Chapter Twelve: Sponsored Chaos
Celia had survived scandals, Vanessa's crocodile tears, and even dinner with Prince. But nothing — nothing — prepared her for the battlefield known as "influencer sponsorships."
The morning started with Lila barging into her room carrying a stack of contracts thick enough to be used as a murder weapon.
"Darling, you've been invited to collaborate with several brands," Lila chirped, dropping the pile onto Celia's bed. "All you have to do is post a few videos. Easy money!"
Celia flipped through the stack, her face paling.
Sponsored teeth whitener… detox tea… glow-in-the-dark nail polish?
She looked up. "Lila, is this influencer life, or an episode of Scam or Die Trying?"
Lila's smile didn't waver. "It's exposure, my dear. Exposure!"
Celia muttered under her breath, "Yeah, exposure to lawsuits when I accidentally poison someone."
⸻
The first shoot was for a luxury skincare line.
Celia sat in a studio, staring at a jar of cream that cost more than her rent in her old life.
"Just look into the camera," the director said, "and tell us how this cream changed your life."
Celia blinked. "Changed my life? Sir, I've only known this cream for thirty seconds."
The crew stared. Lila mimed a throat-slashing gesture from behind the camera.
Celia forced a smile. "This cream… changed my life by making me realize I'll never financially recover from buying it."
The director buried his face in his hands.
⸻
By lunch, Celia had filmed three ads — all disasters.
The detox tea made her gag on camera.
The teeth whitener stung her gums so badly she spat it out like a fire hydrant.
And the glow-in-the-dark nail polish left her looking like she'd just clawed her way out of a nuclear reactor.
Lila was ready to cry. "Beverly, sweetie, brands don't like authenticity!"
Celia flopped onto a chair. "Then they invited the wrong reincarnated noodle victim, Lila."
⸻
Later that afternoon, she was scheduled for a live interview. Celia dreaded it the moment she saw the host: Vanessa's favorite gossip blogger, a man who wore sunglasses indoors and pronounced "exclusive" like it was a holy word.
"Welcome, Beverly!" he boomed as the cameras went live. "The world has been buzzing about you lately. So tell us—are the rumors true? Do you have a scandalous family secret?"
Celia plastered on her best fake smile. Don't panic. Don't panic.
"Well," she drawled, "if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? And then you'd have to find a real job."
The studio went dead silent. Then the live chat exploded.
ChatQueen23: LMAOOOOO SHE DID NOT 💀
HotTeaSpill: This Beverly is different… and I like it.
VanessaFan: She's deflecting!!! Suspicious!!
The host adjusted his sunglasses nervously. "Uh… moving on. Tell us about your relationship with Prince—"
Celia nearly choked. "My what with who?"
"You've been spotted together. Twice."
"Oh," Celia said, regaining her composure. "That wasn't a date. That was a hostage situation disguised as dinner."
Somewhere across town, Prince probably sneezed.
⸻
After the interview, Lila grabbed her shoulders. "Darling, you can't keep talking like that! People will think you're… you're…"
"What?" Celia asked.
"Human!" Lila wailed.
Celia rolled her eyes. "Tragic."
⸻
That night, as she scrolled through the chaos online, a DM popped up from an unknown account.
Unknown: You're not Beverly. At least, not the one we know.
Celia's blood ran cold. "Oh, hell no."
She typed back with shaking fingers:
CELIA: Who is this?
No reply.
⸻
Later, she drifted into another dream. Beverly was there again, sitting in the shadows, her face unreadable.
"You're making them suspicious," Beverly murmured. "Especially about Father."
Celia crossed her arms. "Then maybe you should've stuck around and dealt with him yourself instead of tossing me into your nightmare life."
Beverly's eyes glinted. "Careful, Celia. The truth about him… is worse than Vanessa's lies."
Celia woke with a gasp, heart racing.
She sat up, whispering into the dark: "What the hell did your dad do, Beverly?"
⸻
The next morning, her phone buzzed. Another message from Prince.
PRINCE: Stay away from Vanessa.
Celia stared at the screen, shivers crawling down her spine.
Stay away? From Vanessa?
She couldn't. Not when Vanessa was circling her like a shark.
But maybe… Prince knew more than he was letting on.