Titan Management headquarters stood at the heart of the city like a monument to control.
Forty-eight floors of steel, glass, and silent obedience.
From the outside, it looked untouchable—an empire built on fame, money, and carefully manufactured dreams. From the inside, it smelled faintly of coffee, perfume, and fear.
Especially on the top floor.
A crystal vase flew across the office and shattered violently against the far wall.
"HOW IS SHE TRENDING AGAIN?!"
Julian Vane's scream echoed through the executive suite.
Assistants outside the glass walls froze. No one dared enter. No one even dared breathe too loudly.
Julian stood in the center of the room, his perfectly styled hair disheveled, his face red with fury. The same face that smiled gently on billboards, that fans called pure and angelic, was now twisted with panic.
On the massive screen mounted on the wall behind him, a paused video glowed ominously.
Avery Rivers.
Basement.
Black hoodie.
Cold eyes.
Below it, the data scrolled relentlessly.
#1 – Independent Music ChartsViews: 73,421,009Search Index: +512%
Julian pointed at the screen with a shaking finger.
"This!" he screamed. "THIS is impossible!"
He spun toward the man sitting calmly behind the obsidian desk.
"Marcus!" Julian roared. "You said she was handled! You said she was finished!"
Marcus Thorne didn't look up.
He sat in his chair like a king on a throne, fingers loosely interlaced, eyes scanning lines of data on a tablet. His suit was immaculate. His breathing steady.
The contrast between them was sharp.
One was losing control.
The other had never needed it.
Julian paced back and forth like a caged animal.
"She disappeared for years and then suddenly—this?" Julian shouted. "A basement livestream? One stupid song?"
His voice cracked.
"Do you have any idea what this does to me?"
Marcus finally lifted his gaze.
Slowly.
Julian swallowed.
"If she gets back into the spotlight," Julian continued, his voice lowering, "people will start looking again."
Marcus's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They'll analyze those hotel photos," Julian said, sweat forming at his temples. "They'll look at the timestamps. The room numbers."
His fists clenched.
"They might realize I was the one checking into those rooms."
The room went quiet.
Dead quiet.
Julian's voice dropped to a whisper.
"With those… other girls."
Marcus stood up.
The sound of his chair sliding back was soft—but final.
Julian instinctively stepped back.
Marcus walked toward the screen, his shadow stretching long across the marble floor. He studied Avery's frozen image carefully, as if examining an insect under glass.
"So," Marcus said calmly, "you're afraid."
Julian's lips trembled. "That's not—"
"Fear makes people careless," Marcus interrupted. "And careless people destroy empires."
He turned back toward Julian.
"You forget something," Marcus continued. "Those photos exist because I allowed them to exist."
Julian froze.
"You think anyone would dare investigate without my permission?" Marcus asked coldly. "The police? The media? The brands?"
He laughed quietly.
"This industry runs on silence, Julian. And I own the silence."
Julian's breathing slowed slightly.
"But…" he hesitated, glancing back at the screen. "Her numbers—"
Marcus tapped his tablet.
Charts expanded.
Two lines appeared.
Avery Rivers – Engagement: Explosive GrowthJulian Vane – Engagement: Flatline
The difference was brutal.
Marcus's jaw tightened.
"She's loud," he admitted. "I underestimated how loud she could be."
Julian seized the opening.
"Then crush her!" he shouted. "Before it's too late!"
Marcus's lips curved into a thin, humorless smile.
"She's a cockroach," Marcus said. "Dirty. Persistent. Hard to kill."
Julian sneered. "Then step on her."
Marcus's eyes darkened.
"But even cockroaches can't survive without air."
He turned and pressed a button on the desk.
A wall panel slid open, revealing a display of Titan Management's reach.
Streaming platforms.
Distributors.
Cinema chains.
Music awards committees.
Talent shows.
All connected.
All controlled.
"I'll make some calls," Marcus said calmly. "Quiet ones."
Julian leaned forward.
"Every distributor. Every streaming service," Marcus continued. "If they carry Avery Rivers' song—"
He paused.
"—or her movie."
Julian's eyes widened.
"They lose access to Titan's entire roster."
The meaning sank in slowly.
Titan Management represented hundreds of artists.
Top actors.
Chart-topping idols.
Commercial kings and queens.
To be cut off from Titan was to be erased from the industry.
Julian exhaled shakily.
"No platform would risk that," he murmured.
"Exactly," Marcus said.
He walked to the window and looked down at the city far below.
"She wants an audience?" Marcus continued. "Let's see her sing when there's no one left to listen."
Julian laughed nervously.
The tension drained from his shoulders.
"She's finished," Julian said. "There's no way around this."
Marcus didn't respond.
He stared out at the city.
Somewhere down there, in a basement apartment, Avery Rivers was probably waking up, unaware of the net closing around her.
Marcus's fingers tightened slightly.
"You should remember something, Julian," he said quietly.
Julian looked up.
"Stars don't shine on their own," Marcus said. "They shine because we allow it."
Julian nodded eagerly. "Of course."
Marcus turned back to his desk.
"Go prepare your next comeback single," he said dismissively. "Flood the market. Distract them."
Julian hesitated. "And… Avery?"
Marcus didn't look up.
"She'll suffocate," he said calmly.
Julian turned to leave, relief washing over his face.
But as the door closed behind him—
Marcus's tablet buzzed.
A notification flashed.
Alert: Unauthorized Distributor Interest DetectedSource: UnknownRegion: Offshore
Marcus frowned.
He tapped the alert.
More appeared.
Indie Theaters – Inquiry SpikeForeign Platforms – Licensing RequestsPrivate Investors – Background Checks on Leo Vance
Marcus's eyes darkened.
"So," he murmured. "You're still breathing."
He looked back at the frozen image of Avery on the screen.
For the first time, something unfamiliar stirred in his chest.
Not anger.
Not disdain.
Annoyance.
"Let's see," Marcus said softly, "how long you last without oxygen."
Far below—
Avery Rivers' name continued to climb.
Unaware.
Unapologetic.
Unstoppable.