The midnight mix

Chapter two

The silence of the hallway was shattered by a low, vibrating growl that came from deep within Cairo’s chest. He wiped a stray ice cube from his shoulder, his violet eyes blown wide with a mix of fury and adrenaline.

"Get back here, you midnight beauty!" Cairo roared, his voice bouncing off the acoustic-paneled walls.

Liora didn't wait to be told twice. she turned on her heel, her baggy sweatpants swishing as she sprinted down the corridor. she was fast karate-trained reflexes making her movements fluid and light but Cairo was a 6'1" athlete with a boxer’s explosive power.

"Delete the damn video, Liora! I swear, if that hits the internet, I’m throwing your bike-hating self off a bridge!" Cairo yelled, his heavy boots thundering behind Liora.

Liora looked over her shoulder, her ink-black hair flying wildly, a rare, breathless smirk on her face as she clutched her phone to her chest. "The fans will love it, Cairo! 'The Great Rap Monster vs. A Bucket' it’s trending material!"

Liora dived around a corner, aiming for the executive lounge, but Cairo’s reach was superior. Just as Liora reached the heavy oak doors, a large, calloused hand clamped onto the hood of her oversized designer hoodie. With a sharp tug, Liora was pulled backward, her small 5'6" frame stumbling into Cairo’s solid, damp chest.

"Gotcha!," Cairo hissed.

Before Liora could use a karate sweep to escape, Cairo grabbed the edge of Liora’s expensive white hoodie. With zero regard for fashion or personal space, Cairo hauled the fabric up and began aggressively wiping the freezing water and ice grit off his own face using Liora’s hood as a towel.

"Hey! Stop it! Let go!" Liora gasped, her eyes wide with horror as she watched her favorite, pristine hoodie get soaked and stained with the grime from Cairo’s hair. "You’re ruining it! Do you have any idea how much this cost?!"

"I don't care if it costs your soul, you drenched me first!" Cairo retorted, his face inches from Liora.

But as Cairo pulled the fabric away, the smirk on his face faltered. Being this close, he was suddenly hit by the heavy, intoxicating scent of red roses. It wasn't the fake, chemical smell of cheap air freshener; it was deep, velvety, and expensive. It was the scent of Liora’s skin, and for a split second, Cairo’s brain short-circuited. He thought it was the most addictive thing he’d ever smelled, though he’d rather eat his motorcycle tires than admit it out loud.

"Liora? What is this circus?"

The cold, sharp voice acted like a bucket of ice water all over again. Both singers snapped their heads toward the end of the hall.

Standing there was Cassian, Liora’s manager. He was wearing a mask over the lower half of his face, his heterochromatic eyes narrowing behind his glasses as he took in the sight of the "Most Beautiful woman in the World" being used as a human towel by a wet boxer.

Liora immediately wrenched herself out of Cairo’s grip, running over to Cassian’s side. Shee looked genuinely distressed, holding up her dampened, wrinkled hoodie like a wounded bird.

"Cassian, he ruined my day," Liora almost whined, her voice losing its "Midnight Beauty" coolness and sounding like a petulant younger sister. "He locked my studio and then he used me as a rag. Look at my clothes!"

"I see," Cassian hissed, his hand resting protectively on Liora’s shoulder, his gaze burning a hole through Cairo. "Cairo, I told you to keep your caveman tendencies away from my artist."

"Caveman?!" Cairo shouted, throwing his hands up, water droplets flying everywhere.

"What is all this shouting?! I heard it from the lobby!"

A booming, cheerful voice filled the hallway as Axel, Cairo’s manager, marched toward them. He had a brilliant smile on his face, though it twitched slightly when he saw his star athlete looking like he’d just crawled out of a lake.

"Cairo! You look refreshed! Did you take an unscheduled swim?" Axel laughed, clapping a hand onto Cairo’s wet shoulder.

"He set a trap, Axel! The little brat dumped a bucket on me!" Cairo pointed a finger at Liora, who was currently hiding half her face behind Cassian.

"He locked my door first," Liora countered quietly from behind her manager.

"Because you breathed on my bike yesterday!"

