Life After Death by Ice Cream

[Just remember, failure means—]

"Failure isn't an option," I snapped, cutting the system off. "Elara's going to get recruited, and I'm going to finish this mission. End of story."

Felix looked up from his tablet, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't say something?"

I flashed him an innocent smile. "Just thinking out loud."

Meanwhile, across town, Elara Whitfield sat in her modest apartment, enjoying a rare moment of peace. That peace was promptly shattered by a sharp knock on the door. She sighed, putting down her cup of tea, and went to answer.

A deliveryman stood there, grinning as he held out an obnoxiously large bouquet of roses.

"Miss Elara Whitfield?" he asked, as if the flowers weren't already making it painfully obvious who they were for.

"Yeah, that's me," Elara muttered, taking the bouquet. She immediately noticed the small, pretentious card nestled in the sea of red petals.

Eirik.

Her lips curled into a grimace. Only one person had the audacity to send her flowers after knowing her for about two seconds. Eirik Langford, the man who apparently couldn't take a hint even if it was written in neon lights.

"Thanks," she said to the delivery guy, closing the door with a little too much force. She stared at the roses for a moment, wondering how many times she would have to say "no" before Eirik got the message.

Without hesitation, she walked to the kitchen and tossed the entire bouquet into the trash, roses and all. The rich scent of flowers clashed with the distinct odor of last night's leftovers, and it felt oddly satisfying to see them crumpled in the bin.

Eirik. He was handsome, sure, in a way that made people swoon on sight. But his charm was as thin as the veneer of his intentions. Something about him screamed manipulation, and Elara wasn't about to let herself be pulled into whatever game he was playing.

She leaned against the counter, rubbing her temples. Dealing with Eirik was exhausting enough, but the universe apparently decided she needed more stress. She was still thinking about the other woman she had seen with him recently Amara Lyselle. Just thinking about her sent an uncomfortable twinge of annoyance down Elara's spine.

Elara didn't even know Amara that well, but something about the heiress rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was the arrogance that seemed to roll off her in waves or the fact that Amara didn't even bother to acknowledge her during their brief encounters. Either way, the dislike was mutual, and Elara didn't plan on changing that anytime soon.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, snapping her out of her thoughts. She picked it up and saw an email notification. The subject line caught her eye immediately: "Invitation to Join 'True Life: Unscripted' – A New Reality Show Opportunity!"

Her eyebrows shot up as she clicked into the message.

"Dear Miss Whitfield,

We are excited to invite you to participate in our upcoming reality show, 'True Life: Unscripted.' This show will showcase talented individuals like yourself, offering an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at their lives and creative processes. We believe your unique personality and growing popularity make you an ideal candidate for this groundbreaking new project.

Please find attached more details about the show, and feel free to contact us with any questions.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Best regards, The Production Team at Lyselle Media"*

Elara blinked. Lyselle Media? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it at first. It took a second for everything to click. Amara Lyselle's family. Of course.

Her first instinct was to delete the email and pretend it never existed. Anything that had to do with Amara was probably trouble. But then again, this wasn't a direct invitation from Amara herself it was from the production team.

And the opportunity did sound promising. Elara had been struggling to get noticed in the competitive acting world. This show could be a stepping stone, a way to get her name out there and prove her talents beyond the small roles she'd managed to land so far.

"Ugh, why does it have to be connected to them?" she muttered to herself, scrolling through the email again.

Still, it wasn't like she was flooded with opportunities. The few acting gigs she had gotten recently were either small commercials or background roles, nothing that really allowed her to shine. True Life: Unscripted could be her chance to break through, to show people who she really was not just the next forgettable actress.

Elara hesitated, her thumb hovering over the reply button. If she did this, it would mean working with Lyselle Media, the empire built by Amara's family. And even if Amara wasn't directly involved, Elara would have to tread carefully.

"Maybe she doesn't even know I'm involved," Elara mused. "It's a huge company. There's no way she's micromanaging everything, right?"

That thought comforted her, at least a little. She could handle being part of the project as long as it meant steering clear of Amara and avoiding any unnecessary drama. Besides, this wasn't about personal grudges it was about her career.

Before she could second-guess herself, Elara hit "reply" and drafted a quick response, agreeing to participate. She wasn't going to let her issues with Amara or anyone else, for that matter hold her back from taking a step forward in her career.

But as she sent the email, a small part of her couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, Amara was behind all of this.