Chapter 132: Ryan, Let's Have a Baby

[Chapter 132: Ryan, Let's Have a Baby]

"Ryan... it hurts!" Daddario cried, her face contorted in pain. At that moment, she couldn't lay flat and had to snuggle against Ryan instead.

Ryan had just finished a workout and tidied up Daddario's backyard, plowing the ground, turning the soil, and watering the plants. He lay back on the bed, his laptop resting on his chest, looking at the latest issue of the Billboard Hot 100.

Beyonce's Single Ladies had already climbed to the top, with Ryan's Where Are U Now in the second spot. It was rare for two songs to debut in the top two positions during the same week, but in the coming years, this occurrence would become more frequent. Moreover, Beyonce's other new track, If I Were A Boy, had also shot straight to number four.

Meanwhile, Lady Gaga's Just Dance had moved up from the fortieth spot to sixth since the last time Ryan checked the charts. It was creating the best performance it had seen so far, having been on the charts for seventeen weeks. Logic would suggest that it should have dropped off by now, but it seemed to be defying the odds.

Ryan felt a chill run down his spine as the thought crossed his mind. While recommending her was one thing, if Lady Gaga truly broke through, it would impact Ryan significantly, considering they both operated in the electronic music scene. He knew that with Jimmy backing Lady Gaga, she would surely attract tons of media resources, potentially turning her into the next "superstar."

Taylor's Love Story had already fallen to a disheartening thirteenth place, squeezed between the might of Beyonce and Ryan's Where Are U Now, not to mention Kid Cudi's new song Love Lockdown, which was right above hers. Ryan had initially thought she would at least remain in the top ten until the end of the year, but the drop-off was happening faster than expected.

...

On top of that, he received bad news from Elizabeth Olsen.

[Ryan, the sTray series sold less than a thousand units on opening day.]

[What's the exact number?]

[Less than four hundred.]

Despite the upscale branding leading to surprisingly high prices, over three hundred units sold was far below Ryan's expectations. He had even mentioned his clothing line during a GQ interview, where it took up quite a bit of space.

Ryan had a massive female fanbase, but this time he was selling men's clothing, which clearly didn't resonate as strongly with the young male crowd.

He had scoured the internet for opinions, and some male users commented that Ryan had abandoned traditional electronic music to become a mere pop star chasing chart rankings, calling him not "real" enough. Some even went as far as to say his clothes were ugly or that he had become less masculine.

He remembered his early days, freshly debuted as a muscle-bound star attracting countless male fans who flooded his MySpace page with messages. He realized this kind of criticism had started increasing ever since Where Are U Now had been released.

At the same time, his female fans were still cheering for him in various forums. Having catered more to his female audience, he figured it was time to do something that would appeal to the guys.

...

He first called Sean, the nightclub manager, to share his thoughts.

"If you can get in touch with someone and they're willing to come, that would be ideal, and it would definitely draw in a huge potential male crowd!" Sean replied.

"Then it's settled. As for who, I'll reach out myself," Ryan quickly wrapped up the call and dialed Mary.

...

"I hope I'm not bothering you this late," he said.

"Not at all, my phone is always open for you," Mary's voice was warm and welcoming.

"Could you help me find some..." Ryan began.

Mary didn't ask any questions, immediately stating, "The stars you're looking for usually work on the West Coast. I don't have many connections, but I can help you find them. This industry isn't too big; a few middlemen can usually connect the dots. Who do you have in mind?"

"Nothing specific, but they need to have some recognition. What's their booking fee usually like?"

"For one night, it wouldn't exceed five thousand dollars."

"That's too expensive."

"Given the recognition they have, that price isn't unreasonable; going cheaper might not yield the best results," Mary reasoned sincerely.

"I need multiple people to see the effect, and if this works out, we could have a long-term partnership. I have no shortage of wealthy clients and won't interfere in their regular 'business ventures' outside of performing," Ryan elaborated.

"If that's the case, they should be willing to negotiate."

"My budget is tight; let's say no more than fifteen hundred per person per night. That seems fair," Ryan felt that was a reasonable figure.

"I got it. I'll see what I can do."

"Looking forward to your updates," Ryan said before ending the call. He felt confident that things would fall into place; even if Mary couldn't find someone, he had others who could step in.

...

Next, he called Elizabeth Olsen.

"I just finished showering. Why are you calling me?" she said, her voice a bit nasally, and Ryan could picture her hair all wet over the phone.

"Nothing much, just missed you and wanted to check in," he replied.

"Miss me? Don't kid yourself. You really mean you miss Taylor," she said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Can't I miss both?"

"Sure, you can miss twenty at the same time."

"You need to come to Florida soon."

"Why?" she hesitated.

"To see you, of course."

"Not happening. If you want to see me, you have to come to New York." She stood her ground.

"Alright, enough joking around. Bring some of the clothing line with you to sell at the nightclub. It can serve as my merchandise. The club has an event coming up," Ryan revealed his true intent for the call.

It was then she realized he had pulled a fast one on her once again.

"Go find my sister instead!" she shot back.

"They asked me to contact you."

"When does the event start?"

She sounded resigned by now.

...

Upon hanging up with Elizabeth Olsen, Ryan noticed Daddario looking at him with her big Husky eyes, waiting for him to say something.

"Should I find a few more friends for you to hang with? Just so you won't complain about being lonely, what do you think?" Ryan teased, trying to lift her spirits.

Daddario sighed; if Taylor couldn't take care of this matter, what could she do?

Men were always like that, wanting what they didn't have while taking for granted what was right in front of them.

"Ryan, I don't want to take any more pills. Let's just have a baby," Daddario suggested earnestly, a hint of desperation in her voice.

When a young woman, only twenty-two and at the pinnacle of her career, actively proposed such a thing, it showed she wanted to maintain a long-term relationship with this man. Having a child would grant her the title of "mother," even if there was no commitment.

"I've been feeling sick lately -- nausea, diarrhea, headaches -- my doctor says it's because of the pills," she added, sounding miserable.

"You're right; the side effects of that medicine are pretty rough," Ryan agreed, nodding in understanding.

Daddario felt a surge of hope.

Ryan then quickly shifted the conversation, "I found out there's a long-lasting injection of medroxyprogesterone. It can cover three months, with a failure rate of only 0.3%."

Many wealthy men had women receiving similar injections regularly, and it worked wonderfully. Since she didn't want to take emergency medication, they would switch to something longer-lasting.

"Wait, won't the side effects be worse?" Daddario asked, her worries evident.

"You'll eventually have to have a child, and not just one. But right now, you know how tightly Taylor keeps things in check, and I really can't manage to position you here," he pretended to sigh.

"She's important to me. If she flips out over this, what will happen to the tens of millions of dollars? Don't forget, your series was funded with her money," Ryan brought up, hitting a nerve with Daddario.

"When will all of this come to an end?" Daddario clung to Ryan.

"It's all temporary..."

"At least then, I won't have to hide like a mouse anymore."

"Smart. But before that, you can't tell anyone about us."

"I know." Daddario nodded.

"Take the medicine first, I'll make an appointment for you tomorrow."

"Okay."

*****

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