Chapter 47: An Offer You Can't Refuse

[Chapter 47: An Offer You Can't Refuse]

Facing her "client," Trey happily invited Taylor in for a meal.

As soon as she sat down, Taylor took a bite of the salad.

"This ranch dressing is amazing. Did you buy it? I'll have to tell my mom to get some," Taylor said casually.

"You can't buy this dressing. Ryan made it himself," Trey explained with a smile.

Southern housewives often make a "universal dipping sauce" at home. Since every housewife has her own recipe, these sauces are collectively called "ranch dressing."

"You can make this too?" Taylor was genuinely surprised, her impression of Ryan deepening.

"It's the onion. I added onion powder," Ryan shrugged, not about to sulk just because Taylor was here. He wasn't that petty, though he wasn't going to engage in much conversation with her either.

"Why did you come over so late?" Trey asked.

Taylor, who was eating roasted chicken with grease on her lips, replied, "Actually, I wanted to discuss the script for Love Story with you."

With two months left until the MV shoot, coming over in the middle of the night to discuss the script was clearly an excuse, but since Taylor said it, Trey couldn't argue.

"No problem," Trey nodded.

...

Ryan, out of respect for Trey, didn't say anything either. He got up and went to the study, turning on his computer. To his surprise, "Scooter" was still messaging him, saying he had arrived in Nashville and just wanted to meet Ryan.

Ryan closed the chat window without responding.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the door. Ryan didn't answer — Trey never knocked, so it had to be someone else.

After a moment, the door creaked open slightly, and a head of curly hair peeked in.

"Come in," Ryan sighed. Since Taylor had chased him here, he had to talk to her.

Taylor closed the door behind her and, without waiting for Ryan to speak, said, "Ryan, I know you might not want to see me, but I have two very important things to tell you." She sat down on the couch across from the desk, holding a pillow to avoid exposing herself since she was wearing a skirt. Her legs were crossed to one side, a proper sitting posture.

"First, the best record label for you will always be Big Machine. Big Machine is a subsidiary of Republic Records, which was spun off from Motown two years ago. It's now a top-tier label under Universal, alongside Interscope and Island Def Jam. Scott has already promised that you'll have the same creative freedom as me."

Ryan shook his head. He had already considered Big Machine, but Scott wouldn't budge on the contract length.

"What's the second thing?" Ryan skipped straight to the point.

"I want to thank you. After that phone call, I thought about it for a long time. You gave me an insight..." She looked directly at Ryan, then seemed to make up her mind. "I've decided that from now on, I'll focus more on the music itself!"

Seeing Ryan's lack of reaction, Taylor took a deep breath. "And one last thing."

She had said two things earlier but suddenly added a third.

"You asked me if I had planned this. My answer is no. I didn't have a clear plan. It was just because I met you that day."

In other words, if Trey had brought someone else, none of this might have happened.

Ryan simply nodded.

"As for us, we're still friends, right?" Taylor probed.

"Sure," Ryan said.

"Okay." Taylor smiled. "Since we're still friends, you can't block me anymore."

Ryan chuckled and unblocked her.

"If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me. After all, we're both artists now. Also, are you sure you don't need a social media manager?" Taylor brought it up again. 

"Not for now," Ryan declined again.

"What about an opportunity to guest on a local Nashville radio show?" Taylor added. She knew exactly what Ryan needed.

Ryan didn't refuse.

Taylor nodded, making a mental note of it.

As Taylor left Ryan's house, she hummed a tune and walked to her car.

"Is there any man in this world I can't win over? Nope!" She was in an exceptionally good mood. When she started the car, she turned the music up to full volume and almost drove onto the opposite sidewalk when turning onto the road, but she quickly corrected the car's position.

...

Ryan returned to his study and browsed Harlem Shake videos on YouTube. In just a few days, hundreds of new imitation videos had popped up. Thanks to Taylor and Miley's participation, some smaller artists had followed suit, filming their own Harlem Shake videos in their studios. There were many such small artists in the U.S., and like Ryan, they struggled with how to get exposure.

This time, Ryan wasn't following a trend — he was creating one. And as these videos gained views, they would generate more income for Ryan.

When he checked his YouTube backend and saw the nearly six-figure amount available for withdrawal, Ryan let out an excited cheer.

The only downside was that there were still some counterfeit works on platforms like iTunes. Trey's lawyer had been busy these past few days, taking down a batch of them, but new ones kept popping up.

Once he signed with Atlantic Records, they should help him quickly deal with these counterfeit works, right? Ryan thought.

...

The next morning, Ryan came downstairs to find Trey shoving bread into her mouth while talking on the phone.

Ryan went to the kitchen, took a box of "Fruit Loops" cereal from the cabinet, poured it into a bowl, added milk to soften it, and then carried the bowl out.

"Strange. Scott called me early in the morning and asked if I was home. What's that about?" Trey put down her phone, looking puzzled.

The Scott she mentioned was Scott Borchetta, the head of Big Machine Records.

"Maybe he wants to ask you out?" Ryan leaned against the table, teasing.

"I just saw his wife last month," Trey shot Ryan a disapproving look.

About an hour later, Ryan found out why the head of Big Machine Records had called Trey.

"Good to see you again, Ryan."

Scooter, who was the same height as Taylor, stood at the door, took off his baseball cap, and greeted Ryan.

"I know showing up uninvited is very rude, but I mean no harm. As for how I found your address, Ryan, I have Scott to thank for that. I've met him a few times in L.A. He founded a subsidiary of Republic Records, and coincidentally, I founded another subsidiary of Republic Records," he explained.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I was once the executive director of So So Def Records. I've organized NBA All-Star Games and after-parties for stars like Britney Spears, Eminem, and Ludacris. Later, I founded my own record label and became a manager. Before you sign with another label, why not hear what I can offer? If you're not interested, I'll leave immediately and never waste another second on you. My time is more valuable than yours," he chuckled.

"Now, may I come in?" Scooter, still standing at the door, asked.

Ryan and Trey exchanged a glance, then finally let him in.

The first ten minutes of Ryan and Scooter's conversation were uneventful. Scooter simply repeated what Atlantic Records had already said.

Seeing Ryan's lack of interest, Scooter smiled. "I also have an offer you can't refuse. My record label can offer you a one-year contract with a minimum of one EP!"

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.