Semua Bab Burning Embers: Scorching Tales of Desire : Bab 201 - Bab 206

The penthouse thrummed with the distant, uninhibited sounds of Henry and Dave, their passion spilling through the open bedroom door, a raw symphony of moans and rhythmic creaks. In the living room, Carla and Travis sat close, the air between them charged with a new understanding. The weight of their earlier conversation, about Dave’s tangled past, Henry’s vulnerability, and the industry’s ruthless underbelly, had stripped away pretenses, leaving them exposed yet connected. Carla’s tear-streaked face softened under Travis’s gentle gaze, his hand still resting on her cheek from wiping away her tears. The alcohol in their systems blurred the edges, but the moment felt sharp, real.Travis’s words echoed in Carla’s mind: Stick with me. I don’t judge. For the first time in years, she felt seen, not as a manager, not as a pawn in Victor’s games, but as herself. Her heart raced, not from seduction or strategy, but from the possibili

The workshop’s high lingered as Dave and Carla left Matilde’s studio, the promise of future roles fueling their steps. The city buzzed around them, but their focus was on the path ahead, Dave’s career gaining traction, free from the strings of his past. Meanwhile, Henry and Travis were across town, wrapping up the music show filming. But in the entertainment world, victories were fragile, and shadows like Victor’s never stayed dormant for long.Victor, the industry titan whose influence had once propped up Dave’s early career, hadn’t forgotten the slight of being sidelined. His disinterest in Dave had been a strategic retreat, not a surrender. Word of Dave’s workshop success and his upcoming role in Carlos’s film reached Victor’s ears through industry whispers, and his pride bristled. Dave, the talent he’d molded, was carving a path without him, and Carla, his former plaything, had dared to cut ties. Vic

Victor’s retaliation turned vicious, a brutal escalation that left no room for subtlety. The gossip blogs and tabloids were child’s play compared to his next move: intimate videos, grainy but unmistakable, of Dave and Victor, followed by others of Carla and Victor, leaked to the darkest corners of the internet. Each clip was a dagger, exposing moments of coercion dressed up as consent, a twisted record Victor had kept as insurance. The videos spread like wildfire across X, shared and reposted before anyone could react. The hashtags #DaveExposed and #CarlaShame surged, drowning out Matilde’s endorsement and the group’s careful counter-narratives.Dave and Carla crumbled under the weight. They’d known Victor was ruthless, but not that he’d preserved every humiliating moment, every deal they’d made for survival. The penthouse became their fortress, or their prison. Dave, his career in tatters, posted a final X statement, taking