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A low oath came from her manager as she passed him. “I’m going to get you fired, Abel!”
Julius only grunted. Under other circumstances, their rivalry would amuse Avalynn. But not much could pull her out of this pit of despair.
Everyone took up positions around the room. Heidi sat next to her on the sofa, trying not to appear frazzled. Avalynn had been with Heidi for many, many years now—she knew when the woman was frazzled.
Dressed in a very uncharacteristic track suit instead of designer duds, Lana perched on the edge of an overstuffed armchair, while Freddy balanced on the arm like a bright bird in a teal shirt. Damon draped himself dramatically in a low-slung chair made entirely of leather. His sullen expression said it all.
Unsurprisingly, Julius placed his back to the wall of windows overlooking—what city was this again? She still didn’t know. She couldn’t care less what buildings the sun was peeking over. All she could think about was the tape.
“You saw it?” she managed to whisper.
“Not yet,” Heidi said.
“Not in its entirety,” Damon added.
“Just bits and pieces on social media.” Lana offered her a wobbly smile.
Damn.
Heidi drew Avalynn’s attention. “I recommend that we cancel the rest of the tour.”
Avalynn stiffened. “Absolutely not. Not happening.”
“Avalynn—” Heidi began.
She cut her off. “I would never disappoint my fans! Little girls scream and cry to see me. No way am I letting them down.”
Heidi’s eyebrows creased. “You think parents will let their little girls see someone who made a sex tape?”
Avalynn’s gasp was drown by Julius’s angry rumble.
“Stop right there,” he barked. “She wasn’t even moving. She was drugged.”
Avalynn jerked her head toward him, jaw dropped. “Oh my god…”
He looked at her.
You watched?she mouthed to him.
He didn’t need to respond. The only way he’d notice such a thing was if he’d seen the tape. In its entirety.
Then it hit her—he was right.
She had been oddly…unresponsive on the tape.
Heidi threw her hands in the air. “That’s it! That’s what we tell everyone. Avalynn Ray never made a sex tape. Just let everyone know—”
Julius broke in, “Know what? That she wasn’t consenting? We can’t release information on what is now a federal investigation. What happened here was a crime any way you look at it, consenting or not. We have to claim no comment.”
Everyone went silent, processing his announcement.
Lana stared at her phone. “The public is weighing in now. They’re commenting.”
“Oh god.” Avalynn buried her face in her hands. Her hair fell over her face, and she took refuge in the thick mass of light brown waves, just like when she threw herself on her bed as a child.
Freddy gasped. “So many people are supporting Avalynn. Actually, the support coming in iscrazy! If we just thank her fans—”
“She can’t comment on anything.” Julius’s firm tone echoed like a door slam on the subject.
