"Okay," Jessica said, leaning back. "Business first, then you're going to tell me what actually happened on that island. Deal?"
"Deal."
"BrightLife dropped their sponsorship." Jessica's voice was matter-of-fact. "Said your lack of communication was 'unprofessional' and 'inconsistent with their brand values.' That's fifty thousand gone. TravelLux wants to renegotiate—downward. Destinations Weekly pulled their feature. Your engagement was down eighteen percent before this morning."
"Before this morning?"
Jessica's expression shifted—something almost like a smile. "Your video. The one you posted at six AM without telling me."
Lily winced. "I should have run it by you first."
"Yes, you should have. It's completely off-brand. Your sponsors are going to lose their minds." Jessica turned her laptop around to face Lily. "It's also been viewed 400,000 times in the past three hours, and I've already gotten two inquiries from conservation nonprofits."
Lily stared at the screen. The numbers were climbing in real-time. Comments were pouring in faster than she could read them.
"What... what are people saying?"
"See for yourself."
This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen on this platform.
I've followed you for three years and this is the first video that actually made me feel something.
Just donated $50 to the conservation fund. THIS is what influencing should be.
THE WAY SHE TALKS ABOUT HIM. There's definitely more to this story.
Lily's throat tightened. "I didn't expect?—"
"What did you expect?"
"I don't know. For people to hate it. For my audience to abandon me because I wasn't being fun and aspirational." She looked up at Jessica. "I was so tired of being fake, Jess. I couldn't do it anymore."
Jessica was quiet for a moment. Then she stood, crossed to a small cabinet in the corner, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
"It's nine in the morning," Lily said.
"It's been a hell of a month for both of us." Jessica poured two fingers into each glass andhanded one to Lily before settling back into her chair. "Derek moved out three weeks ago. Filed for divorce the day after."
Lily nearly dropped her glass. "What? Jess, why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you were unreachable, and also because we don't do that." Jessica took a sip, her professional mask slipping. "We don't talk about real things. We talk about engagement metrics and brand partnerships. That's the deal we made."
"That's a terrible deal."
"Yeah, well." Jessica shrugged. "It's the one I've made with everyone. Keep it professional. Don't let people see the mess behind the curtain." She laughed, hollow. "Derek said I was married to my job, not to him. That I'd spent so many years managing other people's images that I'd forgotten how to be a real person. He wasn't wrong."
Lily set down her untouched whiskey. "I'm sorry, Jess."
"Don't be. It's been coming for years. I just didn't want to see it." Jessica met her eyes. "But watching you this morning—watching that video and seeing all those comments from people who actually felt something? It made me realize I've been helping you build the wrong thing."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I've spent five years pushing you toward engagement metrics and sponsor checks. Making sure WanderLily stayed on brand." She shook her head. "But this video you made? This is the first thing you've ever created that actually matters. That could actually change how people think."
Lily's eyes burned. She blamed the lack of sleep.
“Tell me..” Jessica said, her voice gentler now. “Who’s the guy?”
