#hutao03 Pulse of the Night

Chloe Bennett stepped out of a taxi, the vibrant n//eon lights of Hollywood, Los Angeles, casting a glow on her fiery red hair tied high, highlighting her turquoise eyes and a confident, slightly rebellious smile. At 26, Chloe, an ambitious DJ from Seattle, had come to L.A. to perform at Club Vortex, the city’s most prestigious nightclub, where EDM stars shone. After a fleeting romance with a player in Seattle, she resolved to focus on her career, and Los Angeles, with its pulsating nightlife and booming electronic music scene, was the ideal place to conquer.

She pulled her suitcase through the bustling street, n//eon signs from clubs and bars illuminating her face. “Chloe Bennett, this is your stage,” she muttered, inhaling the night’s mix of c//ocktails and c//igarette sm//oke. “Don’t let some jerk distract you!” She paused before a taco stand, the scent of gr//illed m//eat making her grin. She snapped a photo of the street, texting her best friend in Seattle: “L.A.’s like a movie, but I’m kinda nervous… Vortex isn’t a small gig.”

At her boutique hotel in West Hollywood, Chloe opened her laptop, heart p//ounding as she read an email from Club Vortex’s manager. She was invited to a private soundcheck at Lucas Knight’s penthouse, a 33-year-old billionaire nightclub mogul, renowned for his cold charisma and ability to turn any club into a hotspot. But articles dubbed him the “dream destroyer” for firing DJs who didn’t meet his standards. Chloe googled him, and images appeared: tousled black hair, steel-gray eyes, a smug half-smile exuding arrogance. “Lucas Knight, huh? Looks like he’d t//ear me ap//art,” she muttered, but her heart raced, a strange sensation stirring.

The next evening, at the Hollywood Hills penthouse, the space dazzled with floor-to-ceiling glass and color-shifting n//eon lights. In a fitted red dress, Chloe strode in confidently, eyes scanning the crowd of DJs, producers, and club staff. Then she saw him—Lucas Knight, near the bar, gray suit hugging his muscular frame, aura both commanding and enigmatic. As she approached, he turned, his gray eyes pi//ercing, making her heart skip.