Chapter 193: High-Stakes Business Battle

[Chapter 193: High-Stakes Business Battle]

The latest Billboard chart had just been released. Hymn for the Weekend debuted at number two, Lady Gaga's Poker Face followed closely behind, while at the top of the chart was Flo Rida's Right Round, a collaboration with Kesha.

"Kesha? Never heard of her," Ryan said as he gazed out at the Seattle cityscape through the glass.

"Her voice is definitely unique, and it really matches electronic music well. It's almost like she brings her own electronic sound effects," a hooded figure beside him replied.

The person wore a baggy black hoodie, with the hood covering most of their face, but a few golden strands of hair peeked out. It was Taylor Swift. They were standing at the iconic Space Needle in Seattle, looking out at the stunning view of the city.

After returning from London, Taylor was gearing up for a new leg of her tour, starting in the Northeast and heading down the East Coast, hitting spots like Spokane, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Glendale, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Diego.

"Do you want to collaborate with her?" Taylor slightly turned her head to look at Ryan.

"I wouldn't mind," Ryan chuckled, "but Universal Music Group isn't allowing any collaborations."

Kesha had changed her name to "Ke$ha" after she was in the supermarket, buying discounted food, and heard her own song playing in the store while she couldn't even afford full-price items. Frustrated, she decided to incorporate a dollar sign into her name.

But did she become rich after gaining fame? Not at all. Although she rose to stardom after working with Dr. Luke and had some chart-topping hits, at her essence, she was just a slave to the record label. In the end, she could only get some compensation through a civil lawsuit, mostly about long-term abuse and manipulation.

Kesha had some lucky breaks, though; Dr. Luke wasn't that harsh, or the details would have been far worse.

"Let's go, there's nothing to see here," Taylor said, feeling bored, tugging at Ryan's sleeve, signaling it was time to leave.

"Where to next?" Ryan asked, leaning against the railing.

Taylor turned back, giving him a playful roll of her eyes. "Back to the hotel. I'm a bit tired," she stated slowly.

"Is that tiredness?" Ryan laughed. After last night's massive workout, how could she be asking to head back so early?

Since when did she become a juice extractor?

"I'm just tired. Performing is really tiring," Taylor whined while shaking Ryan's arm playfully.

"Then no touching me once we're back at the hotel," Ryan playfully agreed.

Taylor ignored his response and immediately made her way to the elevator, a few bodyguards and assistants following closely behind.

After taking a few steps and realizing Ryan wasn't following, Taylor turned back, rushing over to grab his arm and pull him along.

"I promised you, I won't touch you," Taylor surrendered quickly, then changed her tune, "but you have to touch me."

...

When they got downstairs, the crowd was bustling. Ryan and Taylor exchanged glances before both removed their hoods and masks, then joined hands to walk out of the building, their high-profile behavior drawing attention.

The paparazzi waiting outside quickly moved in, snapping away. Just two years ago, major media outlets were paying up to $500,000 for photos of Britney. Celebrity gossip often received more attention than political news. Ever since Ryan proposed, the price for photos featuring him and Taylor had remained high.

They looked in good spirits, not even frowning at the photographers following them. In the pictures, both were clearly wearing matching sTray sweatshirts. Ryan wasn't going to waste this opportunity; it was a clever publicity move.

...

As the paparazzi flocked around them, they hopped into an SUV. Even though the engine hadn't started and many cameras were still pointed at them, Taylor boldly wrapped her arms around Ryan.

Inside the vehicle, Taylor brought up Ryan's new song, which had a noticeably different style than before, incorporating more diverse elements.

"Tabla and sitar, Indian instruments," Ryan noted, explaining that he had gone through extensive research during the production to figure out what instruments would be used.

"And there are clear gospel and soul influences. How did you come up with that?" Taylor asked, genuinely curious.

Ryan recounted his experience in church.

