Fable Weaver
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DOS Ch-202
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 17:28:52 +0000 UTCLunaBliss: I knew it! I knew Troy couldn’t be like that. How dare she make up so many lies? How can anyone live with themselves after saying things like that?
PatAttack: I know! That’s exactly what I was thinking! Troy was such a sweet, perfect man when I met him. I couldn’t understand how he could break Rihanna’s heart like that—this obviously proves she didn’t tell the whole truth. Shame on her.
FireStarter12: Poor Rihanna. Somebody call a fire truck; she just got burned badly.
QuantumFox: A friend of mine knows someone close to Troy, and apparently, he lost weight so dramatically after the breakup with Rihanna. She tormented him so badly that he stopped eating. No wonder he looked so bone-thin in the video. And then she had the gall to blame him for everything. That bitch!
SkyDreamer64: Did anyone else notice that the video was released on February 20th? Rihanna’s birthday?
LunaBliss: Holy shit! I totally missed that. Now it makes so much more sense. The video started with a text reading ‘Happy Birthday’ and ended with Troy saying, ‘Hope you liked the gift, babe.’ Talk about throwing shade. He totally wrecked her.
NovaKnight: Is it just me, or is Jay-Z somehow involved in all this? Troy’s outfit during the rap, the line ‘Could've made you bigger than Jay-Z’—I don’t think he would have name-dropped him unless something shady was going on behind the scenes.
TinFoilHatExpert: Of course Jay-Z is involved! Rihanna is signed under his label. I’m 1000% sure that the ‘sugar daddy’ and ‘the man who played his part’ Troy mentioned were referring to him. My current theory? Troy wanted Rihanna to move with him to London, she wanted to, but Jay-Z got in the way.
FireStarter12: That’s not even a theory—Troy as good as confirmed it in the rap. What I’m curious to know is whether Troy turned down a role for her since he ‘turned down millions.’
SkyDreamer64: While the meaning behind the song is interesting, you guys are missing something important: this is an absolute banger of a track. From start to finish, it’s perfect. I have been playing it on a loop ever since I heard it.
SereneDreamer: True! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve played it. Seeing Troy rap was surprising—especially doing it so beautifully—but my favorite part was ‘So when I see those tears, comin’ out your eyes, I hope it’s me they’re for.’ I nearly died laughing. I know it’s not meant to be funny, but I couldn’t help it—Rihanna had that coming.
PatAttack: She’s not even worth laughing at. And honestly? I don’t even like her voice. Can we start a petition to ban her from ever singing again?
LunaBliss: I’m all for it. She deserves to face some consequences for her actions. Sure, they parted on less-than-favorable terms, but some things don’t need to be aired out for the world. If you’re going to talk about it, either tell the whole truth or don’t say anything at all.
(Break)
I didn’t feel all that good after putting ‘That’s Hilarious’ online. My vindictive side had pushed me to release the video on Rihanna’s birthday, but as soon as it was done, I got post-nut clarity.
Regardless of whether people liked it or not, I had just done something that would become a global dinner-table conversation. It had happened with Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’ just a few years ago, and now, this was bound to be a defining pop-culture moment of 2007—one that would be talked about for decades.
Every single word of ‘That’s Hilarious’ was being analyzed like a crime scene. The same scrutiny was applied to Rihanna’s interview with Oprah, with people even poking holes in her story.
“What do you think, Sam? Was Troy’s response warranted?” a female anchor asked her male counterpart on what seemed to be a gossip show.
Sam, an effeminate-looking man, responded in a high-pitched tone, “Of course it was, Jane. Rihanna messed up badly by going on Oprah—not just because she spoke about the breakup, but because she came across as insincere. And Troy clearly picked up on that, which you can see from his song.”
“Can you elaborate?” Jane asked curiously, feigning ignorance.
“Gladly.” Sam leaned forward, an eager grin on his face. “Two things to note. One, Rihanna is who she is today because of Troy. [Echoes of You] and their high-profile relationship were her only real claims to fame, which is why her new album sold out. If Troy hadn’t been in her life, there wouldn’t have been a career to prioritize. And, no offense to her, but Troy’s career is far bigger than hers.”
“And the second?” Jane pressed.
“Rihanna accused Troy of being self-centered and arrogant. If that were true, then why did she say she still loves him and wants to go back?”
“Playing devil’s advocate here,” Jane said, signaling that she agreed with his take. “She’s still young—only 18 at the time of the interview. First loves are hard to let go of, and Troy was clearly hers.”
