Monetizing The Cheating Rock Star
The video was shaky but clear. My boyfriend, Ashton Cole, the lead singer of his band, was hoisting a marriage certificate above his head, screaming at the roaring crowd.
Today! I want to announce to the world! Skylar Young is my wife!
A text from Ashton popped up on my screen, immediately followed by another.
Vera, Im so sorry, the energy at the festival was crazy, Skylar and I were just messing around.
Then I saw Skylars Instagram story. A nine-panel grid, all close-ups of the certificate.
The caption: From school uniforms to a wedding dress, thank you, Ashton, for my exclusive romance.
Hundreds of likes and comments flooded in beneath, gushing: BFF goals turned endgame! Im obsessed! This is the ship we needed!
My gaze snagged on the identical matching jackets they wore, the subtle embroidery on the collar: A&S.
Id always thought the 'S' stood for the 'L' in my last name, Lane.
Now, it hit me with the force of a punch. The 'S' had never been for Vera Lane. It was always for Skylar.
I ignored the message, opened my streaming app, and hit 'Go Live.'
As the "Queen of the Live Sell" with two million followers, I never lacked heat. The moment the camera turned on, the view count shot past a hundred thousand.
Hey, ladies. My apologies. This is an impromptu stream.
I gestured to the life-sized poster of Ashton Cole behind me, one Id personally paid for.
See this guy? My boyfriend. Just married someone else at The Atlas Festival.
1
The comment section exploded:
OMG! Is that the hot lead singer from the band on the trending page?
Vera, dont stress! Karmas a bitch, and shes got a list!
Grabbed my popcorn! Time for the tea, Queen!
I picked up the lipstick on my desk and touched up my already perfect makeup.
Tea? Too boring. Tonight, we do something far more satisfying. We weaponize the livestream. This is a retail counterattack.
I opened my backend and listed the first product: Ashton Coles signed guitar pick, limited to 1,000, priced at $9.99.
Family, this pick was signed by my boyfriendex-boyfriendand was meant to be a fan giveaway. Now, however...
I dangled the pick for the camera.
Consider this his wedding gift to me. Link is in the number one carousel. You snooze, you lose.
Before the sentence was finished, the Sold Out notification flashed.
Comments raced across the screen: Bought it! Consider it my contribution to the divorce fund! Vera is savage!
Next, I listed the second product: a canvas tote bag Skylar often carried, one I'd helped her move from my stock, with 5,000 units remaining.
This bag, the brides favorite accessory. But I have to warn you, the zipper sticks, and the interior lining sheds fibers like crazy. I told Skylar not to sell it, but she insisted, My fans buy whatever I wear.
I zoomed the camera onto the flawed seams of the bag.
Today, its $39.99. Consider it my public service announcementdon't let these online snake oil sellers fool you.
Instantly, another sell-out.
Meanwhile, Skylars social media was on fire. Her fans swarmed my comments, calling me a clout chaser and an evil rival.
I pinned one of their nastiest comments to the top of my chat.
Caption: Thanks for boosting the algorithm. Insult me again, and Ill drop another limited-edition charity item.
Just as I finished listing the third product, Ashtons phone call came in.
I hit the speaker button. His voice, strained and furious, was amplified through my mic.
Vera Lane, are you out of your mind?! Shut the stream down right now!
Out of my mind? I scoffed.
Compared to you marrying your best friend in front of ten thousand people, how crazy can I really be?
It was an accident! Skylar and I were just messing around!
I held my phone up to the camera and waved it.
And Skylars caption, From school uniform to wedding dress, was just messing around? Did the county clerk just print the wrong name on your official certificate?
I heard Skylars muffled, tearful voice in the background.
Vera, please dont misunderstand, Ashton and I are just friends! The media twisted everything
I opened my photo album and found a picture Id taken last week. Ashton in my kitchen, making Skylar a warm cup of ginger tea. Skylar snuggled into his chest, watching a movie.
I AirPlayed the image to the streams massive screen.
Friends wear their girlfriends pajamas and sleep in her bed while shes on a business trip? Friends exchange diamond rings on Valentines Day?
The chat log was now a blur of all-caps.
#AshtonColeSkylarYoungLie was trending number one.
I watched the mounting sales figures on my dashboard, a cold smile forming on my lips.
Ashton Cole, Skylar Young. The game has just begun.
2
I hung up on Ashton, took a long sip of ice water, and went back to the stream.
The live viewer count had passed five million, and the gifts were pouring in so fast the screen was glitching.
