The note burned a hole in Sasha's pocket all night.
She barely slept, replaying the possibilities in her head. Chelsea, with her sharp tongue and sharper smirk. Derek, who always lingered near the producer offices. Or one of the quieter contestants, overlooked but listening.
But by morning, she didn't have time to hunt. The producers called her in first thing.
The room was different this time. Not the sterile office, but a lounge dressed to look casual—soothing colors, a couch, bottled water. A set for a conversation, not an interrogation.
It made her skin crawl.
One of the execs smiled thinly. "We know about the leak, Sasha. And we know you weren't working alone."
Her throat tightened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please," the other exec said, sliding a folder across the table. Inside: screenshots. Her secret inbox. Messages to the anonymous account. The proof.
Her blood ran cold.
"You're not as clever as you think," the first exec murmured. "But don't worry. We're willing to… contain this. If you help us."
Sasha forced her voice to stay level. "Help you how?"
"Ethan," the exec said simply. "Distance yourself. Publicly. On camera. Make him the reckless one, the manipulator, the liar. You'll come out the victim. He'll be the scapegoat."
Her chest constricted. "And if I don't?"
The second exec leaned forward. "Then the leak goes public, and you'll never work in this town again. Not as an actress. Not even as a waitress. You'll be done."
The words echoed in her skull. Done. Finished.
When she left the lounge, the cameras weren't rolling yet. The hall was silent. Ethan was waiting just outside, his eyes searching hers. "What did they say?"
Sasha opened her mouth. The truth perched on her tongue—dangerous, heavy.
But then she saw it again, clear as day: the folder, the proof, the end of everything.
Her lips curved into a smile that wasn't real. "Nothing important."
But her hands were shaking.
And for the first time, she wondered if the producers hadn't just written her role.
They were scripting her betrayal.