My voice faded as my finger brushed the last note. Loud clapping made my head whirl around swiftly to the source. Andrei wasn't the only audience I expected to have.
"I knew I got the jackpot when I first saw you perform on that stage." Darren West sauntered towards the stage.
I frowned at his unexpected presence. I turned to Andrei for an answer but he just shrugged, apparently he had no idea too. Darren leaned at the stage as he turned his head up to look at me. He saw the look on my face and so he decided to explain why exactly he was here.
"I came here last week and asked Andrei for your schedule. So I came here earlier with the plan of meeting you four prior to your performance. I didn't expect that you cancelled your gig tonight." My silence made him continue talking. "I also heard the reason why it's cancelled."
"Well, things happen." I shrugged.
"Your band is not the only one suffering with issues among members."
I stood from the bench and walked towards him. I jumped down in front of him to have our height levelled.
"What are you doing here exactly?" I asked skeptically. I was honestly not in the mood today obviously. And there was something fishy about this guy today. It felt like he wasn’t the same the first time we met him.
"At first, I wanted to follow up on the opportunity that I gave to your band but things have changed once Andrei and I conversed. Also... once I heard you play. You alone." He paused. "You know, a band is a teamwork. You see them as a whole. But you Kai, outshine them. You don't deserve to be in a band."
I fucking knew it.
I scoffed. "Yeah? Are you trying to persuade me to make money for you… alone?"
"Is it that obvious, dear?" He retorted rather calmly.
"I don't want to sign a contract with you and leave my friends. They're not just my bandmates. We may have issues right now but I'd rather follow them than follow such a selfish offer."
"You don't understand how talented you are. A lot of entertainment companies will be dying to have you once they'll discover your worth. The stage presence you have, god! You're not even making any effort. It comes naturally from you." He exclaimed. "I could make you famous, Kai... worldwide. Your voice is worth the universe if I say so myself. But you could make tons of money while doing what you love, while living the dream. I’ll make sure everyone in the world knows who you are."
"I'm not interested." I deadpanned.
He frowned with a thoughtful look. "Such a waste. I knew those boys will just hold you back." He shook his head. "A pure talent who doesn't even recognize her abilities. I expected you to have a dream. A dream to conquer the world with music and your powerful voice… regardless. You lack vision."
I growled as I took a step towards him. "It's because I lack greed, Mr. Know-it-all. You assume such things just because I wasn't being selfish. If we're speaking of dreams, I would have used my name to climb to the top and be that worldwide famous artist who was only successful because of connections." I stare at him with my million dollar eyes. "Don't you know who I am, Mr. West? My name is Kyree Jade Knight and I'm sure you know my father." I could see the surprise in his face when I mentioned who I really was or the mention of my family name. Even though my father disowned me, I'm still his biological daughter nonetheless.
"And if he wouldn't have supported me, my boyfriend would've done anything to put me on that pedestal. Oh, yeah. Did I mention that he's brother-in-law is Stefano Ranallo?" His eyes widened even more. "If you think I'm making things up, you're free to do your research. The list goes on." I sauntered towards him, stopping two feet away from him.
"That's why if I ever dreamed of ruling the world, I would have used my existing power and connections… but I didn't. Because that would have been unfair to people who work so hard to achieve their dream. And that wouldn't have proved anything. That wouldn't have proved my worth."
He was silent, still shocked from the revelation. I guess he didn't expect to meet an heiress on his expedition for talents.
"I'm going to say this for the last time, Mr. West. I am not interested. So why don't you shove that offer down your throat?"
---
"You okay?" Drei asked beside me.
He stopped busying himself with work and joined me drinking. We stood against the counter of his bar, people slowly coming in filling his club with people who will probably regret drinking on a Sunday night.
I drank all the contents from the glass before answering him.
"Peachy." I paused. "How come you're still single? You practically have everything except a girl." I turned to him with a smirk.
"I know you're going to laugh but if and when I find the one, I want it to be all the way."
I snorted. "Like marry her right away?" The bartender gave us another set of drinks and I took it willingly.
He smiled, amused at our random conversation. "No, not right away of course. I just want to date her and be in a relationship at the right pace and time. But I don't want any break ups because I want to marry her."
"What if she's not the one? One of you messes up and it's impossible to marry?" I mused.
"Now you know the reason why I don't have a girlfriend. I'm picky with women, I admit because I just want to make sure that I find that woman who'll I spend the rest of my life with."
I laugh. "That really doesn't sound like you."
He joined my laughter. "I know." He settles himself and faces me. "What about you? You seemed to be so naive with Deon's feelings."
I frowned, keeping the silence for seconds. "Am I really the only one who didn't know his feelings for me?