Hang tight, family. The drama is endless, and so are the deals.
I listed the fourth item: Ashtons bands official merchandise T-shirt.
These T-shirts cost them $8 to produce, and they sell them for $75. Today, on my channel? $29.99 for two. And Ill throw in a signed photo of the scumbag himself.
The inventory vanished immediately.
I saw comments like Vera is on fire! but I felt nothing inside, just a vast, chilling emptiness.
I had spent years promoting Ashtons band, securing sponsorships, and essentially bankrolling their rise. He wouldn't have this momentum without me. And this was my return on investmenta massive public betrayal.
A lot of you are asking why I didnt notice sooner.
I picked up the framed picture of Ashton and me from my desk.
I did. Last year, on his birthday, I found a womans necklace in his car. It wasn't mine. He told me it was Skylars, and he was just holding it for her.
Another time, I called him late at night with a fever. He said he was at band practice. But Skylar posted a photo, geotagged at my apartment, with the caption, Ashtons midnight snack is the best medicine.
I wiped a non-existent tear from my eye.
I kept telling myself, theyre childhood friends. Its normal. Looking back, I realize I wasnt a girlfriend; I was just the biggest fool on the internet.
The chat was a torrent of support, and users were already digging up dirt on Ashton and Skylar.
Seizing the moment, I listed the fifth product: Skylars endorsed skincare line.
I tried this one, and it made my skin break out. I mentioned it to Skylar, and she told me my skin was too sensitive. Today, Im sharing the lab report with you. This product has lead and mercury levels that are three times the legal limit.
I projected the forensic report onto the screen.
Original price, 0-098. Today, its $49.99. Consider this a warning: stop letting these fake influencers ruin your health.
Just then, a DM from Ashtons manager popped up.
Vera Lane, youre going to destroy Ashton! Lets discuss this privately. Well offer you compensation.
I took a screenshot of the message and flashed it on the live feed.
Compensation? I dont need your money. I just need everyone to see the truth about the A-list rock star they worship.
I streamed until four in the morning. My total sales had topped ten million dollars.
On the flip side, Ashton and Skylars world was imploding.
Skylars endorsement deals were being terminated by brands. Ashtons band had canceled several shows, and their fan numbers were plummeting.
Alright, family. Thats enough drama for one night.
I waved at the camera.
Same time tomorrow. Ill be showing you the love child of this scam: the dirty details about the shady company they run together.
I shut down the stream and leaned back in my chair, exhaling a long, shaky breath.
My phone rang. It was my mother.
Vera, I saw the news. Are you okay?
Mom, Im fine, I said, my voice raw.
I just finally saw someone for who he really is.
Good, honey. Good. My mothers voice caught.
If you need anything, just come home. Your father and I will take care of you.
I hung up, and the tears Id fought all night finally spilled down my cheeks.
3
For years, I had molded my life around Ashton, becoming an accessory to his dream.
When I received the acceptance letter to the top business program in the country, I was filled with ambition.
But then I opened the door to his cramped, moldy studio.
He was sitting there, hugging his battered, peeling old guitar, his eyes clouded with uncertainty about the future.
He looked up, and his eyes lit up when he saw the thick envelope in my hand. But the excitement faded quickly.
He gently took my hand, his voice a quiet plea.
Vera, please stay with me? Just until the band makes it big. I promise, Ill give you the best life.
Looking at his intense, pleading eyes, I made my choice. I walked over to the trash can and tore the acceptance letter in half.
My dad didnt speak to me for six months. He was furious.
Youre giving up a clear path to success to gamble your future on a boy who plays music in a basement? Do you have any idea what youre throwing away?
I stood at the door to the practice space, listening to Ashtons new melody, and whispered into the phone.
Dad, he has talent. I believe in him.
His potential consumed me. I spent every cent of my savings from years of internships on his first real professional guitara three-thousand-dollar instrument.
I ate cheap ramen for a month, but watching the pure, unadulterated joy in his eyes when he opened the case made it all feel worthwhile.
I leveraged every contact I had to book gigs.
To land a crucial sponsorship, I sat through endless, agonizing dinners, forcing down shots of high-proof liquor, my stomach churning, while plastering a convincing smile on my face.
Id stumble out of the hotel clutching the contract, throwing up as the cold air hit me. The next day, Id be back out there, popping pain meds, running to venues.
To generate buzz, I started using my own beauty influencer platformthe one Id painstakingly built over two yearsto promote them.
I edited their best performances into snappy short videos. I spent hours diverting my own hard-earned half-million followers, one by one, to his account.
