Strung (Rock & Romance I.)

Chapter 38. - Way Out

A/N: Long awaited... Alas, here we are! This chapter is dedicated to LiterateSerialKiller thank you for the support, fellow Directioner!

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*Lukas*

I could smell the perfume as soon as I closed the front door. My house had a certain scent to it - but this time, there was another, distinctive whiff in the air.

While my brain recognized it, I couldn't place the smell until I came face to face with the woman currently perched on my living room couch. Erika didn't look out of place in the minimalistic, modern design of my home - but then again, she never had.

And while I've never given her - or anyone besides Ash - keys to my house, I wasn't surprised to find her comfortably inside my home. She was a resourceful woman, with limitless means.

Her simple, but no doubt expensive straight skirt and white, silky blouse suggested class and elegance, but her chin-length hair was more disheveled than last time I saw her as if she continuously ran her hand through it. "I've been waiting for you." She said in her deep voice, rising to her feet.

"Clearly," I replied, making sure she didn't for a second think she was welcome here. "What do you want?"

Erika tsk'ed, before stepping closer to me. "You and I used to be a lot friendlier with each other."

I cocked a brow at her. "We were all young and stupid once. I'm much better at spotting snakes these days."

Her light blue eyes danced in amusement as she retreated, and sunk back down on my couch. While the moved may have looked submissive to someone looking in from the outside, she didn't fool me. "I'll just get to the point then."

She lifted her phone, typed something for a couple of seconds, before turning the device toward me.

It was a graph. I was never much for math, but even I could tell that the dollar amount associated with the downward curving line didn't mean anything good. "What is this?"

"The sale of Hazmat merchandise." She replied, taking her phone back to swipe around, before showing me another, very similar looking drawing. "And this is foot traffic on Hazmat's website. Are you noticing a trend?"

I knew things have been crazy for the last couple of weeks. "This is just temporary. We are still doing great." I stated confidently because while the lines may have been doing down, we were still bringing in a fortune.

"Great. But it used to be so much better." She said in a deceptively gentle tone as she slipped her phone into her designer purse. "I'm here to ask you again, as a friend, to end this nonsense."

I shook my head. "And I'm telling you, as one-fourth of the band that made you a billionaire, that I can do whatever the fuck I want. And I'm not compromising my personal life for you, or your fucking label." The calm I felt after leaving London's house quickly evaporated as Erika smirked back at me.

"Lukas-Lukas..." She sighed dramatically and ran a hand through her platinum locks. "See when I say ask, what I really mean is that you're either ending it, or Hazmat is over."

I lifted my brows. "Hazmat is never over."

Erika shook her head. "That's where you're wrong, baby. I own Hazmat. I made it happen for you four, and if I want, I can make it all go away."

"Our fans would never desert us."

"Like they're not deserting you right now with your new fling?" She shot back, lifting a perfectly shaped brow.