Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

Chapter 493

Jay frowned, his patience running thin. "Unless what? Spit it out, Karl!"

Karl hesitated and then said, "Unless we track down those two top guns from last year's CyberCon. But

good luck with that—one's off the grid, and the other, well, goes by the handle 'Aster.' She doesn't

come cheap. Her rate? A million dollars for a single gig."

"And get this, some folks mix her up with Astrid, the actress. I'm worried they might be the same

person," Karl added with a note of concern in his voice.

Jay burst into laughter. "Come on, you think Astrid is Aster? Why in the world would she bother acting

when hacking's like printing money?" Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Boss, you got a point, but Astrid's a genius. Anything could be true with her," Karl replied, only to

notice Jay had gone quiet, engrossed in his phone.

Karl waited, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach. After a tense few seconds, Jay let out a

mocking chuckle. "Look at this—found a CyberCon video right here. This Aster? She's nothing like

Astrid. Taller, darker skin... You're telling me they're the same person?"

Karl was at a loss for words. He had scrutinized those videos himself, where most hackers, including

Aster, were masked. There was no resemblance.

But with the two names just one letter apart, he couldn't help but worry.

"Get in touch with Aster," Jay commanded, a new resolve in his voice. "If she can dig up what Astrid's

been up to all these years, I'm willing to up the price to one and a half million dollars."

Karl dared not argue and quickly left.

Meanwhile, the online world was abuzz.

The real culprit was exposed, and it was time for Maddox to unmask.

Hiding behind the crew, Maddox prayed Astrid would forget him.

However, the chat was relentless. [Unmask! Unmask! Mr. Maddox, no hiding!]

[Astar, drag him out!]

[A man's gotta honor his bets, Maddox. Show yourself!]

Astrid tilted her head, spotting Maddox huddled in the crowd, and her lips curled into a smirk. "Mr.

Maddox, why the hide and seek? You made a promise, and breaking it wouldn't look good, would it?"

Elio chimed in, "Mr. Maddox, a man's only as good as his word."

Maddox shivered at Elio's tone.

There was no escaping it.

Elio might seem amiable on the show, but few knew the extent of his influence.

The Elio standing before Astrid was not the same man known to the industry elites.

With a heavy sigh, Maddox trudged forward.

All cameras in the room swung towards him, and the online audience widened their eyes in

anticipation.

Under the collective gaze, Maddox lifted his hand and slowly took off his mask. The chat exploded with

a flood of [OMG!!! So hot!]

[Damn, I used to be all about Mr. Maddox's talent, but now I'm head over heels for this man—back off,

he's mine!]

[Deadly handsome! He could've just coasted on his looks, but no, he's all about the talent!]

[Is it just me, or does he kinda look like Dale?]

[Ladies, I didn't see it before, but now that you mention it... Aren't they buddies?]

[Is this that 'couple's face' thing? Sorry, I don't know what I'm saying!]

[From today on, I'm a hardcore Maddox face fan!]