"You left me on read."
The words sounded so unserious, but the way everyone in the room reacted made it clear this was anything but. Or maybe they were just taking it too seriously because two massive stars were meeting for the first time—and instead of polite pleasantries, they were throwing accusations. While everyone was still processing Billie's unexpected claim, something that made the situation even worse happened.
Ethan, who had just been accused of ghosting the teenage pop sensation, remained completely calm as he tilted his head slightly and shot back, "Nah, actually, it was you who left me on read."
Maddie's jaw dropped so dramatically it could've hit the floor.
Hailie's eyes widened like she had just witnessed a historic scandal unfold before her very eyes.
The other girls exchanged quick, awkward glances before slowly, dramatically turning their heads toward Billie, their expressions practically screaming, Oh no, how is she gonna react to THAT?!
And they were not disappointed.
Billie, arms crossed, scoffed. "That's a lie. I remember clearly that after your album dropped, I messaged you, thinking we could maybe even collab for my album, and I never got a reply." Her voice was firm, confident—this was not a false memory.
Finneas, sensing the brewing storm, decided to step in before things escalated. "I guess it was just a mistake. Now, can we go sit? I'm hungry. Maddie, is there anything to eat?" His voice carried the tone of someone who just wanted peace and, more importantly, food.
But Finneas underestimated Ethan's ability to argue.
Ethan crossed his arms, not ready to back down. "I did reply to you. But you didn't reply back. And, honestly, I don't buy that you really wanted to work with me. If you did, you could've just hit up my team. It's not like I'm that hard to reach. I literally have a business email. If you really wanted to collab, you would've made it happen."
Finneas, halfway to the fridge, stopped dead in his tracks. His shoulders sagged in defeat. He knew what was coming next.
And he was right.
Billie turned her full attention back to Ethan, expression tightening. "No, I did not message your team because you had already left me on read. What would be the point? So you could ghost me twice? Nah, I wasn't about to set myself up like that."
What started as a joke had now turned into an actual argument. Billie hadn't expected it to go this far—her original goal was just to tease Ethan, scare her brother a little, maybe get a few laughs. But now, staring at Ethan, who looked equally as stubborn, she found herself irritated instead of amused.
Why is he so difficult? she thought. Ever since that Grammy sweep, she couldn't remember the last time someone actually argued with her like this.
Her gaze flickered to his face again, taking in his annoyingly perfect features—his sharp jawline, his ridiculously flawless skin, the striking blue eyes that somehow managed to look both smug and innocent at the same time. And then she caught something else.
A scent. A very familiar scent.
Wait a minute… She subtly leaned in a fraction, taking another whiff. Isn't this my perfume? She frowned slightly, now really paying attention. This is my perfume. I wear this exact one.
Her thoughts immediately spiraled. His attitude. His energy. The way he had been sitting earlier, completely comfortable in the middle of a bunch of girls, laughing and gossiping like he was one of them. And now, the perfume?
Oh. A smirk crept up her face as she reached a conclusion. Plus, those rumors from before? Yeah, I'm convinced. He's definitely ga.
Before she could say anything, though, Ethan shot back, "But I did reply to you. You just didn't answer."
Billie opened her mouth, ready to continue the argument, but then a new voice cut through the tension like a knife.
"Why don't you both just check your messages and see who actually left who on read?" Hailie, Eminem's daughter, suggested dryly, arms crossed as she looked between the two superstars with an expression that said she was over it.
The room fell silent.
The way everyone collectively turned to stare at Billie and Ethan at the same time was almost comical.
Billie blinked. Ethan blinked.
And for the first time, both of them looked a tiny bit nervous.
Billie pulled out her phone, her fingers moving fast as she navigated to her DMs, her expression full of confidence. "See! I told you tha—" She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she stared at the screen. Her mouth slightly opened, her brows furrowing in confusion.
Ethan, who had been watching her like a hawk, immediately caught on. A smirk spread across his lips as he leaned in slightly. "Ooooh, what happened? You can't talk again, ehn?" His voice was teasing, and it only made things worse as Billie continued staring at her phone like it had betrayed her.
"This... this can't be right," she muttered, scrolling back and forth as if expecting the messages to rearrange themselves in her favor. "I swear I checked this before."
Ethan chuckled, his grin widening as he folded his arms. "Guess we've seen the truth now," he said, basking in his unexpected victory.
The room fell silent, and Ethan suddenly noticed how everyone was looking at him—like he was a bully who had just shoved a kid off the swings. His smirk faltered slightly as he swallowed, suddenly feeling like he had gone too far.
'Maybe I shouldn't have pushed so much,' he thought. But he never liked being accused of something he didn't do. It was a habit he had picked up from childhood—his sister used to lie on him all the time, making up stories about things he supposedly did, and he had spent years always having to defend himself. It had stuck with him.
Just as he was about to apologize, Billie finally spoke up. "I'm sorry... I didn't know you replied. I could have sworn I checked and didn't see the message." Her voice was quieter this time, tinged with genuine surprise and maybe even a little embarrassment.
Ethan, sensing the shift, gave her a reassuring smile. "It's fine. I guess it was just... network," he said, playfully shrugging.
Seeing them patch things up, Finneas let out a sigh of relief. The reason he had been so nervous today wasn't just because he wanted everything to go smoothly with Maddie—there was another issue weighing on him. Billie was currently facing massive backlash online.
The whole Kanye West situation had spiraled out of control. She had made a comment about stopping shows to ensure fan safety, which some people—including Kanye—took as a diss against Travis Scott and the Astroworld tragedy, where ten people had lost their lives. Kanye had even publicly demanded that she apologize. The internet, as usual, had been divided—some defending her, others dragging her name through the mud.
Finneas had been working overtime trying to manage the PR fallout. One of the reasons he had pushed for Billie to come here today was to get her around some of the old heads in the industry. He figured if she was seen in a positive light with some rap legends, it might help smooth things over with the hip-hop fanbase, which had been less than friendly toward her lately.
The last thing she needed was beef with Ethan Jones, who was currently the hottest new star in the industry. Even if Billie still had the bigger fanbase overall, a public feud wouldn't end well. Not right now.
With everything settled, the group finally went to sit down. The tension had lifted, and the conversation flowed more easily now. They talked for a while, laughing and joking about random things, before the door to the suite suddenly opened again.
Everyone turned at once.
In walked Eminem, 50 Cent, and a few other people.
The energy in the room shifted immediately.
There was an obvious age divide—on one side stood Eminem and his crew, seasoned veterans of the music industry, and on the other, the younger generation of artists and influencers, all staring at each other like two different species encountering one another for the first time.