One Man Band System

Eric quickly walked over to Mike, Anthony, and Sarah, a gorgeous woman with long, wavy brown hair wearing a casual red dress. Even though she was the daughter of a CEO involved in the entertainment industry, she didn’t act like her status at all. When he saw Eric, Anthony immediately introduced her,

"Eric, meet Sarah Harrison, Mr. Robert’s daughter," Anthony said, introducing Sarah.

"Hello... are you Eric? I’ve already heard all about it from Anthony, and I’m actually a big fan of The Empress," Sarah said, holding out her hand.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, thank you," Eric replied, shaking Sarah’s hand with a smile.

"Your building is absolutely huge. I’m sure we can build a great partnership together," Sarah remarked, looking at Eric’s building up ahead.

"I have no doubt about that, Ms. Sarah," Eric said casually.

Suddenly, someone patted Eric on the shoulder. Eric turned around to see Katie standing behind him, dressed in a pink sweater and jeans. She still wore her glasses, but her hair fell freely instead of being up in a bun like at the office. She was holding a tablet in her hand,

"I made it," Katie said cheerfully.

"Awesome, thanks Sis Katie," Eric said, smiling.

When Katie turned her head to look at Eric’s building, she froze in shock for a moment. She knew for a fact that Eric’s grandfather’s building looked nothing like the masterpiece standing before her. She turned to look at Eric, her face full of questions and confusion, though she kept quiet. It wasn’t just Katie, Anthony actually looked puzzled too, but since Sarah was present, he stayed silent.

Then Mike officially introduced Katie to Sarah, after which Eric invited everyone inside. When they pushed open the doors into the venue lobby, they were all stunned, including Eric himself, at the sight of a lobby resembling a full-fledged theater, complete with ticket booths and merchandise stands. Hanging from the high ceiling was a breathtaking crystal chandelier that gave the entire room an elegant, high-end feel.

After taking in the lobby, they stepped into the main venue. Naturally, they were instantly amazed by the massive stage out front, tiers of seating wrapping around it, and towering stage lighting rigs. There was a dedicated pit between the stage and the front seats for general admission ticket holders, separated by a short barrier surrounding the stage.

"Wow... this venue is set up at a completely professional level," Sarah remarked, taking in her surroundings.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Eric blurted out, equally amazed since he was seeing it for the first time too.

Flanking him on both sides, Mike and Anthony instantly nudged Eric with their elbows so he wouldn’t act like a bewildered guest in his own house.

"I mean, I had it designed with professional help," Eric quickly corrected himself.

He then turned to look at Anthony and Mike, who were nodding along, while Katie struggled to hold back her laughter right beside Mike. Leaving the magnificent venue behind, Eric took them up to the second floor using the elevator to inspect the empty storefronts and restaurant spaces. The design felt like a boutique mall, much simpler, but just as sleek.

Once they finished touring the second floor, Eric led Sarah up to inspect the third floor, which housed the venue’s studio offices, makeup rooms, and costume department. The fourth floor contained rehearsal spaces for bands, dance choreography studios, green rooms, and musical instrument storage. The fifth and sixth floors were dedicated to professional recording studios, while the seventh floor was set up for CGI and media production for music videos and recording.

They then skipped straight up to the 18th floor where the main boardroom was located. Eric invited Anthony, Sarah, Katie, and Mike inside. Anthony immediately started reviewing the photos on his smartphone; he had been snapping pictures non-stop throughout the tour under the watchful eyes of Katie and Mike. Once everyone took their seats,

"I’ve got all the photos I need. I’ll present them to Mr. Robert tomorrow," Anthony said happily.

"Alright, thanks a lot, Anthony," Eric said casually.

"I’ve already heard the concept from my dad, and now that I’ve seen everything myself, I’ll speak with the board as well," Sarah added.

"Oh... really? Thank you so much," Eric replied, pleased.

"Though when we move forward with the agreement, we’ll want to review everything thoroughly before anyone signs," Katie interjected, setting firm boundaries right away.

"Of course. We’ll have our legal teams draft up the agreement as well," Anthony replied.

"We’ll be waiting for the agreement," Katie said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Mike scribbled something down in his smartphone’s notes app before turning to look at Eric, who was sitting right next to him.

"Eric, where did Jade and the others go?" Mike asked.

"Oh... good point. We didn’t run into them at all while walking around," Eric answered, pausing to think.

