The guards froze, their faces shifting from confusion to fear. Adrien Wolfe was never a man to cross—but tonight, something had snapped.
"I am not playing games here!" Adrien roared in the backstage corridors, hard as nails and relentless. His eyes blazed as they jerked from one corner to another as if looking for that person alone who had set fire into his world. "Divide and conquer. Scavenge every nook and cranny. She couldn't just disappear!"
The team didn't even hesitate for a heartbeat before scattering into action. Their calm demeanor gave way to frantic urgency, boots pounding against the polished floors as they split into every hallway. Even the stage manager, clipboard clutched to his chest, shrank under Adrien's glare.
"But, Mr. Wolfe, the concert—"
"Fuck the concert!" Adrien thundered, his voice shaking the walls. "You think I care about that when she's here?"
The stage manager paled, taking an involuntary step back. Adrien's icy coolness had vanished, leaving behind raw, fiery obsession. His team looked at each other in uneasy glances, but no one dared to question him.
"Move!" Adrien snapped, and the guards leapt into motion, their searches growing frantic. The muffled throb of the music from the stage outside only made it more taut, a reminder that the show was falling apart without him.
There beside them floats Mariah, her own thinking mush, her brain whirled in on the mayhem. She'd seen how easily Adrien handled screaming fans, temperamental staff, and late catastrophes with impassive serenity. That kind of stuff was different.
Her eyes flicked to a monitor nearby, and her breath caught. The headlines screamed in bold letters: "Adrien Wolfe Halts Concert in Desperate Pursuit!" A grainy image of Adrien storming through the crowd played on repeat. The arena buzzed with confusion, the crowd's cheers turning to murmurs.
The band stumbled through improvisation, the dancers frozen in place, unsure what to do without their leader. Mariah's stomach churned as she pushed through the frantic backstage, finding Adrien in the VIP lounge, staring at a TV.
"Adrien," she ventured, her voice trembling. "What's going on?"
He whipped around, his eyes stormy. "Get. Out."
The words hit like a slap. "But—"
"I said get out!" he bellowed, slapping his hand against the wall. The plaster cracked under the impact, a jagged dent marking his fury.
Mariah retreated a step, her heart thudding in her chest. She'd never seen him like this—so unleashed, so deadly. "Adrien, please," she stammered. "You have to get back on stage—"
"The fuck I do," he snarled, turning away. "Not until she's found."
Mariah stuttered, her words catching in her throat. Adrien's fists were clenched at his sides, his shoulders tense as he stared at the TV. The screen flickered with images of the restless crowd and his own frenzied search.
She took a tentative step back, her fingers curling around the door handle. "But Adrien—"
"I said get the fuck out of here, Mariah!" His voice cut through the air like a venomous knife.
Married didn't even bother to fight for an argument. She slipped out the door her hands were shaking. In the back Adrien barked orders his voice cutting across the chaos.
"You. Get me every CCTV feed from the arena. Every angle. Now."
The guard nodded fumbling with his earpiece. "On it boss."
Adrien's eyes snapped back to the monitors as the live broadcast of himself not being there was relayed to the world. Tension had reached its peak, making everyone choke on it. He didn't care. He had to find her.
He spun on his heel and marched back through the corridors, ignoring the whispers and gasps of his staff. His long strides ate up the distance, and before anyone could stop him, he was back on stage.
The voice of the manager crackled in his earpiece. "Sir, what are you doing?"
But he took off his earpiece and threw it away.
Adrian emerged onto the stage, a flash of charisma and presence that immediately captivated every eye in the room. He flashed a beautiful smile, the kind that sent ripples through the audience, making their hearts race. His eyes scanned the crowd, savoring the reaction he had stirred.
With a roguish glint in his eyes, he spoke into the microphone, his voice smooth and confident. "Did you like the surprise?" he asked, his tone dripping with charm. The crowd erupted even more, a wave of cheers and screams echoing through the venue, the sound deafening.
He drank it all in for a moment, letting the adoration wash over him before he raised his hands to calm the audience. "I wanted to make you feel close to me," he continued, his voice now softer, but no less commanding. "I told you tonight would be something different."
The crowd responded with even more fervor, the excitement palpable as they roared in agreement. Adrian's smile widened, and he gave a nod of satisfaction. He knew the effect he had on them, how easily he could bend the crowd to his will with just a few words, a well-timed glance, and the undeniable power of his presence.
For a little while, it felt almost as though the world outside this arena has stopped and nothing else except Adrian, the stage and his audience existed.
________________________
"Adrien," she squeaked, "What are you doing?."
Her breath hitched, eyes wide with fear. His grip tightened on her, and his smile stretched unnaturally, showing teeth that gleamed too sharp in the dim light. "Just making sure I have your attention, little one."
He leaned in further, his breath hot on her skin. The musk of mint mingling with something darker, darker enough to curl her gut. His gray eyes frigid and unyielding seemed to reach into him, shrinking the room in the process, leaving nothing behind but him and the rest of her.
"Now I know you've seen me watching you," he murmured low and hoarsely, his eyes holding a growl for staring at the wrong face.
Celine's heart thumped in her chest. She tried to pull back, but his arm felt like iron, unyielding and cold. His friends waited in the shadows, their eyes glinting with amusement, whispering amongst themselves as if this was some game.
"Please, let me go," Celine's voice cracked, her body shaking beneath his grip.
Adrien's smile hardened, and his eyes blazed with ice. "Or what?" he taunted, twisting his fingers through her hair.
Everything outside them seemed to melt—the cafeteria, the stares, the whispers—until there was just Adrien. Celine's throat squeezed, and she found words to say something to stop him, but all that came out was a tiny whisper.
"Or nothing," she breathed softly. "I want to be left alone."
But Adrien was not a man to make such concessions. He released her hair only to catch her jaw, forcing her face closer to his. His fingers dug into her skin, and she could feel the cold malice in his touch. His eyes never left hers, hungry, enjoying her fear.
"I hate poor people," he said, his voice venomous. "But with you. I think I could make an exception."
Without warning, he thrust her to the ground; the impact stole her breath.
Pain erupted in her body, but she didn't move. She couldn't. The room was filled with murmurs now, shock spreading amongst the students, but Celine couldn't focus on them. She only saw him—Adrien, the monster in a school uniform.
______________________________
Adrien stood in his room, gazing out from the large glass window over the sprawling city below. It was night, and so the lights were twinkling like a mystical glow along the streets, but nothing in his mind could give way to the thoughts at the moment. He kept seeing her—Celine. The woman he'd been trying to find for years, yet today she appeared right in front of him. And he'd done nothing.
His fingers tightened slightly at the thought of the chance that had slipped through his fingers. But that's when a slow, almost predatory smile spread across his face. She was here. In the city. And that, in itself, was enough. The game had just begun.
Before him was a file—information on Lila, the friend of Celine. Adrien never believed in losing an opportunity and this time was no exception. Not finding Celine was never an issue to him, he would go through Lila to find her. She was the one to have guided Celine through the crowd to protect her, and now she can take him right to her.
He swiped through the details. Lila's schedule, her known hangouts, even a few personal connections. Everything was there, every thread he could pull to find Celine again. The hunt, as far as Adrien was concerned, had only just begun. And this time, he would be the one to control the game.
His eyes glinted with cold amusement. So, Celine had escaped him this time, but she would not be able to outrun him forever. He did not need to find Celine; Lila would lead him straight to her.
Adrien stood there for a moment, thinking, before he tucked his phone back into his pocket. He was already planning his next move. The game had shifted, but he was always a few steps ahead. And now, with Lila in his sights, Celine wouldn't be far behind.