After the incident at the dinner party, Annie barely gave it another thought. Her mind was entirely consumed by work.

The singer she had recently taken under her wing was named Jack-a young man with undeniable talent and a decent appearance. Unfortunately, he was still a newcomer to the entertainment industry, lacking the kind of close connections that could help him stand out.

Annie was swamped with efforts to leverage her own network, trying to get him a spot on a popular talent show that was ...