The news detonated across the internet while Heather sat huddled on Dex's worn couch, a half-empty mug of lukewarm coffee clutched in her hands. Rhys paced the small apartment.
The air in Dex's typically cluttered space felt thick with tension, the blinking lights of his various monitors casting an unsettling glow on their worried faces.
It had been days since the threatening package arrived at Marjorie's cafe, days of Heather feeling like a fragile butterfly pinned under glass. She hadn't been back to Black Star Cafe, the memory of the crude message and broken heart too vivid, too chilling.
Then, the digital bomb went off.
Rhys's phone suddenly buzzed nonstop. He frowned, glancing at the screen before his face drained of color. He held it out to Heather, his hand trembling slightly.
"Look at this," he said, his voice barely a whisper.
Heather leaned closer, her eyes scanning the screenshot he showed her. It was a direct message, supposedly sent from Rhys's verified social media account.
"Don't even THINK about talking to Henry like that again. You're part of MY life now, understand?"
Her blood ran cold.
This wasn't Rhys.
The possessive tone, the aggressive language – it was alien to the gentle, often goofy, man she loved. But the screenshot looked undeniably real. His profile picture, the blue checkmark, the timestamp – all perfectly replicated.
More screenshots followed in rapid succession, Rhys's phone lighting up with notifications. He scrolled through them, his jaw clenching tighter with each new revelation.
"I swear, Heather, if I see you even looking at another guy, there will be consequences. You're mine."
"Who do you think you are, acting like you're too good for my friends? You should be grateful I even look at you."
One particularly cruel message made Heather's breath catch in her throat: "Remember where you came from. Without me, you're nothing. Don't ever forget that."
Beneath the screenshots, a torrent of comments had already begun to flood in.
@FanGirlForever: OMG is this real?! I'm shaking! 😭
@TruthSeeker: Always knew there was something off about him. This confirms it. #RhysExposed
@LuxLover: No way! This has to be fake! Rhys would never! 💔
@HateTrain: See? Told you that nobody who looks that sweet could be genuine. He's trash.
@ConcernedCitizen: This is actually really disturbing. Hope Heather is okay. 🙏
@StanForLife: I don't believe it for a second! This is some kind of set-up!
"This… this isn't you," Heather whispered, her voice thick with disbelief and a growing sense of dread.
Rhys ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "It's not me, Heather. Not a single word of it. This has to be Lena. It's exactly what Dex said she'd do."
Dex, who had been monitoring the sudden spike in online activity on his own computer, swiveled his chair around, his brow furrowed. "The timing… it's too perfect. Right after her little phone call with you, Rhys. She's escalating fast."
Rhys's phone rang again. It was Jess. He answered, putting it on speakerphone so Heather and Dex could hear.
"Rhys, have you seen this crap?" Jess's voice was tight with anger. "The fans are going crazy. Some of them… they actually believe it."
"We know, Jess," Rhys said, his voice strained. "It's fake. Doctored DMs. Lena's doing."
"Lena? That psycho fan? What the hell is going on?" Jess demanded, his tone incredulous.
"It's a long story," Rhys sighed. "But yeah, she's trying to destroy my reputation. This is just the first part of her plan."
Just then, Henry's voice cut in on Jess's end. "There's more, Rhys. Someone just posted a compilation video of all the screenshots with dramatic music. It's already got thousands of views."
"And the comments…" Dave's voice chimed in, his usual quiet tone laced with worry. "People are saying all sorts of horrible things. Calling you abusive, controlling…"
Emmett added, his voice subdued, "Our mentions are blowing up. Everyone's asking for a statement."
Rhys closed his eyes briefly, a wave of frustration washing over him. "We need to get ahead of this. Dex is trying to trace where these messages originated."
Dex nodded, his fingers flying across his keyboard. "The initial uploads are bouncing around, like I said before. But I'm seeing a pattern in the metadata… a specific type of encryption. It's sloppy in a way that suggests someone with resources but not necessarily top-tier hacking skills trying to cover their tracks."
Suddenly, Rhys's phone rang again. Lena's number flashed on the screen. A cold fury hardened Rhys's features. He answered, putting it on speakerphone.
"Rhys, my sweet Rhys! Have you seen the delightful buzz online?" Lena's voice dripped with a sickeningly sweet satisfaction. "It seems your adoring public is finally seeing the real you. Such a shame about that perfect image, wasn't it?"
Heather flinched at the venom in her tone. Rhys's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone. "You did this, Lena. You fabricated these messages."