"Are there more floors above this one? Looking at the elevator, it seemed like there were two more floors up top, right?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, above this are the CEO and board offices," Eric said.

"Oh? Two whole floors for that?" Sarah asked.

"Um... the top floor are... the building owner’s private residence," Eric answered, looking a bit shy and hesitant.

"Ah... I see how it is," Sarah replied with a smile.

Katie, Mike, and even Anthony shot Eric a sharp look, their faces practically screaming, "You own this building, please stop acting confused about your own property, you’re embarrassing us."

They then began discussing the concept they had talked about previously. Eric could see that Sarah genuinely had a strong grasp of her father’s showbiz business and was exceptionally easy to talk to. She even proposed a few alternative ideas, to the point where Katie asked Mike to take notes due to the legal implications involved.

While they were in the middle of a serious discussion, the boardroom door suddenly creaked open. Emma, Chloe, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura peeked inside. Behind them, through the frosted glass, three other figures were visible from inside, it looked like Jade, Ruby, and Tania were standing right behind the rest. Eric waved his hand for them to come in. Immediately, they swung the door wide open and walked in together, taking their seats at the far end of the long conference table.

Sarah, noticing their presence, turned her head and instantly froze. Her eyes locked onto Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura, then she turned to look at Eric,

"The Empress is here?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah... that’s them," Eric answered casually.

"Great, there’s something I want to discuss with them," Sarah said, standing up.

"Um... discuss what?" Eric asked, standing up as well, followed by Katie and Mike.

"About merchandise... Because once they perform downstairs, they’re definitely going to explode and become icons. I want to handle their merch line," Sarah said enthusiastically.

"Ah... sorry Eric, I forgot to mention, she owns a company that manufactures celebrity merchandise across entertainment, sports, and other industries," Anthony explained.

"Oh... I see how it is," Eric replied.

"Alright... let me accompany her. I’ll head over there," Katie said.

Eric turned to look at Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura. Knowing that Chloe was already accustomed to handling business matters, he turned back to Katie,

"Alright... please do," Eric replied.

Katie didn’t say anything, but she nodded and smiled at Eric before walking over to assist Sarah, who was still standing and talking to Anthony.

"After you, Ms. Sarah," Katie invited with a smile.

"Ah yes... after you, Ms. Katie," Sarah replied.

The two of them walked straight over to the five girls of The Empress to start a conversation. Katie introduced Sarah to them, and they settled at the far end of the table. Just as Eric expected, Chloe immediately took charge of the discussion with Sarah and Katie.

Meanwhile, Emma, Ruby, Jade, and Tania, having been squeezed out of the main discussion, walked over to Eric, Mike, and Anthony. The moment Tania realized Anthony was in the room, she froze in her tracks. Anthony looked equally shocked to see Tania there.

"What are you doing here, Tania?" Anthony asked.

"Mike, didn’t you tell him?" Tania asked.

"Sorry... forgot and didn’t have time. Just tell him yourself," Mike answered casually.

"Well, it’s like this,"

Eric then explained his upcoming project to Anthony. After listening to Eric’s explanation, Anthony looked over at Tania, a sly grin spreading across his lips,

"So you’re finally working with me after all, you stubborn cousin," Anthony said.

"Huh... what do you mean?" Tania asked, confused.

"If this deal goes through, he’s going to be the COO here," Eric answered, pointing at Anthony to inform Tania.

"What... no way," Tania replied, staring at Anthony’s smirk with total disbelief.

"Relax, tomorrow it still needs to go to the CEO first. There’s plenty of time. But if everything checks out, I’ll be here representing Trinity Entertainment as the COO since I’m bringing people over from Trinity Entertainment anyway," Anthony replied.

"Oh... is that so? If I’d known that earlier, I would’ve refused," Tania grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey... don’t bring domestic drama into the workplace," Anthony shot back.

"Alright, that’s enough. What is wrong with you two? We’re here strictly for business, leave your family business at home," Mike chimed in, stepping between them.

Clueless about what was going on, Eric, Emma, Ruby, and Jade leaned in closer to Mike, who was sitting next to Eric.

"Do they actually have beef?" Eric asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah... family stuff... Whatever, I don’t even feel like getting into it," Mike answered, clearly reluctant to pursue the subject.

"Wait, if he’s the COO, then who’s the CEO?" Emma asked.

"Who else but him," Mike answered, resting a hand on Eric’s shoulder.

"Huh," Emma, Jade, and Ruby said in unison, turning their heads to stare at Eric.