Chapter 101: The Kiss of Victory

[Chapter 101: The Kiss of Victory]

Early the next morning, Ryan woke up to the sound of rustling.

When Daddario noticed him opening his eyes, she let out a light laugh, "Good morning, boss."

"Feeling hungry already?" Ryan teased.

"I'm not Taylor, with such a small appetite," she replied, her smile growing sweeter.

"I bought tickets for tomorrow; we're only staying in Atlanta for a day." Daddario panted, covered in sweat.

Such a glutton, Ryan thought to himself. Just then, Daddario's phone rang, and she quickly answered it.

...

"Taylor, I just woke up. What's going on?... Ryan is probably still asleep. He and Scooter talked until midnight and argued for a long time.... Yeah, he's quite the tough nut. I bet they'll have to continue today..."

She spun a tale just as easily as if she were a sea snake weaving through the water.

"Right, yeah, I'll remind him about that... Thank you for your concern; how's everything on your end?... That's great. I envy you two... I won't expect any of that for myself... Um..."

"You're such a bitch," Ryan remarked after she hung up.

Daddario swallowed, thinking back on what had just happened, and was a little scared.

...

"We are currently in Nashville's famous music district, which is home to Big Machine Records. We see they've changed the sign at the entrance; it's now called 'Ryan & Taylor'..." A female reporter stood in front of the record company, reporting live.

"They've come out!"

"It's Ryan and Taylor!"

"Quick, turn on the camera!"

A crowd of reporters surged forward like sprinters at the starting gun. Within seconds, microphones surrounded Ryan and Taylor.

Holding hands, Ryan and Taylor drew questions from reporters about when they would announce their wedding date.

"Ryan took my advice and, considering our age, we are temporarily not thinking about marriage for the sake of our careers," Taylor said, her cheeks flushed but unable to hide her smile, radiating sweetness. Inspired by this, she had already written several songs for Ryan.

"Exactly, and the new record label is officially rebranded, and we'll continue our collaboration with Universal Music Group. Scott Borchetta will also remain part of the new company. Finally, the second single from Taylor's new album will debut this weekend at seven on YouTube..." Ryan seamlessly picked up the conversation, emphasizing Taylor's new song. Their appearance was a spur-of-the-moment decision, as this new single would mark the first release post-acquisition, and Ryan was determined to promote it heavily -- failure wasn't an option.

"Is the new song about Ryan?"

"Taylor, can you reveal something about the new album?"

"Taylor, do you have anything you want to say to Ryan? Do you think this acquisition will impact your career?"

The reporters fired questions at them like rapid-fire bullets.

"I'll tackle the first question: the new song isn't about Ryan, but I have already written several songs for him that will be revealed soon," Taylor responded.

"The new album is expected to drop in October..."

"I have a lot I want to say to Ryan. I've expressed some of it, but let's keep the rest a mystery." Taylor's cheeks flushed again, clearly feeling shy.

"As for the implications, of course, there will be some impacts, but they will be positive. Ryan will fully support my career, and with this opportunity, I want to tell Ryan..." She turned to look at Ryan.

"Meeting you has been the happiest moment of my nineteen years." She blushed as she spoke.

It was somewhat of a public confession to Ryan. The reporters couldn't help but feel touched. Nowadays, most stars seemed to chase sensational tactics for fame, and it was unclear when melodramatic stories became the norm -- love triangles, break-ups, infidelity -- these tales had become commonplace.

Somewhere along the line, this kind of straightforward romance, without twists and turns, blame, or back-and-forth quarrels, had seemed to fade from memory. Yet here were Ryan and Taylor, reviving everyone's longing for pure and beautiful love.

"Go ahead, kiss! Kiss!" the crowd began to chant.

Without hesitation, Ryan pulled Taylor into his arms. She leaned back, arching her body, as he supported her waist and decisively kissed her.

Taylor closed her eyes, instinctively lifting her right foot slightly...

Their pose resembled the iconic "Kiss of Victory" from decades ago.

Cameras flashed wildly, capturing this fleeting moment forever.

This seemed like the perfect ending. Just as the reporters prepared to wrap up and create broadcast segments, Ryan lifted his head and called out to them.

"I have one more important announcement to make..." He deliberately paused for a few seconds to allow the reporters to bring the microphone back in front of him.

Still holding Taylor close, facing the cameras, Ryan announced something significant.

"I've reached a friendly agreement with the relevant parties at Schoolboy Records, and we've successfully concluded our negotiations. I've officially parted ways with my previous record company, and starting this week, I will be working on establishing my own label. I already have a preliminary plan ready, and I'll continue to keep the public updated..."

...

After the interview, Ryan and Taylor walked hand in hand back to Big Machine's office. Compared to the peacefulness outside, the office felt chaotic, with staff bustling about and papers strewn across the floor.

Not far away, Daddario, as Ryan's confidante, was finishing up handover tasks with Scott, while Taylor's father had sent someone to organize his office, which he would be using two days a week moving forward.

Trey also arrived, bringing along an accountant from the former production company to coordinate the financial records, someone very close to her, who had been formally hired by Ryan after Trey's introduction.

Even without anyone changing positions, the necessary transition tasks lasted the entire day. It was relatively quick, considering Big Machine had a straightforward operation.

After holding a meeting with all Big Machine staff, Ryan had a private conversation with the two Scotts.

...

It was now around ten-thirty at night.

Trey, Taylor, and Daddario finally entered Ryan's office, right next door to Scott's.

On the simple desk lay a stack of documents; Ryan was reviewing the company's performance reports.

"The last album has sold over 1.4 million copies. At a gross margin of six dollars per album, that's almost ten million dollars."

"But we've only seen a little over three million, and with unpaid royalties, it adds up to less than four million." Taylor frowned, knowing that the difference likely lined Scott's pockets under various pretenses, like the 'losses' claimed from printing and storing albums, which was almost a hundred thousand dollars. Even the costs of filming the music videos exceeded Trey's budget by over fifty percent. Not to mention the exorbitant promotional costs.

"Currently, the accounts show we have less than twenty thousand left. Most of that is spent on promotions, and let's not even talk about the royalties owed to you. At this rate, we might not even be able to pay employee salaries in a few months." Ryan felt a headache coming; Scott had left behind a mess.

Yet there were still some revenue items on the report, such as Taylor's single Love Story, which hadn't seen payment from online platforms yet.

Adding those numbers made the financial report look a little better. The remainder would be a painstaking reconciliation with Scott, as Ryan was not about to let his hard-earned money slip away unnoticed.

"Ryan, the new production company's office location has been selected, and the rent needs to be paid, along with some equipment purchases," Trey presented a list.

Ryan glanced over it with wide eyes. Just the equipment alone would cost tens of thousands, and that was before factoring in other expenses like salaries and recruitment costs.

"Why is this so expensive?" Ryan murmured.

"This is the reduced list. Some equipment we can borrow. You've made so much money from investing; this isn't much to spend, right?" Trey shrugged nonchalantly.

Ryan had indeed made a lot, but he had also spent quite a bit -- buying Big Machine, settling contracts, and purchasing rights to four previous singles. After taxes, there wasn't much left, and with two other companies in the pipeline, expenses would only accumulate. Ryan had barely become a multi-millionaire, and his finances were tightening once again.

"Ryan, when are you going to check out the new record company in Florida? Diplo has already made the arrangements," Daddario inquired.

Starting a new record label, hiring staff, equipment, and promotional expenses -- another slew of costs.

"I'll handle that once I get back from the UK," Ryan replied.

*****

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