A theatrical laugh echoed through the small apartment. "Oh, Rhys, darling. Such wild accusations! I'm just a concerned admirer, pointing out some… inconsistencies in your public persona. Perhaps your little girlfriend brought out your true colors? Some people just have that effect, don't they?"
"You're sick," Heather finally spoke, her voice trembling but firm.
"Oh, the little barista speaks!" Lena's tone dripped with disdain. "Enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame, darling. It won't last."
"We're going to expose you, Lena," Rhys said, his voice a low growl. "We know it's you."
"Prove it, Rhys," she purred. "Prove it." The line went dead, leaving a chilling silence in its wake.
Rhys's jaw was clenched so tight his temples throbbed. He stared at his phone, the screen displaying the endless scroll of fabricated direct messages and the venomous comments they had spawned.
Each new notification felt like another blow, chipping away at his reputation, his life. Just as a fresh wave of fury washed over him, his phone rang.
Daniel.
He answered with a curt, "Yeah?" his voice rough with anger.
"Rhys! What in God's name is going on?" Daniel's voice was a stressed bark that cut through the tense silence of Dex's apartment. "My phone hasn't stopped ringing. The label is in damage control. What are these messages? Are they… are they real?"
Rhys's gaze flickered to Heather, his expression a mixture of frustration and weariness. "No, Daniel. They're not real. They're doctored. Fabricated." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's… it's a long story, but we know who's behind it."
"Doctored?" Daniel's voice held a note of cautious hope, quickly overshadowed by skepticism. "Rhys, these look… convincing. The verification, the timestamps… the internet is having a field day. '#RhysIsCancelled' is already trending worldwide. Sponsors are calling, investors are panicking. We need a statement, and it needs to be airtight. What exactly is going on?"
"It's a targeted attack, Daniel," Rhys insisted, his voice firm. "Someone is trying to sabotage my reputation. We have reason to believe it's connected to… recent personal developments."
He glanced at Heather again, a protective instinct flaring within him. He couldn't divulge everything over the phone, not yet.
"Recent personal developments?" Daniel's tone was sharp with suspicion. "Are we talking about Heather? Because ever since that announcement at the concert…" He trailed off, the implication hanging heavy in the air.
"This isn't Heather's fault, Daniel," Rhys said, his voice hardening. "She's the victim here, just as much as I am. Someone is trying to hurt both of us."
"Hurt you by leaking your own private messages?" Daniel's disbelief was palpable. "Rhys, you need to be straight with me. Is there anything you haven't told me? Anything that could explain this?"
"There isn't, Daniel. I swear. These messages are fake. We're working on proving it." Rhys's eyes met Dex's, who nodded grimly from behind his monitors. "We have someone looking into it, someone who can trace the origins."
"Well, you need to hurry," Daniel stressed, his voice laced with urgency. "The longer this goes on, the more damage it does. Starlight is already issuing a vague statement about 'deep concern' and 'looking into the matter.' They're distancing themselves, Rhys. You know what that means."
Rhys did know. Starlight Entertainment was a machine built on image and profit. Any hint of scandal, any whiff of controversy, and they would cut ties without hesitation. He could feel the ground shifting beneath his feet, the carefully constructed world he had built teetering on the brink of collapse.
"We understand, Daniel," Rhys said, his voice grim. "We'll have something concrete soon. Just… trust me on this. These DMs are not real."
Daniel sighed heavily. "Trust is a fragile thing right now, Rhys. You blindsided us with the announcement. Now this… You need to give me something solid, and fast, or this could be the end of everything." The line clicked dead.
Rhys lowered his phone, his shoulders slumping slightly. The weight of Daniel's words, the raw fear in his voice, was a stark reminder of the stakes.
This wasn't just about his personal reputation anymore; it was about Lux, about his bandmates' careers, about everything they had worked so hard to achieve.
He looked at Heather, her face pale and etched with worry. He walked over and knelt beside her, taking her hand in his. "We'll fix this," he said, his voice low but firm. "We'll prove it's all lies."
Heather squeezed his hand, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and unwavering trust. "I know we will," she whispered. "But… why would someone do this? Why go to such lengths?"
Rhys's gaze hardened. "Because someone wants me gone, Heather. Someone wants to take everything I have. And right now, that someone is winning."
He looked towards Dex, the glow of the monitors reflecting in his determined eyes. "Dex, how long until you can trace those messages?"
Dex didn't look away from his screen. "I'm close, Rhys. The encryption is tricky, but there are inconsistencies. Give me a little more time. We'll find the digital breadcrumbs Lena left behind. We just need to follow them."
The fight for their truth, Rhys knew, was far from over. It was just beginning, and the digital battlefield was proving to be a treacherous and unforgiving terrain.