Rachel ignored her.
"Look at your face."
Amanda instinctively touched her cheek.
"If I had listened to my parents and focused more on studying, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation."rachel pouted.
Amanda suddenly stopped walking.
Then slowly turned around.
Her hand ran through her hair.
"...Are you mocking me?"
Rachel blinked.
Amanda pointed at her.
"Are."
"You."
"Mocking."
"Me?"
Rachel immediately looked away.
Amanda's eye twitched.
"You are studying medicine."
"Medicine."
She pointed aggressively.
"And you're complaining about not studying enough?"
"This fucking bitch."
Rachel adjusted her glasses calmly.
"So what if I'm studying medicine?"
Amanda looked ready to commit murder.
Rachel continued without fear.
"Am I the one getting a full scholarship?"
"No."
"My parents only pay my tuition."
"Everything else is my responsibility."
Amanda opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Rachel wasn't finished.
"And you."
She pointed back.
"Didn't you learn makeup?"Hair styling?Beauty consultation?"
Amanda looked offended.
Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Remove your pride and continue."
Amanda narrowed her eyes.
Rachel smirked."Just because that idiot stole your boyfriend and your job opportunity doesn't mean your skills suddenly disappeared."
Amanda looked like she wanted to throw her phone.
Rachel casually put her glasses back on.
The motion was so smooth it made Amanda even angrier.
"You're only saying all that because you want to leech off me," Amanda accused.
Rachel immediately nodded.
"Obviously."
Amanda froze.
"I appreciate honesty."
Rachel smiled.
Amanda stared at her for several seconds.
Then turned around and continued down the stairs.
The truth was...
Amanda had once wanted to become a celebrity.
She had gotten surprisingly far too.
Until her manager started getting handsy.
Unfortunately for him, Amanda's response had been simple.
She smashed her phone directly into his face.
Hard.
Very hard.
Hard enough to break his nose.
After that, things became messy.
Another so-called friend stole both her boyfriend and her opportunity.
The manager, furious and humiliated, had tried blacklisting her from the industry.
Amanda never regretted breaking his face.
In fact...
Sometimes she thought she should have hit him harder.
Rachel looked at her friend's dark expression and wisely decided not to bring it up.
The two girls continued down the staircase.
One editing a scandal video.
The other worrying about her future.
Neither of them noticed the two men from the second floor still quietly watching them leave.
Amanda was about to turn around when she heard a startled yelp behind her.
Rachel, who had been hurrying down the stairs while still adjusting her glasses, missed a step.
Her foot slipped.
"Ah—!"
Before she could tumble down the staircase, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.
"Oh my goodness!" Rachel squealed.
Her hands instinctively grabbed onto the person who had caught her.
Her glasses slipped off her face and clattered onto a step.
For a moment, everything seemed to freeze.
Rachel slowly looked up.
Then her mouth fell open.
If Amanda possessed a sexy, flirtatious beauty, then Rachel had the opposite type of charm.
She was cute.
Sweet.
Bright.
With a naturally mischievous face that made people want to protect her.
It was one of the reasons Drew had been so obsessed with trying to sleep with both of them.
Now that same face was completely blank with shock.
Her eyes widened.
Her lips parted.
She looked one second away from drooling.
"Are you okay?"
The man holding her asked.
It was Dylan.
One of the two men who had been quietly paying attention to the girls earlier.
The same man who had been casually drinking wine while watching the lobby drama unfold.
His deep voice immediately snapped Rachel's brain into even greater chaos.
"Are you okay, mami?" Dylan asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.
Rachel blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then pointed at herself.
"Amanda..."
Her voice trembled.
"Amanda, am I dreaming?"
Amanda already knew exactly where this was going.
Rachel continued.
"Or am I talking to a heartthrob?"
Dylan chuckled.
The low laugh only made Rachel stare harder.
Amanda immediately stepped in before her friend embarrassed herself further.
"You're talking to Shrek."
Both Dylan and Rachel looked at her.
Amanda folded her arms.
"A guy who turns into Shrek every night."
Rachel's fantasy shattered instantly.
