Rachel wanted to frown, standing on the stage but cameras were everywhere. In even a small show, a lot of people were recording it and if she looked annoyed, then it would be picked up by some journalists.
That's why, only after finding herself on the back stage did she show her real emotions. A frown engulfed her face and she quickly walked inside the room allocated to her.
She sat down on her seat and thought about stuff.
She was feeling weird these days, like she had not stressed this much for a long time. She knew it wasn't healthy and although her song was on top of the charts, the feeling was not nice.
She just felt like she didn't deserve it.
Maybe it was just an effect of collaborating with a group that was way more popular than her. More like, a group that had way too many hardcore fans.
Anyway, she was going through a feeling she had never felt before due to this.
At that moment, the door to the room opened and her assistant walked through the door.
Seeing her looking like she was going through some sort of grief, he quickly asked.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm. Why are you here?"
She asked and her assistant quickly replied. Although he was worried about her condition, he knew it was bad to privy more knowing that Rachel was a very private person.
"We were about to leave for the shooting of 'The Rory Chambers show'. It's best if we could reach there in time as Rory Chambers is strict about starting his show on time."
"I understand."
Rachel frowned, hearing that. She wasn't in a mood to give out an interview, especially on a talk show where one has to exaggerate or at least be humorous.
But there was no choice.
As her assistant was leaving the room, she suddenly asked an unexpected question.
"Hey, what did I say when we were going through the artists to collaborate with? You were in that meeting right?"
Her assistant thought for a bit and replied.
"Yeah, you asked to get someone with the biggest fanbase. That's why we got Soul. You wanted to neutralise the fan base of..."
He stopped his words there, knowing that if he said more, Rachel's expression would just grow worse.
He nodded his head and left quickly while Rachel kept thinking to herself.
Every song of hers that she sang herself and even wrote the lyrics of was not doing well in comparison to Aiden's songs. The only song that had done so well was the title song.
It felt bad when she thought about it.
Maybe her insecurities have really made her take a very wrong decision?
***
"I have not seen him that happy for like 10 years. He has a good family and everything else but he always looked a bit lonely. I guess, music really makes up a big part of his life."
Eddie said as he and Aiden looked at Drew who was giving hugs and autographs to fans. They were in the middle of a fan meet and a lot of 'The Boys' fans appeared.
It was the first time Aiden was seeing so many middle aged women in a fan meet but it was very refreshing to see. Their fans have become adults but they have not forgotten him.
"I'm glad he's happy. He worked very hard during the recording."
Aiden said and Eddie just smiled.
"I'm thankful to you actually. Although I don't show it, I needed this as much as Drew. I realised it when we were on the stage yesterday. I miss the feeling of being a rockstar."
His voice sounded very genuine and Aiden nodded while smiling.
"If it wasn't you, the song won't be half good. Every legend should have a comeback anyway."
"But we weren't able to beat Rachel. Aren't you sad about it?"
Eddie suddenly asked and Aiden thought about it for a second before shaking his head.
"I listened to the song. I liked it. Not Rachel's usual style though. As for beating her, I rather not think about it. I am not on X-Star anymore. The desire to beat her or something like that isn't there. I'm just glad our song is doing well."
Maybe it was a bit of a cliche answer.
But Rachel wasn't someone Aiden wanted to see as a rival. He considered her more of a friend, especially after they have worked together.
He had grown in recent years and just beating her won't give him anything. He felt like it was low of him to think like that when he was the owner of a system.
He needed to be better than that.
After all, his system revolved around him getting better and not around him beating others in some competition.
"Ah, you talk like an old man." Eddie smiled.
"Maybe. I do feel like I'm getting old fast. Time has passed by very quickly in recent years."
Project after project. It had made him tired and Aiden wanted to take a break now. Maybe he should try to go meet his mom or even get a girlfriend.
He did feel lonely these days.
'Maybe I should call Ava out for some coffee sometime? She's been busy.'
He thought in his mind and it was then that he got a message from someone. Someone he wasn't expecting.
[Hey, wanna meet?]
It was a message from Rachel.
***
As Aiden was busy promoting his songs by doing shows and appearing on TV programs, his team was keeping an eye on how the songs were doing all around the world.
Especially Tom who was keeping 6 phones and 2 laptops to go through music charts and streaming data from every country with a focus on Europe.
"Okay, it's number 12 in Germany, 17 in Austria. That's low... 5 in France. Going good France! Then, 8 in Turkey... It's in the top 20 of most music charts in Europe and we already sold over 20k physical copies all around the world..."
He muttered, checking out different music charts and the reviews from the critics.
Some reviews called the whole album a breath of fresh air from a musician that was sorely missed for a long time while others felt like Aiden forgot his roots while trying to be more innovative.
Though, even with those types of reviews, the public opinion was extremely positive as there was something for everyone in the album.
You want romance, there's a romantic song. You want something to vibe, there's a pop song. You want some motivation, there's something for you too.
Tom saw the album like that but there was something lacking that was hurting him and making him feel uneasy. Not the album itself but the reception of it.
For his plans of seeing Aiden as the biggest star on the planet, he needed the album to be a big hit. It was a hit already, especially the popularity in Europe would make any other singer in America jealous.
The album already achieved what it was trying to achieve.
But Tom felt like it could be better.
Maybe not for Aiden but for Tom, it was a thorn that Rachel's title song was on the 1st position on the charts while his was on the 3rd. It will be 2nd soon but that was just not enough.
"It doesn't fit well with the legacy of Aiden. I need it to be bigger, better. A superstar that never lost! Wait! There's one thing I can do!"
He muttered and suddenly, a maniac-like smile appeared on his face. His brain had gotten an idea.
An evil idea that Aiden might scoff at but he wasn't Aiden. He didn't have rules. Just a goal.
He quickly looked around to notice that he was all alone and realised that it was the perfect time to act.
He took out his phone and called a number that was simply titled 'Unknown number'.
A few rings later, someone picked it up and a woman's voice came out.
"Tom, is that you?"
"Hey, how have you been?"
"Good but why did you call me? Our debts are already cleared with you. And I doubt we are friends anymore. So, what's the deal?"
The female voice asked, looking very sceptical of Tom and he smiled.
"I can call you anytime I want. Our relationship is years old. Anyway, I need your help to break out the news."
"I don't do it anymore."
"Do it once."
He said and stayed firm on his words. Knowing the woman, he knew that she would help him out.
After all, they have a deep relationship.
"Think of it as my birthday gift for your brother. You are the only one I know who can do it."
He said and leaned against his seat. A minute went by and he was sure that she had frowned. But that was the hint that she had agreed.
"Okay, what do you want me to do?"
"Look into Soul, a Korean boy band. I heard they have extremely strict arrangements due to their agency. If people are controlled a lot, they want to rebel and that might get them in problems that don't seem coming."
