The week leading up to Julian's benefit show was a blur of rehearsals, soundchecks, and an overwhelming number of press calls—all of which Zara Carrington managed with militant precision. Maya kept her distance from the whirlwind, choosing instead to focus on the music itself. She had done her part. The song was recorded, raw and brutal and haunting. She had said what she needed to say.
Now, it was up to Julian to decide what to do with it.
Still, something didn't sit right.
Maya couldn't shake the feeling that there was more behind Zara's sudden interest in her return. It wasn't just about the song. Zara didn't care about artistry—she cared about control. Manipulation. Strategy. And Julian, for all his talent, was still susceptible to her influence.
That suspicion was confirmed when Maya stopped by Vortex Studios to pick up her final payment paperwork. The front desk assistant, Amy, handed her the envelope with a tight smile.
"Zara asked me to make sure you got this today," Amy said. "Also, I just wanted to say... I loved the new track. It's really raw."
Maya smiled politely, tucking the envelope into her bag. "Thanks."
Amy hesitated. "Also... I probably shouldn't say anything, but... Zara had another writer lined up before she reached out to you."
Maya froze. "What?"
Amy lowered her voice. "It was someone from New York. She brought him in early, just in case you said no. But then she told Julian it had to be you—said it would 'fix the narrative.' I think this whole thing... it was less about the song and more about the headlines."
Maya blinked, the pieces falling into place with sickening clarity. Zara had never cared about closure. She'd wanted buzz. A redemption arc. Julian and Maya: the tortured ex-lovers turned creative phoenixes. The scandal, the comeback. It had been a marketing strategy all along.
"Thanks for telling me," Maya said quietly.
Amy nodded, already looking nervous. "I just thought you deserved to know."
Later that night, Maya sat in Liam's loft, staring at the contract she'd pulled from the envelope. Everything looked clean—payment schedule, rights waiver, confidentiality clause. But as she reread the fine print, something jumped out at her.
She frowned. "They're releasing the track early?"
Liam looked up from his laptop. "What do you mean?"
"This clause—it says the lead single goes to streaming platforms within seventy-two hours of final mastering. That means it drops before the benefit show."
Liam set the laptop aside and joined her on the couch. "You didn't agree to that?"
"I didn't even know about it."
He took the papers from her, scanning them quickly. "This is shady as hell. Did you sign it already?"
"No. But if they release it without my consent..."
"You need to confront Zara."
Maya nodded slowly. "I will. But first, I want to hear it."
She logged into the shared server Zara had granted her temporary access to. The final mastered track was already uploaded.
She clicked PLAY.
It wasn't her version.
The instrumentation was different. Polished. Overproduced. Her harmony had been stripped. Her bridge had been shortened. Julian's vocals were front and center, and the lyrics—some had been changed.
Maya's throat tightened. "They butchered it."
"They manipulated your art," Liam said, fury flashing in his eyes. "And they're about to release it as if it's yours."
Maya sat in stunned silence, then stood abruptly. "I'm going to the studio."
"I'll come with you."
They arrived at Vortex just after 10 p.m., expecting the place to be empty. But the lights in Studio A were still on, and Maya could hear voices echoing down the hall.
She pushed the door open and found Julian and Zara mid-argument.
"You should have told me!" Julian shouted. "I thought we were using the original cut."
Zara's expression was cold steel. "The original was too raw. Too messy. We needed something that sells, Julian. Something people will stream."
Julian saw Maya first. His face drained of color. "Maya—"
She held up a hand. "Save it."
Zara straightened. "I assume you've listened to the mastered track?"
"I did. And you don't have the right to release that version under my name."
"It's already scheduled."
"Then unschedule it."
Zara smirked. "Your contract gives us editorial control."
"I didn't sign it yet."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Zara's eyes narrowed. "That file was uploaded under the assumption the deal was finalized."
"Well, it wasn't. And if you release it, I'll make sure everyone knows you doctored the song behind my back."
Julian stepped between them. "We'll fix it."
Maya turned to him. "Did you know she was planning this?"
He shook his head. "No. I swear. I thought we were going with what we recorded."
Zara rolled her eyes. "You're acting like this is sabotage. It's business. You wanted Maya involved? Well, this is what happens when you drag ghosts out of their graves. They come back angry."
Liam stepped forward. "You manipulated her from day one. You used her to clean up Julian's image."
Zara didn't deny it. "It worked, didn't it?"
Maya stared at her for a long moment, then smiled. "You're going to pull the song. Or I'll release the original version myself—and I'll tell everyone exactly why I had to."
Zara's jaw tightened. "You'll tank the show."
"Then maybe it deserves to sink."
They left the studio that night without another word. Maya didn't sleep. She spent the rest of the night in Liam's arms, her mind replaying every step of the deception.
But she wasn't broken.
She was angry.
And that anger was fuel.
The next morning, she called a lawyer.
Then she opened her laptop and began uploading the original track to her own private streaming page. She attached a message:
This is the version we recorded. The one that came from truth, not edits. The one they didn't want you to hear.
It was time to play by her own rules.
And this time, no one would rewrite her voice.