CHAPTER 228: THE BAD SIDE OF FAME[JUNE’S POV]

Ian didn’t say anything...he just tilted the phone so Dom could see the screen.

The headline glared up at him in bold letters:

BREAKING NEWS: ’Billionaire’s Heir Dominic Vale DISRESPECTS the Mayor’s Daughter of Phillis at His Father’s Mayor Candidacy Reveal Ceremony.’

Dominic froze.

His eyes scanned the words like they were fake..like he couldn’t believe what he was reading.

"What the hell is this?" he widened his eyes.

Ash stepped closer, frowning. "Candidacy reveal? What the hell.."

"Exactly!" I said, throwing my hands up. "That’s what I said!"

But Dominic wasn’t hearing any of us anymore.

His whole face had gone pale. His hands were shaking as he scrolled.

"They twisted everything," he voice broke. "They’re making it sound like I went after her on purpose."

He shoved the phone into Ian’s hand. "They’re saying I ’disrespected’ her, that I ruined my dad’s ’big night’.."

His breathing started picking up, fast. "This is bad. This is so fucking bad."

"Dom, hey," Ash said softly, stepping closer. "Breathe, okay? It’s just..."

"It’s not just anything!" he snapped, then instantly winced, like he regretted it. "Sorry, I just..." He dragged a hand through his hair, pacing around the room. "My dad’s gonna lose his shit. He’s gonna blame me for everything. Again."

Ash took the phone, scrolling fast. His expression shifted from confused to angry in seconds.

Ian’s voice was steady, but low. "Bro, we’ll figure it out. It’s trending, yeah, but maybe it’ll die down once people see the full clip. You need to talk to your dad before it hits the news channels."

"There isn’t a full clip!" Dominic said, slamming his palm on the counter. "They cut it. They fucking cut it to make me look like a spoiled asshole."

His voice cracked again

Ash’s hand brushed his arm. "Hey. We’ll figure it out. Don’t panic yet, okay?"

He looked up.

"You’re not him," Ash said quietly. "You’re not your dad. You don’t owe anyone an apology for existing, okay?"

He didn’t respond ....just dropped his gaze, his whole body kept trembling.

Then suddenly...

"GUYS! GUYS!"

We all jumped.

Jasper came flying down the stairs, holding out his phone. "Have you seen the news?! Dominic is..."

"We know," all of us said at once.

Jasper stopped halfway down the stairs. "Oh. So... you’ve seen the memes too?"

Dominic’s head snapped up. "What memes?"

Jasper froze. "Uh..."

Ian groaned. "Oh my God, Jas!"

Jasper held his phone up, shrugging. "What?!Someone edited a clip of Dom pointing at people to that Taylor Swift song...you know the one that goes, ’It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me’.."

"Are you kidding me?" Dominic shouted.

Jasper winced. "Okay, bad timing, my bad."

Ash shot him a glare. "Oh my god."

Ian stepped forward, trying to take control. "Look, everyone chill. We’ll do damage control before this gets worse."

Dominic just laughed. "It’s already worse."

He shoved his hair back, shaking his head. "My dad’s going to love this. Perfect ammo for another ’look what you’ve done to the family name’ speech."

Ash reached for him, softly. "Dom..."

He stepped back. "No. I just... I need air."

And before anyone could stop him, he turned and stormed out the back door.

The door clicked shut behind him.

For a second, no one moved.

Jasper sighed, rubbing his temples. "Well... that didn’t go well."

Ash didn’t even hesitate....he just threw everyone a quick look and ran after Dominic.

The back door slammed again, softer this time.

Watching Dominic fall apart like that...it made me realize how fragile all of them were. All that confidence, the smirks, the fame...it cracked like glass the second real life hit

And then...

"Hey."

That voice.

I turned and froze.

Ren was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his hair was damp, he was freaking shirtless.

His eyes flicked toward me for a second, before he looked away.

My stomach flipped.

Oh God.

I could feel it. The awkward energy. The way his gaze barely touched me before pulling back.

He definitely heard me last night.

I tried to smile....you know, casual, "totally not the girl who moaned loud enough to make the walls cry."

"Good morning."

He nodded softly. "Morning, June."

His voice was low. Gentle. Like always. .

And then Ian came up beside me.

He didn’t say anything, he just slung his arm over my shoulder, casual as hell, but the look he gave Ren?

Yeah. He might as well have drawn a boundary line across the floor.

I tried not to roll my eyes, but I couldn’t help smiling a bit.

Ian always had this possessive way of saying she’s mine without saying it out loud.

Ren noticed too. His lips curved slightly...not a smirk, not even annoyance, just... something soft and sad.

Then he sighed. "Has Ash calmed him yet?"

"No idea," Casper said, scrolling through his phone. "The internet’s tearing Dominic apart. Half of Estrella thinks he’s trying to cause a world war between Estrella and Phillis."

"It wasn’t even political," I said, frustrated. "It was his birthday, for God’s sake."

"People only read the headline," Ren said quietly. "Not the truth. That’s the tragedy of it.... intent doesn’t matter online. Only perception."

Something about the way he said it made everyone pause.

He had this habit of sounding like a quote you’d find scribbled on the last page of a poetry book.

Ian ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "This is really bad press for his dad too. He’s probably furious."

Jasper frowned. "He would probably switch it up again. Won’t let Dom speak up for himself."

Ian chuckled under his breath, idly playing with a strand of my hair... which was so unnecessary but also, God, I didn’t stop him.

Casper was scrolling faster now. "You guys, the video just hit two million views."

I sighed. "This is getting worse by the minute."

Then, before anyone could say more, the back door opened.

Ash walked in first, looking drained.

Dominic followed behind him.

The whole room went still.

Jasper, for once, didn’t say a word.

Ash guided him to a stool, resting his hand lightly on his back.

Ian broke the silence first.

"So..." He looked at Dominic, then around the group. "What’s the plan?"

Dominic didn’t answer at first. Just sat there, staring blankly at the counter.

Then he exhaled shakily and whispered, "I don’t even know where to start."