A Deadly Sacrifice - Chapter 4

THE SOUL IN YOUR EYES

Aug 10, 2025

Note - This is a free-style writing.

Grammar and spelling may not be up to par, since I’m trying to get in the habit of writing again. Please feel free to read or leave a comment/suggestion… or if you have any questions for me, I’ll be grateful to hear any kind of feedback. :)

With all the hustle and bustle going on inside of the Grand Beach Hotel, there was no way I could get any sleep that afternoon, and with our nightly performance I was so nervous, knowing that there was a possibility of encountering Ivan Nicholson again. Seeing him twice in one day was enough to drive me bonkers.

“I just need to focus on tonight’s gig,” I said to myself, checking my watch.

I was in the bathroom, getting ready to change into a new set of clothes to wear this evening. I was wearing my silver, cross necklace, a black shirt, and black pants. Black was my favorite color and I always wore it, during my performances.

I had to look like the Bad Boy type, because mother always said girls love guys who look dangerous. So, I resembled a mini version of Elvis Presley and Bruno Mars, but my mother didn’t want me to say that part out loud.

Technically, I was a little too short to be a performer, reaching five feet and six inches, but then again Mia always told me I was taller, because she was five feet and three inches. She had a small, delicate body, beautiful hips, and we basically matched in every way, since she never once complained about my height.

However, my mother was hoping I’d reach another two inches by the time I turned twenty, and she was seriously worried that I might not have enough stamina as the star/leader in my own boy band group.

It was five o’clock and our performance would be at seven on the dot.

“Oh fu—!” I shouted as panic started to set in.

“Adam, are you almost done in there?” asked my mother, who was sitting on one of the beds in a white robe and watching TV.

It was one of those Telemundo Soap Operas, Life Of A Criminal, she was always ranting and raving about. My mother knew Spanish well and was very interested in Latino Shows. I just thought it was the stupidest show I’ve ever seen up to date, since it didn’t make much sense in terms of plot. Some criminal starts living with this rich couple and he basically starts killing people, one by one, and yet no one can figure out who had done it.

I angrily stepped out of the bathroom in a strut. “Go ahead. I’m done.”

My mother sighed and then turned off the TV. “Give me about twenty minutes and I’ll meet you boys in the Lobby.”

“Wait, you want us to go to the Lobby?” I asked, a little confused.

“Yes. That’s where the Registration Center will be. I still haven’t signed you guys up for tonight.”

“Wait, what? I thought you said you filled out all the paperwork online?”

“I sort of did...” My mother fumbled with her words.

“Boss, you either did or you didn’t?”

“I might’ve made a tiny calculation in error... I forgot there's a fee involved.”

“How much is this fee?”

My mother’s face said it all as she bit down on her lip. “Mmm... I can’t remember.”

If we couldn’t perform tonight, this was the end of our careers. We’d be ruined!

“Ma, you do know what you said to the General Manager, right? That we’d be performing tonight at the Star Musical Festival. That’s what you said, remember?”

“I can’t remember exactly what I said to him––he’s such a handsome gentleman…” My mother didn’t finish her sentence as she drifted off to LaLa Land, daydreaming about Ivan Nicholson instead of signing us up for a chance to perform one of our album songs.

“I can’t deal with this stress right now. You’re impossible to work with!” I was livid and my eyes were burning with such Hellfire as I stormed out of the room.

I rushed down to the Lobby toward the Registration Center; I would have to figure out a plan to talk to an agent there and see if I could register the group. But with little money in my pocket… there was no way I’d be able to pay for such high fees to even apply. Unless, I could smooth talk my way into getting us in, using my Bad Boy charm and stunning good looks to get that person, hopefully a woman, to sign us up for tonight.

If she was an old hag, I’d give her the Sob Story... it usually worked out in the end and I’d be making my way upstairs, showing Ma how I used my sexual lure to get what I wanted.

However, things didn’t exactly go according to my plans. As soon as I got to the Registration Center, the agent there was an older, chubby man with thinning hair and a mustache, who was probably in his late forties or fifties. I groaned at the prospects of having to entice a fifty-year-old geezer.

“What the hell am I going to do now?” I whispered. “He’s an old, fat man.”

There was no chance in Hell that I could seduce this agent, and I gave up right then and there, seeing no opportunity to gain access to this music event.

