Chapter 11
Kaylee’s POV
Jax had left.
By the time I got the message and rushed to Selena’s dressing room, he was already in the middle of a heated discussion with her.[]
As I slipped in, Selena clocked me with a raised eyebrow but kept her focus on Jax.[]
“The showmance was a mutual agreement between our teams,” she said matter–of–factly. “I needed buzz for my upcoming film, and your people thought it would hype your album release.[]
“They ran it by you. You literally said yes to the whole thing.”
“Only because you said it would make Kaylee jealous! You were like, ‘if she gets jealous, you’ve got a shot at winning her back‘…..” Jax was getting frustrated.]
With his back to the door, he hadn’t noticed me enter. When Selena suddenly went quiet, he finally turned around.[]
The moment he saw me, he froze mid–sentence.[]
“Look, I’m just setting the record straight that based on what we agreed to, this arrangement was mutually beneficial,” Selena continued smoothly. “Don’t paint me as the villain who manipulated you.[]
“The strategy was to milk the publicity for a few weeks, then let it fizzle out naturally so people would either figure it was fake or assume we’d broken up. It wouldn’t have affected my next project or your… personal situation.[]
“Everything went sideways because you couldn’t keep it together and started making rash decisions that confused the narrative.”
Selena maintained her copl: “That’s what happened, right, Jax?”
Jax slumped his shoulders, looking like he’d been caught stealing cookies.
Selena turned to me: “Kaylee, you don’t think I’m some calculating mean girl, do you?“]
“Not at all. You’ve always been transparent about chasing clout, nothing more.” I sat beside her. “Selena, you’re looking at two PR
moves here.
“Option one is the classic celebrity playbook–radio silence. But we both know that positions you as just another victim in this drama. Your public image stays two–dimensional, forgettable.[]
“And here’s the kicker–when your supposed boyfriend cheats with a nobody, it actually undermines your star power. That’s a problem when you’re gunning for that role as the irresistible, razor–sharp socialite who has men wrapped around her finger.“]
Selena’s eyes locked with mine, intrigued.]
“Spill the second option,” she said, leaning forward.[]
I laid it out calmly: “The second PR play is high–risk, high–reward, but if we pull it off…]
“You’ll be the first in Hollywood to flip this kind of scandal completely on its head.“[]
Selena’s eyebrow arched perfectly, and I caught the unmistakable glint of excitement.]
Genius Ex–Girlfriend Era I Chose My Academic Glory Over Your Rockstar Fantasy
25.5%
Chapter 11
I’d gotten to know her well in these past months on her team. I’d heard her mantras often enough:
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.“]
“No guts, no glory.“]
“You don’t get the tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den.“[]
In many ways, I respected this woman’s hustle and fearlessness.
Now, I just needed to push her in the right direction to create a scenario where everybody wins.