“I agree,” Sam nodded. “But when you’re a celebrity, you can’t keep hiding behind your age forever. The interview wasn’t live—there was no audience. If her team had thought any part of what she said was inappropriate, they could have asked Oprah to edit it out. Most talk shows have contracts that allow guests to make those kinds of edits before airing. And even if that wasn’t the case, Oprah is such a sweet lady—she would have agreed to it.”
Jane nodded, knowing it to be true.
“Then there’s the fact that she omitted certain details from her confession,” Sam continued. “As Troy rightly pointed out, her story seems full of holes. Troy doesn’t want to address the matter publicly, so we’ll never know for sure who the other man in the equation was—but that part of the song probably wasn’t meant for us. The real question is, if Rihanna knew there were other factors at play in their breakup, why did she speak about it at all? Why not stay quiet and reach out to Troy once he had calmed down?”
“Troy was angry before the interview?” Jane asked curiously.
Sam’s eyes gleamed. “Of course he was. I played the video at 0.25x speed and read all the text messages that flashed at the beginning. I don’t know if all of them were real, but I like to believe they were—at least in spirit, if not verbatim. After reading them, it’s clear Troy was beyond mad and was ignoring her. Rihanna even apologized for her mistake.”
I turned off the TV at that point and retreated into the arms of the only woman I trusted implicitly in my life.
“Awww, my poor baby,” Mum murmured, snuggling close to me as we lay together on the couch in our living room. “Don’t worry. You did nothing wrong. I’m with you, forever and always.”
After a few moments, I voiced the thought that had been gnawing at me. “Don’t you think what I did was misogynistic? This coverage was pretty positive, but some people are calling me a male chauvinist pig for releasing that song.”
“It wasn’t misogynistic,” Mum assured me, raking her fingers through my hair lovingly. “And you are not a pig. I know how much you adored that girl. If your roles were reversed and she had released a song about you, no one would call her a misandrist. My boy is the best, and he deserves the best. She clearly wasn’t the one for you. One-sided relationships rarely are. So forget her and move on.”
For reasons I couldn’t quite understand, my eyes grew misty, and I hugged her closer. Mum placed a kiss on my head, and at that moment, all my worries melted away.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed being close to my mother like this. After a while, I settled my head in her lap, and she started combing her fingers through my hair—just as she used to when I was a kid. I lost myself in that sensation of bliss.
“What’re you thinking?” Mum’s voice pulled me from my reverie.
“I’m thinking that growing up is terrible. Why can’t I just stay a kid forever? I wouldn’t have to deal with love and all the other bullshit it brings along. And even if something did happen, I’d have you and Dad to support me—to fight my battles for me.”
Mum chuckled, but I could hear the pain in her voice as she said, “I would love nothing more than to have you here in my lap for the rest of my life. But stepping out on your own is a big part of growing up. I know you spend half your time away on sets, but getting your own place will make you responsible. It was a huge step in my life—it made me the woman I am today. Same for your dad. This is the first and last time I’m telling you this: you have to live on your own, away from us.”
“Why the last time?” I asked curiously.
“Because the mother in me doesn’t want to let you go,” Mum said, her voice heavy. “I never told you this, but before we adopted you, I had four miscarriages. I always wanted kids of my own, but the doctors told me it wasn’t possible. When you came into our family, it was like a new hope had arrived. Then Evan came along, and I finally felt our family was complete. And now…”
“Just say the word, and I won’t go,” I said half-seriously.
She sighed before shaking her head. “Even if I say that tomorrow, do what you have to. I’ll be okay—sooner or later.”
“But Mum—”
“No,” she cut me off. Then she motioned for me to get up, which I did. “Go pack your stuff. We have a long flight to L.A. tomorrow.”
I felt a little sad walking away from her, but I knew she was correct.
The 49th Grammy Awards were in two days, and our whole family was flying out together. Honestly, I was a little excited about it—not just because I was the opening act of the night. Usually, nominees got one or two extra seats for their guests, but as the most nominated artist ever, I had the option to bring as many people as I wanted. So I invited my parents, Benji, Tobias, Taylor, and even Bobby. Evan was already attending, so I didn’t have to invite him.
The only thing weighing on my mind was whether Rihanna would be there. Both of her nominations were for songs I was nominated for as well. If we ended up on stage together, it would definitely create a media frenzy.
Still, I had nothing to be ashamed of. I wasn’t at fault. And if I did win in either of those categories, I would walk up to that stage with my head held high—whether Rihanna was there or not.
