The city was alive with neon and noise, but Velvet's studio felt like a sealed chamber of glass. The world outside screamed with headlines, yet inside, only silence reigned. The accusation she had unleashed—there is a traitor among us—hung in the air long after her team had left.
She stood by the window, arms crossed, eyes tracing the faint glow of streetlights below. The reflection staring back at her looked less like a queen and more like a soldier bracing for war.
Adrian leaned against the console, studying her. He didn't speak immediately, giving her the space to process. Finally, he broke the silence.
"You're different," he said quietly.
Velvet turned. "Different how?"
"Harder," he replied. "Sharper. You've always been calculating, but tonight you sounded… dangerous. Like you're ready to cut people loose."
Velvet's lips curved, but there was no warmth in her smile. "Maybe that's what Kane wants—to make me doubt, to make me ruthless. But what choice do I have? If there's a knife at my back, I can't afford kindness."
Adrian didn't argue, though unease flickered in his eyes.
---
The following day, the pressure intensified. Velvet's inbox overflowed with messages—some supportive, others accusatory. Fans demanded to know who the traitor was. Journalists sniffed at the rumors of betrayal. Even sponsors began to whisper about "instability" in her camp.
The most painful blow came from within her community. A longtime moderator, Jonas, announced publicly that he was stepping down. His statement was carefully worded but damning: "I can no longer align myself with leadership that rules through fear and suspicion."
Velvet read it in silence, her jaw tightening. Adrian slammed the tablet shut. "He's weak. Kane got to him."
But Velvet wasn't so sure. Jonas had been loyal for years. Could Kane really corrupt him—or had her words last night driven him away?
Doubt coiled tighter around her chest.
---
That evening, she attempted another livestream. The numbers were staggering, but the tone had shifted. The chat was a battlefield. Loyal fans defended her fiercely, but critics hammered harder than ever.
"Who betrayed you?"
"Are you purging your own team?"
"Is Jonas right?"
Velvet steadied herself, letting silence linger before she spoke.
"Trust," she said softly, "is fragile. When shadows press in, some break. But understand this—I will never abandon the truth. And the truth is simple: I stand here, unbroken, because I have you."
Her voice was velvet and steel, equal parts comfort and warning. The loyalists surged, flooding the chat with declarations of love. But the fractures were there—visible, undeniable.
Behind the camera, Adrian studied the metrics, his expression grim. Engagement was soaring, but the sentiment was split. Half devotion, half suspicion. Kane's strategy was working.
---
When the stream ended, Velvet collapsed into her chair. For the first time in months, exhaustion weighed heavier than triumph. Adrian knelt beside her, his voice low.
"You can't keep fighting every battle. Kane is spreading you thin."
Velvet lifted her gaze to him, eyes burning with determination. "Then I'll change the game. If he thrives in shadows, I'll drag him into the light."
Adrian frowned. "And how do you plan to do that?"
A slow, dangerous smile touched her lips. "By forcing him to reveal his traitor."
---
Two nights later, Velvet staged a trap. She leaked false information to her inner circle—different details to each member. Adrian watched silently, understanding her intent but uneasy with the method.
"If one of them feeds Kane," Velvet explained, "I'll know who it is. Each thread leads to a different web. Only one will snap."
The waiting was the hardest part. Days crawled by, each one heavier than the last. Her streams continued, her mask flawless, but behind the scenes her heart pounded with suspicion. Every glance at Maren, every word from her assistants, every pause from Adrian felt sharper, heavier, tinged with doubt.
And then it happened.
An article appeared, quoting an anonymous source. The detail was unmistakable—it matched the false information Velvet had given to Maren.
Her hands tightened around the tablet as she read. Adrian's eyes darkened. "It's her."
Velvet closed the tablet slowly, her face a mask of calm. But inside, her chest burned with betrayal. Maren—sweet, soft-spoken Maren, who had once cried with joy when Velvet followed her back—had fed Kane the blade meant to pierce her heart.
---
That night, Velvet didn't confront her. Not yet. She sat alone in the studio, the glow of the monitors painting her in cold light. Her thoughts were fire and ice, rage and sorrow tangled into a single thread.
When she finally spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper.
"You wanted to fracture me, Kane," she murmured. "But you've given me clarity instead."
Her reflection stared back at her—hard, unyielding.
"Now," she said, her tone sharpening, "the game changes."
Far across the city, Kane received the report confirming Maren's betrayal. He smiled into his glass of wine.
The queen had discovered her traitor. Exactly as he intended.
---