Chapter 37 Chapter 37: The First Scandal of Her Career
After reading the news about herself online, Selena simply smirked. She had been wondering how to appear in public alongside Balthazar without him noticing, and now that wretched Amelia had done it for her.
Selena logged into the Kola platform and started her stream. It was time to face the first scandal of her singing career.
As soon as Selena's livestream went live, a flood of viewers nearly crashed the server. She hadn’t even spoken yet when the comment section was already filled with insults.
"How much for a night, babe? Five hundred for a room, deal?"
"Now even escorts are getting into showbiz to up their rates, huh?"
"Get lost, don’t dirty our screens!"
"Clean up the stream space, ban this type of person from appearing in public!"
The comment section was a toxic mess, though many fans tried to defend her, saying things like maybe she wasn’t a call girl, just out with her boyfriend, or maybe the video was staged, and the woman with the man wasn’t Selena at all. However, their efforts were no match for the keyboard warriors, who were fueled by negativity and looking to take it out on someone.
The night before, a video had circulated online showing a woman, supposedly the rising streamer Amaryllis, kissing a man whose face and age were obscured. Though Selena was still wearing a mask in the video, a mole on her left shoulder gave her away as Amaryllis. As for the man, his blurry appearance sparked the public’s imagination. Somehow, Balthazar had been transformed into a middle-aged, bald, pot-bellied man, leading people to assume she was a paid escort.
Selena had previously crossed paths with singer Sarah, and after receiving praise for her heavenly voice from industry veterans, she had gained a few enemies within the entertainment circle. So when negative news about her broke, mocking posts quickly appeared, steering public opinion against her.
Being cursed at by so many, Selena’s expression grew darker. She sat staring at the screen for a long time, saying nothing. Finally, after half an hour, she slowly spoke:
"Every time something happens, I only find out by reading your comments. I don’t even know if I should laugh or cry."
As Selena said this, a small smile appeared on her lips, but the audience noticed a tear rolling down her chin. Immediately, her fans rose up, berating the keyboard warriors for being too harsh. Yet, many still demanded that she explain the video.
Selena’s angelic voice had made her the dream girl of countless fans. So when rumors spread that she was an escort, alongside those who already hated her, even some of her fans turned on her.
Not just being an escort—even having a boyfriend was unacceptable. Their goddess belonged to them, not to anyone else.
After hesitating for a moment, Selena finally said:
"He’s not my boyfriend... There’s nothing between us."
"Nothing between you, but you're kissing a fat old man and calling him 'babe'? Disgusting!"
"How shameless! I can’t believe I wasted so much money on her."
"Get lost before I make you into a doormat."
This time, Selena’s fans were completely drowned out by the angry crowd. The stream was overwhelmed with hateful comments, and the platform’s moderators hurriedly ended the heated broadcast.
Staring at the dark screen in front of her, Selena wiped her tears and got ready to leave. She had a music lesson later, and as for the online chaos?
It was a big enough deal that surely he knew about it by now, right?
After her lesson, Selena caught a cab to visit her mother and younger brother, entirely unaware that someone else was losing their mind over her.
Kevin paced back and forth in his office, in a state not unlike when he couldn’t contact Selena in the beginning, because now, once again, he couldn’t find her.
"Still no answer? What on earth is she doing? When something like this happens, the first rule is to stay quiet, let it blow over, and then plan a strategy. Why did she admit on stream that she and the man aren’t connected?"
She could have just stayed silent, but now that she’s spoken up, the press is all over it.
After a moment of contemplation, his assistant spoke:
"Do you think Ama has some other motive? We informed her about the incident last night, but she acted like she didn’t know. Boss, have you considered that maybe she’s the one behind this scandal?"
Kevin fell silent, his brow furrowing deeply. Only now did he start to think things through. Selena had enough money to pour billions into Kola. There’s no way she’d let herself get tangled in a scandal only to cry and hide. Maybe she really was plotting something.
The assistant spoke again:
"Boss, you should be cautious. If she’s playing a risky game, our company isn’t equipped to handle it."
Kevin’s mood darkened even further. He should have done more thorough research before letting Selena get involved with the company. Now, no matter what they did, Kola was like a fish on the chopping block.
...
At dusk, Selena returned to the villa. Exhausted, she flopped down on the sofa and sighed deeply, leaning her head back.
"Tired?"
A man's voice spoke near her ear, followed by a large hand resting on her cheek.
Startled, Selena looked up at the enlarged face of Balthazar and asked:
"Why are you home at this hour?"
Balthazar bent down and kissed Selena’s forehead, then asked:
"Can’t I come home at this hour?"
Selena looked at him, her eyes filled with such sadness that it made his heart ache.
"Are you upset about something?"
Balthazar expected her to burst into tears and pour out all her grievances to him. To his surprise, she just shook her head and said:
"It’s nothing..."
After a pause, she added:
"Today, I went to my music lesson, then visited my mom and little brother."
Hearing this, Balthazar frowned deeply. He hadn’t meant to question her whereabouts; why was she explaining herself? Did she think he was the suspicious type? Moreover, the fact that she seemed so cautious now really bothered him. He’d rather she oppose him like she used to…