She accepted one small, quiet variety show for a friend—then met the woman whose voice had haunted her playlists for years. Laura Perez is a country-conquering superstar with a glare that can ruin careers and a grin that gets away with everything. Annika Jensen is a fragile, fierce newcomer who writes songs like confessions and hides a fandom behind a calm face. When the two are thrown together for three months of "back-to-nature" filming, sparks start as prank battles and late-night songs—and turn into something neither dared name. He slanders. She fights back. An influencer photo goes viral, a predatory ex is exposed, and a director casts them opposite each other in a rising wuxia drama that will either bury or canonize their chemistry. Studio lights, livestreams, and fan armies push them into the open. Laura wants to protect Annika publicly and privately; Annika wants to belong without losing herself. This is a fast-burning celebrity romance about the messy, thrilling fight to claim a life—and a person—on your own terms. Who will the world accept first: the star or the love?

21 Chapters