Chapter three : God's Ark
1186 Words
Ariana rushed toward the office.
Even though she had informed Tina that she would be late, Tina clearly didn’t have the patience to wait. An emergency request had come in—ASAP.
She washed her face quickly, grabbed a cap and hoodie, and bolted out the door. The moment she arrived at the office, Tina appeared, heels clicking sharply across the floor. “To my office, Ariana.”
Ariana followed her, heart thumping. Now what?
“Have you sent me the proposal? The model profile?” Tina demanded.
She looked up at Ariana—and froze. “What happened to your hair?” Tina asked, lifting Ariana’s cap.
“It’s due this afternoon,” Ariana replied calmly. “And—”
“Okay, never mind,” Tina cut in.
Ariana sulked.
“Forget it. I just got a sudden request from an agency—Island Records. One of their bands is holding a World Tour concert, and they want us to provide the costumes. Seventeen songs on the setlist. Three concepts. Four band members and thirty crew members.”
Ariana inhaled sharply.
What the hell?
She had almost finished the proposals. She was about to close a deal with a big celebrity. And now this?
“So,” Tina continued, excitement sparkling in her eyes—which somehow scared Ariana more than Tina’s anger ever did. “You don’t have to finish those proposals. I asked Mr. Ray—the CEO—to sign those artists as our Brand Ambassadors. And he agreed.”
Tina’s voice rose with every word.
“Now YOU, ARIANA, will be in charge of these events!”
This was exactly what Ariana feared.
Excited Tina was far more terrifying than furious Tina.
“You’ll be in touch with them, coordinate everything, make sure our products stand out—and MAKE SURE THEY DO THEIR JOB FAIRLY. I want EXPOSURE. Put our logo as big as possible on billboards, TV, radio announcements—tell them we paid them that much, so sell EVERYTHING!”
Ariana exhaled slowly, bracing herself.
“And when is the deadline?” she asked carefully. “I mean… when is the concert?”
“In six months.”
“What?!”
The word escaped her mouth before she could stop it.
“I know, it’s crazy,” Tina said. “That’s why I nagged him for maximum exposure. He’s my friend—we both know two months is almost impossible to prepare everything. But then I realized…”
She smiled brightly. “I have you.”
Ariana stared at her. What does that even mean?
“It means we can do it!” Tina continued. “If this goes well, I won’t have to worry about our sales until the end of the year. They’re stars. Everyone knows them!”
“Which band is it?” Ariana pinched the bridge of her nose. Her head was already throbbing.
“God’s Ark.”
Tina handed her a magazine with the band on the cover. Ariana stared at it. Then realization hit her like a truck. Oh my God.
_________
It was lunchtime. Julie fixed Ariana’s hair at the rooftop garden after Ariana confessed what had happened to it.
“I have no idea how you managed to mess this up so badly,” Julie muttered, trimming one side. “Where do I even start? You cut it randomly.”
“Stuff happened,” Ariana said weakly. “It was worse this morning. I panicked.”
Julie chuckled and worked carefully. She had fixed far worse disasters before. “Okay. Now tell me about the band. The one with the concert.”
“Tina said everyone knows them. Something about their promotions.” Ariana handed her the magazine.
Julie paused.
“God’s Ark?” she said slowly. “I think I’ve heard of them. What song do they sing?”
“I have no idea.” Ariana pulled out her phone and opened a music app, typing the band’s name. A list of songs appeared. She pressed play.
“This song is everywhere,” Julie said. “They’re super booked for gigs. Oh my God, Ari—this is huge!”
Ariana froze.
So they really were famous. Which meant massive exposure. Which also meant massive pressure.
Her stomach twisted. The schedules. The timelines. The contacts. The coordination. Everything suddenly felt too heavy. And the fact that she knew one of them—where he lived—made her feel weirdly ambitious… and deeply anxious.
“Juls, are you done?” Ariana asked.
Julie removed the cape and brushed off the loose hair. “Done. You actually look good. You can pull this style off.”
Ariana studied her reflection. Julie’s hands were magic.
“Thanks.”
“So, where are we eating?” Julie asked.
“I’m sorry, Juls. Something came up. Tina will hunt me down if I don’t go now.” Ariana hugged her quickly. “Thank you. Love you.”
She ran toward the elevator, leaving Julie shaking her head.
“Anytime,” Julie muttered.
______
Aston stepped out of his car at the studio parking lot and spotted Andrew waiting for him. Andrew handed him a cold coffee as they walked toward the elevator.
“Today we’re checking locations for the World Tour,” Andrew said. “You guys will also redo your measurements and have a photoshoot.”
“Why?” Aston frowned. “The designers already have our measurements.”
“New sponsor,” Andrew explained. “Different brand. Kim just closed the deal. He wants us to work with a younger team. I’ve seen their portfolio—it’s solid. Brand D.”
Aston’s eyes lit up. Brand D was a rising luxury brand. Working with them was a big deal.
“When’s the shoot?” he asked.
“We’ll see,” Andrew replied. “I’ll update you.”
Andrew headed off as Aston entered the studio. His bandmates were already there, snacking while debating the setlist.
“How’s the girl?” Luca asked casually.
“Why do you care, coward?” Ali pinched Luca’s side.
“He’s safe. She’s safe. That’s enough. I’m hitting the gym later—last show nearly killed me.”
“And the photoshoot,” Henry groaned. “Can’t they just reuse our old photos?”
“Mr. Kim wants to help his friend, so…” Ali trailed off, then changed the subject. “So, Luca—why are you curious about Ariana? Our stylist friend?”
“I don’t know which Ariana you mean,” Aston said. “But I meant the girl from last night.”
All three of them froze.
“The girl from last night?” Ali repeated.
Luca’s eyes widened. “This world is tiny. You’ll see—we might be talking about the same person.”
Andrew returned, glancing at his phone.
“We’re expecting someone in a minute.”
“I’m not even surprised anymore,” Luca muttered. “Who is it now?”
A knock echoed from the door.
Andrew opened it.
Someone stepped inside—
—and everyone gasped.
- Writer
