Chapter 4

[Wait, is this for real?]

[Spreading rumors is so easy, huh? Can't you see the whole crew is totally hyping up our girl Alexia? There's no way she'd ever fake anything!]

[For real! I bet it's Iris who's behind all this. She's just jealous of Alexia and trying to cause trouble!]

I glanced up at Alexia, who was unabashedly enjoying all the attention from Luke and the other two male guests.

"Boys, don't just focus on me. Go give the other girls some love! I'm just here to make up the numbers. If you keep this up, my husb... my dad might get jealous," Alexia teased.

As soon as she said that, the live chat exploded.

[Did Alexia just say the wrong thing? Was she about to call him her husband instead of her dad?]

[Alexia is such a gem! She's got boundaries and doesn't lead anyone on!]

[I'm dying to know who that guy is. Is he someone from the industry?]

[I've got some insider info! My brother-in-law's buddy works at the Ascend Group. And apparently, when they were filming today, Alexia's identity as the boss's wife got exposed!]

[Holy crap! No wonder she just whips out that black card like it's nothing. She's the boss's wife! So, who's the boss?]

I sipped my milkshake, watching the live chat blow up, and silently thought that I was the boss.

But now wasn't the time to air my dirty laundry with Alexia.

If she really was Jasper's dream girl, I needed more evidence. More evidence meant more marital assets for me.

With that in mind, I couldn't wait and sent him a text right away. [Miss you. Get over here now!]

Jasper fired back instantly with a hundred exclamation marks, then hit me with a desperate voice call.

I just swiped to decline, stone-faced.

Since we didn't get enough footage in the morning, the production team suggested we play Truth or Dare that night.

The dare was to call the person we'd pinned at the top of our WhatsApp chat list.

After a few rounds, the vibe was super chill. Some people called their parents, others called fellow celebrities, and a few even called their agents.

But then...

"Iris, it's your turn for the dare," Alexia called out, since she came out on top this round.

After what went down this morning, everyone was hyping Alexia up even more, and now they were all just waiting for my turn to crash and burn.

"Alright," I said.

I opened up WhatsApp, and right at the very top was one name, Jasper Leonard.

The live chat went wild.

[Jasper Leonard? Is that the Jasper Leonard I think it is?]

[Jasper's got connections all over the place, so having his number isn't weird. But pinning him at the top? That's just shameless clout-chasing.]

[LMAO! People will do anything to get famous these days!]

Alexia joined in the laughter. "Iris, you actually have Jasper pinned at the top of your chat list? Come on, do you really think you're in his league?"

I cut her off by hitting the voice call button. "Can you stop running your mouth?" I said.

The call was picked up right away, but it wasn't Jasper's voice on the line.

"Mrs. Le... Ms. Steveson, Mr. Leonard is busy at the moment. Is there anything you'd like me to pass along?" It was Jasper's agent.

Jasper had been grinding nonstop these past few days, squeezing all his work into this short window just so he could be on the dating show with me.

I couldn't help but feel a little moved.

"It's nothing. Just let him keep hustling," I said. The more he earned, the fatter my share when we divorced.

"Got it," the agent replied.

As soon as the call ended, Alexia's mocking voice cut through the air. "Please. It's so obvious the big-shot Jasper couldn't be bothered with your annoying calls, so he just had his agent brush you off!"

But some viewers in the chat picked up on something strange.

[Wait, did the agent just almost call her "Mrs. Leonard"?]

[Bro, get real. Anyone could be Jasper's wife, but Iris? No way, she's a total nobody!]

[But isn't Alexia kinda harsh though?]

[Harsh? Come on, Alexia's just speaking facts. Jasper's super busy, and Iris is just trying to ride his coattails. Anyone would be annoyed!]

The director saw I was about to clap back, so he hurried to cue the next segment, made sure we hit the runtime, and cut the cameras as fast as he could.

Everyone was packing up to head out, but Alexia cut me off out of nowhere.

"Iris, why do you even have Jasper's number?" she shot at me.

I didn't even bother replying, just kept packing my stuff, but Alexia kept pestering me.

I rolled my eyes. "Not only do I have his number, I know his address, and I even know what underwear he's wearing today! Bet that stings, huh?"