Chapter 15: The Quiet Era
April 2023. The world had just witnessed the debut of Can't Stop Me, and the numbers were staggering. Celeste had eclipsed even the biggest names in the industry—surpassing Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and SZA for the most-streamed song in its debut week with 118.9 million streams globally. And the momentum didn't stop there; it continued for 57 days straight, with the song accumulating a staggering 115 million streams after its release.
Her album followed suit, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, with a record-breaking 475,000 units sold in its first week in the U.S. Alone, Can't Stop Me was already on its way to 1.2 million worldwide units, cementing her place in history. The world was watching her every move, waiting for her next step. She had surpassed expectations, becoming the next great global icon. She had become a legend.
But no one truly knew the price of this fame.
As the world celebrated Celeste's rise, she had begun to feel something else—a tightening grip around her heart. The darkness that had been feeding her for so long was now suffocating, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming for her. Something far more dangerous than she could have anticipated.
Marcus and Julian, the two men who had once been her binders, had long since outlived their usefulness. She no longer needed their feeding—the power coursing through her from Riot had far surpassed what they could provide. Their jealous gazes had become a problem, and their dependence on her was suffocating. She had become something more than they could control, and their resentment began to fester.
It was Marcus who had spoken first, his eyes dark and possessive. "You don't need us anymore," he had said, a tinge of bitterness in his voice. "We were the ones who made you powerful, Celeste. Don't forget that."
And then, there was Julian—quiet, intense, his gaze full of silent fury. "We were supposed to be the ones who kept you, Celeste," he murmured, the venom in his words evident. "Now we're nothing to you."
Their jealousy grew to a boiling point. Celeste had never been one to be controlled, not by anyone—not even by them.
In the end, it was Riot who took matters into his own hands. He knew the power dynamics were shifting, and he was never one to let things get out of hand. His relationship with Celeste had turned into something more—an obsession, a bond that was deeper than anything she had ever known. But even as Celeste grew stronger, there was an unspoken tension that hung between them, one that finally snapped when Riot took matters into his own hands.
Marcus and Julian were disposed of. Their bodies vanished without a trace, and Celeste's heart, despite everything, felt a twinge of emptiness. It wasn't the first time she had let people close to her slip away—hell, she had lost her father, her innocence, and even her sense of humanity in the pursuit of power. But the loss of Marcus and Julian was different. They had been a part of her journey, and now, their absence left an unsettling silence in her life.
Riot, ever the manipulator, convinced Celeste that she had made the right decision. With Marcus and Julian gone, her power grew exponentially. But she also felt something stir inside her—a cold, creeping fear. She had become so powerful, so far removed from the people who had once been her foundation, and now, it felt like she was losing her grip.
The next few months were a blur. Celeste had gone into hiding, her record label and publicists working hard to keep her out of the media spotlight. Her music was still a force of nature, with streams growing exponentially every day. But she felt her world shrinking. Riot had become her only constant, and as she spent more time with him, their bond deepened into something far darker. She was no longer just his student. They were partners in power, linked by something far more dangerous.
But even with her power, there was fear. Fear that they would come for her. That the cult—her former feeders, those who had watched her rise—would seek to reclaim her. There was no turning back, and the deeper she sank into this world, the more paranoid she became. She didn't know who she could trust, or who might be lying in wait, watching her every move.
She had begun to distance herself from the public eye, slipping away from the media frenzy that had once been her life. Despite her massive success, she now had a team of security around her at all times, guarding every move she made. They were the only people she could trust.
Her mother and sister, once integral parts of her world, had moved out long ago, and Celeste found herself pushing them further away. She didn't want them involved in this darkness—not now, not when she couldn't protect them. Her mother had a place down the street, living her own life, far from the reach of the power Celeste wielded. Her sister, Rollie, had begun to make waves in the music world, her own sound blossoming into something beautiful. But Celeste kept her distance, keeping her sister in the dark about the true cost of the success they had both longed for.
And then, the news hit.
Cody Simpson, the man she had once loved, was now dating someone else—Jenna Ortega, no less. Celeste had seen the headlines, her heart sinking as she read the articles, the photos of them together. She had loved him once. And now, it seemed like everything had come crashing down.
But in that moment, the sting of the betrayal only fueled her. She threw herself into her music, writing songs laced with raw emotion, anger, and defiance. She would show the world that no one could take her power from her—not even the ones she had loved.
By January of 2024, Celeste had become something else entirely—a force of nature that was no longer bound by anything or anyone. Her fame had eclipsed the likes of Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, and her influence stretched across the globe. The world knew her name, but the truth of who she had become—what she had become—remained a secret.
Can't Stop Me was no longer just a title. It was a warning. A statement.
Celeste was untouchable. And no one—nothing—could ever reclaim her again.
PART II. Chapters 16-28 Published/Released December 1st of 2024.