Unfortunately, That Was Something Madisyn Could Relate To. One Day She Was On Top, Was Social Media Royalty,

Unfortunately, that was something Madisyn could relate to. One day she was on top, was social media royalty, and even without the help of the scandals Dominik had dragged her into, Mads could acknowledge she wasn't some twenty year old dancing on TikTok, thus earning some lucrative TV show deal, that her shining star would fade one day. No longer the hot new thing, she was, according to the comments she read as part of her morning routine, an awful, selfish has-been, who had a mental breakdown and now lives on a farm in Illinois.

Though she didn't have a mental breakdown, thank-you-very-much. A change in career was an extremely stable and sane choice to make.

The comment about the brand new baby, hwoeevr? Her mind flashed to Lucas — a true Judas indeed — and her smile strained. "Well, mama must be a fool if she thinks these newbies have anything on the OG." She made a point of placing the book she swiped into her overfilling basket. "But by the looks of things, you're still more loved if you got the nice covers, means someone in marketing must have a thing for you." And she playfully wiggled her eyebrows.

"Oh these? Just broadening my horizons. Getting into cooking...gardening." She slyly glanced down, "Murder." Sure, it was a lie, but Madi wasn't exactly going to tell a writer she was buying books to shove on a shelf and not crack open the spine.

What she had not needed yet adored was another stoking the easily flammable vanity that could rage on like an uncontained wildfire in the midst of a drought. Some people were touchy, sensitive and others were not. It was always a hit or miss when interacting with the public and how one might perceive your actions. As a somewhat public figure and in need of the public for keeping her income going, Eliana always did her best not to put a bad taste in their mouths. Which was one of the reasons she had an alter ego when it came to misbehaving, or really anything that would taint her reputation. And there was a lot of it.

A grin curved her mouth as the other picked up one of her books. Ellie's photo was on the back along with a small blurb about the author. So, she had to be cautious with this move. "They're mine, yeah. It's hard when you're no longer than brand new shiny thing," she'd playfully claimed with a light huff and roll of her eyes. "It's like mama brought home a brand new baby and I'm no longer the center of attention." At least her book was still on the front table six months post publishing. The compliment was reason for the blonde to preen. "Right? That's what I'm saying — covers are so important if you want to be showcased. No one wants something boring on display."

Then, Ellie noted the books the other was carrying, "what are you picking up today?" Not once had she ever been able to tamp down her curiosity.

Each coffee shop in this stupid town was proving to be worse than the last. It had gotten to the point that Madisyn eventually surrended her usual order, deciding to keep things simple with a black coffee with a seperate cup of soy milk on the side (because, it seemed, in the state of Illinois, no one taught them what the hell a 'splash' was).

Crave & Co was the main winner of this internal competition, and thus had come regularly, even if it was less of a coffee shop and more of a bakery, and Mads was always being offered some sort of sweet-treat with her drink that she kept politely declining. Today, whilst waiting for her order, scrolling through her Instagram feed religiously, she was noticed by someone. Madisyn straightened up, best camera smile on, ready to be adored by a fan, face dropping when the stranger asked for her opinion on muffins, of all things, full attention back to her screen. "Oh, no, I don't eat sugar. Or carbs. Or gluten." She listed, "But like, knock yourself out I guess."

— OPEN STARTER ! (CAPPING AT 4) @bluestarters

CRAVE & CO ; LATE MORNING

Lewys's sweet tooth got the better of him when he walked past Crave & Co for the very first time, just a week ago, being drawn inside the shop by the delicious smell of warm sugar. He hastily went in, bought himself a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee to have in the park, and found it to be the best day he'd had in Blue Harbour so far.

He was back today, eager to try something new, so as he stood in the queue, Lewys surveyed the sweet treats that were displayed in the glass cabinet. There were so many choices and every single item looked utterly delectable. As the queue began to get shorter, the decision of what to buy became harder and Lewys found himself in need of someone else's opinion.

"Excuse me?" He piped up, grabbing the attention of the person in front of him. "But have you tried the muffins? I'm not much of a fan of them in general, but I was wondering if they tasted as good as they looked."

MADISYN: well like maybe she finds it totes rude that your calling her a milf 🙄

MADISYN: $200? For fucking aurora?

JEANIE: The real milf would KNOW she's the milf smh 😒 JEANIE: Does your friend have $200 for a vip deposit?

Whilst it was tempting to threaten Grace with legal jargon, Madi knew that if word got out that she had spoken to a lawyer about her former business partner harassing her, then it wouldn’t be good for her once it hit the Trending section of X, formerly known as Twitter. The past year had taught Madi that there was such thing as bad press, and she was fucking tired of seeing photos of her in drama channel thumbnails on YouTube. “No one would believe that I’m getting harassed though, she probably already has sneaky little tricks up her sleeves to look better off anyway.” Just like the first time. “And she’ll see you talking to her as, like, permission to ruin my life even more.”

