Page 105 of Knot Their Starlet

She fidgets with the coffee cup in her hands.

“You probably know more about him than I do,” she continues quietly. “My mom...”

Everyone waits with bated breath, giving her the space she needs. It’s obvious from the curl in her shoulders and the bitter aftertaste in her perfume that this is a difficult conversation. But the fact that she’s still willing to continue means something.

Something good, in my books.

It indicates a baseline level of genuine trust that’s hard to find in this industry. The fact that she’s even capable of it, especially with someone like me—a virtual stranger—in the room, is a good sign. A sign that her mother and this soul-sucking industry haven’t made her a shell of a human yet.

“You can tell us, Andi,” Beckham murmurs, reaching out and resting a hand on her thigh.

“My mom is good at having her way,” she says, setting her coffee down on the table in front of her. “And her way demonized anything to do with him. She has a bad habit of demonizing anything she doesn’t like, including me sometimes.”

“That must’ve been a terrible environment to grow up in,” Leo says, his voice taking on the uncharacteristic hint of a growl.

“Yeah, it was pretty shitty,” she says, letting out a tired huff of bitter laughter. “But she’s my mom.”

“Blood doesn’t mean you have to lie there and take it,” Eli grunts.

Her gaze cuts to him and lingers there as she soaks in his words. She blinks in shock as if this is the first time she’s heard that too.

What kind of childhood must she have had for her to react this way to what we’re saying?

We’re not saying anything revolutionary.

“I mean, it wasn’t that bad,” she says with a shake of her head. “I don’t think it’s like she sets out to hurt me. She has her reasons.”

Her automatic defense of her mother screams that she’s been saying lines like that for years.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this,” she mumbles with a shake of her head.

Leo shifts closer to her on the couch, and she eases into his side, seeking comfort from him as she stares off into space.

“So, I actually had a pretty crazy question to ask you,” Beckham says, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

“Oh?” she asks, blinking at him. Her lips quirk up in a small smile. “Crazier than some of the other things you’ve asked me.”

“Ehh, maybe not crazier. I’m still waiting on your answers to said crazy questions, by the way,” he says, flashing her a wink. “I was wondering whether you’d like to direct the music video for the song I just showed you.”

The air goes still as she freezes.

I raise a brow, eyeing the two of them with surprise.

Beckham didn’t run this question by me first. Which probably means he cared enough about it that he didn’t want to get the idea shot down, which I would’ve certainly done before meeting her.

“Really? You’d—you’d trust me enough to do that?”

“Of course I would! I know it was a pretty crazy time, but you were a natural at that ad campaign we did together. I really want to see what you’re capable of with full creative control. You’ve got a gift, Starlight, it’d be a shame for you not to shine.”

She stares down at her hands, picking at the cuticles past her expertly manicured nails.

“Wow, I’m honored,” she murmurs softly. “I’ve never had an opportunity like this before.”

“Why not? Beck is right, you really do have a gift,” Leo adds.

“My mom... She’s never let me do anything like that. The most I’m allowed to do is those vlogs I make for social media.”

Something clicks in my mind. I’ve met some incredibly vindictive people in this industry.