Aria's POV
The black car pulled up to my building exactly ten minutes later.
I ran down the back stairs, my heart pounding. Maya was still in the front hallway. I could hear her footsteps above me.
The car window rolled down. A man in a suit looked at me. "Aria Chen?"
"Yes."
"Get in. Mr. Cross sent me."
I jumped in and the car sped away. Through the back window, I saw Maya run out of my building, looking around wildly. Too late.
The driver didn't talk to me the whole ride. I didn't care. My mind was racing.
Damien Cross helped me. The CEO of Apex Entertainment sent his personal driver to rescue me from my stalker best friend.
But why? He didn't know me. In this timeline, we'd never met.
Unless... unless somehow he remembered too? No. That was impossible. Only I came back.
Right?
The car stopped in front of Apex Entertainment. The building looked exactly like I remembered. Tall. Glass. Intimidating.
"Someone will meet you inside," the driver said. "Good luck with your audition."
I got out. Took a deep breath. This was it.
The lobby was full of people. Other singers waiting to audition. They all looked nervous. Young. Hopeful.
Like I used to be.
"Number 47! Aria Chen!"
I walked toward the registration desk. A woman handed me a sticker with my number.
"Third floor. Room 302. You're up in fifteen minutes."
Fifteen minutes. In my first life, I spent those fifteen minutes in the bathroom, throwing up from nerves.
Not today.
I headed to the elevator. That's when I saw him.
Victor Zhang. Standing by the water cooler, talking to another judge. He was laughing. His teeth looked too white. His eyes looked dead.
He saw me and his smile grew wider.
"Aria Chen." He walked toward me. "What a surprise. I thought you'd be smart enough to stay home."
In my first life, I would have looked down. Stuttered. Apologized for existing.
Today, I looked him straight in the eye.
"Why would I stay home? I'm here to audition."
His smile slipped a little. "I called you this morning. Gave you good advice."
"You gave me garbage," I said calmly. "But thank you for showing me exactly who you are before I wasted my time trusting you."
His face went red. "You little—"
"Is there a problem here?"
A new voice. Deep. Cold. Powerful.
Victor turned around and went pale. "Mr. Cross! I didn't know you were here today."
I turned and my breath caught.
Damien Cross stood three feet away. Tall. Dark hair. Grey eyes that looked like storm clouds. He wore a black suit that probably cost more than my entire life.
He was more intimidating in person than in his photos.
He looked at Victor like he was a bug. "I asked if there was a problem."
"No, sir. Just chatting with one of our audition candidates."
"It looked like you were threatening her." Damien's voice was ice. "Were you?"
"Of course not! I was just—"
"Lying." I interrupted. Both men looked at me. "He called me this morning and told me to quit. He called my best friend and told her I wasn't talented. And now he's trying to intimidate me before my audition."
Victor's face went from red to purple. "That's not true! She's making it up!"
"Is she?" Damien pulled out his phone. "Because I just received a very interesting email. Someone sent me recordings of phone calls you made this morning. Would you like me to play them?"
Victor went white.
"I thought so." Damien looked at me. "You must be Aria Chen. The one who called me."
"Yes."
"How did you get my personal number?"
That was the question, wasn't it? I couldn't tell him the truth. Couldn't say I got it three years from now in a timeline that doesn't exist anymore.
"Someone gave it to me. They said if I ever needed help, you were someone who valued honesty."
Not exactly a lie.
Damien studied me. His eyes were sharp. Calculating. Like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
"Interesting." He turned to Victor. "You're fired. Security will escort you out. I'll be reviewing all of your audition decisions from the past five years. If I find more corruption, I'll press charges."
Victor opened his mouth. Closed it. Looked at me with pure hatred. "This isn't over," he hissed at me.
"Yes," Damien said coldly. "It is. Security!"
Two men in uniform appeared and dragged Victor away. He was shouting, but I couldn't hear the words anymore.
I was shaking. Not from fear. From relief. Victor was gone. In fifteen minutes, I'd destroyed the man who ruined my first life.
"Thank you," I said to Damien.
"Don't thank me yet." He stepped closer. "I have questions for you. How did you know about the bribes? How did you get my number? And why do I feel like there's something you're not telling me?"
His eyes pinned me in place. I couldn't breathe. He was too close. Too intense.
"I'll answer your questions," I said. "After my audition."
"Your audition might not happen. Victor was on the judging panel. We need to reschedule—"
"No." I said it firmly. "I'm auditioning today. Now. You want answers? Then watch me sing. After that, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
It was a gamble. A huge risk. But I needed him to see me perform. Needed him to understand I was worth the chaos I was about to bring into his company.
Damien stared at me for a long moment. Then slowly, he smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. It was the smile of a predator who just found interesting prey.
"Fine. I'll judge your audition myself." He checked his watch. "You have five minutes. Don't waste them."
He walked toward the audition room.
I stood there, heart racing.
I just made the CEO of Apex Entertainment my judge. The man who never attended auditions. The man who could make or break my career with one word.
An assistant rushed over. "Miss Chen? We're ready for you."
I followed her to Room 302. The door was already open. Inside, I could see Damien sitting in the center judge's chair. Two other judges sat on either side, looking confused and nervous.
I walked to the stage. Picked up the microphone.
Damien leaned forward. "Whenever you're ready."
I opened my mouth to sing.
Then the door burst open.
Maya ran in, tears streaming down her face. "Stop! You can't let her audition! Aria stole my song! She's a thief!"
The room went silent.
I turned to look at her. She was breathing hard. Her makeup was running. She looked desperate.
And behind her, holding her arm like he was trying to stop her...
Was Ethan.
My ex-boyfriend who I'd blocked this morning was here. At my audition. With Maya.
Damien's voice cut through the silence. "Would someone like to explain what's happening?"
Maya pointed at me with a shaking finger. "She stole my song. The one she's about to sing. I wrote it. And I can prove it."