One Man Band System

A few hours later, after signing a contract with Alan at the Trinity Pictures management office to work as a soundtrack composer, Eric met up with Anthony at a cafe right across from the Trinity Entertainment corporate complex. Eric handed the contract over to Anthony, who read through it enthusiastically. Once he finished reviewing the document, Anthony handed it back to Eric.

"So that’s how it is... that means it’s impossible for you to join the records division since you’re already signed with pictures... looks like I was a step too late," Anthony said bitterly.

"Hmm... did you hear from Mike about why I wanted to meet you?" Eric asked.

"Yeah... I heard. You actually want to revive your grandfather’s production house, the building I visited back then... I originally intended to set up a meeting for you with Mr. Robert, but he’s currently out of the country on family business," Anthony replied.

"Robert?" Eric asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Robert Harrison, he’s the CEO of Trinity Entertainment," Anthony answered.

"Oh... the CEO... do you know him well? It would be great if I could get a meeting with him," Eric asked enthusiastically.

"Um... pretty well... but are you really serious about developing your own label? Wouldn’t it be much easier to join an established setup so you don’t have to grind your way up from the bottom again?" Anthony questioned.

"Hmm... I mean, joining Trinity would definitely be a lot easier and smoother, even though I’ve heard my fair share of sketchy rumors about the records division. Honestly, that wouldn’t even be a dealbreaker... but I just really want to carry on my grandfather’s business... maybe that way I can actually get to know him," Eric answered frankly.

"Hmm... I see. Mr. Robert does know me well, but as for him being willing to mentor you or open up the company’s playbook right in front of you... I’m not so sure about that," Anthony said.

"Don’t worry about that. If necessary, I’m down to work in management and report directly to him... or maybe join the board of directors," Eric said.

"Huh... that’s not exactly easy, Eric. Employees and even upper management executives have to go through the standard hiring process. There’s no way you can just slide in based on connections alone, especially since you haven’t even met Mr. Robert yet," Anthony said.

"It’s not that hard, I’m sure of it... I don’t mean to flex, but I feel like I’ve earned the right to step in there. Take a look," Eric said.

Eric slid his smartphone over to Anthony, displaying his investment portfolio in Trinity Entertainment. Anthony read the screen, his eyes instantly widening. He stared at Eric in utter disbelief, double-checking the screen to make sure he wasn’t misreading the numbers.

"You... you hold a 5% stake in the company? Wow... you are absolutely entitled to be involved with this... turns out you’re a silent investor in the company... it’s hard to believe, but this is completely legit and real," Anthony said.

"Yep... exactly. So when he gets back, please introduce me to him," Eric said.

"Hmm... alright, I get it. I’ll keep you posted," Anthony replied.

"Thanks. By the way, what exactly is your relationship with Mr. Robert? Just so I have some context before we meet," Eric asked. "An artist manager and a CEO being close friends? A pawn and a king on intimate terms? Sounds a little strange to me," Eric thought to himself.

Anthony stayed quiet, saying nothing as he calmly sipped his coffee, observing the relaxed Eric sitting across from him. Realizing his question might have crossed a line—especially since he had just laid all his own cards on the table—Eric immediately spoke up.

"Sorry... I was just asking. Didn’t mean anything by it," Eric said.

"It’s fine... it’s just... how do I put this... I know Robert through his daughter. She happened to be my college classmate, and... she’s the most important person in my life," Anthony replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Eric asked, confused.

"I’m engaged to his daughter... Sarah Harrison. I’m actually at Trinity Entertainment to learn the ropes... probably similar to you... except our goals are different," Anthony answered, trying to explain.

"Oh... I see. So you’re here to learn the business too?" Eric asked. "No wonder he’s a total amateur and always messes things up... according to Mike," Eric thought to himself.

"That’s basically it... since Sarah doesn’t want to get involved in her dad’s business, she asked me to step in for her, and Robert welcomed the idea warmly... but please don’t repeat this to anyone, including Mike. I don’t want people thinking I only got into a major company like this because of nepotism... even though that’s exactly what happened. That’s why I chose to be a talent manager instead of diving straight into the corporate side, I wanted to climb up from the very bottom so I could grasp the entire business from the ground up," Anthony answered.

Hearing Anthony’s words, Eric smiled. He felt relieved that he hadn’t misjudged the man’s trustworthiness, proving his initial intuition about Anthony from the day they met was spot on. Eric picked up his cup, took a sip of his coffee, and looked over at Anthony, who was sitting comfortably. Eric then glanced at the time on his smartphone.

"Alright, I get it. Your secret is safe with me," Eric said.

"Awesome... thanks, Eric. So based on that contract from earlier, you’re officially signing with the pictures division, but The Empress isn’t, right? What if they sign with the records division and join our label?" Anthony asked.

"Hmm... as for that, I’ll have to check with them first. I’ll lay it all out for them next week, since they’re all currently grounded, haha," Eric noted casually.

"Oh... I see. Fair enough. Just please put in a good word for me with them, okay? I know they probably have a bad impression of me since I approached them at school... but I was desperate at the time. Mr. Robert was breathing down my neck to sign them to our label... though I know his intentions were good. He wanted them under my wing, not anyone else’s," Anthony explained.

"Alright, I’ll talk to them. Don’t worry about it. But I am curious, how did you know they went to that school?" Eric replied casually, throwing out the question.

"Ah... that’s because I asked Jade. I knew she met you back at the festival, and by now I already know what your relationship with her is. It just so happened that when I was chatting with her after visiting your building that day... her sister was there with her and let slip that The Empress went to her new school," Anthony answered.

"Hmm... I see," Eric muttered, deep in thought. "Her sister? He must mean Ruby. According to Emma, Laura, Chloe, Heidi, and Priya, the one who led Anthony to them was Ruby... so that’s how it happened," Eric thought to himself.

Then, they chatted casually, talking about anything and everything except work, completely free of stress. After a little while, Anthony glanced at his smartphone screen on the table one last time, then turned his eyes back to Eric.

"Eric, sorry, but I gotta run. I’ve got an appointment to catch," Anthony said.

"Oh... okay, go ahead. We’ll talk more later. Keep me posted," Eric said.

"Will do. Don’t worry about the bill, I’ve got this," Anthony said, tossing some cash onto the table to cover both his coffee and Eric’s.

"Oh... thanks," Eric replied.

"Alright, I’m heading out. See you around, and please talk to the members of The Empress," Anthony said, standing up.

"Got it... don’t worry about it. Go ahead," Eric said.

"Alright, see ya," Anthony said with a smile.

After saying his goodbyes, Anthony left Eric alone. Eric sat back, taking his time to finish his coffee. He pulled out his contract one more time, reading through the lines in sheer disbelief. A smile spread across his face as he scanned the pages, feeling deeply grateful that he had managed to make it this far.

Suddenly, "ding," a text notification popped up on his smartphone. He opened it and was caught off guard. The message was from Chloe, reading,

"I miss you... school is so boring... you’re picking us up later, right?"

Before he could even type a reply, "ding," another message flashed onto his screen. He checked it, and this time it was from Laura. The message was just a photo, a selfie of her looking completely bored and pouting, with her uniform shirt slightly unbuttoned, teasing a glimpse of her cleavage.

Eric’s face instantly flushed all over again, his mind racing straight back to last night. He rubbed his face and covered his eyes with his hand as the memories came rushing back in full detail.

"Uh... I thought I’d finally put that out of my mind... now my head is completely filled with Chloe and Laura... damn it," Eric thought to himself.