What am I going to do now? Will Chloe fire me? Am I losing the internship? Oh no, I won't even graduate on time. Does this mean it'll all be over before it has even started?
The wild thoughts screamed in her head. But then she wondered: Why? She was just a three-month intern. She would be gone by the end of the summer. Was he really that peculiar? She didn't say a word.
"Don't worry, Noelle. Chloe wants you. That's why we were planning to kind of… hide you…" Lexi said.
"You were trying to hide me?" Noelle asked, her eyes wide.
"Yes! There was no other way!" Lexi said. "You weren't supposed to meet him at all."
What…?
Her well-organised plan had been doomed from the start. Noelle was stupefied. Meeting him, interviewing him, observing him closely, gathering insights only he could offer, was the core of her research methodology.
At least she did meet him. She wasn't certain if their encounter was a blessing or a curse. The only thing she knew now was that she had to put all her hopes in Chloe and her abilities.
Through the glass walls, she could see Luca standing in front of Chloe's desk. He was angrily shaking his head and throwing his hands around. Chloe was sitting in her chair in defensive mode, her face cold as stone but her eyes burning with fire. The outcome of the fight was unforeseeable. They all waited in silence.
As she waited, she doubted her plan once more. It now seemed more wrong than ever. But it was far too late to change anything. Her thesis was hanging by a thread, and her biggest academic dream was falling apart before it even began.
And a memory hit her like thunder.
It had been a few years earlier, during her final lycée Christmas break, when she should have been studying for the baccalauréat. Her cousin, Lucille, was staying over. Noelle loved her little cousin, but then she was just eleven, interested only in singing and dancing. That didn't fit Noelle's strict studying schedule.
One night, it turned out impossible to solve even a single math problem.
"Noelle! Look at this!" she was yelling one moment, shoving her tablet onto Noelle's book.
"Can you do that challenge?"
"Look, Noelle! I know this choreography!"
She soon gave up any hope that Lucille would respect her boundaries.
"Noelle, do you know I am a Prime 5 fan now?" Lucille said to her defeated cousin.
"You're what?" Noelle asked curiously.
"Oh my God cousin! All you do is read and still you know nothing!" Lucille replied happily, finally knowing something that her older cousin didn't. "Come on! I'll show you the new music video of my favorite band! Prime 5! It came out yesterday!" She typed 'Prime 5 Sunrise with you' into the search bar.
Noelle watched the video. The set looked like a nightclub, and the camera focused on five boys. The first guy looked bored. The second was very handsome and indifferent. The third playful and flirty. The fourth cunning. And then the fifth - a shock. A cute guy with the sweetest and warmest smile she had ever seen. She was stunned, to her surprise, and even gasped.
Lucille smiled craftily. "Oh Noelle... Do you like Luca?!"
She had to deny it. "What are you talking about? I have no interest in pop singers and celebrities! Is it a new band? Never heard of them before."
"Yeah! They are new. Josephine told me everything about them. She has an older sister, who knows about music. Their first song came out this summer, and they already have millions of followers."
"Aren't boy bands a bit… passé?"
"Passé? Not sure what you mean. I think they are perfect," Lucille said giggling.
Noelle knew very little about music. Even less about pop music. But something got her attention; how had a newly formed band gathered so many followers in such a short period of time?
The song was nice, and they all danced perfectly. That fifth guy sang the second verse of the song. His voice was even more mesmerizing than his face…
Is this the secret? Raw talent and good looks?
When the song ended Lucille asked: "So what do you think?"
"Nice song. Now I see why you are so excited about them!" she said smiling.
"Great cousin! You can have Luca. He is nice, but I prefer Noah!" Lucille said giggling.
Noelle only laughed.
Later that night, Noelle looked up the group. She had to know. What drove them to the top?
Once she typed 'Sunrise' the autofill gave her the answer. It was Prime 5. She watched it again. Then another. And another.
But she was focused on learning more about that boy. How Lucille called him? Luca. Luca West. He had something special. She wasn't an expert, but his voice just stood out.
That was the day she first came across a product of Fisher Group. The day her idea to explain the phenomenon was born. The day she had also chosen the boy she would later become the center of her thesis.
While at university, Noelle realized Fisher Group was everywhere. Their business model was formidable. Conrad Fisher was rumored to have issued a bold invitation:
"Come to me as you are. I don't care about your background, your connections, your skills, or how gifted you think you are. All I want from you is hunger. Give me your ambition, and I will shape you into someone the world cannot ignore."
Word had it that thousands of people around the world run to Nova Bay looking for a chance to become the next big thing. Only a handful had what it took to survive the demanding Fisher's structure. And for them, dreams became reality.
Noelle was fascinated by the Group's success. And that boy, Luca, was a living example of adaptation and evolution. Even though his band was short-lived, he didn't fade away. He reinvented himself. His transition between Legions - Fisher's term for his talent divisions - was a masterclass in how to maximize a performer's potential.
The idea of writing a thesis about the most ruthless company in the entertainment industry took shape, focusing on 'The Luca West Case Study.' She had to go to the States, and she had to approach him.
For that purpose, she targeted the most influential person around him: his manager and agent. Chloe Brown's strategy had skyrocketed his solo career in a single year, making her a legend.
Chloe had connections with Nova Bay's Altius University. There was a specific professor who could be her entry ticket to Fisher Group: Professor Butler, Chloe's former mentor.
Applying for the MBA was the easy part. Convincing her parents was the challenge. She needed a cross-disciplinary analysis of the global economy trends and study the methodologies applied outside Europe as a necessary step for a serious academic career, she told her mother. She needed an adventure, she told her father; in secret of course.
And there she was! Having successfully infiltrated the company and meeting her subject. And then… he picked a fight with her boss over her. Disaster…
After several minutes, Luca exited. Noelle was still sitting in the same spot, her bag on her back, the papers clutched in her arms. She watched him approach, but he didn't even bother to look at her. The man from that video walked past her, like she didn't exist.
"Let's go," he said plainly to Noah.
"Yes, sir…"Bye, everyone," Noah said aloud.
"Oh… What are we going to do now?" Abby said when they both exited the room.
"He is… angry…" Lexi murmured. "We know him though. He'll cool off."
Chloe emerged from her office. "It might be a bit different this time, Lexi," she said. "Noelle, my apologies for Luca's behavior. Please come to my office so I can explain the situation".
Noelle followed her. With every step, one thought echoed in her mind:
She was unwelcome by the very person she was supposed to study.
She had been so excited this morning, but not anymore. Who was the guy I was chatting with moments ago? Who is this rude man who left without a word? Where is that kid I saw seven years ago in a music video, the talented former pop star? How many Lucas are there?