Page 175 of My Three Billionaire Rockstars

Xander goes very still beside me, which is infinitely worse than yelling.

The door swings open and Julian walks in holding his own phone. “Well,” he says flatly, “this seems bad.”

I look at him. “How widespread?”

“Trending.”

Of course it is.

Because Dylan’s post gave people something to look for.

A trail.

And the internet is very good at turning scattered pieces into narratives.

Julian runs a hand through his hair, all traces of his usual easy charm gone now. “Fans already figured out Willow’s name.”

That hits hardest. Not the label, not the headlines, not the speculation.

Her.

Because Willow didn’t choose this world, and now it’s crashing directly through her front door.

Xander is already moving. “Where is she?”

Julian blinks. “At work, I think.”

Xander grabs his jacket.

I step in front of him before he reaches the door. “Walking into the diner furious isn’t helping anything.”

“She’s alone.”

“She won’t be for long,” I say evenly. “People will look after her. Especially if reporters come.”

His eyes flash dangerously. “Then move.”

“Xander, us being there will only make it worse.”

“No, Gabe.” His voice drops now, rougher. “You don’t get to calm me down right now.”

The accusation underneath the words is obvious.

This is partly my fault. Maybe mostly. Because I knew Dylan reaching out could create problems. I knew we weren’t fully ready for public attention. And still, somehow, I underestimated how quickly drama spreads once people smell blood in the water.

Julian steps between us before the tension can snap completely. “Fighting each other is stupid right now.”

He’s right.

I force myself to think past the immediate disaster, organizing problems into manageable sections.

Current issue: Willow is exposed publicly.

Secondary issue: The label becomes attached to scandal before launch.

Third issue: The town will talk. A lot.

I pull up another article.