"Enough!" Cassian snapped, his voice like a whip. He looked at Axel. "We have a meeting with the CEO in ten minutes to discuss the joint album. My artist cannot go in there smelling like a wet dog because of yours."

Axel u’s eyes brightened. "A minor setback! Cairo can borrow a shirt from the gym! Liora can change into one of her many spares! We shall meet in the boardroom with high spirits!"

Cairo scoffed, crossing his muscular arms over his wet chest, his eyes still lingering on Liora specifically on the way the damp hoodie clung to Liora’s slim waist. "I'm not doing an album with a prankster who hides behind his manager."

Liora peeked out, her dark blue eyes cold. "And I'm not doing an album with a 'Rap Monster' who doesn't know how to use a towel."

The two managers looked at each other, shared a knowing look of "we aren't getting paid enough for this," and began dragging their respective stars toward the dressing rooms.

Before the Grammys, before the heavy bikes and the red-rose perfume, there was the silence of empty pockets and the cold of the streets.

The Protector and the Prodigy

When Liora was fourteen, she wasn't the "Midnight Beauty." She was a girl with ink-black hair and eyes that looked too old for her face. Cassian had found her in a small talent search, but he didn't see a paycheck; he saw a kid who needed a guardian.

In those early years, the industry was a monster. Cassian had practically raised her in cramped studio apartments where the heater barely worked. Liora would sit at a small desk, studying for her Media Communications degree by candlelight while Cassian worked three side jobs just to keep the lights on and pay Liora's tuition.

"Eat, Liora," Cassian would say, pushing a single bowl of rice toward h er.

"I’m not hungry, Cassian-san. I had a big lunch at the library," Liora would lie, her stomach aching with emptiness so that her manager wouldn't starve.

Liora pushed herself to graduate with a digital focus, wanting to prove that she wasn't just a voice he was a professional. Every note she sang, every high register she hit, was a "thank you" to the man who made sure she finished her studies. To the world, Liora was cold; to Cassian, she was the girl who still shared her crackers with the birds.

The Wolf and the Sun

On the other side of the city, sixteen-year-old Cairo was learning that the world had no mercy. After his parents died in a tragic accident, his aunt and uncle had moved in like vultures. They stripped him of his inheritance, signed the business over to themselves, and threw him onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back and a heart full of fire.

Cairo spent a year on the streets. That was where the "Rap Monster" was born not in a studio, but in the grit of the underground, where he had to fight for a place to sleep. It was where he developed his snappy, aggressive edge; if he wasn't the loudest and the toughest, he was invisible.

Axel had found him behind a boxing gym, shouting lyrics at a brick wall with a voice that sounded like it was bleeding. At the time, their company "UKT" was a tiny, struggling label, but Axel saw the sun hidden behind Cairo’s scars.

"Your spirit is brilliant! We shall make the world hear you!" Axel had boomed, handing Cairo a coat and a contract.

The Present: The Boardroom

The flashback faded as Cairo and Liora sat at opposite ends of the long mahogany boardroom table. Both were in fresh clothes Cairo in a dry black tank top that showed his boxing scars, and Liora in a new, oversized navy sweater.

They looked at their managers. Cassian was fussing over Liora’s hair, and Axel was leaning over Sanemi’s shoulder, whispering encouragement.

Giyu is twenty. Sanemi is twenty two. Between the two of them, they have pulled UKT Records from a small-town office to a global empire. They are the pillars of the company, yet they look at each other with such intense rivalry because they both know exactly how much it costs to get here. They aren't just protecting their fame; they are protecting the life they nearly didn't have.

Cairo looked at Liora, seeing the "Midnight Beauty" looking down at her hands. For a second, the image of a hungry fourteen-year-old girl flickered in his mind, though he didn't know why.

"Alright," Cairo broke the silence, his voice less aggressive than before. "The managers said there's a meeting. Let's get this over with."

Liora looked up, her dark blue eyes steady. "I agree. But if you touch my clothes again, I’m doubling the prank budget."

Axel laughed, his voice booming. "That’s the spirit! Now, let us welcome the CEO!"