Chapter 16

Elise opened the post and read it again. Then she checked the account. She went back and forth several times before she was convinced it really was Adrian Whitmore’s.

His feed was usually reserved for endorsements and album promotions. Anything he posted sounded official and perfectly respectable. Even when he shared something as a treat for his fans, he kept his words to a minimum.

She had never seen him post anything so emotional.

They were brother and sister, but they barely spent time together. They didn’t have each other’s phone numbers or even each other’s contacts on the messaging app. People who followed the Whitmores knew the family situation and how distant the brothers were from Elise. They knew she was Adrian’s sister, too. Yet he had never mentioned her on his account before.

Had he been hacked?

His fans, who called themselves the Starlights, seemed to be wondering the same thing.

“Adrian, what’s happening? Did someone hack you?”

“Whoever stole my man’s account, come out here and face me!”

“Did he forget to switch accounts?”

“Wake up, Adrian! What the hell have you been drinking?”

“You still have time to delete this and tell us your finger slipped!”

Adrian had built his career on his own songs. His rock single “Wild” had raced to the top of the major music charts, and his debut album had sold more than ten million copies, making him the biggest newcomer of the year.

On its cover, his silver hair stood out against a black leather jacket. Dark eyeliner swept upward at the corners of his eyes, and a finger hooked the black chain around his throat. He looked wild and outrageously sure of himself.

That cool, untouchable image had stayed with him. He drew enormous attention, and he had the voice and the songs to earn it. Several major hits and a distinctive style had made his name so familiar that, until this happened, plenty of people had almost forgotten his connection to Whitmore Group.

In the car, Adrian had reclined his seat and crossed one leg over the other. His thumb kept moving across the screen as he read the abuse aimed at Elise.

Each new insult made him angrier.

A short while ago, in the dressing-room bathroom, he had returned to the past.

Elise had only recently come back to the Whitmores. The family hadn’t gone bankrupt yet.

He remembered everything that had happened in his previous life. Vivian, the sister he had cherished for seventeen years, had turned out to be utterly ungrateful. Elise, whom he had ignored and neglected, had helped him through his hardest days.

After the bankruptcy, he had put everything he owned toward paying his debts. His record company had seized its chance. In exchange for paying off the rest, it had locked him into a harsh, long-term contract.

The offer had sounded generous. Once he signed, they worked him as though his labor cost them nothing. His share of the earnings was pitiful. The public still saw a top star, while he survived on the lowest guaranteed pay, earning less than an ordinary office worker.

Eventually, he had managed to rebuild his career. He had cleared his debts and freed himself from the company’s control.

Then Elise had died in an accident.

She had grown up poor, and even after she returned to the Whitmores, he had failed to take care of her. As her brother, he hadn’t given her so much as a single happy day.

Their lives had finally begun to improve, and she was gone.

When he heard, he had shut himself in his room all night. Regret and grief had left him struggling for breath. Then he had opened his eyes and found himself back here.

Now he scrolled through X, paying no attention to what his fans were saying. People were calling Elise ugly, calling her thin-skinned. His face grew darker with every post.

One message stood out among the insults.

“Elise went to bat for her fan and sent a lawyer’s letter to the trolls. If my fave did that for me, I’d follow her forever! She’s beautiful and kind. Consider me a new fan!”

Adrian chuckled and liked the post with considerable satisfaction.

Finally, someone who wasn’t blind.

His fans had been waiting for him to explain himself. The like left them even more confused.

“So it really is him? He isn’t using an alt? He just liked a post about someone becoming an Elise fan. I can’t believe my eyes.”

“You’ve changed, Adrian! You never used to do this. Liking a post praising another woman? I’m jealous!”

“Hold on. She’s his sister, isn’t she?”

“Exactly. What’s wrong with liking a post that praises your sister?”

“Actually, nothing. Okay, I’m declaring his sister my sister too!”

“Our guy’s little sister is ours to protect!”

“Hmm. I think there’s more than one way to read that.”

Elise had stood up for a fan and opposed the exposure of someone’s private information. There was nothing to fault her for. Her actions ought to have won people over, and none of the dirt being spread about her had any solid evidence behind it.

Since his debut, Adrian had kept clear of scandals and romantic gossip. He cared about his fans and took his work seriously. Every album had lived up to expectations. Once, when the concert sound system failed, he had sung without accompaniment and still put most other singers to shame.