As soon as I hastily turned around to leave, I bumped into someone straight away. In that moment, our eyes locked and I saw the General Manager standing before me.

Ivan’s lovely smile was what made me start sweating bullets and he graciously bowed in my presence. “Well, look who it is. Adam Starlight... we meet again.”

I quivered in his intimidating presence. Ivan was hovering over me that even his own shadow swallowed me whole.

Jesus Christ, he’s so fucking tall! I thought, feeling like I was on the edge of life and death.

I didn’t think Ivan was that menacing before, but with his body guards all around me and right next to me, it felt more nerve-racking. Ivan quickly shooed them away, so I could breathe.

“Are you trying to register for tonight’s performance?” Ivan asked, looking over to the agent and then to the long line of applicants.

My heartbeat was pounding a million miles per second as I was silent to how he came up with that conclusion. Did he have listening devices setup in the rooms? Was he spying on me? Had he been watching me on the cameras?

“I...um...” was the best I could come up with.

“You sure have a way with your words,” he said, so happily.

God, I hate you. You’re ten times worse than my mother!

“We...um…were supposed to perform tonight, but my mother forgot to pay the registration fees. I–I was going to talk to them to see if they could waiver it for…um…one day.”

“Interesting. You mean to let it slide just this once? That’s usually not what a waiver means, since there’s no contract…but I understand your very limited vocabulary.”

Did he just insult my intelligence? He’s so fucking dead!

My fists were becoming tight little balls of fury and Ivan noticed my expression change from surprise to total disgust with agitated, twitching eyebrows.

I was trying so hard to be nice and polite to him, but I was starting to lose my cool and any minute now I was going to say something I deeply regretted. The burning raging fire in my soul was not going to let this man get away with treating me as less than human.

Ivan seemed to know in that instant that I was extremely upset with him. “I’ll talk to the agent and see what I can do for you, okay?”

Huh? Wait? What?

Ivan left me immediately and was able to cut the lines to speak to the old man. My eyes followed him as he calmly made his way to the front, without anyone saying anything to him. Ivan whispered in the agent’s ear and the man simply nodded his head in reply. As soon as they were done talking, Ivan came back to me and smiled warmly.

“Here you go, Adam. The agent was able to let it slide this once, since I’ll be the one paying for all your fees.” Ivan said, showing me the registration ticket slip.

My fists were gone at this point and I just stared blankly at the ticket in confusion.

“Why would you do that...for me?” I asked.

“Because I like you. I look forward to seeing your performance tonight. Good luck. And please, don’t break a leg.”

Did he just make a joke?

I suddenly smiled at him. “Thank...you.”

I couldn’t believe he would do something that nice for me. No one did anything like that for me, unless they wanted something for it...

I began to wonder what his true intentions were. Did he want something from me?

“Don’t worry about paying me back,” Ivan said, whispering in my ear. “I won’t accept it. So go and perform. Do what you love, Adam Starlight.”

He gently lifted my arm and placed the ticket inside my hand. “Please, forgive me for insulting you earlier. I didn’t mean to say your intelligence is lacking. I believe you’re an incredible and talented artist.”

“Huh?” I said, in a daze.

Ivan then lifted my chin and touched my lips with his thumb. “After your performance, I’d like to talk to you in private if you’re not too busy. See you soon, Adam Starlight.”

My heart was racing in that moment and I was blushing like crazy.

Why does he want to see me in private? I thought. My head was spinning with these weird thoughts.

“I’m your biggest fan, Adam…” Ivan said, looking directly into my eyes. His beautiful smile was tender and genuine.

“Okay…” I whispered.

“You’re so charming, despite your vulgar language…” he said, chuckling to himself.

Ivan was cool and collective as he moseyed on away while his body guards followed him everywhere. I stood there with a dumbfounded expression on my face. Staring at the ticket wedged in between my fingers, I was completely speechless as to what the hell was really going on. My face was still bright red as a tomato and I had to put a hand on my chest to calm my beating heart.

Ivan said he liked me, but why? I began to wonder if there was something else he knew about me. Have we met somewhere else before? But I would’ve remembered him if that was the case, right? Why would he want to talk to me in private? Doesn’t Ivan have a business to run?

Why would a General Manager want to hang out with the leader of a Boy Band Group? None of it made any sense, but I had a gut feeling that somebody else was watching me.