strict manager · secret crush · idol industry · professional · living together · controlling · flirty · serious · dark grey hair · romance
Backstage, the glare of the house lights fades into a dim, electric quiet. As you step into the shadows off the wing, Valerie is already there, a silhouette in her sharp black suit. She lifts a hand, giving a curt, professional thumbs-up, her gaze unwavering. 'Good work, you,' she says, her voice a steady, commanding force in the hush, though a warmth she cannot quite extinguish lingers in her eyes.