ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏʀᴅᴀɴᴛ ᴅᴇꜱɪʀᴇ (Velvet x Fem Reader)

Curtain Call

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Velvet's determination was...scary.

Velvet and I were in the theater, speaking with the owner. He was sweating, pulling the collar of his shirt away from his neck over and over. I watched as his eyes darted between the two of us, trying not to make eye contact.

It'd been half an hour, and neither of us could get any useful information out of the guy. He's only talking about profits and media. Obviously, he's more concerned with the bad publicity the theater is getting from this whole thing.

"Look, Ms. Velvet, Ms. Y/N," the owner stammered, avoiding eye contact. "This is just an unfortunate incident. We've never had an accident like this before. The harness wasn't even installed or checked by us. It was whoever you chose to hire, SafetySync. It's not our fault if they messed up."

Velvet's gaze was unwavering, an intensity that made the owner squirm. "I'm not interested in playing the blame game. I want specifics. You are the one who recommended the company to my assistant to hire anyways. Are you telling me that you let an unknown company come into your theater to do work?"

The owner hesitated, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "N-No, that's not what I'm saying. Everything seemed fine while those guys were here. They had the proper paperwork. Besides, we recommended the company to you because they gave us a discount! Your assistant is the one who chose to hire them!"

Velvet's eyes narrowed. "She was doing her job. You obviously were not."

I kept my expression neutral, standing by Velvet's side. She had a talent for cutting through excuses and demanding answers. The owner fumbled for words, glancing nervously at me as if seeking my forgiveness, hoping I'd be his ally.

"Ms. Velvet, we understand your concerns, but this incident has put the theater in a difficult position. We're already facing cancellations from other artists and demands for refunds for upcoming shows. Our reputation is at stake."

Velvet leaned forward, her tone razor-sharp. "Your reputation might be in jeopardy, but my life was on the line. I need you to cooperate. If SafetySync was responsible, we need to address it. If they are lacking, and it's not your fault, then you need to get SafetySync on the phone for us."

The owner swallowed hard, glancing between us. "We'll... we'll cooperate, Ms. Velvet. I'll personally look into this matter, make sure we get a representative on the line. Just please, don't talk badly about us to anyone else."

Velvet backed away, seemingly satisfied with his answer. I had been trying all morning to get SafetySync on the phone, but I had so far been unsuccessful. The number I was given was disconnected, and Internet searches turned up nothing. When I told Velvet this, she immediately grew suspicious.

We left the owner, his anxious eyes following us as we headed towards the backstage area. Velvet's steps were purposeful, and I struggled to keep up with her determined pace, despite her injury. She was wearing her brace underneath her outfit, a black velvet suit. She said that she didn't want people to know the extent of her injuries. I had to say, she looked powerful.

When we approached the backstage, the crew members were busy with their tasks, presumably setting up for another show tonight. Velvet scanned the room, looking for familiar faces.

Her search led us to a group of technicians huddled around a tangle of wires and equipment. Velvet approached them, her gaze shifting between their faces.

"Excuse me," she began, her voice steady. "I need to ask you about SafetySync."

The technicians exchanged uneasy glances, tension settling around them. One of them, a wiry man with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, spoke up nervously.