Chapter 413: Apexi’s rebirth

On the evening of 28th March; Phantom acquired Apexi. A massive achievement towards the desired outcome. Mr. Goodwill, as ordered by Staxius, was tortured. Giving time to heal and recover using magic, the suffering kept on pondering his psyche. The emphasis was put on breaking the mind instead of the body. Soon, the ex-director would be viewed as a fool. During said evening, over a warm-meal at the mansion in the company of Cake; Staxius declared that she would be in charge of Apexi. Up till today, her management in Phantom was perfect, she never made mistakes. Well, she did make a few but was so good as to hide said unwanted outcomes.

Elvira, as he called her by the newly given name – the vampiric talent bestowed upon her was of intelligence. She figured in haste of her abilities – the real talent of a born leader. Her show of predicting how the market would react with time was but a sliver of her potential. Staxius realized and so did she. Adding Apexi onto her duties would further enable growth; besides, Phantom was allowed to make a few mistakes here and there. Meldorino being part of Phantom was led by its own director, Mr. Dorino. The man was capable in his own merit. A king was as strong as the person he surrounds himself with – his entourage. Word needn’t be said of his entourage for many of the members would go on to become legends into the world’s history. People who changed their destiny and to suit their needs.

Silently and gently, the warmness of the sun crept from its temporary sleep. Dawn broke the sleep of many, and amidst the many were those working for local newspapers. Journalists were excited about Rosespire’s daily news.

Why? one might have asked, why was the reason for such a commotion? It was nothing short of a miracle – Apexi, a company adorned by the populous, and loved even more for their idols; would have ended in tragedy. Tis was then a knight swooped in to rescue the damsel in distress. A damsel who would have had her shares devoured by other agencies. Testimonies from ex-employees were already on the Arcanum. However, people chose to ignore it as pranksters would often flare up rumors in hopes of attention.

Went amiss for so long, the reality came to light. The same day upon which Mr. Goodwill was taken; stood a crowd of reporters. Cake had kindly tipped off the stations and did a crowd gather. A barrage of questions mixed with slurs and utter hate assaulted him verbally. Such a backlash would not have been permitted. Normally that is, the evidence éclair uploaded to the many databases showed with certainty the malicious acts. Needless to say, the news made it into the frontline of the 29th. It spawned various debates concerning and questioning the dignity of their loved Agencies. Many were forced to make statements in hopes of not being engulfed by the swarm of opportunistic and crusade-like mindset. One may fight off another on a one-on-one, however, when an army rushes thee, tis time to retreat or die trying.

Achieving what he had set out to do; the days went by one after the other. Cake took to her role strictly; ordered a restaffing and personally conducted interviews. Just like that, in a blink, a month went by.

Date 29th April, the whistling of wind against the massive offices in Memento felt fleeting. The shabby building in which Apexi once called home was moved to its neighbor, ‘Gem’. A befitting name for the building’s windows shone and reflected like gems. Phantom purchased an impressive two-floors left unoccupied by another company. The latter went bankrupt after a failed endeavor. A trade resulting in hundred-millions of debt. Phantom, or rather, Cake, was fast on purchasing the two floors. The cost ended at 25 Million Exa for both. A helipad was soon built for ease of transport. The trip from Rotherham and the Capital was cut to around thirty minutes to an hour. The focus was on rebranding the image, getting to know the competition, allowing the workers to settle.

.....

Only then, after a month of restarting, were the idols called in.

“Good afternoon, Elvira,” said Staxius wearing another expensive suit. At this point, he changed them as if being socks.

“Good afternoon, Majesty,” replied Cake joyfully; her appearance suited the job. The vampiric blood made her fiercer.

“I see you’re drinking wine,” commented he playing on the color ‘red’.

“It’s the closest I have to blood,” laughed she having partaken in the pleasures of relishing a person’s lifeforce.

One of the meeting rooms was arranged to suit the party. A celebration for the formal launch of Apexi. Once a place of discussion, the bland curtains swapped for one frilly and eye-catching. The lighting sure was brighter and people were walking from person to person introducing them in an impressionable fashion. The main guest of tonight was none other than the King himself. Eventually, the highest reaching individuals flocked to his side and spoke. Obliged to entertain them all, he spoke without end, reserved but continuous. Some asked questions on the potential market – the answers were educated and on point.

The clock struck 15:00, the formal party wrapped and many guests left.

“Are they here?” asked Cake over the phone.

“Boss,” tapping lightly on he who slumped on a chair visibly drained, “-they’re coming,” said she eagerly.

“I know, I know.”

*Click,* complete darkness, the lonely footsteps echoed till the door.

“Hello?” it twisted, “-anyone here?” swung open, *bang,* “-welcome to Apexi,” applause came from newer guests. Many o’ figures stood in the entrance baffled. From elites to the employees, the real party began, the celebration of saving Apexi. They who had come were the idols and their managers.

S-Kiss, a band focused on a rougher style of music directed towards the heart of teenage boys. Three members with the youngest 20 and oldest 25. Their highest rank in sales was 44 out of 100.

H-Jewel, another band compromised of three boys and two girls. A mix of modern music with sprinkled of the olden era. Soft and melodic, they were the type of group majority heard over the speakers at malls in form of background music. The ranking, 60 out of 100.

