周六. 11 月 22nd, 2025

After the Quake

Blurb:

On the biggest night of her career, Jasmine’s world shatters when a viral pregnancy video exposes her secret at the Academy Awards. All eyes turn to Grayson Kingsley – Hollywood’s most powerful mogul – as reporters demand to know if he’s the father. Six years after Grayson chose his childhood sweetheart Sienna over Jasmine during an earthquake crisis, the former couple’s paths violently collide again. Now Sienna, secure in her position as Grayson’s fiancée, orchestrates a public humiliation on the red carpet while Jasmine fights to protect her hard-won career and hidden truth. In a world where dating Grayson Kingsley guarantees fame, Jasmine remains the only woman who nearly got blacklisted for their relationship. As Hollywood’s elite watch the drama unfold, long-buried secrets threaten to destroy the Kingsley empire and everyone connected to it.

Content:

The night I accepted the Academy Award, my haters dropped a bomb,a video of me, unmistakably pregnant, my belly swollen.

The auditorium erupted. Every reporter was on their feet, shouting some version of the same question, Miss Jasmine, who is the father?

My eyes found Grayson in the front row. His face was a portrait of stunned disbelief.

Always so controlled, so untouchableit was the first time anyone had ever seen him truly rattled in public.

I turned my smile to the cameras, my voice cutting clearly through the chaos. “I don’t have a child.”

The moment Grayson chose his childhood sweetheart over me during that earthquake, it was over. There would never be anything between us again.



Just before I stepped out of the limo onto the red carpet, my agent, Sarah, had gripped my arm, her voice low and intense.

“If you see Sienna you walk. Do not engage. We cannot afford another public incident.”

What choice did I have? Sienna’s benefactor was Grayson.

The Kingsley family practically owned half of Hollywood.

A crude but accurate saying used to circulate in this town,

Want fame? Date Grayson.

Crude, but true.

Any woman even vaguely associated with Grayson Kingsley found her career magically skyrocketing.

Except for me.

I was the only one who had been his publicly acknowledged girlfriend and nearly got blacklisted for it.

Because I’d dared to cross his precious Sienna.

For six years after that, no matter how hard I worked, no matter how much audiences praised my performances, I never took home a single trophy.

Being the perpetual runner-up sanded down every sharp edge I had.

I stopped appearing at events where Sienna was present. Any script she showed interest in, I’d politely decline, citing scheduling conflicts.

Maybe my silent surrender finally paid off. Or maybe, now that she and Grayson were practically engaged, they saw me as less of a threat.

So this time, they allowed a trophy to slip into my hands.

When Sarah got the news, her voice broke with emotion.

She said, “Jasmine, the long winter is finally over.”

Grayson was finally willing to let me go.

Even though the breakup hadn’t been my fault, I knew better than to fight Grayson Kingsley.

I’d surrendered long ago.

Sarah’s warning about Sienna was still hanging in the air when Sienna herself glided over, all saccharine smiles and false warmth, inviting me to walk the red carpet with her.

The King of Hollywood’s former muse and his current flame, side by side? The tabloids would have a field day with that photo alone.

I knew exactly what she was doing.

I knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn’t just looking to showcase her current victory, she was setting the stage to humiliate me from every angle.

Not just because she was Grayson’s chosen one now, but also because we were both wearing gowns from the same designer.

Hers, of course, was a pristine, just-off-the-runway creation.

Mine was from Last season’s collection.

I could already envision the headlines and social media posts her team would plant, mocking my “desperation” and “faded glory.”.

But it didn’t matter. I had never entered this race to compete with her on a sartorial level.

And I had long since given up any foolish hope that Grayson would ever look my way again.

If she wanted to be the radiant, attention-commanding bloom, I’d be the quiet, unassuming leaf beside her.

Sienna, however, seemed dissatisfied with my passive acceptance.

She leaned in close under the guise of adjusting her posture, her whisper a venomous dart aimed straight for my composure. “Jasmine, did you know Grayson would be here tonight?”

I didn’t.

Grayson and I had been completely severed from each other’s lives since the day I ended it.

Yet, the sound of his name, uttered in her triumphant tone, caused my step to falter for a single, betraying heartbeat.

Sienna caught it, her smile sharpening into something cruel. “Don’t get any ideas. He’s here for me. Not you.”

“I know.”

Even though the Kingsleys name was synonymous with Hollywood power, Grayson himself had never once attended a major industry event before tonight.

Not even during what I had thought were the happiest moments of our relationship. He had never came for me.

Sienna added, the statement a final, triumphant blow. “Grayson and I are getting married soon.”

I simply nodded, turning to offer her a smile that I hoped looked genuinely placid. “I wish you both every happiness.”

Perhaps my utter lack of reaction bored her. Or perhaps she was simply eager to find Grayson.

The moment the red carpet procession ended, she vanished into the glittering crowd, leaving me behind.

I continued my dutiesposing for the endless sea of photographers, answering inane questions with practiced, polite answers.

Remarkably, not a single reporter mentioned Grayson’s name.

Our relationship had been explosive, front-page news in its day, but its end had been a quiet, tabloid-friendly implosion.

Grayson, one of the two central figures, had found out he’d been unceremoniously dumped via a trending social media hashtag.

That infamous televised interview the host had been poised to ask another soft question about “Hollywood’s golden couple.”

But I’d looked directly into the camera and said, my voice chillingly calm, “It’s over.”

No warning. No explanation.

Just two words that shattered a very public illusion and, I later learned, a very private man.

Grayson called me once after it happened.

No explanations demanded. No apologies offered. Not even a single ‘why?’

His voice was ice cold, simply confirming, “Is this your final decision?”

I had whispered back, “Yes.”

A beat of heavy silence, then the definitive click of the line going dead.

I had expected fury.

Raised as royalty in this town, accustomed to the world bending to his will, he had been publicly humiliated.

And I’d dared to dump him, publicly, without a shred of warning.

The hashtag #GraysonDumped had trended for seventy-two solid hours.

Grayson never lifted a finger to have it removed.

My agency, terrified of the Kingsley wrath, had tried to bury it. It would vanish for minutes, only to resurface with more force.

That wasn’t a sign of his embarrassment. It wasa calculated warning.

And the consequences were swift. My career plummeted into a six-year freeze.

Six long years for Grayson’s displeasure to finally thaw. Six years until his impending engagement to Sienna made me a forgotten relic.

The memories rushed back, a dizzying tide.

The host had to call my name twice before I surfaced from them.

The auditorium was applauding. Through the forest of clapping hands, my eyes found the front row.

Sienna sat there, preening.

Beside her sat an empty seat.

It bore no name card, but everyone knew it was reserved for Grayson.

He hadn’t arrived yet.

Good, I thought. It spared us both the excruciating spectacle.

But as I ascended the stage steps, my acceptance speech mentally queued, I looked up C and there he was, seated perfectly straight in the once-empty chair, as if he had materialized from the shadows.

Years had only honed his aura C more imposing, more untouchable.

Our eyes met across the gilded room. His gaze was a void, offering no recognition, as if I were a complete stranger.

I squared my shoulders and began my speech, my voice gracious and poised.

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By cocoxs