My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 33: Under Siege

Sterling Village had never been this chaotic.

Ever.

Not even during festivals or elections. And not even when a famous actor once visited the neighboring town.

Nothing compared to what was happening now. Because somehow, the entire internet had discovered the existence of the Sterling cousins.

Not by name, but their faces were all over the internet.

And unfortunately, they wanted answers.

The moment the cousins arrived at Grandma Lucia’s ancestral house after school and work, they found the gates closed.

Locked and secured.

And being guarded by Uncle Robert and two of their older relatives.

Emily frowned. "Are we under attack?"

"Yes," Uncle Ben answered immediately.

The cousins froze. Then he pointed outside the gates.

"By our neighbors."

Everyone rushed toward the windows. Outside, dozens of people were gathered.

"For now, we asked our neighbors to keep your identities a secret." It was Uncle Gideon.

"Why?" Rose asked.

"Because if they find out about all of you, people will come here. They might find out about Chris and Liliana." Auth Melanie answered.

Mary and the others nodded. While Liliana sat quietly.

Finally, Grandma Lucia put down her coffee.

"We wait for the St. Claire’s instructions. They will handle it. For now, stay here. Nobody talks."

Nathan stared. "You’re kidding."

"I wish I was."

Grandma Lucia sat calmly in her favorite chair inside the living room.

Unlike everyone else, she looked completely unbothered. She slowly sipped tea, watching the chaos unfold. As though this was normal.

"Grandma, aren’t you worried?" Nicole asked.

"No."

"Why?"

Grandma Lucia smiled. "They’ll get tired eventually." The old woman paused. "Hopefully."

Liliana sat beside the window.

Watching another group of curious neighbors approach the gate.

She sighed. She knew people would eventually find out about the villa trip. That part wasn’t surprising.

What surprised her was how quickly it happened. It had only been a day. And somehow the entire internet was already discussing them.

The attention made her very uncomfortable. She preferred quiet places. Simple routines. And normal days. Not this kind of attention.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

It was Chris.

She hesitated for a second before answering.

"Hello?"

"Are you okay?" Chris’s voice came through immediately, tense but controlled.

Liliana glanced at the crowd outside.

"I’m... under siege."

Chris let out a quiet breath.

"I saw everything online. I tried calling earlier."

"I was busy panicking internally," she admitted softly.

That earned a faint chuckle from him.

"Stay inside. Don’t go out alone. We’re handling things here."

"We know. I know."

"Robin is losing his mind. The rest of us are trying not to."

Liliana smiled faintly. "Sounds about right."

There was a brief pause.

Then Chris spoke again, quieter this time.

"I’m sorry this dragged you and your cousins into it."

"It’s not your fault," she said quickly.

Another pause. Longer this time.

"Still," he murmured, "I’ll fix it."

Liliana didn’t respond immediately. But her grip on the phone tightened slightly. "...Okay."

Meanwhile, her cousins were having the time of their lives.

"Look at this!" Nicole practically threw her phone toward the group.

River and Nicole are definitely dating.

The room exploded with laughter. Nicole’s face immediately turned red.

"We’re not dating!"

Emily grinned.."Yet."

Nicole grabbed a pillow and threw it at her.

Unfortunately, she missed. The pillow hit Nathan instead.

"No friendly fire!" Nathan complained.

Nicole’s phone buzzed again. She glanced at it, then froze.

River: You’re trending. Also... we’re apparently dating now? Should I be flattered or concerned?

Nicole’s face turned even redder.

Emily leaned over immediately. "Ohhh, what did he say?"

Nicole quickly locked her phone. "Nothing!"

"Liar," Emily sang.

Nicolo suddenly leaned closer to his twin, eyes narrowing with curiosity.

"Wait," he said abruptly, "do you actually like River?"

Nicole froze..For a moment, she didn’t move at all. Then slowly, shyly, she nodded.

The room went quiet for a split second.

"I do," she admitted softly. "But not because he’s famous. It’s just... we clicked."

Nicolo crossed his arms, looking unusually serious for once.

"As your older brother—older by two whole minutes, mind you—you better get to know him properly first."

Nicole rolled her eyes slightly but smiled.

"I know. I will. I promise I won’t make any impulsive decisions when it comes to falling in love."

Nicolo studied her for a second, then nodded in approval.

"Good."

Emily clutched her chest dramatically.

"Wow. The over protective twin brother activated."

Nathan snorted.

"That’s mostly what older brothers do."

Meanwhile, Rose was reading comments on her phone.

Then suddenly froze.

"Aaron’s fans think I’m a cute photographer for a fashion magazine."

Emily gasped dramatically.

"Well?"

Rose looked thoughtful. "It sounds better than unemployed."

The room erupted into laughter again.

Nathan was also scrolling through his own trending posts.

His eyebrows kept rising higher and higher.

"I don’t understand."

"What?" Mary asked.

Nathan turned his screen around.

Thousands of comments filled the page. Most came from female fans.

Emily immediately began reading aloud.

"’Who is he?’"

"’He’s handsome.’"

"’Can he join Pulse?’"

"’I need his number.’"

Nathan looked horrified.

"I don’t even know how to sing."

Emily shrugged.

"You do. Just hiding it."

Then everyone’s attention shifted toward Nicolo.

Who was standing proudly in front of a mirror, admiring himself.

"I knew it."

Everyone groaned.

"I absolutely knew it."

Nicolo adjusted his hair.

"They said I look like an idol."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "They also said I look like an idol."

"Yes, but they specifically mentioned my jawline."

Emily nearly choked. "Oh no. The fame is getting to his head."

Nicolo pointed dramatically toward his reflection. "They recognize greatness."

Nicole laughed. "An idol with no talent."

The room exploded. Even Grandma Lucia laughed.

Nicolo looked offended. "I have talents."

"Name one."

"I..."

The room waited.

Nicolo thought and thought. Then finally pointed at himself. "I’m handsome."

The cousins burst into another round of laughter.

For the first time that day, Liliana smiled. Watching her family enjoy themselves eased some of her worries a little.

Just a little.

Because while everyone else focused on the positive comments, she couldn’t stop thinking about the negatives.

The photographs. The rumors. The growing attention.

And most importantly, the person who had sent those anonymous pictures.

Someone had investigated her. Someone knew about her connection to Chris. And that person hadn’t disappeared.

As evening approached, the crowd outside slowly began thinning.

The cousins gathered in the living room, phones in hand, still reading comments, still laughing and teasing one another.

Then Emily suddenly looked up.

"Do you think Pulse is dealing with the same chaos?"

Everyone immediately imagined Robin, the poor manager, trying to survive millions of curious fans.

Nathan laughed. "Robin is probably updating his resignation letter."

"I’d resign too," Nicolo agreed.

Nicole nodded. "Same."

Mary smiled. "Definitely."

Even Liliana laughed.

Back inside St. Claire Entertainment.

Robin sneezed twice. Then stared at the endless stream of notifications flooding his screen.

His eye twitched. "I hate all of you."

Nobody knew whether he was talking to Pulse, the internet, or his work itself.

Perhaps all three.

And unfortunately for Robin, the chaos was only beginning.