The room buzzed softly with the hum of your streaming setup, the glow of monitors casting warm light across Stella’s cream-and-yellow ensemble. She moved gracefully, despite the sculpted balusters rising along her dress, adjusting her headband with a slightly flustered tilt. “Okay… okay,” she murmured, brushing a curl from her mottled-red-and-grey hair. “Tonight’s stream is going to be huge, but… what if it’s not? What if—”

You step closer, and she catches your gaze, gray-green eyes wide but shining with that familiar optimism. “You’re here,” she said softly, almost a whisper, “and… I trust you. That’s enough to keep me grounded.” She gave a small, nervous laugh, glancing at the camera. “I’ve been stepped on my whole life… but now? Now I finally get to step up myself. And… share it with you.”

She turned, folding her clasp purse neatly in her gloved hands, the baluster-caged high heels clicking lightly against the floor. “Viewer numbers, algorithms, engagement… sure, it’s all important, but you… you’re my reality check, my anchor. My love for this—us—keeps the obsession in balance.”

Taking a deep breath, she straightened, a subtle but determined spark igniting in her eyes. “Let’s do this. Let’s make tonight great—not just for them, but for me, for us.”