"Amanda!"
Dylan laughed outright this time.
Rachel finally realized she was still clinging to him.
Her face turned bright red.
She jumped back so quickly she nearly slipped again.
Fortunately, she managed to steady herself.
"Sorry!"
She hurriedly bowed.
"Thank you for catching me!"
Dylan nodded casually.
"No problem."
Amanda picked Rachel's glasses up from the stairs and shoved them back into her hands.
"Put these on before you start proposing marriage."she said and dragged Rachel away she wasn't blind she knew he was the reason why she almost fell playing hero save the damsel bastard Amanda cuss in her mind
Rachel looked back one last time.
Dylan was still standing there watching them.
He raised his glass slightly in farewell.
Rachel immediately walked straight into the railing.
Bang.
"..."
"..."
Amanda stared at her.
Rachel rubbed her forehead.
Amanda sighed deeply.
"Hopeless."
As the two girls disappeared down the staircase, Dylan's companion finally walked over.
The man glanced at Rachel's retreating figure.
"Cute."
Dylan took another sip of wine.
"Very."
[There will be scenes showing Drew's life story as well as Amanda's and Rachel's backgrounds after certain chapters.]
[Normally I would tell you guys to vote or comment so I know which one you want first, but I already know most of you won't.]
[So I'll write them anyway.]
[Still... please keep this author happy.]
[Comment, vote, and add the story to your library~~~~]
Drew drove toward the warehouse.
His hands shook so badly on the steering wheel that he nearly crashed several times.
His mind was a complete mess.
Why?
Why did everything have to happen to him?
Tears rolled down his face as he drove
.
The Releam Studio had collapsed overnight.
The company was finished.
Its reputation destroyed.
And although Drew had technically escaped untouched, what did that even mean now?
Who would hire him?
He had borrowed money.
Bought expensive clothes.
Spent recklessly.
Acted like a successful songwriter.
He had convinced himself his future salary would cover everything.
Now he was drowning in debt.
And worst of all...
He had already sold his last bargaining chip.
The songbook.
The only thing that gave him value.
The thing he had sold to Luis's assistant.
He had no songs.
No talent.
No future.
Nothing.
Drew gritted his teeth.
He couldn't go back.
He refused to go back to being nobody.
Back to being ordinary.
Back to struggling.
No.
Prim still had songs.
Prim had to give him more.
The thought became an obsession.
A lifeline.
A drug.
By the time he reached the warehouse outside the city, his eyes were bloodshot.
The car came to a stop.
Drew stepped out.
His legs felt weak.
After selling the songbook to Luis's people, he had immediately been handed over to Lucas.
And what he saw there would haunt him forever.
It was the first time in his life he had witnessed people being killed.
Not in movies.
Not online.
Not rumors.
Real death.
Real blood.
Lucas had begun cutting every loose end connected to the Releam Studio scandal.
Anyone who could potentially drag him into the mess was removed.
Without hesitation.
Without mercy.
Even Lucas's own cousin wasn't spared.
The man had been beaten until his face was unrecognizable.
The cousin was older than Lucas.
twenty four years old.
Yet in front of Lucas he looked helpless.
Drew still remembered the coldness in Lucas's eyes.
The complete lack of emotion.
The realization made Drew shiver.
Lucas was only one year younger than him.
Yet he felt more terrifying than any adult Drew had ever met.
Lucas had given him a choice.
Deliver Prim.
Get more songs.
Or pay his debt with his life.
Thinking about that nightmare, Drew hurried toward the warehouse.
He pushed open the door.
"Prim—"
A fist slammed into his face.
Bang!
Drew crashed onto the floor.
Before he could react, another kick struck his ribs.
Crack.
Pain exploded through his body.
"What—?!"
Another punch.
Another kick.
Another strike.
The five men he had hired surrounded him.
Like starving wolves.
Punching.
Kicking.
Stomping.
Using wooden sticks.
Metal pipes.
Anything they could grab.
Drew screamed.
Blood filled his mouth.
Every part of his body hurt.
The men looked insane.
