The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 830: HE’S THE ONE

ELLIS was already bent halfway toward her office chair when Astrid shared the news. Her aim went completely off and her backside hit only the edge of the seat, making the chair spin sideways. She had to grab the armrest with both hands to keep from sliding off onto the floor. Once she finally caught her balance, she sat there staring at the screen, mouth open, one hand still gripping the armrest like she was afraid the chair would move again.

For a few seconds she did not move at all, like her brain had shut down. Then she blinked. Then she blinked again. She straightened up slowly and ran a hand down her face, still staring at the screen like she was waiting for Astrid to say he was joking.

Astrid waited. He didn’t rush or repeat himself, he simply watched her calmly, giving her time to let the news sink in. He was clearly waiting for her to realize he wasn’t joking, that he was completely serious. When it finally clicked and she fully understood, she just stared at him, her mouth opening, closing, then opening again.

”When did this happen?” was all she could ask.

”Last night,” Astrid answered honestly.

Ellis’s brow shot up. She had been expecting him to say weeks ago at least. Maybe it happened when they last met. And Astrid decided to now only tell her about it. But last night?

”What?” she finally said, disbelief coloring her voice. ”Just last night? Did you two meet? Did the prince secretly arrive at the capital? No, wait, is he there with you?”

”No, Wulf isn’t here with me. And we technically didn’t meet in real life, but we met up virtually,” Astrid said, his tone calm and matter of fact, like he was talking about the weather. ”We were just supposed to watch a movie, but one thing led to another and we ended up making it official.”

Ellis still felt a bit of whiplash whenever she heard Astrid call the prince by a nickname, like he was just some ordinary friend. But in this case, that was probably not far off, considering the two were now in a relationship. She caught herself wondering what could have happened for them to suddenly decide to become a couple. Had one of them confessed and the other said yes? Could it really be that simple? But it didn’t matter. That wasn’t her problem. Her only concern in this whole situation was making sure she was ready for any damage control once news of them dating got out.

But with all the other secrets Astrid was keeping, this new relationship might not even be the most pressing problem. Things had been going so well lately that she had almost forgotten all the other issues that could blow up his career in an instant. One wrong move and everything could fall apart. This relationship with the prince was just one more thing to monitor.

Ellis sighed. As his agent, it was her job to make sure none of that ever happened. Her mind ran through all the secrets Astrid was carrying. Being a Grimaldi. A mother who was supposed to be dead but was not. A father who was a wanted criminal. And now, the prince’s boyfriend. It all made her feel like she was in way over her head. But despite that, she would not trade being Astrid’s agent for anything else.

It was hard to find an actor who was not only talented but also truly passionate about their work. A person could have all the talent in the world, but it would mean nothing if they did not have the drive to use it fully. At the same time, someone could have the drive but not the skill to back it up. Astrid was the rare kind who had both. For any agent, he was a dream to work with.

But it wasn’t just that. Astrid had come to mean a lot to her, not just as the actor she’s in charged of. If things ever went south, she wanted to be able to protect him.

So she needed to make sure of something first. She looked straight at Astrid, holding his gaze so he would see just how serious she was about the question she was about to ask.

”Is this really what you want?” she asked. ”Is the prince the one you want?”

Astrid did not wait even a second before answering. His response came out steady, like he had been expecting the question. ”Yes. He’s the one I want.”

Ellis watched his face closely. There was no hesitation in his eyes, not even a flicker of doubt. The way he spoke without having to think about the answer, told her everything she needed to know. He was not just saying yes to get her off his back. He meant it. Truly meant it.

She let out another sigh. ”I want to say you could do better, but if he’s really who you want, there’s not much I can do to stop you.”

Astrid let out a small laugh. ”Most people would say I couldn’t do any better than a prince.”

Ellis scoffed. ”He’s lucky you even gave him a chance. Most people would have run the other way.”

That earned a genuine laugh from Astrid, the kind that came from deep in his chest. When he finally calmed down, he said, ”I know how most people see him. A crazy prince. A violent general. A psycho who doesn’t care about anything. Maybe he’s all of those things. But he’s also more than that. There’s a lot about him that people don’t see. And those are the things that drew me to him. That made me fall for him. That made me want to be his and have him be mine.” He paused and smiled. ”Just give him a chance, Sister Ellis. If you get to know him better, I promise your opinion of him will change.”

Ellis watched as Astrid’s face softened, his expression filled with something she could only call love. She wanted to say she highly doubted that her opinion of the prince would ever change. But in the end, she just shook her head.

”I’ll have to take your word for it, then.”