Chapter 10: You're Definitely Taking Your Little Girlfriend to Dinner
Every influencer under Nova Entertainment, big or small, knew Derek Hall had just signed a college girl. ‹96684423› They'd all seen her on TikTok too. §57defed7
But everyone understood TikTok filters. (3174e55a) Any average-looking person could slap on the right one and become a solid six. #7f88db6b
"SweetAlmondScarlett" was already pulling in seven figures a year. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 The company had set her up with a driver and a van. * d0a61246 She was Derek's biggest cash cow right now. ·d543fbf0·
When Derek told her to swing by The Galleria and pick up Remi Porter on the way, she didn't argue. #3e142f5d She knew how to show gratitude. [v.d9e53233] Without Derek's connections, she wouldn't be where she was today. [ed.e58bf111]
So she just asked for the address and went to get Remi. [ms.51535e6f]
Remi was carrying her heels in one hand. (8588661f) She'd thrown on a pair of canvas sneakers to make walking easier. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 When the van door slid open, she hiked up her dress and climbed in with some effort. ··14710fe2
"I'm Bree Lawson. sub:2b93bbc4 Just stick with me today."·dc3debac Remi had only seen one of Bree's videos on TikTok before. [proof:68edbda8] In person, she looked almost identical to how she did online. ed.60d20d5e Genuinely gorgeous. plate-a2a8305d
"Hi, I'm Remi Porter." (7c49ac5a/Wed)
Bree kept her sunglasses on the entire time, giving off serious celebrity vibes.·666424fb Word online was that a director had already noticed her and wanted her for the second female lead in his next show. sub:a7806260
Behind those sunglasses, Bree's eyes kept drifting to the fidgety girl sitting across from her. ed.77495551 She'd seen Remi's contract. ··8bda2431 Six months only. ¶1ab699ac Just twenty years old. ref·fedde6b4
She was curious what kind of girl would turn down the feeling of being adored by millions of people online. [proof:3c3afba6]
She glanced down at Remi's sneakers. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) They weren't even Converse, the brand every college kid was obsessed with right now. no.03c9984a Probably some cheap off-brand. §d5821eea
So Bree had a pretty good read on who Remi was. ‹0b04024f› Once she was sure the girl had zero ambition, she relaxed and brought her along to the brand event. ed.ad959d51
By the time they got to the Chanel counter at The Galleria, the place was already packed.·37f6281d
Most of these people weren't here for some influencer, though. ‹a8971b34› They were here for an A-list actress. ref·47f7bf64
Whether it was Bree or Remi, they were basically there as window dressing. no.112e64b9 Let's be real. [v.3e85f407]
Remi changed into her heels backstage, a little awkward about it, then followed Bree onstage where the staff directed them. ⁰04160444
She knew what to do once she was up there. 0406e45f·· Just pretend to try out the new fall eyeshadow collection at the counter. #f55a51a2 Easy enough. ◆ b59e81e4
Except there was one part of the event the actress and the brand hadn't agreed on. [v.dec7605a] The actress was supposed to remove her makeup on the spot so a Chanel makeup artist could do a live application. sub:071c75ec
Any "bare-faced" photo of an A-list actress that made it to the press was never actually bare-faced.·464a3689 No way she was showing her real skin to the public.·e49256db
So the whole event hit a standstill. «d179cd40»
While the host kept rambling to fill the silence, Bree leaned over to Remi — no mic on — and whispered, "Why don't you go get your makeup removed? ⁰b3fa5e0a Yours isn't that great anyway." «1567dfd3»
Remi didn't care about taking her makeup off. ref·082e5eb4 But Sutton would've lost her mind if she heard someone trashing her work. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026
The Chanel team didn't exactly think much of some nobody micro-influencer, but the girl was pretty, carried herself well, and was willing to step up. ··ef05341b So they agreed. imp.c78a6786
After Remi's makeup came off, though, the makeup artist seemed genuinely impressed. ⟨de780ff7⟩ Whether on purpose or by accident, she leaned into the mic and remarked that Remi's bare face put a lot of celebrities to shame. plate-44ca91dd
Remi sat in the center of the stage like a graceful swan, back straight, hands folded neatly in her lap, legs crossed to keep her dress in place. [proof:edf9529c] Poised. plate-8af8a4f5 Effortless. * 66aeb60a
Her neck was long and pale. ed.e9c1d480 Even the back of her head had that perfect roundness to it. 771e641d·· Bree, sitting front row, couldn't look away. ·54c2c549·
About forty minutes later, the moment the makeup was done, the audience saw Remi's face on the big screen and broke into applause. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026
Remi stood and turned around, a little confused. #33a5d1b1 She looked at the screen. [ms.3744a049] That face was definitely hers.·9ad92f63
