Star: Take 3

Chapter 11

ALEX POV

The moment I walked into the restaurant, I knew it was a mistake. But I had come here to confront my father, and that was exactly what I intended to do.

As I approached the booth, my father turned and his eyes met mine. A flicker of surprise was quickly replaced by a forced smile. "Alex," he said, rising to greet me. "It's been a while."

"Yeah," I said, my voice flat. "A few months, give or take."

He sat down across from me and ordered a scotch. As he took a sip, I studied him. He was the same - the same arrogant smile, the same dismissive manner. But there was something new in his eyes, I couldn't put my finger on what it was. "You look well," he said, finally breaking the silence. "Happy, even."

"I am," I agreed, my tone sharper than intended. "I'm in a good place right now."

"That's great to hear," he murmured, his gaze drifting towards the bar.

"Why did you want to meet, Dad? Did you think I'd care about you and mom getting a divorce?" He flinched, as if I had slapped him. "Divorce?" he stammered. "That's not what I..."

"Save it," I cut him off, my temper fraying. "We both know your marriage has been over for years. It was just more convenient for you to stay married." He picked up his glass of scotch, taking a long drink. "Well," he said, finally meeting my gaze, "I've found someone new."

The words hit me like a punch. "New?" I repeated, disbelief etched in my features. "Since when?"

"Just recently," he said, a smug little smile playing on his lips. "Someone from your label. Gigi, actually."

At that moment, Gigi sauntered in, in a fitted dress and sky-high heels. She plopped down on my father's lap and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Hey, Alex," she said, "long time no see."

"Dad," I said, "you're kidding me. Gigi? She's the same age as me."

"I wanted you to know before you heard about it in the tabloids," he added lamely. I let out a humorless laugh. "The tabloids?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because that's how I hear about my father's new girlfriends now - in the tabloids."

"You're sleeping with my label mate?" I blurted out, my shock giving way to anger. "And you thought I'd be okay with that?"

"It's not like that," he stammered, but I was already shaking my head.

"I don't care," I said, my voice rising. "This is disgusting. How could you do this?"

"Alexandra," he pleaded, "I know this is hard to understand, but..."

"I don't want to understand!" I cut him off. "I want you to stop. I want you to leave me alone."

With that, I turned and stormed out of the restaurant, my heart pounding. The world spun around me, and all I could think was that I never wanted to see my father again. Never again. As I walked away, I felt a sense of freedom.

STAR POV

The moment I walked into Ms. Carlotta's house, she greeted me. "Star!" she exclaimed, "I'm so glad you could make it. She gestured for me to help with dinner. "Don't put no raisins in that potato salad, Star," Ms. Bruce said. I rolled my eyes. "Shut up!" I said laughing.

"Star meet mike, he recorded a few tracks with Mix Harmony back in the day," Ms. Carlotta said. "

"Star!" Mike exclaimed, turning towards me with a wide smile. "Nice to meet you. Your mom... she was something else." I could see the genuine affection in Mike's eyes, and a strange sense of pride welled up in me. "Yeah," I said smiling.

After dinner, we all headed out to the backyard. Ms. Carlotta put on a mix of soulful tunes from her and my mom's days in the mix harmony. I could see the joy and nostalgia washing over Ms. Carlotta and Mike. I felt a pang of longing to know my mother the way they did - to understand the person she was before drugs took her from us.

Mike got paged to the hospital, and as he said his goodbyes, I could see the concern etched on his face. Soon after, Simone recieved a call from the hospital. It was about Angel. "I need to go," she said, with a worried look on her face. Ms. Carlotta, Simone, and I rushed to the hospital.

SIMONE POV

I paced back and forth in the waiting room, my mind a whirlwind of worry. Every few minutes, I'd dash up to the nurse's station, demanding an update on Angel's condition. But the nurses were tight-lipped, their faces a mask of concern. I felt my anxiety ratcheting up with each passing minute.

Then I saw Mike emerge from the operating room, his scrubs stained with blood. A cold dread settled over me. I sprinted across the room, my heart pounding. "Did the surgery go well?" I blurted out as soon as he was within reach.

Mike's face crumpled. "No, Simone," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "Angel...he didn't make it."

A searing pain lanced through my chest. "You killed him," I screamed, my words echoing in my head. I lunged at him, my fists clenched.

"Calm down, Simone," Star shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. Mike wrapped his arms around me, his grip tight. "I'm so sorry, Simone," he murmured into my hair. "I did everything I could."

Tears streamed down my face as I clung to him. "You were supposed to save him," I sobbed. "He was my husband."

"Come on, baby," Ms. Carlotta said, her voice gentle. She put her arms around me, guiding me to a seat. "It's gonna be okay." But I knew it wouldn't be okay. My husband was gone, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

I hope that y'all like this chapter. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote. ❤ PS: I hope y'all don't hate me for killing Angel off. I'm sorry I had to do it. 😂