Chapter 39 - Mr. Mendez, Little Lawyer, Loophole

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*3rd POV

Inside the Cooper household, Georgie stood face-to-face with a lawyer. "How are you, Mr. Mendes?" he greeted, shaking hands with Mr. Mendes, the lawyer tasked with reviewing and discussing the contract he was about to sign. Connie had advised Georgie to seek help in navigating the contract for establishing a Label music company.

Even though Georgie had been told he would receive shares in the company, he didn't feel right about it unless he signed a proper contract first.

"Hello, Mr. Cooper." Mr. Mendes smiled at his client, studying the 15-16-year-old boy in front of him.

Georgie gestured toward his family, saying, "This is my family—my mother, Mary, my father, George, and my siblings, Sheldon and Melissa."

Mr. Mendes nodded to each family member before turning his attention back to Georgie. "So, Georgie, what do you want?" he asked confidently.

Georgie smirked. "I want the world!" But his father quickly smacked him on the back of the head. "Be serious!"

Georgie grumbled, "Alright, alright, geez… I'll explain what's going on and what I want. I'd like to hear your opinion on it."

He began explaining his meetings with Rosie and Fenley and what they had discussed.

"Okay, I understand the situation. What do you want? I can help 'persuade' them to give you more shares." Mr. Mendes said with a grin.

"No, that's okay. What I want is full creative control over the songs I produce. I don't want them interfering in any of my creative decisions or anything related to that." Georgie replied.

Mr. Mendes nodded. Sheldon, overhearing the conversation, looked puzzled. "Why don't you want to take more shares? If you're the one holding creative control—the lifeblood of this company—you deserve a bigger stake."

Mr. Mendes smiled at Sheldon. "This kid is right, Mr. Cooper—"

"Please call me Mr. Cooper." Sheldon interrupted sharply, glaring at Mr. Mendes.

"Whoa, slow down, Shelly. He's not the enemy." Georgie said teasingly.

"My apologies, Mr. Cooper." Mr. Mendes said, a bit irritated by the interruption, but when he glanced at Sheldon—a mere 9-year-old—his expression softened again. "As I was saying, Mr. Cooper is right. You could negotiate for more shares given your creative contributions."

Georgie sighed, looking at his family.

"He's right, Georgie." George added. "Heck, I don't know much about company rules or anything, but if you can earn more money, why not?" He grinned.

Mary shot George a sharp look. "What are you thinking?!"

George raised his hands defensively. "I'm just saying, if Georgie deserves more shares because of his talents, why not?"

"Hmm… Honestly, I do want that. But I don't want to hurt their feelings. Miss Fenley gave me this opportunity, and I don't want to waste it. When I met them, I realized Miss Fenley created this company for me. As long as I can make the music I love, I don't care how many shares I have." Georgie said, ruffling Missy's hair beside him.

"I just love music, and I've been given a chance to succeed in this world. So, I just want to try."

Everyone smiled at Georgie. Mary kissed his head, and Missy hugged him tightly. George nodded silently, looking at Mr. Mendes to ensure Georgie's wishes were respected.

Mr. Mendes studied Georgie and nodded, jotting notes in his little notebook. Meanwhile, Sheldon eyed Georgie curiously. "So? Do you want more shares or not?".

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*Georgie's POV – After Negotiation

(Sorry I have to skip it, because I don't really know how Law and Lawyer works in America, I even never have lawyer in my entire life, so I don't want to ruin that with shallow arguments between lawyers.)

Well, I'm glad that part's over... They were attacking each other. Mr. Mendes went after Rosie's lawyer, while Fenley's lawyer defended against Rosie's accusations. Rosie's lawyer, in turn, demanded bigger shares.

The battle was fiercer than we'd expected.

"That was really intense." Mary muttered beside George.

"Lawyers are scary." Missy said, glancing at Sheldon.

From the start, Sheldon had been relentless—attacking, mocking, and provoking every lawyer in the room, except for Mr. Mendes. He'd already studied the laws and researched every music label still standing today, calculating probabilities for these companies.

