Konnor's actual hope was straightforward. He wanted Aresdra to take a few photos wearing the jewelry, ideally while it was still available for sale.
Nova had already read his intentions clearly. Konnor wanted Aresdra as a model for his stream and his online store. The twenty percent premium he had offered was not generosity but an endorsement fee in disguise.
Aresdra was heading toward a career where endorsement offers would become routine. But Nova did not think she needed to take on informal arrangements like this one, especially not now.
He declined politely but firmly. If Konnor genuinely wanted the jewelry, he was welcome to buy it at market price. Nova was even open to a modest discount. The endorsement side of things, however, was not on the table.
It was nothing personal. They had only just met, and Nova had no way of knowing what kind of products Konnor actually sold through his store or how he treated his buyers. If Aresdra took a few photos and Konnor later got called out for selling poor-quality goods, she would be pulled into it too, regardless of how small her involvement had been.
Compared to the entertainment world Nova had known in his past life, the industry here was still relatively young. That gap gave him a kind of foresight he would not have had otherwise. He had seen well-regarded public figures spend years defending themselves over a single endorsement that turned sour. Aresdra did not need to start her career carrying that kind of risk.
His first lesson for her, before she stepped into that world, was a simple one: guard your reputation. It was worth more than any short-term payment.
On the other end of the call, Konnor took the refusal without complaint. He expressed understanding, said he genuinely valued the connection, and confirmed he was still willing to purchase the jewelry at the twenty percent premium he had originally offered. Just to make a friend, he said.
Aresdra watched the exchange with a slightly dazed expression.
She was fifteen. The back-and-forth between adults operating with competing interests was not something she had much experience reading yet.
What she had just witnessed made very little sense to her on the surface. Nova was the seller, and he had turned down an offer that seemed to benefit him. Konnor had his request refused, and his response was to raise the price. Neither of them had behaved the way she would have expected.
Nova spent a few minutes walking her through it while keeping up the pleasantries with Konnor on the side.
Konnor had already provided a service by helping them appraise the jewelry. In return, Aresdra and Nova's presence had given his stream a noticeable boost in viewership. Add in the goodwill from Jacinth Hall's introduction, and both sides had already exchanged something of value.
After that, Nova could sell the jewelry to anyone he chose. Konnor's high offer was not simply about the price difference he could earn by reselling. It was bait. The best outcome for him would have been Aresdra agreeing to take photos and endorse his store. If that did not work, buying the jewelry under the banner of "making a friend" still left Aresdra feeling like she owed him something, which made it easier to invite her back to his stream later.
The boost in views and attention that Aresdra had already generated made the cost of the premium a minor consideration. For Konnor, this kind of friendship was a very safe investment.
After Nova finished explaining, Aresdra stared at him for a long moment. There was open admiration in her eyes.
She reached over and ruffled his hair lightly, then leaned in as if she were actually trying to see something inside his head.
"You're only nine months older than me. How did so much more fit inside your brain than mine?"
Nova kept his expression neutral.
Only nine months older? If she could see past the surface, she would find someone running on more than a decade of experience navigating situations far more complicated than this one. Without that background, he would have had no more idea than she did.
Not that he could explain any of that.
Aresdra gave up trying to see through his scalp and flopped back against the sofa with a dejected look.
"Then what do I do?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm about to go to the Auditions. But after watching you two just now, I realized I don't understand any of this. What if I get taken advantage of and don't even realize it's happening?"
It was a fair concern. Nova had seen exactly that play out many times in the entertainment world of his past life, where promising newcomers were signed to long, poorly worded contracts at very low rates before they understood what they were agreeing to. No support, no real pay, and exit clauses designed to be unusable. If a newcomer tried to leave, the company's legal team would pursue them for breach of contract. If they somehow succeeded despite everything, the company would take credit for developing them. Either way, the contract was a cage.
The industry here had not reached that level of sophistication yet. But even in a less developed form, it was still easy for established companies and well-connected families to quietly take advantage of someone who did not know how things worked.
The fact that Aresdra could see the problem at fifteen put her well ahead of many young entertainers who only understood their situation after it was too late to change it.
"Be careful with anything you're asked to sign," Nova said. "It doesn't matter how minor it looks. Send it to me first, every time. If something someone asks you to do feels wrong, contact me immediately. If I can't reply in time, just refuse. It will start to make more sense the more you go through it."
The worry in Aresdra's expression cleared almost immediately. She let out a small laugh, reached for his hand, and curled her little finger around his.
"Pinky promise. Whatever Aresdra does from now on, she checks with Silly first."
Nova was glad she had taken it seriously. He was even more glad that she trusted him so completely and without hesitation.
When her finger linked with his, his heart gave a sudden, embarrassing lurch that he was fairly sure had no rational explanation.
He shook it off and tried to think clearly.
Then, out of nowhere, something clicked.
I've been an idiot.
All this time spent distracted over Robbin's escape, and he had completely missed something that had been sitting right in front of him the whole time.