All Chapters of FALLING FOR THE DEVIL: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The photos from Portland go viral within hours.Not because I leaked them. Because fans filmed the entire show and posted everything online.By morning, music blogs are calling it "the most raw performance of Lennon Cross's career."Twitter is exploding.**Lennon just debuted 6 new songs with zero rehearsal and they were PERFECT****Portland show was different. He wasn't performing. He was confessing.****I've never seen him like this. So vulnerable. So real.**I'm reading through it all on the tour bus when Claire finds me."Lennon wants to see you."He's at the front of the bus. Laptop open. Looking at the same articles I was just reading."Sit."I sit across from him.He doesn't look up. "The label called. They want to rush-release the new songs as singles.""That's good, right?""It's terrible. The songs aren't finished. They're demos. Rough ideas I was testing on a live audience.""They sounded finished to me.""That's because you don't know music." He finally looks up. "But that

I don't wait for the lawyers to save me.That night after everyone goes to sleep, I pull out my laptop.If Marcus Webb wants to play dirty, I can play dirty too.I spend three hours going through every file on my camera. Every photo I've taken since joining the tour. All the metadata. All the timestamps.Then I create a Google Drive folder. Upload everything. Every single raw file with all the original data intact.Proof that I took these photos. Not him.I write a post. Simple. Direct.**My name is Sloane Thompson. I'm a photographer working for Lennon Cross's tour. Someone is claiming I stole photos that I took with my own camera, with my own hands. Here is every raw file from the Portland show with original metadata. You can verify the timestamps, the camera serial number, the location data. I have nothing to hide because I did nothing wrong.**I include the link to the Drive folder.Then I post it to Twitter. Instagram. Everywhere.And I tag Marcus Webb directly.**Your move.**I

I wake up alone.The bed next to me is empty. Cold. Like no one was ever there.For a second I think I dreamed it.Then I sit up and realize I'm naked. In Lennon's cabin. In his bed.Oh my god.I slept with Lennon Cross.THE Lennon Cross.My boss.I scramble out of bed. Find my clothes scattered across the floor. Pull them on with shaking hands.What did I do? What did we do?This is a disaster. A complete disaster.I'm going to get fired. Sued. Destroyed.I walk out to the living room. He's not there.The kitchen. Empty.I find him outside on the deck. Fully dressed. Coffee in hand. Staring at the mountains."Morning," I say quietly.He doesn't turn around. "Morning."The coldness in his voice hits me like ice water."Are you okay?" I ask."Fine.""Lennon, we should probably talk about last night.""There's nothing to talk about."I walk closer. "Nothing? We just slept together. That feels like something."He finally turns around. His face is completely blank. The same expression he

I wake up hungover and late. Maya is passed out on the other bed. We stumbled in at 3 AM. My phone says 11:42 AM. There are seventeen missed calls from Claire. Sound check was at 10. I'm screwed. I throw on clothes. Grab my camera. Run out the door. The venue is twenty minutes away. I get there in twelve. Backstage is chaos as usual. But there's a tension in the air that wasn't there before. I find Claire. She looks furious. "Where the hell have you been?" "I'm sorry. I overslept. It won't happen again." "You're right. It won't. Because you're on thin ice, Sloane." She pulls me aside. Lowers her voice. "The label is watching you. After those photos, after everything, they want a reason to fire you. Don't give them one." "I understand." "Do you? Because showing up three hours late the day after intimate photos of you and Lennon leak doesn't exactly scream professional." She's right. I have no defense. "Where is he?" "On stage. And he's pissed. At everyone. But especiall

The next morning I wake up to my phone ringing.Claire. Again."You need to get to the lobby. Now.""What's wrong?""Just get down here."I throw on clothes. Take the elevator down.The lobby is swarming with photographers. Paparazzi. Cameras flashing everywhere.Claire grabs my arm. Pulls me into a side room."What's happening?" I ask."Natalie Chen just did an interview. With Rolling Stone. About Lennon. About you."My blood goes cold. "What?"She shows me her tablet.The article is already online.**EXCLUSIVE: Lennon Cross's Former Assistant Speaks Out About Alleged Pattern of Manipulation**I scroll down. There's a photo of Natalie. Pretty. Young. Haunted eyes.The interview is detailed. Damning.She talks about how Lennon hired her three years ago. How he was charming at first. How he slowly made her feel special. Different from everyone else.How he'd show up at her hotel room late at night. Talk to her about his fears. His insecurities. Make her feel like she was the only one w