Chapter 90

Chapter 90:
He stood up, already scrolling through his contacts. He wasn’t the type to sit quietly and watch. He decided to make a call.
He dialed one of his friends who had also been at the event. After a few moments of small talk, Seville casually asked him about his opinion on the stage performance.
His friend replied, “Honestly? I thought ‘Yesterday’ sounded amazing live. But when I watched the clips online later, it didn’t hit the same.”
Once they were sure they were on the same page, Seville shared everything. “Taylor, you know how I am. I can’t just let this slide,” he said. “What I said online was true, but now they’re calling me a Serena-obsessed fan trying to attack Vivian. I’m not okay with that. You helped me get in, so I figured you might have a way. If no one’s uploaded footage from the live event yet, maybe there’s a group chat or something? Somewhere people shared clips or talked during the show?”
His friend thought for a moment, then finally added him to a chat group. “This is my ticket resale group,” he warned. “It’s full of all kinds of people—some are legit, some aren’t. Be careful. Don’t say anything that could get the group shut down.”
“Thanks, I owe you one,” Seville said, already planning his next move.
Inside the Bentley, Vivian was caught off guard by Brandon’s question. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ.net
“I don’t understand,” she said, her eyebrows pulling together.
Brandon looked at her, quiet. The silence made it hard for her to meet his eyes. Vivian looked down, pausing to think.
“I really don’t know what you mean, Brandon,” she said, her voice soft. “I did speak to her.”
She glanced up again, her expression delicate, almost unsure. “I heard she’d had a miscarriage recently and that she was still recovering. I just wanted to check on her—to see if she needed anything.”
She blinked, trying to read his face. “Did she take it the wrong way?” she asked, worriedly trying to remember. “I only mentioned her injuries and her… loss. Brandon, do you think she thought I was the one who told people? That’s not what I meant at all.”
Vivian lifted her hand to her face, looking distressed. “I only ever told you. No one else.”
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Brandon studied her closely. Everything she said made sense. Her face, her voice—it all fit. She looked genuinely regretful. Without waiting for him to speak, she pulled out her phone and typed a message to Serena, as if to prove her sincerity.
Maybe it really was a misunderstanding.
“It’s fine,” Brandon said. “I was just asking.”
To him, there was Vivian—the woman he’d once failed and still felt responsible for—and Serena, Charles’ rumored lover who had absolutely nothing to do with him. There was no need to push further.
Rain brushed lightly against the windows. The city outside looked hazy, the damp air making everything feel heavier.
They rode in silence for a while. Then Vivian broke it. “Brandon,” she said softly, “did you think I sang well today?”
She did. But not as well as Serena.
That was his honest thought. Still, instead of being completely honest, he just gave a short, low hum.
“Mm.”
.
.
.