Behind The Scenes Novels & Stories

"And I've given you money. Our relationship is nothing more than a transaction! I'll handle my mother. In the meantime, think about how much money you want. You won't walk away with nothing, but you won't walk away with the things you want either. I don't have it in me." Nathaniel then chased Helen and Nelson out. He forced himself to cool down. Now, he needed to find me.

"If you all want evidence, I'll give it to you!" I lifted my hand and pointed toward the rear side of the company building. "But instead of listening to me defend myself, why don't you all come with me? All you need to do is look up, and you'll know exactly who's lying and who's shameless." The crowd immediately stirred. "Fine! Let's see what trick you're trying to pull!" "Everybody follow him! Don't let him get away!" The massive crowd surged forward, carrying cameras, microphones, and livestream equipment as they followed me around to the side of the building, where a wide open lawn lay.

But the Student Council is a different story. Hestia, on the other hand, manages the backstage. Helping the staff to organise the sound system, telling them where goes what. She’s busy telling the staff that the cords need to be up to the walls, or at least in the corner so that no one would trip the wires and ruin the event. “Also, please be careful with those— they are highly valuable. Yes, slowly put that painting down and that case goes with the glass dome, yes put it on the stand and also surround it with shredded papers.” she commanded as the extra staff put it all in one of the rooms backstage. She must ensure that every piece of collection stored in this room is safe lest she wants t

When I got in, and the door closed, I looked at him through the window, seeing him still standing there, watching me with the same intense gaze. Somehow, that cold morning felt a little warmer. ↞⇝⋆⇜↠ In the crowded backstage, I moved quickly from one side to the other, ensuring all the details were met. Bright lights illuminated the narrow aisles while the sounds of quick steps and hurried conversations echoed around me. Magnificent gowns hung neatly on the shelves, ready to be worn by the models who were busy getting primped in their respective seats.

So I moved. I slipped out of my seat and headed for the side exit before the crowd could fully regroup. Security noticed me but didn’t stop me. They knew my face. They knew who I was. They also knew better. The doors closed behind me, and the noise dropped to a dull hum. Backstage smelled different. Fabric. Heat. Coffee that had gone cold hours ago. It wasn’t calm, but it was quieter. All I could see was controlled chaos everywhere. Crew members rushed past with headsets pressed to their ears. Assistants whispered into phones, their eyes darting everywhere. Models stood near garment racks, pretending not to stare while clearly doing so.

“You really do like hand-me-downs, don’t you? Since you want this so much, sure. Why the heck not?” I was referring to both the wedding dress and the man. The last call for boarding was broadcast through the speakers. ‘I can finally leave this place,’ I thought to myself. Just as the plane began to taxi, I suddenly saw a group of bodyguards rush towards the gate. Surrounded by them was Jared. I quickly faced away, but I could feel a piercing gaze fall on me through the walls. As figures on the grounds slowly became black speckles, I took a deep breath and bid my youth goodbye.

“Of course you are.” Bryce shot him a look. “What?” Landon raised his hands. “You’re the CEO. Also a married man, whose model wife is in there. That's totally professional and understandable.” Bryce didn’t bother responding. He just shot him another look and turned, heading toward the backstage corridor. ********** Backstage was a different world entirely. The chaos inside there was massive, but well controlled. Makeup artists moved like machines, with brushes, powders, sprays in their hands. The stylists rushed between racks of clothing. While the models sat in rows, half-dressed, half-prepared, nerves and excitement buzzing through the air.

The video showed surveillance footage of an office, where only three people were present—Jerry, Monica, and the travel pass reviewer. Jerry stared at the paper in his hand, clearly fuming. It was the travel pass I'd submitted. The reviewer kept talking nervously, his face apologetic as he lowered his head. With a sharp motion, Jerry slammed the travel pass down on the desk. Two minutes and 15 seconds later, Jerry finally waved the reviewer off. The reviewer let out a relieved sigh and hurried away. Monica stood beside Jerry, handing him a cup of coffee with a tight smile. His arm shot out, knocking the cup to the floor, and she stumbled back, startled.

--- Back in his office, Adrien confronted the only person who might know more than he did. “Nina.” She raised an eyebrow, sipping coffee like a queen waiting for her execution. “You remember her,” he said. “Tell me everything.” She gave a slow smile. “Why do you care?” “Because I believe she’s not the only one in danger here.” Nina leaned forward. “There was a fire. A facility, not unlike this one. Somewhere rural. Government funded. Lots of… experiments under the guise of therapy.” Adrien narrowed his eyes. “What kind of experiments?”

Oh no. “What's behind you?” He asked. “Nothing,” I rushed out, maybe too quickly. “What are you holding behind your back?” he asked, taking a step forward to me. “Nothing,” I replied too quickly again. He took another step closer. “Show me,” he ordered. “No,” I shot back while taking a step back too. His eyes darkened. “You’re hiding something.” I laughed. “You don’t get access to every part of me just because you raised me!” I spat out.