Chapter 16_ The Advise

16

She dropped her phone on her bed and got down from her bulk to go to the bathroom.

"What are we having for dinner? We have to cook something." Nana shouted. After easing herself, Emma washed her hands and went to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and saw some of the foodstuffs that Manager Kim got for them still intact.

"I'll make pasta and sauce." She announced.

(C)

Danny and Marcel were sitting down inside the living room, while Danny was scrolling through his phone, Marcel was playing game in PlayStation.

A lot of people were tagging his official Twitter account the other day and he wanted to know why so he clicked on Twitter. He went to his notifications and clicked on the first tag he saw but what he was taking to made his stomach twist.

A hate tweet about Hardin.

"What the fuck." He hissed angrily.

"What. What is it?" Marcel inquired, he paused his game and walked towards Danny. He squatted down to see what Danny was reading and within some seconds his facial expression changed. His jaw clenched and his eyes darkened.

Danny went to the search bar and saw Hardin trending. He clicked on it and couldn't believe the tweets he was reading.

"Why is there a sudden hate train towards Bro? Is this a targeted controversy like what happened to Scott?" Marcel asked, he was confused. Just during their world tour people were praising Hardin and congratulating them for their double Grammy win and suddenly they are against him? What is going on?

Danny went back to the first tweet and checked the comments. The tweet has 556,000 likes and he just wondered and brutal the comments will be but surprisingly there were comments defending Hardin.

A particular comment caught his attention and he stopped scrolling.

"So bold of you to question Hardin's source of wealth. You're just a hater. He worked hard for almost two decades to get to where he is. I should also remind you that he owns 80% copyright of SHAKES discography. He has a super successful fashion line, he is an ambassador of different big companies, he literally works for his shit. Don't you ever question him again and take you think pieces somewhere else."

"Shorty finished business with this one." Danny said and chuckled. He was impressed by what he read.

There were different comments defending Hardin but that one was just top notch.

"I would like to know who this person is." Marcel said, agreeing to Danny's statement.

"Don't tell Hardin and Scott about this, I will talk to Manager." Danny uttered and Marcel hummed.

Protecting Hardin's peace was everything they ask for.

Danny got out of the couch and dropped his phone before walking towards the kitchen. "I'm going for a swim at the outdoor swimming pool, you coming?" He asked Marcel.

"Right behind you."

Danny grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed outside to the swimming pool.

Everything he needed were already there waiting for him.

(D)

Hardin got down from his car. He drove inside the city with his bodyguard in the afternoon to meet a friend of his at a bar.

He was wearing all black. A black jeans trouser, a black shirt and black fur coat. His head was covered with a back baseball cap and he was also putting on a milk colored sneakers from his company HSL: Hardin Shake Lifestyle collections. And yes, he was wearing a face mask to hide his identity.

Kay, his bodyguard opened the door for him and he stepped inside the cozy bar in the heart of the town.

"Hey Man," He greeted his friend Nate. The met through a business partner but since then they just clicked and has been hanging out a lot with each other. Definitely one of Hardin's small circle of friends.

"Didn't know you will make it. Your fans are crazy, they may mob you on the way if they saw you." Nate said and Hardin chuckled because he was right.

His fans are crazy.

Hardin sat down on a stool and motioned for the bartender.

"What will you have Sir?" The bartender asked.

"Vodka and add some ice cubes in it." Hardin responded. The bartender scurried away to mix his drink while Hardin and Nate engaged in a conversation.

"I'm throwing a party at my apartment tomorrow, I'm inviting you and the guys." Nate said and Hardin nodded his head.

The bartender pushed the drink towards Hardin and he nodded his head.

"What exactly are you celebrating or just for fun?" Hardin queried.

Nate is the party type. He has the same tendency as Danny, nothing excite him like parties and he love being the one to invite friends over.

"Calm down dude, all work and no play will make you a dull guy. You don't have to be stuck-up everytime." Nate uttered and Hardin raised his eyebrows.

"Stuck up?"

"You know, if you're not in GY building you are in your mansion locked inside your studio, and if you're not there you are traveling the world to different fashion shows and performing your duty as an ambassador or in your company as a CEO. Your life is boring to be honest." Nate said, his expression turning serious. "You are going 32 this year, Man. You don't even have a woman in your life, someone you would want to start a family with. We both know that Kandy isn't the one for you, she is just a passing warm pussy."

Hardin was stunned by all Nate said. He couldn't believe that Nate was actually waiting for the perfect opportunity to say everything on his mind.

"Were you waiting for the perfect opportunity to say all this?" Hardin asked curiously. Nate slammed the glass cup on the bar counter with a thud and glanced at Hardin.

"Trust me when I say this, Man. Any real friend of yours will tell you the same thing. Slow down. You've already accumulate enough wealth and investments for your generations to come. You don't need to work so hard like when you were on the streets. Things are different now."