People knew him. They trusted his character and the reputation he had built over years in the industry. For them, however much supposed dirt there was on Elise, Adrian’s word would be enough to dismiss it.

And his post, followed by that like, made his position unmistakable: stop picking on his sister.

The woman who ran his biggest fan account had been watching without joining in. Now she posted to her enormous following.

“Anyone who insults Elise from this moment on is taking on all of us Starlights. [smile]”

The fans who had watched the whole affair from the sidelines erupted into action. Reposts came one after another.

Adrian’s popularity needed no explanation. His Starlights were known for their unity, their organization, and their willingness to rally together. They were well liked outside their own fandom and got along with other stars’ fans. Even people who didn’t follow him joined in sharing the message.

Within half an hour, it had 150,000 reposts, with the count still rising.

Every time Elise refreshed her page, hundreds of new followers appeared. Her total had soared to five hundred thousand.

She opened a few profiles. An astonishing number of their display names began with the same word: Starlight.

What was happening?

Her inbox had exploded, too. New messages were burying the earlier abuse, and their enthusiasm was startling.

“As of today, you’re officially my sister. I’ve decided! Anyone bullies you, tell me. I’ll destroy them!!”

“Beautiful, kind little sister. You’ve got a new fan!”

“Don’t be scared, sis. We’ll back you up!”

“His sister is my sister too! You can call me your sister-in-law. [blushing]”

“If anyone gives you trouble, come tell your sister-in-law!”

Elise went quiet.

Had she just acquired tens of thousands of sisters-in-law? Did Adrian know about this?

Adrian wanted to send Elise a message. After all that abuse, she must be upset. He ought to comfort her.

Then he discovered that he didn’t even have her messaging contact.

At this point in their previous life, they had barely known each other. He hadn’t tried to get close to her. He had been too busy traveling from one engagement to the next.

Only a few days ago, he had still been planning to take Vivian’s side.

He grabbed his head. Was it too late to knock some sense into himself?

Straightening up, he tried to work out how to make amends. After a moment’s thought, he sent Julian a message.

Adrian: Send me Ellie’s contact card.

A long pause followed. Then Julian replied.

Julian: ?

Julian: What do you want with her? [smiling face]

What did he want?

He wanted to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness!

If there was still time.

Adrian: I have something to tell her.

Julian raised an eyebrow at his screen. Just a few days earlier, Adrian had wanted to stand up for Vivian. Now he wanted Elise’s contact information. Was he planning to threaten her?

He took his time typing a reply.

Julian: No.

Adrian stared at the refusal. He resisted the urge to haul Julian through the phone and give him a beating.

The two of them had never been particularly close. They hardly exchanged a few words all year. There was no chance he was going to beg Julian for anything.

He would have to try someone else.

Daniel, the butler, had just finished updating Julian on the situation online. He hadn’t even left the study when Adrian’s calls began.

When he didn’t answer, Adrian hung up and immediately called again.

Assuming something was terribly urgent, Daniel hurried out of the study to pick up. All Adrian wanted was Elise’s messaging contact.

Daniel was briefly at a loss for words, but he sent it over. Adrian had never had much to do with her. Why the sudden interest?

That evening, Elise had somehow gained five hundred thousand followers and an entire fandom ready to defend her. The attacks online had died away completely, and plenty of ordinary users were becoming fans of hers as well.

With things finally settled, she called her adoptive parents. She was still afraid someone might come to their house, so she told them to stay at their neighbor’s for the time being. They could go home in a few days, once they were sure the harassment had stopped.

After the call, she went to shower. When she came out rubbing her hair with a towel, her messaging app had lit up again and again.

She opened it and found a new friend request. The display name was Adrian Whitmore. There were several messages attached; apparently, when she hadn’t answered, he had grown impatient and sent more.

Adrian: Sis, add me! Add me!

Adrian: Ellie, are you there?

Adrian: [frantic][frantic]

Adrian: [hurt][hurt][hurt]

Adrian: I was wrong. I was wrong. I was wrong. Please add me, Ellie.

Elise read the string of apologies in bewilderment.

They barely knew each other in this life. Today he had spoken up for her on X. He had helped her. What was he apologizing for?

She knew his nature well: restless, mischievous, always causing her headaches in their previous life. She had helped her brothers when they fell on hard times, but she hadn’t forgotten how they had neglected her before that. There was still a little resentment left.