Wallis takes Sarah aside.

"Of course, of course," Wallis said reassuringly. "You've earned it, champ. Pop a squat." It was like he had never spoken to a young woman in his whole life. Who talked like that? He sounded like he was coaching a little league baseball team, not managing one of the world's biggest pop stars.

"Do you want some water? Juice? Wine?" Amity asked, hanging over her shoulders like a bird ready to feed her little chicks. It was more than a little creepy, but Sarah knew she meant well, even if she didn't know how to show it.

There was nothing in the world that Sarah was craving more than a nice bottle of wine, but she knew she had to be on her toes around Wallis and Amity. Sure, they worked for her, but they had some out-there views about what might be good for her career at times. Her reputation was still reeling after she had done an ice cream truck photo shoot that had gone viral, and not in a good way.

"I'll just take some water," she said, keeping the glumness out of her voice.

Amity had gone to the fridge and back in what felt like an instant. "Here you go, hon," she said, passing the bottle over the back of Sarah's chair. As usual, the venue had provided top-of-the-line water that was indistinguishable from the stuff from the tap, and it was cool to the touch.

"Amity, Silas, do you mind stepping out for a sec?" Wallis said. "I need to talk to our star, here." That was never a good sign. Sarah almost never spoke to Wallis alone, and when she did, it was usually because he was bearing some seriously bad news."

Amity knew better than to put up a fight when she heard Wallis talking like that. She walked out of the green room without complaining, and Silas was only a few long steps behind her.

"I'll be right outside the door, ma'am," Silas said. Smart man.

Sarah looked up at her manager. "So?" she said. "Did we have to issue some refunds or something?" She prayed that it was small enough that Wallis would be able to handle whatever was going on on his own. She hated this part of her job.

Wallis bit his lip. For the first time in a very long time, he actually looked like he was worried about something. That look on his face made Sarah's heart fall out of her chest. "Well," he said, clearly struggling to get the words out.

"Well," Sarah said under her breath, staring at him.

"There's a rumor going around," Wallis said. Sarah's heart froze. "If we act fast, we might be able to jump on it before the paparazzi does, but... we'll need to be very careful or we'll just end up spreading the story around ever further."

"Why?" Sarah said, her fingernails digging into her knees and leaving harsh red marks on her pale skin. "What's the rumor?"