Chapter 51: Viral In Hours

"Are you sure?" she whispered, staring down at her guitar strings, still trying to digest the praise. "What if it’s too raw? What if people think I’m just trying to copy her?"

"Copy her?" I chuckled, leaning in closer with a hyped-up grin. "Ruby, you wrote it. Her version sounds like cheap plastic compared to what you just did. Trust me, this is going to shatter expectations."

As I kept showering her with genuine praise, Ruby’s cheeks flushed a deep, burning crimson. My sudden enthusiasm and close proximity sent her mind into a tailspin. She sat there squirming on the couch like a completely lovesick maiden, her eyes darting between my lips and my eyes, her fingers nervously twirling a lock of hair.

"I... I mean, if you say so," she stammered, her voice dropping to a barely audible breath. She was practically melting into the cushions right next to me, her heart visibly beating against her chest as the proximity completely flustered her. "If you like it that much... I’ll post it right now."

"Post it," I urged, giving her a reassuring nod.

With trembling, blush-tinted fingers, she tapped the upload button, sending her unfiltered acoustic cover straight onto the brand-new account. The video went live, floating into the vast ocean of the internet—a silent acoustic grenade waiting to blow up Hailey’s entire career.

---

Meanwhile, inside the ultra-exclusive Beverly Hills salon, Hailey sat like a queen on her throne. Stylists hovered around her like modern-day servants—one meticulously foiling her blonde highlights, another polishing her acrylics, while a third catered to her every whim with fresh mimosa refills.

"Oh, Hailey, your new single is literally taking over TikTok," one of the junior stylists cooed, practically melting with praise. "You’re just... an icon."

Hailey smirked at her reflection in the gilded mirror, admiring her own image while lazily scrolling through her feed. "Obviously," she replied, her tone laced with pure, unfiltered sass. "It’s called actual talent. Some people are just born to be stars."

The soothing hum of hairdryers and soft salon jazz was suddenly cut short by a faint, crisp acoustic guitar melody drifting from the corner station.

A young assistant was staring at her phone, completely spellbound as a hauntingly beautiful voice poured through the speaker. It was a stripped-down, raw acoustic cover of Hailey’s chart-topping hit—except every pitch was immaculate, every word dripped with genuine soul, and the sheer emotional depth put Hailey’s polished auto-tuned version to shame.

"Wait, guys... turn this up," a celebrity hair colorist across the room said, stepping away from her client. "Who is this girl? She’s singing Hailey’s song, but... wow. This gives me absolute chills."

"Right?!" the assistant blurted out excitedly, showing the screen to the rest of the salon staff. "It just popped up on my feed like five minutes ago and it’s already blowing up! It’s gaining thousands of likes every second! Hailey, you have to see this! One of your fans just did the most insane vocal cover of your track!"

Hailey scoffed, turning her head with an annoyed roll of her eyes. "Please. Thousands of nobodies try to cover my—"

She stopped dead in her tracks.

The moment the camera angle on the screen tilted slightly, revealing the soft-spoken girl with the acoustic guitar, Hailey’s heart plunged into her stomach.

It wasn’t a fan.

It was Ruby.

The very maid she had tried to intimidate over the phone. The ghost-writer who was supposed to be hiding in the dark, bowing to her father’s control. But here she was—radiant, breathtaking, and effortlessly out-singing Hailey on her own flagship track.

"She literally sounds better than the original..." someone nearby whispered in genuine awe, completely unaware of the storm brewing.

A white-hot wave of fury exploded behind Hailey’s eyes. The fake, polished celebrity smile instantly shattered into pure, demonic rage.

Before the assistant could even react, Hailey lunged out of her chair, snatched the phone straight out of the girl’s hands, and slammed it down onto the marble floor with all her strength.

CRACK!

The glass shattered into a hundred pieces, cutting the music off instantly. The entire salon went dead silent, stylists dropping their scissors and brushes in absolute shock.

Hailey stood there panting, her chest heaving, her perfectly manicured nails trembling with anger as she stared down at the broken screen.

"Clean that trash up!" Hailey shrieked, her voice echoing off the salon walls as her illusion of control violently crumbled.

Hailey stormed out of the salon, ignoring the stunned looks of the stylists, and yanked her phone out as she slammed the door of her luxury car. Tears of pure rage leaked down her face, ruining her fresh makeup.

She dialed her father’s direct line, her fingers shaking against the screen. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hailey, sweetie? What’s wrong?" Travis asked, instantly picking up on her frantic breathing.

"Daddy!" Hailey sobbed, dropping the sassy act completely and sounding like a helpless child. "It’s Ruby! That disgusting little maid is trying to ruin my life! She posted a video online singing my song—and people are watching it! It’s going viral, Daddy, they’re comparing us! She’s trying to destroy my career!"

On the other end of the line, Travis’s posture went rigid behind his massive mahogany desk. His eyes narrowed, a dark, dangerous calm settling over his face as he processed her words. He had already lost hundreds of thousands in debt settlements to us, and now the ghost-writer he thought he had crushed was stepping into the light.

"Shh, dry your eyes, Hailey," Travis said, his voice dropping into a smooth, cold register as he tried to comfort her. "Don’t waste a single tear on that ungrateful girl."

"You have to do something!" she whined, gripping the steering wheel. "Take it down! Settle her! Throw her in jail! I don’t care, just make it stop!"

"I’ll handle it," Travis replied, his tone laced with absolute malice. "She thinks she can play in the big leagues because some arrogant kid is backing her. I made Ruby, and I can destroy her twice as fast. Go get your hair finished, sweetie. I’m taking care of this right now."

He hung up the phone and immediately tapped his intercom. "Get my legal team and corporate security on the line. Now."