The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella)

Since the last scandal where his music was accused of being a rip-off, Jay had been walking on eggshells around Vicky, afraid to lose his favor. Nowadays, he was as compliant as a lamb.

"I get it, Ryan," Jay nodded, pausing before adding, "Oh, and I heard from Collins that Juztin's condition isn't stable yet. Looks like the car crash did a real number on him."

Vicky settled into his chair, his face a mix of worry and contemplation. "I've had people sniffing around for info, but no luck. Nothing concrete."

Jay's eyebrows twitched with intrigue. "Exactly. If it were just a scratch, why the big secret? Why shroud the whole thing in mystery?"

"Maybe," Vicky murmured, idly spinning his phone between his fingers.

Jay shot him a glance. "But one thing's odd. You'd expect a major car wreck like that to involve more vehicles, right? How come it was just him?"

That got Vicky's attention. It was indeed strange; on a busy street, a solo accident seemed out of place.

"It's definitely odd," Vicky mused, stroking his chin before eyeing Jay sidelong. "Why the sudden interest in all this?"

Jay's gaze narrowed slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Just seems bizarre to me."

Vicky didn't dwell on it, stretching his neck with a casual shrug. "Regardless, if Juztin's taken a hit, maybe it's your chance to shine."

At that, Jay felt a flutter of excitement but masked it with a look of concern. "But after the mess I got into a while back..."

Vicky cut him off with a dismissive wave. "Come on, you think it's hard to clean up a rep in showbiz? And do you really think you're second to Juztin?"

"Of course not," Jay responded almost reflexively.noveldrama

Leo might have the pretty face, but when it came to vocal range and creative talent, Jay was confident he didn't fall short.

Vicky had a soft spot for ambitious artists. He knew that without ambition, you'd get chewed up and spat out by the industry. So, despite Jay's recent fiasco, Vicky hadn't given up on him.

"Just focus on your music; your day will come," he said, his tone cryptic.

Jay clenched his fist, feeling hope reignite within him.

**

Meanwhile, Collins drove to meet with his detective contact, a guy he'd worked with several times. When they met, there was no need for pleasantries.

"You're telling me Vicky hasn't done anything unusual lately?" Collins asked, skeptical as he eyed his friend.

"Yeah, he's a suspect, but from a professional standpoint, the accident seems unrelated to him," the detective drawled.

Collins frowned and took a sip of his coffee. He had no solid evidence, but his gut told him Vicky was involved. And now they were saying he wasn't?

"But," the detective continued, "I checked the dash-cam footage from your artist's car, and there's a day, two months back, that's been wiped clean."

Collins was taken aback. "Wiped clean? Something from two months ago?"

"That's right. We tried to recover it, but whoever did it was slick. It's beyond our tech guys," the detective admitted with a shake of his head.

The rest of the story was still in the works, and Collins felt like he'd hit a wall.