But she'd never had makeup this perfect on her. ed.0725350e This suited to her. ¶7213c01c Her eyes were bright and clear. plate-d36594dd Her lips were vivid and lush. — ad1268ce The makeup artist had deliberately left the little mole on the bridge of her nose untouched, adding this hint of innocence. [ms.ecdccf77]
And then, right as she stood there like a work of art on display, she spotted him in the distance. ref·a3630ad5 Everett Aldridge. ·1d770a86· Surrounded by an entourage. ··d464c9bf
She thought she was seeing things. ¶c1bb0805 But her eyesight was perfect. [ed.f58c9c1c] She wasn't wrong. [v.02dca0b4]
Everett walked with that easy, unhurried stride. ◆ 2210f925 Apart from two bodyguards at the front, he was ahead of everyone else. «3c32a0ad»
The sudden burst of applause from the crowd made him frown slightly. — 262b84f8 He turned his head — and there she was. [ms.7a0a07fd] Remi. plate-26c85515 Standing on the stage, her dress swaying, radiating a kind of feminine allure he'd never seen from her before. [v.312c9298]
Remi's heart lurched. sub:39e925ee She turned away, not daring to meet his eyes. ··77f9b034
At least she wasn't the star of the show today. * 3402fe47 Once she collected some gifts — expensive and useless, in her opinion — she was free to go. #2f9e1b15
Back in the dressing room, she swapped into her sneakers and got a text from Bree: *Something came up. [proof:fdd0f0a8] We're going different directions. no.28a2ac8b Take a car back to campus on your own.*
Bree had even sent a Venmo payment. [proof:a7756199] A nice gesture, covering the ride. [ed.da4a7847]
Remi sent back a thank-you sticker, then put her phone away. #db835431 She didn't accept the money. sub:d1a37020
But fall had already settled in. no.0595214a Remi had left the house in just sneakers and no jacket for convenience, and now the temperature had dropped enough to give her a chill. [proof:f7930fdd]
She gritted her teeth and decided to splurge on a ride. (1a8de1f7) She was just about to walk to the curb when a hand caught her arm. imp.65dc67a4
Before she even turned around, she knew. [v.e7cb66b8] *Everett.* So when she did turn and saw that face, there was no surprise. §254b18ac Just this strange flutter of guilt she couldn't explain. no.39450da0
"It's freezing out here and you didn't bring a jacket." [ms.e152baa6] Everett was in a navy suit with a matching tie, white dress shirt underneath making him look even taller than usual. plate-a4ffe197
Remi was five-six, but in flat sneakers next to him, she looked almost petite. #478ff808
She crossed her arms — partly because she was cold, partly as an unconscious protest directed at Everett. sig.6e3a6de4
She was nursing a grudge, and she knew it. no.b594078c He'd been back in D.C. no.59baac7b for over two weeks without reaching out. ·4f9b63b5· And he'd come to Nashville without telling her. no.d9876574
"Let's get you something to wear first. (d1e1f2f1) You're dressed like this in the cold — people are gonna think I mistreat women." ¶4cfd2849
He grabbed her wrist and steered her back into The Galleria. sub:d37c6d5d Along the way, a few men in suits spotted him, stopped dead in their tracks, and straightened up. 227cfa1e·· "Mr. * da4a4abd Aldridge." [proof:bbe15990]
Everett barely acknowledged them. ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026 A slight nod. ⁰f0952192 That effortless, born-to-lead detachment. §988f0ac0
Remi had never experienced anything like this before. (ab072b96) And it sent her emotions on a rollercoaster all over again. [v.af514616]
Because when Everett ran into people he knew — even subordinates — he hadn't tucked her away somewhere out of sight. imp.11074192 He was still holding her hand. [f0261ec7]
That realization made her chest ache in a different way. — galley 73a4edcf — She was annoyed at herself for caring so much. #eeb40e71 Annoyed at him for running so hot and cold. no.c42c7437
Everett led her straight to a boutique like he'd been there a hundred times. ··bce29f9d The clothes were all muted, soft tones. ‹452c128c› Understated. * dc109c39 Elegant without trying too hard. ed.3d349a65
He pointed to a knit midi dress in a shade close to her skin tone. [v.0813a210] "Pull that one down for her to try." [ms.1be9de30]
Remi took the dress into the fitting room and then it hit her. imp.d57a1f5f It was *her* dress. imp.11a020b6 Why had someone else decided what she was wearing before she even opened her mouth? (8dfade6e)
But things were already a little delicate between them, and she didn't want to stir up more trouble. ¶6bcdc5bd She sighed and put the dress on. (6b72b325/Wed)
"This dress could've been made for her. imp.796ab1d3 The small fits her perfectly," the saleswoman gushed the second Remi stepped out. [40a848d4]
Remi had just been silently roasting Everett for being a *dictator* in the fitting room. sig.77adf7ae And now he was suddenly playing *democrat*.