She perused the menu, frowning at the amount of carbs on offer, peeking up at Grayson at his next suggestion. “God, what are we? In high school?” Madisyn placed the menu back down again. “I’m not the weird stalker here, I don’t know where she lives, but she's probably got a telescope set up pointing right at my bedroom.” Perhaps she was being a tad dramatic, but Grace was very unpredictable, and Madsiyn was simply considering every possibility. “Could I get like, Beyoncé level security for the farm? The llamas don’t deserve this harassment.”

In a place like La Galleria he had a regular table and his favorites on the menu. Grayson didn't even have to look anymore and most of the staff had come to know him and his particular tastes. Which weren't complicated. The only issue was the occasional newbie asking if he wanted to see the wine list or if he wanted to order a drink. While Madisyn had stepped away for a phone call he'd ordered sparkling mineral water for the table and the fresh bread. One of his favorite things was the olive oil and vinegar with roasted garlic to dip it in.

"No worries," he said glancing up when she'd returned to the table. There was a big case going to trial next week and he was going through some updated documents on his phone, but then set aside when his company had returned. "Well, first... what's she doing? Did you find anything out about why she's here?" Part of him wanted say 'besides the obvious' but the attorney in him wanted direct comments. "At the moment we might be able to scare her with the word harassment."

A cease and desist was also a thought but he needed something concrete to have his office draft up that letter and serve her with it. Not that he didn't have another idea, one more simple... "Want me to talk to her? Unofficially, but mention that I'm your lawyer? That tends to caution people." Though he was aware that a woman like Grace Conners likely had a big team of lawyers behind her. "We could also egg and TP her house..."

God, Madisyn should have known from day one that Grace was a freaky stalker. It all seemed off from the jump, from how her publicist pushed for those fucking health bar with Madi's face and name on them, meeting up with the blonde and her Cheshire cat grin. And ultimately, how this shrill British bitch was the reason poor Madi was constantly was afflicted with the scent of llama first thing in the morning. She had half a mind to throw her cup of sludge into Grace's cocky little face, but resisted.

If only because it might not have been what Madisyn ordered, but even oat milk was too good for this wench.

"Oh, I wasn't aware you've been looking for me? I thought you were living it up in little ol' England!" Not that she cared, never seeking out the businesswoman once shit hit the fan with their product. "I've been super good, babe. And you?" Aware that the barista was watching their stilted interaction as if it were some exciting tennis match, Madisyn gestured to a table. "Why don't you get yourself something and we can have a real catch-up over there?" Some semblance of privacy, at least.

Grace had been preparing to approach Madisyn the entire week she’d been in Blue Harbor. From the research she’d conducted, the disgraced influencer apparently was often spotted in town purchasing her coffee from local establishments like Latte Love. Frankly, Grace didn’t understand the appeal. It was a far cry from the polished, high-end cafés she was used to, but no matter. She’d been stopping at Latte Love every day in hopes of running into Madisyn, not because she was a fan of the coffee. (Grace was very particular about her coffee, like most things in her life).  As she stepped into the cafe, the blonde’s eyes landed on a familiar face. Finally her efforts seemed to be paying off. With a perfectly poised smile, Grace closed the distance between them with measured, graceful steps, heels clicking on the floor as she did so. As Madisyn turned to greet with that sing-song voice that seemed to flood the streets of Los Angeles, Grace maintained her poise, the practice smiled she’d worn countless times in high society events firmly in place. “Madisyn Huang,” Grace replied, her voice smooth and controlled. “You’re a difficult woman to track down.” She glanced briefly at the cup in Madisyn’s hand, recalling how the girl had been berating the barista just moments earlier. Typical. It seemed even in this small town, chaos followed wherever Madisyn went. Grace tilted her head, a polite (if not entirely genuine) curiosity in her eyes. “How have you been?”

Madi huffed, carelessly chucking the stone back in the little pile she was standing in front of, stepping through the store, absentmindedly touching things as if giving the impression she was impressed by these freaky little witchy knick-knacks. “I don’t get this stuff either, I had a friend back out in LA who, like, read everyone’s tarot, but I’m like, 99% sure she made shit up on the spot.” She fiddled with a wind-chime hung from the ceiling, letting out a delicate lilt throughout the store, turning back to the other woman, “Shiny means it’s worth something. No one sticks their noses up at diamonds, right?” She challenged, “So, what brings you here then?”

Isabel looks at the stones in front of her, furrowing her brows. Her mother has gotten into the whole chakra thing and it was a bombshell dropped on her at dinner the night before because for some reason her mother decided to try and lecture her about her life. As if the either of them really knew what was going on with her, all they cared about was the fact she was following the expectations they laid out for her.

She turns her head to look over at the voice coming from next to her as the other spoke. "I honestly have no idea what any of this stuff means." She admits with a huff of a chuckle. "I mean... No offense to anyone in here but what kind of a person relays their entire existence on what a stone tells them? Or... is this the wrong kind of crowd I'm talking to? Because it wouldn't surprise me if something shiny means something."

@themadisynhuang