The First Break
1112 Words
Selene’s POV
My heart accelerated when I launched the streaming applications.
Liora’s album page appeared.
Everything looked normal at first.
The same polished cover.
The same track list.
The same confident branding.
But I didn’t stop there.
I opened the major playlists which had included her lead single from the previous night.
My fingers hovered over the screen for a second.
Then I scrolled.
I blinked.
The song wasn’t there.
I frowned and scrolled again more slowly.
Still nothing.
“That’s strange,” I muttered.
I checked one more playlist.
The same result occurred again.
The track had disappeared.
I tapped on the song directly from her album page. It still showed up. I sat up fully in bed and opened my laptop.
This time I went deeper.
I checked everything available which included metadata and public updates.
And then I saw it.
A small status update buried in the platform’s backend information.
Copyright review in progress.
I stared at the words for a long moment. The first real c***k had emerged. One of her songs was already under review. I leaned back slightly, letting out a slow breath.
“I whispered that it was about to happen.
I quickly got out of bed and went downstairs. Ronan was already in the living room, reading something on his phone.
“It’s started,” I said.
He looked up immediately.
“What has?”
“One of her songs,” I replied. “It’s already being pulled from playlists. Copyright review.”
Ronan’s expression sharpened slightly.
“That was fast.”
“Too fast,” I said.
He stood up.
“Which means multiple claims are hitting at once.”
I nodded.
“Yours. Mine. And whoever else is involved.”
Ronan walked closer.
“This will make the label nervous.”
“Overview method description I’m counting on that.
He studied me for a moment.
“Good. Then tonight will be interesting.”
I frowned slightly.
“Tonight?”
“Another industry gathering, he said. “Smaller. More private. The kind where people talk when they think no one important is listening.”
I understood immediately.
Information.
“I’m coming,” I said.
The event took place that evening inside a private lounge located in a high-end hotel.
The purpose of this event was everything but celebration.
The venue functioned as a conversational space for making secret deals.
The venue served as a discovery space for problems which required resolution through private dialogue.
Ronan stayed close to me as we entered.
“Don’t push too hard,” he said under his breath.
“I won’t,” I replied.
But I was already scanning the room.
People were engaged in conversation within groups.
Producers.
Assistants.
Executives.
I walked through the area while picking up various sounds from different groups which shared their conversations. At first, everything sounded normal.
Casual.
Polite.
But then I started hearing it.
Small cracks in the surface.
“…there’s a legal issue…”
I slowed my steps slightly.
“…nothing confirmed yet, but the label is nervous…”
I maintained my neutral facial expression.
“…we might have to delay the rollout…”
My heart rate increased.
No one was saying names.
No one was being direct.
But I knew exactly who they were talking about.
Liora.
Ronan leaned slightly toward me.
“You hear it?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” I replied.
“They’re already feeling the pressure.”
But that wasn’t enough.
I needed confirmation.
Real confirmation.
Not just whispers.
We moved deeper into the room.
I spotted a group near the bar.
A young assistant stood with them, laughing a little too loudly, holding a drink she clearly wasn’t used to.
She looked nervous.
Inexperienced.
Perfect.
I glanced at Ronan.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
He gave me a knowing look but didn’t stop me.
I walked toward the bar and ordered a drink, then positioned myself near the assistant.
She glanced at me briefly.
I smiled.
“Hi,” I said casually. “This place is more intense than I expected.”
She laughed lightly.
“Yeah… it’s always like this.”
“I’m Selene,” I said.
She paused before smiling.
“Emily,” she said.
I leaned slightly closer.
“You work in the industry?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Assistant. For one of the label teams.”
“That sounds stressful.” I said.
“You have no idea,” Emily said, taking another sip of her drink.
Good.
She was already loosening up.
I laughed softly.
“I can imagine. Especially with everything going on.”
She blinked.
“What do you mean?”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Oh, you know… the rumors. About some artist having issues with their album.”
Emily looked around quickly.
Then leaned closer.
“You didn’t hear it from me,” she said quietly.
I leaned in too.
“Of course not.”
She lowered her voice.
“There’s a situation with Liora Voss.”
My heart beat faster, but I kept my face calm.
“What kind of situation?”
Emily hesitated, then took another sip.
“Some of her songs are being flagged. Copyright stuff.”
I nodded slowly.
“I heard something about that.”
She exhaled.
“It’s worse than people think,” she said.
“How so?”
“The label is panicking,” she admitted. “They’re trying to figure out where the claims are coming from. Multiple sources. Different accounts. It’s a mess.”
That confirmed it.
Everything.
I kept my voice steady.
“Do they think the claims are real?”
Emily hesitated again.
Then nodded slightly.
“Some people do,” she said. “The demos… they sound convincing.”
“What are they going to do?” I asked.
“They don’t know yet,” she replied. “They’re trying to contain it before the album launch. But if more songs get flagged…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
She didn’t need to.
I smiled lightly.
“That sounds complicated.”
“You have no idea,” she said again.
I nodded and stepped back slightly.
“Thanks for the chat, Emily.”
She smiled, already distracted by someone calling her name.
I walked back toward Ronan.
“Well?” he asked.
“It’s working,” I said quietly. “They’re panicking.”
Ronan smiled slightly.
“Good.”
My phone vibrated in my hand.
I glanced down.
A private message.
Unknown sender.
My chest tightened slightly.
I opened it.
There was only one line.
“If you want Liora to fall faster, stop playing small.”
- Writer
