In the days following the scandal with Will, Alex vanished from public view.
Her world narrowed to two places: Royalstar's rehearsal rooms and Eliott's apartment. She attended every acting class, worked through her scenes with the dialogue coach, and left through the underground car park before the reporters camped outside could spot her. Invitations went unanswered. She stopped posting photographs, short clips, even the occasional message she usually left for the Ocean Eyes.
The silence worried her fans and delighted everyone who had been waiting for her to fail.
The story about Will had already begun to fade — but another one took its place. Anonymous accounts claimed Alex had stolen her role from a trained actress. Others insisted Ethan had pressured the director to cast his girlfriend. A few accounts even recycled cropped photographs from the earlier scandal as evidence that Alex attached herself to powerful men whenever she needed something.
Royalstar issued no statement.
