Stars Off The Stage

⊹𝖥𝗈𝗋𝗍ɣ Oɳҽ⊹

I KNOW something’s off when I walk into my apartment.The air smells stale, like none of the windows have been opened all weekend. The clock’s broken too. The hands are exactly on four fifteen.

I feel like I’m frozen in time.
It’s creepy.

I shuffle deeper into the apartment. My feet protest.

The past forty-eight hours, I’ve been marching up and down a well-lit building, going over and over again through the schedule of the boys and the crew that'll be departing tomorrow morning sharp at 8.

If it were another time, I would have tossed all my work on my assistant and rest of the company staff. But this time I couldn't or to be more precise I don't want that myself.

C'mon world's biggest boy band is going on one of the world's biggest comeback tour, of course I couldn't sit still as their bestfriend and CEO. But the fangirl in me is screaming on top of her lungs inside my body, not that I blame her.

My heart skips a beat as I spot an ominous figure seated on the sofa in the dimly lit living room. The stale air takes on an added thickness, and the broken clock's frozen hands seem to mock the normalcy I once knew.

Instinctively, my hand reaches for the concealed knife at my waist, a precaution learned from a life intricately woven with the unpredictable threads.

I step into my apartment, and an unsettling feeling tightens in my chest. The air is stale, and the broken clock mocks me with its frozen hands at four fifteen. It's as if time itself has paused, and a creeping sense of unease settles over the room.

My feet shuffle reluctantly, worn out from the ceaseless hours spent managing the boys and the crew's rigorous schedule. If it were any other time, I'd delegate everything to my assistant and the company staff. Yet, this time, I can't bring myself to do it.

The world's biggest boy band is gearing up for the grandest comeback tour, and as their best friend and CEO, I can't simply sit on the sidelines. The fangirl inside me is ecstatic, but amidst the chaos, there's an odd tension in the air. I circle around, and a gasp escapes me as I confront the woman I despise.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask

The woman smirks, unfazed by my hostility.

"Just wanted to see how the mighty CEO lives. Heard about the tour – must be quite a challenge." The woman says

My grip tightens on the knife as I struggle to contain my frustration.

"Cut the act. What do you want?"

"Just a friendly warning, Ariana. Not everyone around you is as loyal as they seem." She replies

I clench my jaw, refusing to let her words get to me.

"I don't need your warnings. Get out before I make you." I said as my patience was running out.

My mother stands in the shadows, a cold glint in her eyes that wasn't there before.

I exclaimed, "You! What do you want now?"

Mother's gaze flickers with a calculated cunning, a stark contrast to the vulnerability she displayed moments ago.

Mother remarked, "Ariana, dear, it seems you have quite the situation on your hands. A little warning, though, won't be enough."

Her words send a chill down my spine. The unease in the air takes on a more sinister edge as I brace myself for what she's about to reveal.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a frown

Mother declared, "Money, Ariana. Your little 'warning' there was just the beginning. I need funds, and you're going to help me get them."