She Knows
Diamond almost missed her next note.
Her voice cracked for a fraction of a second, and the smile on her face faltered—but she recovered. Smiling, singing, finishing the duet like she didn’t just get threatened by the woman standing right next to her.
She hit the final note, harmonizing perfectly with Adrianna.
The stadium erupted.
Deafening cheers flooded the entire stadium like waves. Confetti rained from above. A chorus of “WE LOVE YOU DIAMOND!” rang through the stadium.
But the team remained frozen and speechless. Not because they were stunned by Diamond’s amazing performance—but because they noticed it.
The subtle shift in her expression.
The too-tight smile after Adrianna leaned in.
Adriano’s hands balled so tight that his fingernails dug into his palm.
Serena, watching the Livestream from outside the stadium, clutched the mic connected to her earpiece so hard her knuckles almost turned white.
“What the hell did she say to her?” Her voice crackled through the comms, barely audible over the crowd.
No one answered.
They just watched as Adrianna turned to the crowd, still holding Diamond’s hand in the air.
“One more time for the beautiful, talented Diamond!” Adrianna beamed, her voice honey-sweet.
The crowd obeyed—screaming, cheering, and applauding.
Diamond gave a shaky smile and a small wave but her entire body screamed at her to RUN!
Adrianna leaned in again. Her smile stayed fixed for the cameras, but her blue eyes locked like lasers on Diamond’s.
“Tell your friends I said hi,” she whispered, subtly pointing toward the section where Adriano and Alessandro stood.
Diamond's heart almost stopped. The blood drained from her face and for a second, the stage spun.
She didn’t say a word. She simply nodded and took a single step back.
Another. Then another.
She smiled at the crowd as she walked off the stage, security ushering her toward the exit. Fans shouted her name, some crying out, "She’s so lucky!" or "That should’ve been me!"
Diamond smiled at them.
But inside, she was breaking.
Her heart was beating so hard it hurt. Physically hurt.
Her chest was tight. Her throat felt raw and dry. Her palms were slick with sweat. Every step she took toward the exit tunnel felt heavier than the last.
She turned back once.
Adrianna was still looking at her.
Smiling.
She gave a cute, innocent little wave.
And that, somehow, terrified Diamond more than anything else.
“What the fuck just happened?”
Her thoughts spiraled in every direction at once as she walked down the corridor backstage, barely hearing the security guard muttering directions.
“How the fuck does she know? What does this mean?”
They were compromised.
She didn’t even need to hear confirmation from Serena in her ear. She knew it in her bones.
“We’re fucked. We are so fucked.”
Diamond finally reached the tunnel exit and emerged back into the dimly lit private corridor near the audience box.
Adriano and Alessandro were both waiting.
She could tell by their faces that they had a million questions.
Adriano was the first to move. He stepped toward her quickly.
Alessandro was right behind, his expression filled with concern, his eyes fixed on her.
“Diamond what happened?” Adriano and Alessandro said almost at the same time.
They both paused, the tension sharp enough to cut through the air. For half a second, they locked eyes in awkward annoyance.
Alessandro cleared his throat and looked away, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.
Adriano side-eyed him, annoyed, before gently taking Diamond’s hands.
“Hey, look at me.” His voice was softer now. “Why do you look like that? What happened back there?”
Diamond looked up at him.
Her eyes were wide, glazed over with dread. Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly. Her hands trembled in his.
Adriano noticed. His eyes flicked down, watching the way her fingers quivered in his grip. He frowned. This wasn’t stage fright. This wasn’t nerves.
This was something else.
“Diamond,” he said, more firmly now. “What did she say?”
“Yeah,” Alessandro added, stepping in again. “What did she say to you?”
Diamond looked between them. Her eyes shifted from Alessandro to Adriano. Then back again.
Then she finally spoke—quiet, but clear.
“She knows.”
A pause.
Adriano blinked. “…What?”
Diamond swallowed hard.
“Sh-she knows who we are, Adriano,” she said. “She knows why we’re here.”
Everything inside Adriano went still.
His blood turned to ice.
“No,” Alessandro whispered. “That’s not possible…”
Diamond’s voice cracked. “She pointed at you both. She said to tell my friends she said hi.”
Adriano’s jaw locked. He looked at Alessandro and for once, they wore the same exact expression.
Panic. Alarm. And a flicker of disbelief.
Slowly… all three of them turned their heads.
Back toward the stage.
Adrianna Jackson stood there.
Her arms outstretched in a final bow.
Spotlights danced across her sparkling bodysuit. Her hair shimmered. She looked like a goddess.
And she was looking directly at them.
Smiling.