Page 75 of His Two Hidden Masks

They were casual in this photo, wearing button-down shirts and dark blue jeans. Beside them was a picture of their father, Anton Street. He looked so much like James and Dylan. They shared his strong jaw and steely gaze. The headline stopped me. Their father was dead.

Street Entertainment re-organizes following death of CEO, Anton Street

(New York) Street Entertainment has re-organized, following the unexpected death of longtime CEO, Anton Street. The elder Street died in a helicopter crash just outside of Paris, France in February of this year.

Instead of appointing a single leader to take the helm of this family-run corporation, Street left instructions to divide up the Entertainment portfolio across three sectors, appointing his surviving sons, Damien, James, and Dylan Street Executive Vice Presidents (EVPs).

Each EVP has accountability for profits and losses and capital budgets well over one hundred million dollars. The move surprised market analysts, who expected James Street to take over as the CEO across all sectors. James Street has been called the mercenary of Wall Street, with a track record of making difficult decisions that benefit the bottom line.

I pausedto wonder if James’s record of difficult decisions would benefit my family’s bottom line. The mercenary of Wall Street sounded infamous.

James Street leads Hospitality, which has seen an upward trajectory with profits steadily increasing over the last three fiscal years.

The consistent focus on expanding the Street portfolio of luxury hotels and restaurants with a focus on acquisitions and mergers has helped Street Entertainment retain its Wall Street status, while other brands have suffered in recent years.

Damien Street will continue to work in Portfolio Management, and as EVP, will focus on accounting and financials, leveraging automation and powering data-driven, executive-level decision-making.

The Creative Development sector has struggled the most recently due to the consolidation of streamingmusic and video services and the increased cost of acquiring and making content.

Dylan Street only recently took on a leadership role at Street Entertainment. Industry analysts view his lack of experience as a risk to this sector. A recent dip in the stock value was attributed to concerns that the Creative Development sector might benefit from different executive leadership.

So,the press thought Dylan lacked an entertainment background, which seemed hilarious to me. Why in the hell didn’t he reveal he was a musician?

I googled Strand and held my breath. Photos of Strand wearing his signature gold-and-black mask populated the screen. There was a list of his most popular songs, but he hadn’t released anything new in five years. I went to Wikipedia, which was not as dense as I expected.

Strand (date of birth unknown) An American singer-songwriter/guitarist. He has sold over five million records and has ten billion streams. Strand is considered a virtuoso who has mastered performing on acoustic, electric, and steel guitar. His fans are loyal and band together in their respect for his music and his request for anonymity.

Strand’s true identity remains unknown, as he always wore a mask when he performed. His last live performance was in New York City, Central Park. Strand retired suddenly after that show with a published statement in the New York Times. The musician has not been seen or heard from since.

There was a screenshot of a newspaper insert. The page was entirely black with a few sentences in a large white font.

To my fans,

It’s been the ride of my life.

After much consideration, I’ve retired from music, effective immediately.

Thank you all for giving me a reason to play for so many years.

Strand.

I put down my phone and lay back down on my bed. Searching for information on Dylan and Strand made me feel a little dirty, and not in a good way. I felt like a spy reading a private diary, which was ridiculous, because all this information was in the public domain. Besides, doing some online digging on a person who had seen me naked was simply being smart.

So, Strand retired and Dylan took a job working at Street Entertainment, a job that industry analysts were not convinced he could do. I wondered if that would change if they knew he had a background in the music business. Why did he still keep his identity secret and why had he told me?

I was surprised there wasn’t more gossip online about any of the Street brothers’ dating lives. I remembered James’ comment about having a good relationship with the press. I wondered what kind of stories the Street family kept quiet.

The reservation at Affe di Bacco was in thirty minutes. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower.

As the spray from the shower hit my body, the melody of Dylan’s music replayed in my mind. The rise and fall of the notes reminded me of falling rain and the undulating waves of the Venetian lagoon. Why did he ever stop playing?

And why did a man as beautiful as Dylan Street hide his face behind a mask? I soaped up my body and turned in slow circles under the water. The mask barely dampened Dylan’s sexual energy; in fact, the mystery it introduced injected a secrecy and hotness that drove all his fans wild.

I lowered the temperature of the shower and lifted my face into the spray. Seeing the pictures of Strand performing in front of thousands of fans, I wondered if I was the only person on the planet who wasn’t following every turn of his career.

Life in Venice was slower, even isolating at times. Thinking about Strand and his world tours, I wondered what it would be like to live outside the boundaries of my unique city.

Strand, played at stadiums on every continent. I traveled across Europe, sourcing ingredients for my chocolates, but no farther. I had never lived outside the city where I was born.

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