Chapter 14: The Price

[Chapter 14: The Price]

Taylor was pulling Abigail through the crowded dance floor when, all of a sudden, she felt her wrist being yanked back, almost causing her to stumble. "Pretending not to see? Don't think I don't know the rules here!" A man in a loud floral shirt snorted, grabbing Taylor's wrist and pulling her toward his table.

The woman the promoter had brought along tonight wore a gown that closely matched theirs, leading to confusion about their identities.

Taylor immediately shouted, but her slender frame didn't give her much strength. Abigail wouldn't let her friend be taken away without a fight, but she found it difficult to maneuver in her gown. In a moment of desperation, she shouted towards where Ryan was standing in the distance.

"Ryan! Come help us!"

"Ryan!!"

But with the loud music and dim lighting of the nightclub, Ryan didn't hear Abigail's calls. Fortunately, the club's security team noticed the commotion. Several personnel rushed over, one of whom was right by Ryan's side. As he turned, he realized that the woman being grabbed looked familiar. Upon a closer look, he saw that Abigail in the green dress was right there beside her. Surprised, Ryan quickly made his way over.

...

The security personnel seemed to know the man, and while they stopped him, they didn't help Taylor break free. At this point, Taylor had removed her sunglasses and was trying to assert her identity, but in the chaos, no one paid attention to what she was saying.

As Taylor began to feel apprehensive about the situation, a tall figure pushed his way through the crowd, raising his hand to forcibly separate the man from her arm. As a football player, Ryan's size and strength overwhelmed the intoxicated middle-aged man without hesitation.

Ryan then forcefully bent the man's fingers backward, causing the older man to wince in pain and hunch over. At the same moment, the middle-aged man's friends rushed in, and a standoff erupted between Ryan, the security, and the man's friends, escalating the chaos further.

Seeing Ryan had arrived, Taylor and Abigail rushed over to him. In that unfamiliar setting, Ryan's strong presence provided them with a sense of security.

Ryan, however, wasn't nervous at all. He had been at the nightclub for half a month, experiencing a brawl every other night, so he had grown accustomed to these situations.

The club manager, along with the guard who had been at the door, came over, and soon enough, they revealed the man's identity: he was the owner of a nearby Spanish restaurant who had come out with friends and had some connections with the club owner.

As the misunderstanding got cleared up, it looked like things were about to come to an end. However, Taylor didn't want the matter to settle so easily.

"Did you see my face?!" Taylor pointed at herself, standing her ground.

Even the club manager and the older man were now apologizing to Taylor. After all, she was a celebrity, and nobody wanted this to escalate further.

In the end, Ryan stepped in and escorted Taylor and Abigail away from the scene.

...

"So, how did you two end up here tonight?" Ryan finally asked.

"We booked tickets for spring break to Panama City," Abigail casually mentioned.

Abigail had invited Ryan out several times recently, which he nodded to, indicating his acceptance.

On the other hand, Taylor, still a bit upset, thought about how Ryan had helped her out, and managed a gruff "Thank you."

She figured she could overlook the fact that he had played her song tonight.

"By the way, your jacket is still in my room. I'll bring it to you the day after tomorrow," Ryan suddenly told Abigail.

"Sounds good," Abigail replied naturally, completely unaware that Taylor's eyes widened in shock beside her.

Taylor squashed her strong inclination to react and decided to look interested instead. "So, you two have made any progress since we haven't seen each other for half a month?"

Abigail just shot Taylor a smile.

That simple smile made Taylor even more uneasy. Not knowing how to approach it more, she turned to Ryan.

"Ryan, can you drive me home later?" Taylor suddenly asked in a conspiratorial tone. Ryan and Abigail exchanged glances and signaled toward the vehicle nearby; Taylor had driven herself that night, and it was an automatic.

Taylor wanted to say more, but Ryan and Abigail had already turned to leave. Frustrated, she kicked the car tire and winced as pain shot through her foot.

...

"Taylor's reaction was so strange," Abigail said as she sat in the passenger seat of Ryan's Challenger, looking out the window.

Ryan couldn't help but think to himself: 'Didn't you want to distance yourself? Why are you upset that I'm getting closer to your friend?'

"Maybe she felt like your presence meant I couldn't spend all my time with her anymore," Abigail suggested, trying to explain.

She then began talking about Taylor's past experiences, mentioning how she first signed with RCA under Sony but didn't see an actual partnership. Aside from some disagreements on release timelines, Taylor also sought creative freedom, free from anyone else's interference.

The former executive at DreamWorks, Scott Borchetta, had promised Taylor absolute freedom, and that was partly aided by her father, another Scott, who backed her. Whether it was the creative direction, lyrics content, or music video production, Taylor held the decision-making power, a rare privilege compared to most early-career artists.

"So what's the price of that freedom?" Ryan suddenly interjected, recognizing the potential value in knowing Taylor's experience.

"I wouldn't know that, but Taylor has complained that a big chunk of her career was tied up in a record contract. I believe the term must've exceeded ten years," Abigail ventured cautiously.

Ryan felt a chill; if she had to sign a long-term contract, his conditions would likely be even worse.

Soon, Ryan pulled up outside Abigail's home.

Before exiting, Abigail waved goodbye. "See you at the airport the day after tomorrow."

...

Back home, before Ryan could even change into his slippers, he noticed Trey holding a bank statement. Ryan could delete emails, but he couldn't destroy physical bills.

Trey had yet to get angry when he pulled out a stack of cash from his wallet and handed it to her.

He explained that the money was earned from being a resident DJ.

This was just a portion of his total income; paid downloads would generate additional revenue, but currently, it wasn't as much as live performances. Altogether, the earnings were much less than Ryan had hoped; in fact, the single hadn't made much of a splash.

"Are you sure you aren't selling drugs at school?" Trey clearly did not believe him.

"Of course not," Ryan quickly shook his head, leading Trey to the study and putting headphones on her.

She had a barrage of questions but eventually relaxed.

"Honestly, this is pretty good," Trey nodded, then asked about Ryan's "workplace."

...

Once she left, Ryan realized that she had left the stack of cash on the table. Whether it was an oversight or she hadn't intended to take it in the first place, he wasn't sure.

He wouldn't let it go to waste, putting the money back in his wallet, and prepared to continue making electronic music like usual.

However, not long after, Trey strolled back in, this time with her phone in hand, mouthing "Taylor Swift."

Ryan immediately understood what she meant. He picked up the phone and answered, only for Taylor to immediately unleash a wave of anger.

"You broke your promise, you bastard! Who told you to go near Abigail..."

*****

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