The banging wouldn't stop.
Athen groaned, half-buried under her blanket, her head pounding like a drum. Whoever it was clearly had no respect for people's sleep. Her throat was dry, her head felt heavy, and she didn't even remember how she got home. All she knew was home.
"Aargh!" Her voice was a rasp. She blinked at the morning light bleeding through the curtains, too bright, too cruel.
The banging came again, harder this time. Whoever was outside had zero patience.
"Alright! I'm coming!" she shouted, stumbling off the couch. Her body ached; her head throbbed as flashes of last night flickered back.
She didn't even check the peephole or the screen, didn't care. Her brain wasn't functioning that far ahead. She unlatched the lock and yanked the door open. At this point, if it was death knocking, she was ready to fight it.
Mr. Darcy stood there.
Furious.
His face was red, his jaw clenched so tight she thought his teeth might crack. The veins on his temple pulsed, his eyes narrowed like he was staring at the root of all his problems.
Athen froze, one hand still on the doorknob.
"Darcy…?"
He took a step inside without waiting to be invited. "Athen, I gave you one thing to do. One!" Darcy's voice thundered. "You only had to get a drink with Producer Jones! That was hard!?"
Athen yawned, scratching her tangled hair like she hadn't slept in a week. Her t-shirt was wrinkled, and one of her socks had gone missing. "Morning to you too," she muttered dryly, pushing the door shut behind him as he barged in without an ounce of shame.
Darcy spun around, his face red with fury. "Do you know how many times I called you? Where the hell is your phone?"
She blinked at him, still half-asleep. "Probably dead. Like me right now."
"Don't joke!" he snapped. "Do you have any idea what kind of mess you've caused?"
Athen yawned one last time, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't see it."
Darcy stared at her like she'd just spoken another language. He dragged a hand down his face and let out a breath that sounded like a growl. "You messed up, Athen. Big time. Jones is angry—super angry. You stood him up."
Her sleepy eyes blinked open a little wider. "I stood him up? What are you talking about?"
Darcy's jaw tightened. "He waited for you at the club last night. You never showed."
Athen frowned, confusion flashing across her face. "Wait, what? I _met_ him. He was there, and I was almost in trouble because of him! Did he tell you how he _harassed_ me?"
Darcy's face twisted in disbelief. "What are you even talking about?!"
"Athen, this is not about you! He wants you out of the industry!" Darcy's voice cracked with frustration, his hands tugging through his hair. "Athen, what happened? Why? I took you there myself. You were just supposed to sit with him, have a drink, smile, was that really so hard?"
Athen let out a long, exasperated sigh, her face twisting with annoyance. "I told you, I met him! He was the one who started acting weird! He had another woman who had tried to drug him, I helped him then he called his bodyguards and wanted to force me to drink the drugged wine." she cut herself off, her voice shaking between anger and disbelief. "I saved him then he wanted... Darcy. What was I supposed to do? Stand there and let him? Moreover he left first."
Darcy stared at her in silence, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like he might break a tooth. Before he could speak, his phone rang. The name flashed on the screen, Jones. He stepped away to answer, pacing across the room as he spoke in low, hurried tones.
Athen watched him, her heart hammering against her chest. Every second felt like an hour until he finally turned around. His face was pale, his eyes cold.
"Pack up," he said flatly. "You're vacated as of now. Your contract's been terminated."
The words hit her like a slap. Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out.
He walked toward the door, but Athen rushed after him, planting herself in front of him before he could leave.
"W–what do you mean?" she stammered, her voice trembling as she blocked his way. "I was going to quit the industry, but you can't just ask me to leave like that!" Her voice rose with panic, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Darcy, I don't have a place to go! And we signed the contract, I move when the contract ends!"
Darcy looked at her, his expression torn between guilt and irritation. He sighed, but his eyes didn't soften. "Athen, it's not up to me anymore. Jones called the shots. He said you're done."
She shook her head, her throat tightening. "No. No, that's not how this works! You can't just..."
"Athen, you messed up," Darcy said, his voice low but sharp with frustration. "Jones is a big shareholder. After what happened last night, he made a scene at the office. He wants you out, or he pulls out his shares. I don't have…" he paused, exhaling heavily, "I don't have a say in this."
Athen blinked at him, confused and growing more agitated by the second. "What are you even talking about? I met him last night!" she snapped. "He's the one who..." She stopped herself, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why is he acting like we didn't meet? I didn't stand him up!"
Darcy rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. "Whatever happened, he's saying you didn't show up. That you embarrassed him, You stood him up. You know what that means for me, for the agency, he's not someone we can afford to offend."
Athen's jaw tightened as she clenched her fists. Her mind replayed the chaos from the club, the drugged faces, that man who wasn't Jones, and the black business card still tucked in her bag. None of it made sense, but one thing was clear. Someone was lying, and she was the one paying the price.
"You don't understand. I met him..." Athen tried to reason with him, her voice trembling with disbelief.
"This is out of my hands," Darcy said, stepping aside, his expression hard and distant.
"Then at least give me a place to stay!" she demanded, desperation creeping into her tone.
Darcy shook his head, his jaw tightening. "Jones forbade that. He's the one who wants you out, Athen. He's firing anyone who helps you."
Athen's eyes widened in disbelief, her voice rising with anger. "What does he think he is? God?"
Darcy didn't answer immediately. He just looked at her with a tired expression, the kind that said he'd already given up fighting. "You know how the industry works," he muttered finally, turning toward the door. "Pack up. You have two hours left."
The door slammed behind him, leaving Athen frozen in place, furious, betrayed, and completely alone.
The entertainment industry was rigged. Everyone knew it, but no one dared to say it aloud. If you didn't have someone powerful backing you, or weren't willing to do whatever it took to please those at the top, you were destined to suffer.
Athen sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the wall, the events of the night and morning crashing over her like waves. Her mind felt heavy, her chest tight. She reached for her phone, scrolling through her contacts again and again, searching for a lifeline.
Names flashed before her eyes, producers, trainees, stylists, but she knew none of them would pick up her call. No one wanted to be associated with someone who had just been blacklisted by a big shareholder like Jones. One word from him, and she'd be poison to anyone's career.
Her thumb hovered over one name: Lizzy. Her only real friend in this mess of an industry. They had trained together, suffered together, dreamed together. Lizzy had debuted six months ago and was doing well, quite well.
Athen's fingers trembled. If she called her, she'd be dragging Lizzy into trouble too. The company would definitely come after her for helping a "problem artist." But what other choice did she have? She couldn't sleep on the streets.
She sighed, pressing her phone to her forehead. Maybe Lizzy could just host her for a night. Just one night to figure things out. She wouldn't ask for much, just a couch, maybe a floor to lie on.
Her heart pounded as she finally pressed call.
The number rang then went straight to voicemail. She tried a few more times but... She was about to continue trying when..
She froze when her screen lit up with a message. For a moment, she thought it might be Lizzy agreeing to help her, but when she opened it, her stomach dropped.
'Stop calling me! You messed up. Are you trying to get me kicked out of the company together with you?'