"Calm down. Let''s talk to Pearl about this," James said. Esther worked for Pearl, so if anything bad happened to Esther, it would also affect Pearl.


    "Yes, I think she must know by now," Esther responded, dialing Pearl''s number anxiously.


    However, Pearl wasn''t worried at all. In fact, she was quite happy.


    "Why are you fretting? This could be a golden opportunity for even more fame!"


    Esther was stunned. "But I''m losing fans, although it''s not too terrible."


    Her fans were divided. Some stood by her, believing in her innocence, while others were doubtful. A few had stopped following her and even turned into haters.


    "That doesn''t matter. The ones who left don''t matter. You''ve only lost a handful of followers, and it''s alright. You''ll gain new ones."


    Hearing this made Esther feel better. "Do you have a n then?"


    Pearl was confident. "Someone set you up. We''ll stay quiet for now and figure out who it was."


    "You always know what to do!"


    After hanging up, Esther felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders.


    James was a little jealous seeing Esther''s admiration for Pearl. "It''s always about Pearl with you. Makes me wonder what I''m here for as your boyfriend."


    Esther burst outughing, finding the usually reserved James acting all wounded. "Are you jealous of Pearl?"


    James grabbed her by her waist and


    pulled


    of


    into his arms. "I''m jealous


    Seven that friend from


    school you haven''t seen in years."


    Esther was caught off guard by the mention of Finnegan. "But he and I aren''t even close."


    "You might not be, but I can tell he''s got a soft spot for you."Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Esther pinched his cheek, amused by his


    fosis. "We''ve only t


    recently. How could he have


    You''re thinking a


    James didn''t look convinced. "Am I wrong in my thinking, or was his joke too subtle for me?"


    Esther remembered Finnegan''s ''joke'' and cringed. That did sound a bit too forward. "It''s probably just a joke between old friends."


    James, now visibly upset, questioned, "I thought you said you two weren''t close?


    Stumped, Esther could only assure him, "If it bothers you, I''ll cut off contact with him."


    James knew Esther wasn''t to me but felt calmer by her promise. "I''m not going to give you away."


    Esther found his serious take on a joke quite amusing.