The metrics looked impressive.
Streaming views up.
Search trends spiking.
Engagement climbing at a rate any publicist would celebrate.
Noah stared at the dashboard, frowning. "This growth curve is wrong."
Aria leaned over his shoulder. "Too smooth?"
"Too obedient," he said.
Organic attention was messy. This wasn't.
Peaks appeared on schedule. Dips corrected themselves within minutes. Entire regions lit up simultaneously, as if prompted.
"Someone's inflating interest," Noah said. "But not to help you."
"To frame me," Aria replied.
---
They dug deeper.
Accounts boosting negative sentiment shared IP clusters. Bot signatures were subtle, high-quality—designed to pass audits. Engagement ratios were tuned just low enough to look real.
"They're not trying to cancel you," Noah said slowly. "They're trying to destabilize."
"Volatility justifies intervention," Aria said. "Stability would make me untouchable."
---
A brand quietly postponed an announcement.
A studio delayed a greenlight "pending market clarity."
None of it public. None of it traceable.
Just enough friction to create doubt.
---
That evening, a market analyst went on air.
"Aria Lin's numbers are interesting," he said. "But there's inconsistency. It suggests uncertainty."
The clip spread fast.
Aria watched it once.
"They're building a case," Noah said. "Using math."
"Math without context," she replied.
---
In a secure system, a flag blinked amber.
Engagement authenticity: inconclusive.
Risk posture: elevated.
Someone noted:
Recommend monitoring until volatility resolves.
Aria closed the dashboard.
"They want me to smooth the curve," Noah said. "Clarify. Commit. Settle."
She shook her head. "They want me predictable."
She stood, stretching slightly.
"I won't fix numbers I didn't break."
Outside, the city pulsed—chaotic, uneven, alive.
The numbers didn't add up.
Which meant someone was afraid of what would happen if they did.