The Ballad Queen's Lover is a Ruthless King

It was a sunny day. The sunlight reflected on each window of those tall buildings, shining like diamonds. On the rooftop of Studio Alpha, one of the largest talent agencies in Skyscraper City was a music video shoot of a ballad song. A very famous singer named Elizabeth Berry has been on top of the BellBoard Music Charts for about a week now. Prior to this ranking, she has been receiving awards since her debut at age 19, on shows like the prestigious Gummy Awards, MCV Video Music Awards, and Pineapple Music Awards. She has been a consistent top album seller, from her first album entitled, "Love at First Sight" to her latest "Crying at Dawn".

Elizabeth Berry, Ely for short, wore big diamond earrings and a necklace that shone as the sunlight reflected on it. Her long, platinum blonde hair waved with the wind, as she gracefully moved her hip. That long and fit red gown showed her beautiful voluptuous body, and that fierce make-up signifies her power in the music industry. Hence, the nickname: "Queen of Ballad".

"Okay! We're done!" the director cued, and there was applause from the crew. The music video shoot of "Crying at Dawn", started at noon and ended on a late afternoon, without any retakes. As usual, the director seemed pleased.

"Good job again today, Ely. As expected," said Ace, Ely's talent manager. He has been working with her since five years ago. He walked with Ely to her personal make-up room and gave her a bottle of water.

"Thanks, Ace," Ely said, holding the bottle with her right hand.

Ace held a planner containing the schedules for Ely's itinerary. He cleared his throat, then he said, "Tomorrow, your schedule is.."

"Can I take a leave for three days?" Ely interrupted. She then drank from the bottle to quench her thirst.

Ace was surprised. It was rare for Ely to make such a request. He ran his hands through his light blonde hair, and he asked, "Where are you going?"

Before answering, Ely took a deep breath. She smiled sweetly. Her eyes seemed to sparkle from excitement. "I am... going to get married!"

Ace widened his eyes, shocked about this revelation. As if it was a joke, he laughed at Ely's announcement.

Seeing how Ace reacted, Ely pouted like a kid, then exclaimed, "It's true!"

Ace still believed it was a joke. Ely then showed pictures of her and her fiance, at their condo, with the guy kissing her rosy cheeks. She even showed him that they had matching pajamas.

"We bought a condo unit at Craig Street," Ely explained, still trying to convince Ace. "I hid it from you... 'Cause I know you'll be against it."

"I'm your manager, you should've at least let me know." Ace said, looking straight into her eyes. "What about your career?"

"I'm only going to get married... I'm not quitting." Ely answered.

With a stern look, Ace told Ely, "Ely, I'm not against your marriage, but... I think you should carefully think about it."

He knew that she can be reckless when it comes to love. She already had a few love rumors here and there, when paparazzi followed her to cinemas, restaurants, and malls. Even if Ely wore a disguise, which was casual baggy pants, a plain oversized white shirt, black cap, and face mask, people still recognize the hue of her platinum blonde hair and her graceful aura.

Ely appreciated Ace's thoughtfulness as her manager and friend. If there was anyone who she trusted, it was him. She knew that with Ace, she could be herself. "Why? I love him. Isn't love the reason for marriage?" she replied with confidence. She placed the bottle of water on top of the table, then looked at him with her puppy eyes.

Ace tried to gather up all his thoughts. He's just 28 years old, but a manager of three singers, so he knew the negative and positive sides to getting married at the prime of one's career. He tried to explain at a slower pace, "Yes, but... you have to consider many things. Marriage is a serious thing. It will affect your career, your husband's life, your life, your future children's life-"

"That's enough. I'm getting married. Don't change my mind!" Ely excitedly stood up. She took her branded Ricci pouch bag with her and exclaimed, "I'll be back after three days!"

Ely was so excited that she ran away so fast before Ace could even stop her. She rode her silver BNW car and played a playlist of her own songs.

"Hmmm... Lalala~ I'm crying... Crying at dawn... 'Cause you left... and no love was shown~" Ely sang, feeling the lyrics. She opened her car window, feeling the wind brush her skin.

Then, her phone rang. She quickly pressed the answer button, and on loudspeaker mode, a guy sweetly talked, "Hey, babe, you coming home? I'm preparing for dinner."

Adam Curtis had been Ely's boyfriend for two years already. They met during a commercial shoot when Adam was a part-time model. Since their commercial together, they have been in touch with each other, became the best of friends, upgraded to lovers, and now they're engaged.

