The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Chapter 694

Joshua was always quick on his feet—a fountain of ideas, really.

Rachel's eyes lit up. "Joshua, what are you thinking? Tell me!"

Joshua replied, "There's nothing I can do about the live competition itself. That's all on you. But when it comes to the livestream, I can make your numbers look a whole lot better."

Rachel immediately understood what he meant. "Wait... you want to boost my stats?"

She felt a pang of discomfort. Sure, she'd seen numbers be "helped along" before -Haynes O'Brien and Jasper Wilkinson had both poured money and resources into her career to drum up real fans for her when she was starting out. But that had felt genuine; those were actual people, supporters who cared.

What Joshua was suggesting felt different. This was smoke and mirrors-an illusion of popularity. No one wants a fake crowd. The thought of performing for an army of bots made Rachel uneasy.

Sensing her hesitation, Joshua added, "Look, I can put money into promoting your stream. That way, you'll have a shot at attracting real fans yourself. But I can't guarantee you'll beat Stella."

Rachel fell silent.

Building a following the right way took time—and time was the one thing she didn't have. Joshua's way was fast, almost dangerously

her mind. "Alright.

asked, "Anything else you

there any chance you could get

chuckled softly. "Rachel, I'm not from Novaris, and this is Haynes's territory. That's out of my league. Maybe you should

Rachel fell quiet.

like that. It would be like openly admitting she needed to cheat to beat Stella. What would

ended the call without another

the TV screen, watching as Stella flashed a

Five minutes passed quickly.

kind of contestant you didn't see every year: talented brilliant, and charismatic. Of the ten finalists, six were returning from last year, and

scandal had left Novaris's reputation in

gifted, practically born for the stage. In music, the eyes matter as much as the

exited, Rachel took

for Liberty." Just as demanding as "Moonlight" or "Moonlight Bay," but with a different spirit. Where Stella's performance radiated calm serenity, Rachel's was wild and bold a