changed. Even the rhythm of his dancing grew more intense.

Fine, she had to admit it. These performers were something else.

She picked up the glow stick left on her seat and handed it over to Deandre with a straight face. “I think this belongs to you. Looks like he’s flirting with you.”

“Cut that out! My brother’s as straight as they come.”

Their back-and-forth disappeared into the background noise of excited cheers. However, in another corner of the VIP section not far away, a pair of expertly shadowed eyes noticed them.

Her name was Ainsley Gill. The internet adored her for her innocent charm and the hit web series she carried to success. Tonight, she was on the guest list as a featured performer. She’d join the band for the final number.

She wore large sunglasses, hiding most of her expression, but her stiff jaw and tight lips revealed just enough. She wasn’t pleased.

She knew Deandre. What was more, she had tried to secure him once before. A few months ago, she’d thrown herself into his path at some industry party, pretending to stumble around just to end up in his arms. That stunt led to a short-lived fling.

LⱯtєѕτ cнαρτєrs ιn g𝒶l𝑛ovєlѕ.𝒸𝑜𝑚

She thought she could milk it for fame. But she hadn’t counted on how cold Deandre could be. Once he got what he wanted, he dropped her. That relationship barely made it to four weeks.

Now, seeing him curled up beside someone else — smiling like she’d never seen him smile before, happily introducing the band like a proud fanboy — sent something sharp crawling up her spine.

Who was this woman? She didn’t wear anything flashy, but she had the kind of composure that turned heads. Even here, surrounded by chaos, she managed to stand out.

Maybe this was his new flame.

Ainsley narrowed her eyes. She raised her phone, using the flashing lights and busy crowd as cover. Her fingers moved fast, snapping shots of Deandre laughing with that girl. She caught his arm slung around her. His mouth close to her ear. Too close.

“Well, Deandre,” she muttered under her breath, smirking at the grainy but damning photos on her screen. Her lips curved. “So this is your type now. Plain and smug.”

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