"Dear, yes, I'm on my way!"

"Wow, you cooked all these?" Ely asked. Minutes later, she arrived at their cozy abode, and on the dining table were two servings of walnut and red pepper pesto pasta. As if it was a special night, a candle was lit at the middle of the table, illuminating too, the other dishes like fried chicken and stir-fried shrimp. Seeing that everything was set, the couple sat beside each other to start dinnertime.

Adam poured red wine into two wine glasses. "Cheers! For our future, my soon-to-be wife!"

"Cheers, darling. Can't wait to marry you tomorrow." Ely replied, giving him a sweet smile.

They raised their glasses and sipped some red wine.

"I know this wine, isn't this your favorite?" Ely asked.

Adam chuckled. "You really know me enough, huh?" He said while taking out the shrimp meat.

"How about you, do you know me enough?" asked Ely.

With that question, Adam suddenly took Ely's utensils. "I know you well enough, so I'm helping you with the shrimp."

Delighted with her fiance's little sweet actions, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "I love you, Adam."

While being shy, Adam returned the kiss onto her cheeks and said, "I love you, too my Elizabeth."

After dinner, they had cleaned the dining table and the kitchen. They ended the night with them watching a sci-fi movie about mutants until 12 midnight.

The night of celebration had passed, and their wedding day came. It was Ely's wish to be married at her hometown in Sweet Homes Village, which was a 1-hour ride.

It was a small church wedding. Ely wore a simple, flowing, white wedding gown and gold accessories, while Adam wore a black suit and tuxedo. They looked really good together like they were destined for each other.

The lovely couple had their wedding vows. The priest asked, "Do you take Ely as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

Adam looked passionately at Ely. In his mind, why bother asking that question, Mr. Priest? He would be marrying the prettiest woman alive. With that thought, he said, "I do."

Then, the priest faced Ely. "Ely, do you take Adam as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

Ely's eyes beamed with excitement. "I do!"

"I now pronounce you a loving, caring couple in love as Husband and Wife. Groom, you may now kiss your bride." the priest proclaimed.

And so, the newlyweds kissed. It was the simplest kiss of all, but the purest. They loved each other so dearly that they may even follow each other, even in death.

After the wedding ceremony, the couple had their things packed. They would like to spend their honeymoon somewhere far, to make it extra special.

Before leaving Ely's hometown, Ely's aunt talked with them. She asked Ely, "I thought you're going to spend your honeymoon here?"

Ely declined the offer of her kind aunt. Ever since her parents had separated and were legally annulled, it was her that took care of her and gave her supervision. "Auntie, we can't be noisy in your neighborhood." she jokingly said.

"Too bad... I even prepared the bed with roses.." said her aunt, laughing. "Enjoy your honeymoon, okay? Drive safely."

"Thank you, auntie. Thanks for everything," said Ely. She gave a goodbye hug to her aunt and waved goodbye to the relatives and guests.

They rode the BNW and drove off, with Adam on the driver's seat. Their honeymoon destination was a famous beach resort in the Western part of the country. It was a 3-hour ride from Sweet Homes Village, and they would have to leave the vicinity.

Both of them had a long and fun conversation on the road. It's been two hours, and the round, bright moon has completely risen up. In the eyes of Ely, Adam's gray eyes were more beautiful than the moon.

"I'm so excited, dear," Ely said with an excited tone.

"Me too. I still feel like I'm dreaming," replied Adam, smiling. "Now that I'm your husband, I'll make sure that you eat your breakfast every day."

"You're going to make me fat, dear," Ely said, delighted. She had long dreamed of becoming Adam's wife.

"Then we have to jog in the afternoon," replied Adam.

Ely pouted. It was their usual teasing conversation. "Alright, you're my boss now."

"And you're my babe."

"Yes, of course, since day one," she giggled.

"I love you, Ely."

"Adam, I love you too-"

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a very speedy vehicle. It was a truck.

"Adam, look out!" Ely shouted with fear.

But Ely's warning was too late. The truck's front lights were too bright. Adam hurriedly turned right to avoid it, but their car crashed onto one of the pine trees.

The car was badly damaged and they were severely hurt. There was too much blood in the driver's seat. That truck, unfortunately, had broken brakes.

A witness called an ambulance and they were taken to the nearest hospital. The last thing Ely heard was the faint sound of the ambulance before she lost consciousness.

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