"No wonder..." Taylor laughed, but her smile held a hint of disappointment.

"Why couldn't I think of that?" Taylor mused, self-deprecatingly.

Her songwriting was generally consistent -- country pop -- though the emotional expressions differed. In other words, the liquor in the bottle might be new, but the bottle itself remained the same.

Ryan was different; aside from the Bed Room electronic tracks, nearly all his songs were "new wine in fresh bottles," entirely distinct in form, style, and emotional core.

Taylor felt a tinge of envy and awe, realizing she might never measure up to Ryan; he was the true genius.

The thought of Ryan disappearing crossed her mind, prompting her to hold onto him a little tighter.

...

In the elevator, Taylor seemed antsy. Once they stepped out, they hugged and nibbled each other the whole way down the hall.

"...Wait a second." Ryan broke free to search for the room key card.

They closed the door behind them, and clothes were shed all the way to the bed.

It had been a fulfilling afternoon.

...

A few hours later...

"It's five-thirty!" Taylor jumped out of bed immediately. The concert was set to start in an hour and a half. As soon as she stood, she felt her legs wobbling, but she gritted her teeth and put on her clothes. A concert could net hundreds of thousands; she wasn't about to let anything delay her.

Ryan lay there, showing no signs of getting up.

He had told her the concert would be starting soon and urged her to save her energy, but she didn't pay him any mind. After changing the sheets twice, it was no wonder her legs felt weak. Just before leaving, Taylor blew Ryan a kiss, saying, "Come pick me up after the concert." Then she dashed out the door, excited to make some money.

...

Once Taylor left, Ryan opened his computer and logged onto the fan forum.

[Daddario: Why did Ryan seek out Taylor again?]

[Amber: If not to see his fiancee, who else would he be looking for?]

[Paris: I can't believe Ryan isn't paying me an advertising fee; because of my influence, 70% of the women around me bought "sTray."]

[Debicki: There are quite a few wearing it here in Australia too.]

Ryan was surprised that it was even selling in Australia. To facilitate communication and information exchange, he had specifically added those women to a group chat, though Taylor and her close friends were in another group altogether.

[Lydia: So, did you all get a call from the LV PR department?]

An LV call? Ryan frowned at that.

[Ashley Olsen: I asked a friend working at LV, and they said it was regarding a campaign against sTray. (angry)]

[Karlie: I got a call too about possibly being invited to be an LV model this year, but they said I couldn't wear sTray clothing in exchange.]

[Paris: So, all of you got a call.]

[Olsen: Isn't this essentially forcing us to choose sides?]

[Mary-Kate Olsen: This could be seen as unfair competition.]

With LV being such a big name, who couldn't contact them? Ryan felt a headache coming on as he posted his inquiry in the group.

[Emma Stone: Sorry, Ryan, but I might have to back out.]

Ryan wondered what LV had proposed as an exchange deal.

He thought for a moment and directly messaged Lydia to discuss it.

...

[Lydia: I suspect Antoine is behind this, and I'll give him a call.]

[Ryan: Even if you do, it won't help; we need a different strategy.]

[Lydia: What kind of strategy?]

[Ryan: If someone asks, you'll just need to answer truthfully.]

[Lydia: You want me to talk bad about LV?... That doesn't seem necessary.]

Even Lydia had to think twice about this.

[Ryan: Just answer honestly.]

[Lydia: Why not find someone else?]

[Ryan: You're the only one who doesn't need to worry about the brand's backlash.]

Lydia fell into thought.

[Lydia: Okay, I'll explain the whole situation truthfully.]

With someone backing him up, Ryan felt a lot of his worries fade away.

If they were unjust, they couldn't blame Ryan for being ruthless.

He immediately typed up a statement outlining LV's ruthless campaign against sTray on his computer.

High-stakes business battles often played out in the most straightforward ways.

This time, Ryan chose to gain public attention and use public opinion to force the other party to yield. 

*****

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