Watching his follower count climb from three digits to five, I felt more excited than I did about my own success.
Skylar always used to tell me, Vera, you are too good to Ashton. Im almost jealous.
I realize now it wasn't jealousy. It was a possessive appraisal.
At one of the bands small victory parties, I walked into the venue and caught Skylar, drunk, sobbing into Ashtons shoulder, telling him shed been waiting for him all these years. The celebratory cake I was carrying crashed to the floor.
Ashton immediately pushed her away, stammering that Skylar was just drunk and talking nonsense.
I looked at Skylars tear-streaked face and Ashtons shifty eyes, feeling a spike of pure suspicion. But I forced myself to be the mature girlfriend. Its fine, I said. Childhood friendships run deep. I get it.
Then there was my birthday. Ashton promised a huge surprise. I waited until midnight, only to get a text saying, Last-minute band practice. Forgot.
I found out later he was with Skylar at the emergency room, helping her bandage a tiny cut from chopping vegetables.
Skylar even posted a picture on social media of Ashton sitting beside her, captioned: Glad I have you.
When I finally confronted him, he was dismissive.
Skylars always been dramatic about pain. I cant just abandon my oldest friend. You need to be mature, Vera. Dont be so petty.
To keep the peace, I retreated, again and again, convincing myself that they were just friends.
My tolerance, my quiet sacrifice, only fueled their relentless betrayal.
I opened my laptop, pulling up the financial reports for Ashton and Skylars company.
The hidden losses, the inflated metricsthese were the loopholes Id built into the structure back when I was helping them set up the business correctly.
I'd intended them to be guardrails for proper governance. Now, they were the exact blades I needed to shred their lies.
4
I was woken up the next afternoon by my phone ringing insistently.
It was Ashton.
I hit the answer button, but before I could speak, his voice erupted in a blind rage.
Vera Lane! Are you insane? You need to delete those recordings and release a statement saying yesterday was a huge misunderstanding! Or I will destroy your career!
I let out a slow, cold laugh and sat up in bed.
Destroy my career? Ashton, do you really think youre in a position to threaten me?
A position?
He sounded like Id told the funniest joke in the world.
I have the photos of you drinking with sponsors to get money for the band. And the chat logs. I release those, and you think your fans are still going to love the Queen of the Live Sell? Youll be the Escort Influencer who Sleeps for Sponsors!
I gripped the phone tightly.
The photos were from that one celebratory dinner, taken by a malicious employee. The chat logs were doctored, completely out of context. But he kept them. He saved them to use against me.
And listen carefully, he continued, his tone turning venomous.
Because of our three years, Ill give you one last chance. Go live right now and apologize to me. Take all the blame on yourself. Say you were jealous of Skylar and made up the lies. If you do this, I can get the heat off, and Ill even give you company resources. What do you say?
Skylars high-pitched voice chimed in nearby, adding fuel to the fire.
Thats right, Vera. Ashton is being so generous. Dont be stupid. If you miss this chance, you are completely finished.
Ashton returned to the line.
If you don't cooperate, Im sending this evidence to your parents and making sure you can never show your face in this city again! And thats not all, I have compromising photos of you that will make sure you never recover, ever!
That last sentence hit me hard.
My parents were quiet, simple people. They thought I was having a successful, easy life in the city. If they saw these vile, fabricated accusations, the worry and anxiety would crush them. Not to mention the judgmental gossip from their neighbors.
I hung up and immediately checked X.
Sure enough, #VeraLaneEscort and #VeraLaneSponsorScam were already trending.
Ashtons team had bought a massive wave of bots, flooding the comment sections with sludge like Get out of the industry, Disgusting, and She slept her way to the top.
Someone had even fabricated a convincing screenshot of me accepting a large bribe transfer.
My true fans were fighting back, desperately trying to clarify the timeline and debunk the rumors. But the onslaught was too aggressive, fueled by malicious gossip accounts.
Public opinion was already turning.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself into a state of chilling calm.
Did Ashton truly think this would break me? Did he believe he could use my past vulnerabilities and my family to force my surrender?
He was utterly naive.
He forgot that Vera Lane didn't reach this level of success through some shady deal; I earned it, one exhausting live stream at a time. The evidence he held was just a pathetic security blanket for his own cowardice.
I opened the chat with my lawyer, the tapping of my fingers on the screen firm and decisive.
Prepare the cease and desist. Also, gather all the backups of his companys financials. Its time for the world to see the real Ashton Cole.
First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "333206" to read the entire book.
MotoNovel
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