(Break)
“I’ll kill that motherfucker!” Jay-Z growled. “Believe me, B, if I so much as see him today, I’ll punch him so hard he won’t get up for years.”
“I think you’re overreacting,” Beyoncé said dismissively.
“Overreacting, my ass. That fucker called the Grammys and told them he wouldn’t perform or even attend the ceremony if Rihanna was on the lineup. I understand them not performing that duet, but she could have performed ‘We Found Love’. Obviously, the Academy chose him over her. With two nominations, she had a real shot at making a name for herself if she performed, but he shut that down before she even got the chance.”
“That was a dick move,” Beyoncé admitted. “But not worth punching him over.”
“And the shit he said in his song?” Jay-Z challenged.
Beyoncé raised an eyebrow, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “What exactly did he say in the song that wasn’t true? Every word of it was 100% factual.”
Jay-Z turned to her, anger flashing in his eyes. “I didn’t break them up.”
Beyoncé laughed outright at that. “At least don’t lie to my face. I see you, Shawn. I know how much you’ve wanted Rihanna for yourself. I know this was your master plan all along—to drive a wedge between them. Rihanna may be too naive to see it, but I’m not. I saw it for exactly what it was. And clearly, so did Troy. Was it not enough that you already cheated on me once?”
That seemed to drain some of Jay-Z’s fury. His voice softened, turning almost pacifying. “I swear to you, B, I won’t do that again. Not with Rihanna. Not with anyone.”
Beyoncé arched an eyebrow in disbelief before saying, “Alright then. Prove it to me.”
“How?”
“You’re not going to do a damn thing to Troy.” Her voice was firm. “In fact, if you run into him, you’ll hug him like he’s your best friend. You’ll laugh, you’ll smile, and you’ll make it clear to anyone seeing it that there’s no bad blood.”
Before Jay-Z could argue, she pressed on. “Whether it was intentional or not, you did break them up. And don’t forget—if you escalate this, he will too. Troy isn’t shy about confrontation. The world will know exactly what happened behind the scenes, and next time, his jabs at you won’t be this subtle.”
Jay-Z stayed silent for a long moment, weighing his options. Beyoncé reached for his hand, her voice gentler now. “We talked about this, Shawn. You need to control your temper. Image is everything, and right now, Troy has one of the best public images in the world. With one song, he turned everyone against Rihanna. I don’t want that happening to you. Your fans are older—his are young, internet-obsessed, and relentless.”
After another pause, Jay-Z exhaled sharply, nodding slowly. “Fine. I won’t say anything this time. But if he pulls something else, I’ll show him why I’m the top dog in Hollywood.”
Beyoncé smirked, satisfied. “Good. Now go get ready. It’s Grammy's night.”
Comments
David Karlsson
Yeah working for MC would be chaotic as hell. Like a billionaire business owner with the team dynamic of Mr Beast lol
J
Ngl i kinda wanna see more of Beyoncé lmfaoo
Raven Blanchard
Yeah dude. I love RL!Riri, and Fic!Riri here may have hurt Troy... but just like Troy, I got post-nut clarity too after reading ch 201 (where That's Hilarious got released) and now I just want them to make up and be besties 😭
Raven Blanchard
IKR. The family themes and friendship themes in this story are INSANELY GOOD. The romance themes are realistically both simple and complicated. I hope Fable here stays true to form because it's been a good ride so far 😊🙏
James Harrold
I feel Troy needs like a handbrake type person in his team someone in there 30's to 40's that he trusts to give him gut checks for his impulsive behavior, his mum is kinda that person but he doesn't always include her in his decision making process. He also needs to be more open with his inner circle about what he is thinking & the rationale behind his choices because it feels like he is secretive with his team for no real reason a lot of time and I would think that this would build distrust with his team.
Eymi Lopez
I LOVED! THIS CHAPTER
Jarod lane
So good man, thanks for the chapter!
Jarod lane
Post nut clarity in this context is hilarious
Jarod lane
Damn the hate Rihanna is gonna get is disappointing cuz she’s definitely good I hope she proves that she would’ve been successful with or without Troy
Stealthq
Just dawned on me that the financial crash is coming and he just dropped a sad and angry album any songs that will apply to the crash?
Raven Blanchard
Post-nut clarity lmao 🤣
Ju
Won't lie all the hate Riri got hurt my heart 💔
James Harrold
Great chapter some of the best parts have been Troy's relationship with his adoptive mother.
