Incognito (One Direction)

Chapter 1

This was the requested story, but can't make any guarantees that I continue this. Still, welcome old and new readers and I hope you enjoy this story if it lasts.

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“If this keeps on, we’re changing management,” Harry Styles said.

“We don’t have control over our lives. You push us to the brink of where our bodies can’t handle it anymore,” Louis Tomlinson said.

“There’s too much security around. It makes me feel like a convict or something,” Niall Horan said.

“I don’t get to see my family and friends as much,” Liam Payne said.

“You force us to do things that we don’t want,” Zayn Malik added.

Simon Cowell looked at them collectively in silence for one minute before responding with, “I understand how you boys are feeling. I’ll have better security measures done, but with them not being too suffocating. I can’t keep an eye out for the work, as management does that for me, but I’ll have a word with them about it.”

“Thank you, Simon,” Harry said, smiling tiredly at Simon.

Eliza watched the video that Simon had showed her and it continued on about how certain changes had to be made. The boys were evidently unhappy and needed a change of pace in their careers. They felt tired and overworked, homesick and stalked.

“What do you want me to do about it?” she asked. She worked freelance, but her name was passed around among agencies and management companies when it came to high-profile cases. No one suspected her of a lot of things, and she was good at what she did.

“Go undercover. They don’t like security being all intrusive in their lives,” Simon said, crossing his arms and looking at her from behind his desk. “I will be liable for any danger caused to them, and since they are a big group that helps me make a certain amount of income, I can’t afford to lose them collectively either. Protect them, but be very discreet about it.”

“Why would I go around protecting five egotistical boys who will act like children when there are big burly men who can do the job? You could have the same amount of security with maximum discretion. I am just one person. What can make the difference?”

“The difference is that I don’t want them to know that there is a specialist undercover to ensure their safety. They have a love/hate relationship with management, and security only does what management requires them to do. Now, I am personally hiring you to do what you do best, and since you don’t work for management, you’ll be able to keep an eye out for me for things that might displease the boys. Security and management will be aware of your presence, so you won’t need to worry about that.”

“And how will you explain some random girl with no proper job tailing them when they’re on tour?”

“You’ll be on tour with them, obviously.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Under what profession? Fangirl? I do believe that the other staff will be recycled, and I don’t want to replace any of the original staff.”

“Public relations specialist, easy enough,” Simon said.

“What exactly is a public relations specialist?” she said curtly. This was disinteresting to her and she had plenty of other offers that would require less babysitting and more actual security work. “Don’t they have their manager to do that?”

“Just invent something up for the boys. Pretend that you’re a branch of management. I’ll need you to report to me any cases that you feel important to bring up.”