Sean Quinn walked out of Orchid Room 1. He went to pick out a few books, and when he returned, he overheard people talking.
"Isn't that the minor celebrity, Stella Lockwood?"
"Wow, it really is her!"
"She seemed to be pestering this incredibly classy-looking guy, but she got turned away! Someone just filmed it and posted the video online. You wouldn't believe it—that Stella Lockwood was practically fawning all over him, bowing and scraping like a lapdog. It was so pathetic."
The disdain in their voice was palpable.
Sean Quinn entered his private Orchid Room and found Morton scrolling through his phone. Spotting him, Morton shot to his feet. "Sir, someone filmed you and Miss Lockwood at the entrance and uploaded it online. Fortunately, they didn't capture your face. But now the paparazzi are trying to dox you, using the details of your clothing to identify you… and they're using it to attack Miss Lockwood, as well. Should I intervene and have the video taken down?"
Sean Quinn sat down. "Where was it posted?"
Morton quickly handed him the phone.
Sean Quinn watched it, his gaze deepening. "Find someone to get this video trending."
"…" Morton froze for a moment, unable to follow his boss's train of thought. "Yes, sir."
He didn't ask why. 'A boss doesn't need to explain himself to his subordinates; they just need to follow orders.'
Sean Quinn flipped through a couple of pages but found himself lost in thought, his brow slightly furrowed. 'She's different now. What could have caused such a change?'
But there was no doubt that this new version of her exuded a mysterious charm.
When Morton returned from his errand, he saw his boss staring into space, a rare look of confusion on his face, as if something had him stumped.
'Then again,' he thought, 'Miss Lockwood's behavior today was incredibly strange.'
First, she was at the center of a huge scandal. Then, she inexplicably announced she was dropping out of *Three Lives of Pear Blossoms*—a project that was absolutely crucial for Stella, yet she quit just like that. It was just too weird. And then this afternoon, she came looking for the boss. Most importantly, where did she even get his private number? And why was she being so mysterious about it, refusing to explain?
But the most important thing was this: today, she was direct and unbelievably persistent—she was still waiting for him just outside the door.
And yet, according to his background file, Stella Lockwood was supposed to be timid as a rabbit—shy, harmless, and conflict-averse. No matter the situation, she was always the one to play the victim, and she was even too scared to face her own fans.
But today, she had changed. It was like she was a completely different person.
*
It was already dark when Stella Lockwood got home. The moment she walked through the door, she jumped—Serena Lockwood was standing there with her arms crossed, glaring furiously. "Stella Lockwood, are you not happy unless you're trying to ruin your own life?"
Stella looked completely innocent. "What did I do now?"
"Do you have any idea that you're trending again?" Serena pinched the bridge of her nose, completely exasperated. 'Being her manager is going to be the death of me.'
Stella's pretty eyes went wide. "I had no idea. My phone died."
She held up her phone, its screen dark. "Luckily, I still had a hundred bucks on me, or I wouldn't have even made it home… Hold on, let me go charge this so I can see what's going on. Or… you could just tell me, Sis…"
She went to find a charger, neither surprised nor panicked. 'After what I've been through, nothing can faze me anymore.'
Serena tapped on her tablet. "See for yourself."
In the video, Stella Lockwood stood with her arms spread wide, blocking a tall, well-built man. His back alone was enough to set imaginations running wild—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a sharp, elegant posture. The real highlight, however, was the watch on his wrist. It was an Omega from the "Black Cyclone" collection, a global limited edition of 50 pieces, with a price tag reaching well into six figures.
He was rich. There was no doubt about it.
When a rich man gets entangled with a third-rate starlet, the paparazzi, who live for chaos, can spin it into a massive, scandalous story about the entertainment world.
And so, for the second time in a single day, she was trending again.