"Ugh… Statistics show that creative startups led by skilled founders have a 70% higher chance of success than those relying solely on capital." Sheldon grumbled, setting his small briefcase on the table.

I chuckled softly. "It's okay, Shelly. And thanks for backing me up, by the way."

"What about me?" Missy piped up.

"You brought positive energy to the room. Thanks." I said, ruffling her hair as she smiled sweetly.

"You were great in there, Sheldon." Mr. Mendes said, raising his beer to him.

Sheldon had managed to frustrate everyone, and that's when Mr. Mendes swooped in to make decisions.

I looked at Sheldon, who still seemed upset. "Don't be upset. You helped me get more shares than before." I said, patting his head.

I now owned 25% of the company, Miss Fenley held 20%, and Miss Rosie had the remaining 55%. I didn't mind the split—creative control over all decisions rested solely with me, and they were obligated to support the decisions I made.

Sheldon glared at me while I continued ruffling his hair. He swatted my hand away. "Then why did you agree to their terms? You'll be at a disadvantage if you fail to meet their conditions! They could revoke your shares."

The condition Rosie imposed was simple yet daunting: I had to become a famous singer within three years.

Is that easy? Of course not. It's 1989. The internet hasn't taken over yet. There's no YouTube, no Instagram, no Spotify. It's just radio and MTV. I had to create a song so big that it would be talked about everywhere within three years, making my name recognizable.

I shrugged. "Well, it's not like I'm doing this alone. They'll handle marketing and everything else. Besides… Shelly, you don't see it, do you?"

Sheldon frowned. "See what?"

I chuckled at his confusion and glanced at Mr. Mendes, who smiled while sipping the beer Mary had handed him earlier.

"A loophole." I said.

Sheldon paused, then his eyes widened as he understood. "Oh."

"What?" George asked, completely lost.

"They didn't specify what 'famous' means for Georgie. If he becomes a famous singer just in this town or in Texas, he's already famous." Sheldon explained, nodding to himself.

Mary and George realized the loophole. "Oh… well, I believe Georgie can do it." Mary said, smiling.

"I doubt they overlooked that detail." Mr. Mendes commented.

I nodded, understanding what he meant. "Yeah, I think they included it to keep me motivated to create music and work hard."

Yes, there is no way they overlook that. All of the lawyer in the room is not just Rookie, they have credibility.

"Yes." Sheldon agreed, though he still seemed annoyed at not noticing the loophole earlier.

"Alright." Mr. Mendes said, standing up from the couch. "My job here is done. If you need me again, feel free to contact me."

"Thank you, Mr. Mendes." I said, getting up to see him to the door. Mary and George followed us.

"Yeah, we're all very grateful to you." Mary said.

"Well, it's a pleasure working for a future superstar." Mr. Mendes replied, smiling at me.

George, who had been silent until now, finally couldn't resist. "…How much is Connie paying you?"

Mr. Mendes only smiled as Mary smacked George's arm. "See you later, Coopers." he said, waving as he left.

I laughed at George's comment and waved goodbye to Mr. Mendes. After he left, I turned to Mary and George.

"I want to say something to everyone." I said.

Mary and George exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed me to the living room.

Sheldon and Missy were still there.

"Can I have everyone's attention for a moment?" I asked.

All eyes were on me as I took a deep breath.

"Thank you for supporting me." I said, smiling. My voice wavered slightly. "I know this is a big decision. This is just the beginning of a long journey, and I might lose my way along the path. I hope all of you will continue to help me."

My eyes hardened and looking at all of them, "And I promise to help all of you on your journeys, especially Sheldon and Missy."

"What are you talking about? You're my son! Of course, I'll help you." George said, though his voice trembled.

Mary was already teary-eyed, Missy beamed at me, and Sheldon nodded in acknowledgment.

"I love y'all." I said, grinning as I took in their reactions.

Missy was the first to hug me, followed by Mary. Sheldon remained seated, refusing to join in, while George, too proud, just smiled and sipped his beer.

"That's your last can for today, okay, Dad?" I said, and he grumbled, "Oh, come on!"