tw: mentions of sa

Mars stood frozen for a moment, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. The rage simmered beneath her skin, but she swallowed it down, forcing her jaw to remain still.

"Alexis, I've had enough of your nonsense today," Mars said, her voice cold and steady, though her heart hammered against her ribcage. She turned on her heel, ready to walk away from this nightmare.

But Alexis's voice rang out, smug and dripping with venom. "I don't think you want to do that, Mars."

Mars stopped mid-step, her broad shoulders tensing. "Look, I know you didn't really come here for Zaine," Mars said, her voice flat, void of any emotion. "So let's cut the crap. Just tell me what you want."

Alexis crossed her arms over her chest, her lips curling into a triumphant smile. "Five million dollars."

Mars barked out a bitter laugh, a sound void of any humor. "You're off your pebbles if you think I'm giving you five million."

Alexis leaned against the table, her smugness practically radiating off her. "Either that," she purred, "or I let the press have a field day."

Mars scoffed, shifting her weight onto one foot. "Yeah? Your daddy beat you to it, princess. I'm already used to the headlines." Mars turned slowly, her expression unreadable but her hazel and green eyes burning with a cold fire. "You really thought you could crawl out of whatever hole you've been hiding in and extort me?" she asked quietly, her voice dripping with venomous calm. "You're even more delusional than I thought."

Alexis leaned casually against the wall, crossing her arms as a sly smirk danced across her face. "Oh, I know you've got money now, Mars. A whole lot of it. You've got that big career, awards, a fancy house in LA—hell, you've even got Billie Eilish," she sneered. "Five million's a drop in the bucket for you."

Mars let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "You, Alexis, You are a liar. A manipulator. And a goddamn coward."

Alexis's smile didn't waver. "Maybe. But who's gonna care about the truth once I tell them you raped me? Think about the headlines. Mars Tosin—Award-winning star accused of rape and abandonment. 'Victim' spirals into addiction to cope. Sounds juicy, doesn't it?"

Mars's jaw ticked, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. The rage simmering beneath her skin was almost unbearable. "You wouldn't," she hissed.

"Oh, I would," Alexis said sweetly, batting her eyelashes in mock innocence. "All it takes is one interview. A quick sob story, a few crocodile tears, and I could destroy you. No one cares about the facts, Mars. They care about the scandal."

Mars stared at her, the weight of Alexis's words pressing down like a vise. Every instinct in her screamed to fight, to shout, to do something—anything—but she knew that wouldn't help. This wasn't a fight she could win with fists or fury. Alexis was playing dirty, and if Mars wanted to protect Zaine, she'd have to be smarter.

With a long, measured breath, Mars pulled out her phone and typed a quick message to Janice:
"Prepare an NDA and a $5M wire."

The response was almost immediate: "On it."

Mars slid her phone back into her pocket and exhaled sharply. "Fine," she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "Whatever. Janice will wire your five million, blow it on cocaine or booze or whatever the hell you're sniffing. Go ahead and OD, stay dead this time."

For the first time, Alexis's smirk faltered, just a flicker of unease crossing her features. Mars didn't look angry anymore—just tired. And somehow, that was worse.