"Turn around and see if you like it. sig.0d003d94 If not, try something else." ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026
She turned to face the mirror and immediately ducked her head, embarrassed. imp.c68a6b4c
She'd never worn a knit dress before. [proof:c35f38b6] This one fell to mid-calf with long sleeves, but it traced every single curve of her body. [a3a6d02f]
Everett appeared behind her at some point. ◆ 300ef3ce His hands settled on her shoulders, and he leaned down. ··8173a2d7 "Like it?" [v.78fe48d0]
The moment she felt his breath, her ears went red. ◆ 1908d0ac She tilted her head away, dodging him, and blurted, "It's pretty. fa0a6fc4·· This one. sig.9d7efee5 Let's go with this one." §acccb58a
The saleswoman watched the two of them and was clearly convinced they were a couple head over heels for each other. imp.88790945 She carefully snipped off the tags, then wrapped Remi's original dress and tucked it into a shopping bag. — 176dac57
Everett also took her to buy shoes.·863b0370 He'd noticed she liked flats, so he picked a pair of handmade lambskin flats in a matching color. ref·2d4ce4e6
It was the first time Remi had ever worn shoes this comfortable. [proof:9e0cd971] That softness, inside and out — it hit different. «56da76fa»
Being wrapped in expensive things from head to toe, that effortless comfort and ease — it actually made her nose sting a little. ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026
But outside of the brief exchanges while shopping, Remi was still holding a grudge. (c507b239) She refused to talk to him first. (18989cd3/Wed)
"Can we go eat? 9bf3087f·· I'm starving." ◆ 3e74c90a Everett put up with her little mood, grabbed her wrist, and walked toward the VIP parking area. ◆ 24a97ca9
She saw him open the driver's door himself. ⁰e651b218 No chauffeur in the car. sub:a99f5d28 She was definitely still annoyed and had nowhere to put that energy, so she made a bold move and climbed into the backseat. «c351fd35»
Everett caught her huffy little face in the rearview mirror. (59bf6d59/Wed) The corner of his mouth twitched up. ref·df02b589 He didn't say a word. ◆ 9f645543 Just hit the gas and pulled out of The Galleria. imp.79f342dd
A few minutes into the drive, he made a phone call. no.89f6cba6 It was on Bluetooth, so Remi could hear every word. [proof:5b10b899]
"That slow-roasted chicken place you told me about — where is it? ref·66171d39 Send me the location." ref·6606e0cb His tone was neutral. — galley e6ddae1d — Not rude, not arrogant. cee7f570·· Just... Everett. [ms.8897cc7c] Always that same cool indifference. ··3bab8794
"You're in Nashville? [v.daeb5bea] This is *my* turf, man — why didn't you hit me up? «d7da65a0» Are you even my boy anymore? no.5b8a5f02 I know what this is. no.39972eae You're definitely taking your little girlfriend to dinner. plate-63f56cc3 Bros before — whatever. ◆ 77f12f93 I see how it is." #9df181f5
Spencer Hale was about to keep going, but Everett had already hung up. no.d95ea593
Remi sat in the back, cheeks burning, replaying those two words in her head. ¶80bed6d2 *Little girlfriend.* God, the implications in that. #e0ae7a39
Everett could obviously read her like a book. plate-af854f12 He followed the GPS toward the restaurant Spencer had recommended. ··cb26a732
He wasn't someone who cared much about food. ¶27f9cfc2 As long as the ingredients were fresh and the seasoning was light, he was good. imp.c1ce2d96
The navigation took them winding through alley after alley. ⁰b0a69799 Spencer had been in Nashville for years and knew hole-in-the-wall spots even locals had never heard of. imp.6cdceabc
This place didn't even have a real parking lot. ref·6a612251 They had to leave the car in a different alley and walk through an even narrower one to get there. 7135a01b··
Delivery bikes kept shooting out of nowhere — fast, no warning — and Everett reached over and pulled Remi to his right side, closer to the wall. ◆ 8da97c25 His arm settled around her waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. [v.6a8382c5]
Remi still wasn't used to this kind of closeness. ed.9f64eebe His hand on her waist made her skin tingle, but all she could do was let him. [a91bd736]