Chapter 53
Verve hadn't spent that kind of money to bring Julian Sterling in just for the people standing inside the mall.
The event was being livestreamed through the brand's official social media accounts, and Verve had promoted it in advance without revealing its biggest guest. The less they said about the surprise appearance, the more curious people became.
There was also the ongoing speculation over Verve's next brand ambassador. Fans of several celebrities had convinced themselves their favorite was about to get the deal, so tens of thousands of viewers were already watching before the main event had even begun.
The livestream comments flew past.
Emma, meanwhile, was attending her first event like this and had absolutely no idea where she was supposed to go.
She pulled out her phone and texted the marketing manager who'd contacted her.
The reply came quickly.
Emma looked around.
The crowd had somehow gotten even denser. At this rate, she was going to get pushed onto the stage before she ever found the backstage entrance.
She took a picture of the crowd around her and sent it.
A pause.
That worked too.
Backstage, Julian's attention was still fixed on Emma.
She looked different today.
Instead of her usual simple clothes, she wore a fitted black tank top with red cargo pants. Her bare shoulders and the strip of waist above her waistband gave the outfit a sharper edge, while her long hair fell loosely over her chest.
Julian had never seen her dressed like this before.
For a second, he forgot to look away.
Was this because she'd missed his first headlining concert?
Had she come all the way here to make it up to him?
Sophia had already sent Emma his private number, but Emma still hadn't contacted him.
Maybe she'd been busy.
It didn't matter. She was here now. He could talk to her face-to-face later.
In the past, Julian had hated fans who somehow managed to track down schedules that were never made public. It always felt intrusive.
Today, strangely enough, he wasn't bothered at all.
Emma wasn't just another fan.
She'd supported him for years.
She'd even saved his life once.
If she'd somehow found out where he was today because she wanted to apologize for missing the concert...
Well, Julian could forgive that.
Easily.
"Chloe, you're definitely the mystery guest, right?"
Tessa Moore, a popular beauty creator, linked arms with Chloe Dawson.
Chloe was part of the entertainment industry, which put her in a different category from full-time influencers like Tessa. Naturally, Tessa was eager to get closer to her. A good connection with an actress could open doors later.
Chloe had dressed for Verve's youthful image in a denim miniskirt and ankle boots.
She smiled. "Probably."
Her gaze drifted toward Julian.
It was her first time seeing him in person.
The industry's young music phenomenon was even more striking up close, and she found herself unexpectedly nervous.
Julian had been friendly enough when he arrived, greeting everyone with his usual easy smile. But there hadn't been much conversation after that.
Tessa kept sneaking glances at him too.
She wasn't even a fan, but it was difficult not to look. With his silver hair and sharp features, Julian looked like he'd walked straight out of a graphic novel.
Tessa nudged Chloe.
"Should we ask for his number?"
Chloe glanced at her.
Tessa lowered her voice. "If I ask, he'll probably say no. If you ask, he might actually give it to you."
Then Tessa could exchange numbers with him too.
Chloe had already been thinking the same thing.
"Okay."
They walked over together.
Tessa immediately lost her nerve and looked at Chloe to do the talking.
Chloe gave Julian a sweet smile.
"Julian, would you mind exchanging numbers?"
Only then did Julian pull his attention away from the crowd.
He smiled apologetically.
"Sorry. I don't really give out my personal number."
Chloe's smile froze for half a second.
Tessa's did too.
Anyone who actually knew Julian knew that his sunny public personality could be misleading. He was friendly, but surprisingly private.
He rarely bothered with networking for its own sake, and his personal contacts were mostly people connected to music or people he genuinely knew.
Talent had taken Julian far, but talent wasn't the only reason he'd gotten this far. He spent an enormous amount of time on music and had little interest in filling the rest of it with social obligations.
Chloe and Tessa returned to their places with matching polite smiles and enough embarrassment to last the rest of the afternoon.
Out in the atrium, the host finished introducing Verve's newest products and moved on to the part everyone had been waiting for.
The ground floor was packed now, with more people crowding the railings on the levels above.
Online, the livestream audience had climbed past two hundred thousand viewers.
The host grinned.
"All right, I think we've made everyone wait long enough. It's time to bring out the surprise guest we didn't announce in advance."
The crowd erupted.
The host raised her voice over the cheers.
"He recently sold out his first stadium headlining concert, and he's become one of the biggest young names in music. Please welcome—Julian Sterling!"
The reaction was immediate.
Julian's songs had been everywhere for the past few years. Even people who didn't follow him closely knew his biggest hits.
The mall exploded with screams.
So did the livestream.
Julian stepped onto the stage.
He wore black cargo pants with a long silver chain hanging from his waist, the metal shifting softly as he walked. The look suited him—young, relaxed, with just enough edge.
He took the microphone and smiled at the crowd.
"Hey, everyone. I'm Julian Sterling."
His gaze immediately went to the front row.
Straight to Emma.
Julian grinned.
His smile was one of his most recognizable features, bright and infectious, with the slight points of his canine teeth showing whenever it widened.
Then the smile faltered.
Emma wasn't looking at him.
She was looking down at her phone.
Emma was replying to a message from Lana Young, one of her former coworkers at Mercer Holdings.
Emma typed back:
Lana replied almost instantly.
Emma stared at the message.
Another message appeared.
Emma paused.
She didn't have many friends.
During college, she'd spent most of her free time working, which meant she'd rarely joined her classmates or roommates when they went out. After moving off campus, she'd become even more disconnected.
Part of that was simply Emma's personality. She didn't like letting relationships become too deep.
Goodbyes scared her more than she liked to admit.
Losing both of her parents had left its mark, and over the years she'd learned that keeping some distance was easier than getting attached and eventually losing someone again.
She and Lana had worked together for more than a year, yet they'd never once gone out for dinner.
But Emma liked her, and this was the first time Lana had invited her.
There wasn't much reason to say no.
Onstage, the host was chatting with Julian about Verve and its products. The questions had been discussed beforehand, so the conversation moved easily.
Still, the host began to notice something.
Julian was distracted.
Every so often, his gaze slipped toward the front row.
The viewers noticed too.