First Romance, a duo of twin brothers who were as frail and delicate as flowers. Add on a wig and one might have thought of them as girls. One couldn’t specifically group their style of music into a single genre. Their efforts in lyric writing were what had them shoot up the ranks, 25 out of 100. Those were the trio who had held Apexi from falling into the depths of ruin. Other idols left after the scandal of Mr. Goodwill, some left before the incident due to lack of funds. They were the ones who remained for the sake of friendship. It wasn’t uncommon to see the three trade members among one another – one could say, the three were all but a part of a bigger group.

“Lady Elvira,” said a man with dark-grey hair, dark black outfits with leather shoes, a beanie, and round sunglasses. “Thank you for having taken our company and given it a new life,” the speech was strong but not rude. Heavily built arms pushed against a leather jacket on which had ‘S-Kill,’ written instead of ‘S-Kiss.’

“Mr. Ghai, I did what I was ordered to do,” said she formally.

“Still, I’m grateful and so are my boys. If the financial backing didn’t come, we would have left Apexi.”

“Don’t worry,” said she, “-the owner of Phantom is here to make sure that never happens, are you not, Majesty?”

“Mr. Ghai,” came an equally impressive man, “-it’s a pleasure to have thee here. May Apexi continue its journey to becoming a legend.”

“Exactly,” laughed the manager, “-heroes die but legends live on forever, I like the drive, it screams of power and ‘-Forus!1’ Thus ended the first exchange, Mr. Ghai was soon to leap across the floor towards the alcohol. The members of S-Kiss were dark, the tattooed arms, necks, and ominous facial drawings were truly amazing in their own way.

“Do apologize Mr. Ghai’s behavior,” said a lady with an upper-class type of accent. The way she articulated her words said more than enough.

historical

“Lady Haworth, it’s a pleasure.”

“Dearest King of Arda,” she curtsied the same as a noblewoman.

“Lady Olnia; I’m stunned, to say the least. I suppose nobles are humans after all, how is your mother, Duchess Alice doing?”

“Mother is doing just fine,” said she with a sense of familiarity, “-I’m the one who must speak of the perplexing encounter. I do suppose our monarch has a very eccentric way of leading a continent.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment. Lady Olnia, may I have thy thoughts on Apexi?”

“Improved for the better,” her eyes soon wandered around, “-we’re doing far better than under that damned Mr. Goodwill’s filthy hands,” exclaimed she.

“That will be enough,” interjected Cake.

“I suppose we shall also get going,” she led the way following Ghai.

“Lady Elvira,” came a slender figure of a handsome woman, “-good to see you,” she reached in for an exchange of kisses.

“Good to see you made it, Lady Kofa.”

“Don’t,” she blushed, “-there’s no need for such formality, you know it makes me a little on edge. Short hair, almond-shaped eyes, a nose which seemed to graciously accompany her scarlet lips, “-it’s a pleasure to meet you, majesty.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” returned he cautious of her. The mannerisms were too provocative and easy to slide into people’s safe space. He naturally cast a subconscious barrier to have her stop.

“I’ll get going.”

“Quite an array of eccentric personalities,” commented Staxius seeing the managers in action.

“Tell me about it,” she sighed, “-I had to deal with them instead of the idols. I wish I had time to speak to the actual performers.” The managers weren’t only servants, they were guard-dogs, waiting to pounce and bite at any who dared to harm their master.

“Don’t you have guests coming?” asked Cake.

“Obviously,” he took a sip, the door opened with six people. Scott, Emi, Julius, Sugar, Dei, and Aceline.

“HOW DID YOU?” her drink nearly toppled.

“I present you,” he walked to where they stood, “-companions who are to join Apexi from today forth,” smirking at the managers, “-I’m sure there isn’t a need for introduction, however, I shall do so. First, we have Scott, arguably a master-mind of a manager. Emi Muko, his new partner, a will-be-star who the world has yet to see. Julius Haggard, my son, and assistant to Scott. Sugar, idol and once the man who stole the hearts of many, his fiancée, Dei, an amazing bassist, then lastly, Aceline, the pride of Hidros, a lady who many thought died. Mr. Ghai, Lady Elvira, Lady Kofa, Lady Olnia, and lastly, the diligent staff who work day and night, may I have a round of applause for my friends.” It was the first they heard of the news and so was it for the entire of Apexi.

King Staxius brought elemental figures in the entertainment industry to the Agency. The bleakness of their future faded to concrete confidence.

The silence, almost torturous, broke by the loud applause of Mr. Ghai. S-Kiss, who was supposed to be darkness incarnate could but shed tears. Scott and Aceline debuted at the same time as the bands; they shared a bond close to family. She went on to become famous while they stood happily in the shadows.

“Majesty, what’s the meaning of this?” asked an irritated Scott.

“A reunion,” he turned, “-Aceline.”

“I-I’m sorry, Scott,” her head lowered with a bow, “-I was led astray by fame and fortune. I mistreated a friend and for that, I’m deeply sorry. There’s no way my words can excuse my actions, which is why I’ve decided to start again with his Majesty.”

“W-what’s t-t-the m-m-meaning of t-this?” stuttered Scott.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he laughed, “-Aceline’s alive and well, she’s going to work for Meldorino.”

“N-no...” the body shook, “-t-t-that not it,” without a shred of restraint, “-I THOUGHT YOU DIED!” they hugged.