Chapter 201: An Unexpected Encounter
[Chapter 201: An Unexpected Encounter]
Ryan hung up the phone and started searching for keywords like "Russell Faibisch," "Ultra Music Festival," and "co-founder." The information he found was rather scarce. Russell Faibisch established Ultra Productions in 1997 and began organizing electronic music warehouse events and rave parties in the Miami area. The following year, he met publisher Alex Omes from D'VOX, and they collaborated to create the Ultra Music Festival.
Initially, Ultra was part of the Winter Music Conference, which was a trade show for the industry. It was through this conference that some European DJs came to perform at the Ultra Music Festival, and it helped connect with the city so that the festival could take place in the park. Now, however, Ultra's reputation had significantly overshadowed that of the Winter Music Conference.
[Russell Faibisch: The Winter Music Conference is slowing down the expansion of Ultra Music Festival and is the main reason for its poor experience.]
[The founder of Ultra Music Festival stated that there are places more suitable for holding music festivals than Miami.]
[A spokesperson for Winter Music Conference: Russell Faibisch actively obstructed DJs from participating in the International Dance Music Awards at Ultra Music Festival.]
Ryan discovered some related news, and it was clear that Russell Faibisch believed the Winter Music Conference was unworthy of sitting at the same table as Ultra. As an early investor in the festival, the Winter Music Conference did not want to let go of the lucrative Ultra.
This kind of interest dispute was quite common.
As for Russell's partner, Alex Omes, it was evident that he was the bridge that connected the festival with the Winter Music Conference in the first place. This could be seen from their backgrounds; Russell was merely a local party organizer in Miami, while Alex was a publisher, clearly having more connections in the DJ industry.
Ryan shut down his computer and headed downstairs.
...
Taylor and Daddario were still chatting.
"Daddario wants a ride with you to Miami; she's meeting her fiance there," Taylor informed Ryan.
It seemed that her relationship with Daddario became closer than Ryan's.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan thought...
"I'm not going to interrupt you two; I'm just going to head back to the hotel," Daddario said as she stood up to say goodbye to Ryan and Taylor.
"Why are you leaving so early? Stay a little longer; you can sleep here tonight. There are so many empty rooms," Taylor suggested, clearly not wanting Daddario to go.
"Sweetie, Daddario is finally visiting Florida; you can't just keep her locked up in our house. Can't you hear she wants to get out and explore?" Ryan quickly gave Daddario a knowing look.
"Right, I have things to do, so I won't intrude any further," Daddario said as she picked up her bag and headed out the door.
...
"After all, she's your talent. Why the long face? That's really rude," Taylor immediately complained after Ryan had Daddario leave.
"If she's a talent, then it's a professional relationship. Those shouldn't interfere with personal life. She wouldn't mind sticking around, hoping you would get along with her, all for her own chance to make more money. Plus, aren't worried about me having something going on with her. The less she's around, the more you can relax," Ryan stroked Taylor's face, her skin soft and delicate.
"You do think things through," Taylor finally caught on to Ryan's intentions, then broke into a laugh.
"Perfect timing, with her gone, now no one's here to interrupt us," Taylor said while reaching into Ryan's shirt, starting to touch his waist.
It was clear she had something else on her mind.
"Didn't you call uncle last night?"
"I'm going to be away from you for several days; I need a little advance on what we'll be missing here!"
"If I remember correctly, didn't I just pay up last night what I owed?"
"That was for days before; today is for prepaying for what's coming in the next few days -- two things can happen at once."
"You are pretty good at calculating. Prepay once and then make me pay again -- that's a method even a slave driver wouldn't dare to use."
"But I get the final say!"
...
Two days later, in the van heading to Miami, the Navigator that Taylor gave Ryan was no longer enough for his travel needs. He had purchased a luxurious remodeled Mercedes-Benz business van. The driver's seat was separated from the back, which had a television, a liquor cabinet, and a fridge. In the middle, there were two airline seats, while the back featured a long soft couch.
"You look lively," Daddario remarked as she sized up Ryan, noticing he seemed even more energetic than before.
"Did Taylor give you a break?" she asked next.
"Is that even possible?" Ryan thought back to the last few days, where he had intended to rest but was forced into overtime by Taylor.
"You're good, I'll give you that. You really are an athlete," Daddario teased, reaching toward Ryan suggestively.
Ryan signaled with his eyes to Teresa who was sitting in the front. This time he also brought Teresa with him to facilitate his work, but she had to leave before Taylor arrived at the Ultra Music Festival.
"What's there to worry about? She gets even more than I do," Daddario gave Teresa an assessing look, slightly displeased.
Teresa certainly picked up on what Daddario was hinting at but didn't dare to turn around.
Sure enough, after a while, Daddario bent down.
"By the way, has Amber been behaving lately?" Ryan suddenly thought of something.
"I heard that after you 'took care of' someone, she became a lot more compliant, afraid she'd be next," Daddario replied.
"Aren't you worried?"
"Why would I be? If you want my life, take it. I'm yours while alive and your ghost when I'm gone," Daddario answered without a second thought; she had already resigned to that fate.
...
The van finally stopped outside a five-star hotel near Bayfront Park. Daddario and Teresa, fully disguised with hats and masks, went inside first, while Ryan stayed in the van, instructing the driver to head to the park where Russell Faibisch was waiting for him.
"Did you come to Miami alone?" Russell looked around Ryan curiously, but aside from his bodyguards, there was no one else.
When Ryan didn't respond, Russell quickly dropped the topic.
"The main stage is being set up now. As for the secondary stage, we need to choose a location, then apply with the city," Russell explained.
"Do you think we can get the application approved?" Ryan stood on a high place, gazing at the edge of Bayfront Park. There was a large, empty space at the southernmost end of the park, which had a stunning view backed by the bay. It was also relatively close to the main stage, making it free from the noise interference while still attracting the main stage audience. The location was perfect.
"Shouldn't be a problem," Russell nodded, then started making a call.
...
"Sir, this is Russell Faibisch. Alex asked me to give you a call -- it's nothing... You can rest easy, I swear no fatal incidents will occur at this year's festival. We have warning signs up prohibiting outdoor stuff too, and there's one more thing -- the stage location has to change a bit to the southernmost end of Bayfront Park... I know, but plans can change, just a moment... Alright, I'll call back later," Russell hung up, his expression showing clear frustration.
...
"Ryan, I think it would be better if you came with me. My words don't seem to work, but you're a big star -- you've got the power to pull this off," Russell switched strategies and directly took Ryan to the city office to meet the supervising officials.
What kind of music festival organizer couldn't secure a spot?
"You heard it; the main issue is the complaints from the locals. Attendees of the festival go wild; last year, they held a major shootout in the park while kids were nearby. Over hundreds were arrested last year; we're aiming to keep this year's arrests under 200," Russell shook his head, smiling wryly.
Ryan hadn't attended on the last day of the festival last year and had missed the outdoor show.
...
Ryan and Russell waited outside the city office for a while, faintly hearing arguing voices coming from inside.
"This woman really has a loud voice," Russell commented, grinning.
After a bit longer, a sharply dressed woman with short hair walked out of the city office, her attractive figure catching Russell's gaze.
"This loud voice is quite pretty," Russell couldn't help stealing another look.
The next second, however, he noticed the short-haired woman walking directly toward Ryan, as if their paths were destined to cross here.
"What are you doing here?" Nora exclaimed, surprised to see Ryan.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.