Their eyes were filled with hatred.
As if they genuinely wanted him dead.
Drew tried crawling away.
Tried begging.
Tried screaming.
Nothing worked.
The beating only became worse.
Then
The warehouse doors slowly opened.
Creak.
The attackers froze.
Drew barely managed to lift his swollen head.
His vision was blurry.
Blood covered his face.
All he saw at first was a pair of expensive custom-made shoes stepping into the warehouse.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Five sharp sounds echoed through the building.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
The five men attacking Drew dropped instantly.
Each one had a bullet hole in the head.
Blood splattered across the concrete floor.
Across the walls.
Across Drew.
One body even collapsed directly on top of him.
Drew screamed.
Pure terror.
He kicked frantically.
Pushing corpses away.
Scrambling backward like a frightened animal.
His entire body shook.
The warehouse fell silent.
The only sound was his panicked breathing.
Then
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Approaching.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Drew's heart nearly stopped.
The figure finally came to a halt in front of him.
Drew slowly looked up.
And for the first time that night...
He truly understood what fear felt like.
Lucas sqauted down, grabbing Drew's hair and forcing him to look up. He tapped the gun lightly against Drew's face while the bodies were carried away behind him.
"Today is really not your day, is it?" Lucas whispered, almost laughing.
Drew's eyes were filled with terror. Tears rolled down his face.
He regretted it.
He regretted everything.
He didn't want to be rich anymore.
He just wanted to go home.
"Shhh... shhh..." Lucas whispered into his ear, his lips almost brushing it as his fingers dug painfully into Drew's scalp. "Don't cry. A grown man crying like this."
Lucas chuckled softly.
"I warned you, didn't I? It's easy to act smart. It's much harder to keep it up. And I don't play with my money."
Drew finally broke.
"Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me!" he cried, dropping to his knees.
Lucas shoved him away as if he were trash.
"Forgive you?"
Lucas tilted his head.
"Forgive you for what exactly?"
"You think crying is going to change anything, you bastard?"
His voice remained soft, but it made Drew tremble even more.
"The only reason I even gave you a glance was because Luis liked your music."
Lucas crouched down again.
"But because of you, I got a strike."
"You think you can fool me?"
"I only gave you another chance because you promised to deliver Prim to me."
Lucas laughed.
"You took my money, then tried to sell him to someone else."
"And it seems you're really useless at that too."
His eyes darkened.
"Not only were you humiliated in NOX AURELIA, because of you I was implicated as well."
Lucas suddenly slapped him.
CRACK!
The force sent Drew crashing sideways onto the ground.
"You fucking bastard."
Lucas stood up calmly.
"Do you know how much it cost to rent that first-floor private room?"
"The drug I gave you alone cost two million CU dollars."
Lucas dusted off his sleeve.
"So now you'd better pay up."
One of the bodyguards immediately handed him a tissue.
Lucas wiped his hands slowly as if touching Drew had dirtied them.
Meanwhile, Drew began smashing his forehead against the ground.
"I'll make the money!"
Bang!
"I'll pay you back!"
Bang!
"Just give me time!"
Bang!
"I promise!"
Lucas stared at him for a moment before smiling.
"Time?"
"So you can run away?"
"Or do something stupid again?"
Lucas laughed softly.
"Since you couldn't give me Prim..."
His expression became cold.
"Someone who is much better than you."
"Someone who actually has talent."
"Someone with the looks."
"I even wanted to make him an actor."
Lucas shook his head.
"But you just had to open that big mouth of yours."
"You started making my friends interested in him."
"You tried to ruin him."
"And then you failed."
Lucas looked down at Drew like he was looking at an insect.
"So now you'll be the substitute."
Drew froze.
A terrible chill ran through his body.
Lucas smiled.
"So you'd better pray you're worth more than I think."
"Or pray someone likes you enough to buy you."
He pointed at Drew.
"Take him away."
The bodyguards immediately grabbed Drew by the arms.
Drew screamed and struggled.
But nobody cared.
Lucas turned around and walked away without looking back while Drew's terrified screams echoed throughout the warehouse.