Star: Take 3

Chapter 16

ALEX POV

I woke up to find Derek trembling beside me. "Another bad dream," I asked. "Yeah," he confirmed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. I kissed him, trying to soothe him, my heart aching for him. I watched as he sat up, his shoulders hunched, his eyes red and haunted. The man I loved was trapped in a nightmare he couldn't escape, and I felt powerless to save him.

"Derek," I murmured, reaching out to him, "It's okay. You're safe now." But the words felt hollow, even to me. How could I convince him of that when I doubted it myself. As I sat beside him, my hand resting on his knee I realized that I was gonna be late for my meeting with Ms. Carlotta. "Hey, I have to meet with Ms. C do you think you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he replied pulling me into a kiss.

I walked into Ms. Carlotta's office, ready to discuss my music career. As I entered, I noticed a shadow looming over her desk. To my surprise, it was my father. His presence immediately put me on edge, as our relationship had always been strained.

"Alex, I have a proposition for you," he said with a sly grin on his face. Before I could respond, he noticed the bruise on my cheek from my fight with Star. His expression darkened as he reached out to touch my face.

"What happened here?" he demanded, his grip tightening on my chin. I instinctively pushed his hand away, trying to downplay the situation. "It's nothing, just a little scuffle with Star," I replied, avoiding his gaze. Roland's eyes narrowed, the warmth disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. He sat back, his posture rigid. "A scuffle with Star?" he echoed, his voice sharp. "You two are always at each other's throats. What happened this time?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but Ms. Carlotta burst into the room. "Who the hell let you in here?" she demanded, her eyes darting between Roland and me. Roland's smug smile returned. "Your assistant," he said, his tone smug. "She's been quite helpful."

Ms. C turned to me, with a look of confusion. "I didn't know anything about this," I stammered. Before I could say more, Roland was already speaking. "I just stopped by to see my daughter," he said, his voice dripping with false sweetness. "I'm sure we can work something out."

Ms. C's brow furrowed. "This isn't some social call, Roland," she said, her voice firm. "Alex came to me for help with her music career. She didn't need your interference." Roland's smile faltered, but he quickly regrouped. "Interference?" he scoffed. "I'm her father, isn't that enough? I have connections, influence. I could help her career in ways you can't imagine."

The words hung in the air, a bitter reminder of why our relationship was so strained. Control, manipulation - those were his go-to moves. And now, he was offering them to me, as if they were a gift.

"Why don't we let Alex decide for herself." He said turning to me. He then proceeded to pitch his idea for me to produce and sing on his next album. The thought made me uneasy, knowing how controlling and manipulative he could be.

"I'll think about it," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. The truth was, I didn't know what to think. Part of me was tempted by the possibilities - the chance to work with him, to have his support. But another part of me recoiled at the thought of being caught in his web again. As Roland stood, his eyes raking over me one last time, I knew that this was far from over.

As my dad made his way to the door, his smug smile still in place, Star entered the room. She collided with him, her shoulders squared and her eyes flashing with barely suppressed anger. "Excuse you," she snapped, her voice sharp.