By the time the day finally wound down, Melissa was gathering her things and heading for the door. It was already late, way later than either one of them expected. Harry offered, more than once, to drive her home, but she waved him off. She didn’t want him going out of his way after everything he’d already done for her. She booked a Taxiplus, and he walked her to the elevator, kissed her softly on the lips, and watched the doors close between them.And while part of him already missed the warmth she brought into the apartment, another part of him, the quiet, overworked, exhausted part, felt relieved. Not because he didn’t enjoy her company. He did. Too much. But having her around all day had burned out the last bit of mental energy he had left. He was overloaded, overstimulated, and desperately needed silence before his brain melted.When the apartment went still again, Harry exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for hours. The day had gone better than he expected, especially cons

The week crawled by after that chaotic day he had a panic attack, and slowly the whole apartment building turned into a construction zone. Workers were constantly dragging things in and out, the hallway smelled like paint and sawdust, and Harry couldn’t have been happier. It felt like the final missing piece of his life was finally sliding into place.His nightclub was already done, polished, furnished, lit, and waiting. The grand opening was scheduled for that evening, with a ridiculous 50% discount for the first month. Harry knew that move would punch his competitors right in the financial throat. But honestly? That was their problem. This wasn’t personal; it was business. And business meant stepping on a few toes.As far as he was concerned, he was ready. His entire wardrobe had done a full 180 in just a week. No more walking around looking like a guy who lived out of a laundry basket. Now he looked like someone important, someone people stopped and watched for no reason except ins

The night unfolded way smoother than anyone predicted. Rhianon was belting her lungs out, fully committed, even though the crowd needed a minute to warm up. But once they did? They went absolutely wild.Harry could’ve taken the easy route and booked a DJ like every other club owner in Crestview, but this wasn’t what he wanted for his place. His vision was live music, real artists, real performances, actual connection between the stage and the people on the floor. Still, he wasn’t stupid. He kept a DJ on standby just in case something went sideways.From his vantage point, he watched Rhianon with this bright, electric smile lighting up her whole face. Thanks to the erratic lighting, those strobing, flickering beams that made half the room blur into shadows, she couldn’t see the crowd clearly. But she could see the area close to her just fine, and that was enough. It let her stay locked into her singing without distraction.And God, she gave everything. She didn’t go with anything heavy

The night rolled on without losing momentum, the speakers pounding and Rhianon holding the crowd together with the same fire she started with. She took breaks here and there, nobody could perform nonstop without their lungs giving up, and used the pauses to grab some food and rest her voice.Mia, meanwhile, proved exactly why Harry trusted her. The young lady worked like a machine behind the scenes. The moment Rhianon stepped offstage, she already had a backup act lined up. She’d prepared for situations like this days in advance. Every headliner had support acts on standby, and Mia took that job seriously.Harry’s vision for the club wasn’t just about music, parties, and revenue. He wanted this place to double as an unofficial scouting ground, a living, breathing talent pipeline. If an artist could captivate a crowd here, in this chaos, amidst alcohol and distractions, then they were worth keeping an eye on.Crowd control was the real test of artistry. Half the artists who sold out co

Harry wasn’t the type to leave two women wandering around the city at this hour, not when the night had already bled past midnight and the streets had that dangerous hush that always spelled trouble. He knew what happened to people, especially women, who thought nothing bad could happen just because they were five minutes from home. Bad things didn’t wait for permission. They happened fast, they happened in an ugly pattern, and he refused to let that be their fate tonight.Honestly, he also needed the excuse to dip out of the club. The opening had been a success, more than a success, really. It was the kind of night business owners bragged about for years. He saw it, felt it, breathed it. And that was enough. Mia had proven she could run the place without Harry hovering over his shoulder. She was sharp, talented, and clearly thriving with responsibility. Harry trusted her with the club.Though Harry noticed that they were not as close as they used to be, he found out that she and Ch