Chapter 145


    Quintessa was roused from her slumber by the gnawing pangs of hunger. She squinted at the clock; it


    was already nudging 1 PM.


    She grabbed her phone and noticed two missed calls, both from Violet.


    She quickly dialed her back.


    The call got connected almost immediately, and Quintessa yawned, “Hey Violet, what’s up? Just woke


    up.”


    Violet’s voice was tinged with excitement, “For the love of God, Quintessa, with the whole Roxanne


    scandal blowing up, how can you still be sleeping?”


    Quintessa raked her fingers through her hair, “The bigger the mess is, the better I sleep. If things were


    quiet, then I’d be worried.”


    Violet lowered her voice, almost conspiratorially, “I’ve got some insider info. Roxanne’s iming that


    someone spiked her drink, saying she’s been set up. The cops are on it, but so far, they haven’t dug up


    much. Looks like they’re treating it as a regr solicitation case.”


    Quintessa snorted, “Let them dig. Roxanne’s backers will drop her like a hot potato now that she’s


    damaged goods. she’s nothing but a small–time actress, and with the cops grasping at straws, it’s likely


    to stay a minor incident.”


    Violet couldn’t hide her thrill, “Roxanne’s been strutting around the scene for years, and you just


    yanked the rug out from under her. I swear, you’re holding all the aces.”


    “nished hers


    cenes. The schedule’s tight; what’s the n?”


    bi fan. With her out of the picture, he’s probably relieved.


    She continued, “But what about the production, huh? Roxanne hadn’t


    “Don’t sweat it,” Quintessa reassured her. “Director Fitch was You can bet he’s figuring out a


    workaround. No producer’s gonna let their investment tank. Plus, with Roxanne’s scenes cut, mine will


    likely bulk up.”


    Violet teased, “Jeez, you–l love you so much”


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Quintessa got up, “I’m not into cougars.”


    “Buzz off. Manny’s picking you up at 4 pm to head to the set. Laura’s been waiting you


    “Got it!”


    for days.”


    Quintessa flicked through Twitter, scanning the barrage of updates. Roxanne’s dirtyundry aired for all


    to see: school thefts, sugar daddies, bullying co–stars, scene–stealing.


    After browsing with a smug smile, Quintessa’s eyesnded on a familiar name in the top ten trends:


    #Snow#


    She clicked on Snow’s personal Twitter and found a post from 10 AM–a single, striking image.


    She was in a red dress, standing barefoot on a beat–up car, with her head thrown back and her body


    turned away; with the wind lifting the hem of her dress in a semnce of flight, the shadow of her figure


    was elongated; the intery of light and dark above made her presence powerful and evocative..


    It was unmistakably her, Quintessa.


    She grinned. Snow was kicking off the promotions.


    In just over two hours, the tweet had rocketed to 40,000ments and was closing in on 100,000


    likes.


    Amidst Roxanne’s scandal dominating the trends, Snow’s entry was a testament to his fans‘ fervent


    support.


    Quintessa scrolled through the spections beneath the post.


    A fair number were asking, [Is this a rtionship reveal?]