Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

Astrid hadn't seen Healey in ages, it was almost nostalgic. "Of course I do!"

Healey, with his usual gruff charm, retorted, "Oh, cut it out. You never reach out unless you need something, and here I am, swamped with work!"

"So, you know about the Brookes and the Lampards, right? Or should I say, did you know Elio before all this?"

"In the upper echelons of this city, there's hardly a soul I don't know," Healey boasted.

"Whatever you need to tell me, you will, I trust that. And if you don't, I figure it's for my own good."

Astrid's voice turned grave, "Jay's after my son, and he's got ties with those Viper Mirage goons." Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FindNʘᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Healey scoffed, "Viper Mirage? They're small fries to me. I handed over the reins to you two years ago. Do what you must, and don't bother me with this. I've got better things to do!" Better things to do? This old man!

Astrid tried to turn over, but Roman clung to her arm like a koala bear. She didn't have the heart to wake him, so she set her phone down. Whether it's a snake or a worm, it's got to be dealt with.

The next morning, Astrid went home. As she reached her doorstep, she found Chad, sheepish and apologetic, along with Hank, who had come to make amends.

"Boss, I messed up. Please, spare me the African project. I can't face planting trees in the desert! I'd rather give up my bonus, even go without pay!"

"Get out of the way with that pathetic look," Astrid said, disgust clear in her tone as she shooed Chad aside to unlock her door. Chad quickly stepped aside, mumbling, "Oh, and Boss, your Astar account received a job offer. We didn't act on it since you weren't around."

Astrid, slipping off her shoes inside the doorway, replied nonchalantly, "Handle those jobs yourselves. I'm not lacking a few bucks."

A few bucks? Did their boss have any idea what their services were worth?

Chad hesitated before saying, "It's Jay. He's willing to pay ten million for you to dig up dirt on Astrid."

"What?" Astrid thought she must be hallucinating. "He wants to pay me to investigate... myself?"

"Exactly," Hank confirmed. "We weren't sure what to do, so we told him you were away and to check back later."

Chad piped up, "Boss, are we taking this job?"

"Of course we are. I'll handle it personally," Astrid replied with a chuckle, then turned to Chad, her tone shifting to a scolding one. "Are you that hard up for cash? Is the salary. I'm paying you too low, that you're peddling firewalls on the side?"

"No, no, not at all. I'm good," Chad quickly reassured her.

Seeing Astrid was about to settle scores, Hank discreetly withdrew to the sidelines, keen to avoid collateral damage.

After giving Chad an earful, Astrid

powered up her computer and

logged into her email to reply to Jay,

"This is

Ster. I'm currently in

Europe. The records of Astrid's past few years have been hidden by a top-notch expert. It's tough to

investigate, and fifteen million is a

price I can't accept."

Chad and Hank were stunned at her response. Fifteen million and she wasn't even interested?

Minutes later, another email came in, "As long as you can uncover what Astrid has been up to these past years, we can negotiate the price further. I need damning evidence, something that will ruin her in showbiz."

Astrid's lip curled into a cold smile,

but before she could reply, another email arrived, "If you can find out how many men Astrid slept with to climb her way up in the showbiz, the price could double. I want proof."

Chad exploded with anger, "To hell with this! Don't hold me back, I'm about to crawl through the internet and knock some sense into that bastard!"