AMOS VOSS, RETURN OF THE TITAN

Dammit!!

Amos stumbled back on feet, eyes narrowing on the Director in visible shock.

"I—I'm not interested, anymore," He shook his head firmly. "This wasn't the terms you sent last night. I'm sorry. I'm out, Sir."

Last night when Amos came home penniless, debts hanging on his neck, and it felt the world was against his existence. The landlord made his evening worse with his usual threat. Rent renewal or eviction. Two days. Two ultimatums, or he'd be tossed out in the rain.

The day was getting worse for Amos until his old phone chimed. A direct message. One that can change his clustered story.

A job offer from stellar entertainment, the biggest entertainment industry in New york city.

"Congratulations Amos, you have been selected for a job offer at stellar. Resumption is tomorrow.

Amos jumped from the bed. It felt surreal.

The day finally smiled at him, at the last hour, but standing in front of the director, a wolf in a suit, Amos realized he had just stepped into some kind of mess the moment he acknowledged the message.

His joy died down instantly.

Earlier, before Amos' happiness evaporated, the director had said,

"I'll get straight to the point," He leaned in, voice clipped like a man who was only used to command. "This job is important, and you are the only selected photographer to handle it because I trust you...at the least."

"You'll walk away with $20,000. Three minutes shoot. What do you say?"

Amos' eyes widened in shock, his heart racing with happiness. This was it. His life was finally transforming. That was twice the money he would earn in two years, and if he did a good job, he might land a contract with the big dog.

And now Stellar is offering one deal that'll change his entire story. The giant entertainment industry, a place he had never mistakenly dreamt of stepping into.

"I— i'm in, Sir." His voice trembled with happiness and new found enthusiasm. "What's the job sir. Interview? Ted talk? Movie snippet? What's the bite?"

The director leaned back smugly, a gold timepiece glinting with effortless arrogance on his wrist. "Adult content. We're bringing in a star today. So we want the best of the best shots. Clean. Nice. Let me make it clear, Amos. This job is very important. It's my life. Literally."

That came the moment his whole enthusiasm crashed. His eyes widened in shock, and he stumbled back one foot like he already opted out of the whole deal before his voice proclaimed.

Stellar entertainment had displayed good morals to the world, but Amos had just discovered their deepest shit, a gig long banned in the whole entertainment industry by the government, and obviously the industry had been thriving on it in secret.

"I'm.... I'm sorry, Sir," Amos took one step back towards the door. "I can't accept the job." He turned to leave with a racing heart when two guards in suits, carved from brick, stepped in his path, guns trained to his face.

Amos' heart skipped, sensing the building trouble.

He turned back to see Director Jack steadying on his feet.

"What's happening here, Sir?" Amos asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "I won't speak about this to anyone. Just let me go. Please."

The director walked forward and stepped into his space, a sly smile tugging at his lips.

"Amos Voss." He called knowingly. "You've been holding the camera for nine years of your life after you got fired from the janitor job. Orphan. Poor. Classless citizen. Found mercy in the eyes of an old woman. Your life has really been...pathetic."

Amos froze in place. He blinked.

"H— how did you know— know about me."

The director took one step closer, his grin sharp as blade. "I know more, Voss," He said, "You got a beautiful wife and one baby girl you adore like your gods."

Amos' throat burned. He snapped. "You don't bring my family into this!! Touch a hair on them and I'll burn you down!!"

Silence fell over the room.

Director Jack was amused by his outburst. He knew the spot to hit to make the man crumble, and he had just started throwing his bullets.

He took another step closer, like a wolf playing with a prey before the bite. His voice dropped dangerously low now.

"Listen, this whole organization is deeper than what you see. If at all anything is coming down to ash, then it will be you, Voss. You have just one choice. There are no options. If you love your family dearly, I'll advise you to use your head and save your voice."

He stepped back, pulled white file from the drawer and slapped it on the desk.

"Sign it." He clipped.

Amos' heart ached. This was a trap. He could have seen the whole thing before now. It came too easy, too tempting, at his desperate time, and now he was about to shroud himself in a coffin he didn't know how deep it was carved.

His family. He wasn't ready to put their life on the line. He grabbed the pen, but it suddenly began heavier than the actual weight as his wife's voice echoed in his head.

Lisa would never support this. She would always tell him; "It is better to end up poor than making gold from dust." Cassandra patronizes decency.

Amos felt a knife twisting his heart. He was about to betray the woman he loved most, and the sheer thought felt like suicide.

He looked at the director whose eyes were emotionless and cold. "Please...can we not do this.."

Jack glanced at his watch and released an impatient sigh. "You're wasting time, Voss."

Amos was trapped. And he couldn't take the threat lightly to let one bastard lay a finger on his family. He silently swore to bury this secret away from them.

With the resolve, he pinned the pen to the file. The ink bled into the agreement sheet. It was an undertaking. Concealment of actions. Legal backing. Life imprisonment. White sheet, but all shades of dirt.

The moment he scribbled his signature, he felt he had traded his soul for something ugly.

The manager smirked, glancing into the file. "That's more like it." He said satisfactorily.

He kept the file. "We can start now." And walked out of the room. Amos followed behind hesitantly.

*****

The tenth floor, last floor of Stellar buzzed with murmurs immediately they stepped out from the elevator.

Interns giggled, gisting about something Amos was too lost to listen to. Some actors and actresses packed along the hallway in mind-provoking dresses and costumes.

As they walked along the hallway, the conversations finally caught Amos' ear.

"I heard she's manic on the bed. A tireless b*tch in action." One girl in a skimpy skirt commented with a flattery grin.

" It's not new, jade." The girl standing closer chipped in. "You wonder why she's the hottest with $5 million net worth! That's because she's a real manic. Bedmaniac..."

They laughed.

"I can't wait to see her physically. She's my idol."

"I swear I'll be willing to lose an arm just to have Lisa in bed." One guy said with sultry desperate intention.

And that was what caught Amos' attention. That was his wife's name. He smiled as she thought about her, guilt clawing deeper as her words echoed over and over again.

Lisa was an actress too, but not this kind. She is decent. Upcoming actress.

Immediately they stepped into the set room, the director pulled Amos aside.

"Listen champ," He began with a serious tone. "Give it all you have. She's the star. Bringing her to the industry cost me a damn fortune. I'm counting on you. Every moaning matters."

Amos nodded stiffly, chuckling dryly at the last quote. He set his back down to bring out his machines when screams rippled across the room in waves.

Amos didn't even bother to look back, knowing it was the dirtiest star, the filth called an icon, the woman who made glory from sleeping with men. Twenty? Fifty? Maybe a hundred of them or more...

Heels licked the marble like a count down. One. Two. One. Two.

"Sexy Lisa!!"

"Wow! She's so hot!"

"Damn! Look at her curves! They're killers!" One guy feigned he was suffocating.

"The legend. Star on the screen."

"I want to be like you one day, Lisa!" Another girl screamed.

Amos' curiosity piqued at the name despite his disinterest. He paused the zip halfway and turned. What he saw completely shattered his world.

Gulp!

"Lisa." The air knocked out his lung.

It was his wife.