Chapter 18 Make Excellent Choices
MAKE EXCELLENT CHOICES
DYLAN
Softcore By The Neighbourhood
The numbers flash across the screen—streaming projections, tour revenue, merchandising breakdowns and pre-sales for the Summer Buzz Fest.
I hear words like aggressive growth strategy and market share recapture being thrown around, but none of it sticks.
I sit at the head of the conference table, surrounded by my department heads, nodding and contributing where I have to, but my brain’s only half here.
I tap the pen to my lips, resisting the urge to chew on the end.
They’re talking about projections for Q3, how Ivy Nova’s pending deal could swing the numbers, and whether we can outpace Westward Media’s streaming push by fall. All of these are things I should care about, things I would normally be three steps ahead of.
But not right now.
All I see is the way Morgan looked at me after she saw me with Liam.
Having him show up like that—ambushing me—knocked everything off balance. I wasn’t prepared and I didn’t know what to say to her. I handled it all wrong.
The room empties.
I look across the table, noticing Rachel leveling her gaze on me.
“Okay, what the hell was that?” she demands. “You just signed off on licensing neon-colored vinyl cassettes for a format that hasn’t been relevant since 1993.”
I blink, realizing she’s fucking with me. “That wasn’t in the deck.”
Rachel smirks. “Well, it could’ve been. And you wouldn’t have noticed.”
“Not true.” I gather my papers.
Her tablet buzzes and she looks at the screen.
A slow smile creeps across her face. “Oh, this is interesting. Apex is starting to feel the heat from those Harrison rumors. Three of their mid-tier artists jumped ship this week. And Kane over at Anthem is having a field day, positioning himself as the ‘ethical alternative’ to Harrison’s predatory practices.
” She scrolls through her tablet. “He’s been making the rounds, telling anyone who’ll listen that Anthem represents ‘integrity in artist relations.’”
Fuck. I should have seen this coming. Should have been ready to capitalize on Apex’s vulnerability, poach some of their talent, or at least position Stonewall as the better alternative. Instead, Kane swooped in while I was distracted, playing the white knight.
“How long has this been building?” I ask.
“About a week. I figured you knew since you’ve been…” She trails off, studying my face. “You had no idea, did you?”
I run a hand through my hair. A week. I’ve been so wrapped up in Liam and Morgan I completely missed a major industry shake-up happening right under my nose.
“Shit,” I mutter.
“Yeah, shit is right. Kane’s already locked in two of their artists, and he’s circling the rest like a vulture in a suit.
” Rachel’s expression turns serious. “This could have been our opening, boss. Apex artists jumping ship, looking for new representation, and we’re sitting here talking about neon cassettes. ”
The reality of what I’ve missed hits me. This is exactly the kind of opportunity I live for—competitors showing weakness, artists looking for new homes, market share up for grabs. And I blew it because I couldn’t get my head straight.
“Didn’t you say you wanted me to remind you about the radio interview with Velvet Drift?”
Velvet Drift is the band I put together for Felix Krasinski.
His father’s one of the founders of Turn it Up, and it’s a big deal that Felix signed with Stonewall instead of ECHO.
I’ve done everything I can to push his band—the Summer Buzz Fest tour is one of them—and Maggie’s been doing a fantastic job getting coverage on social media for them.
This is the one thing that’s been going well lately.
“Turn up the radio,” I tell Rachel as she follows toward my office, and I hear Gunner, the bassist, loud and clear on a syndicated radio show.
You can’t say shit on air.
I stop mid-stride. Rachel raises her eyebrows.
Oh right, and you definitely can’t say fuck either.
I grip my desk. Then I hear—
Alright, fuck it. If he’s out, we’re taking over. Welcome back to Velvet Drift’s Hour of Chaos. I’m your host, Dex the Destroyer, and today we’re interviewing the one and only Bash ‘Bubblegum’ Montgomery. Tell us, Bash…
“Motherfucking Dex!” I yell, pushing papers off my desk. “As if I don’t have enough to deal with. These musicians are actively trying to kill me. They’re all trying to kill me.”
“It’s not so bad, right? They did mention the Summer Buzz Tour.” She shrugs.
I turn toward her, fury in my gaze. “The FCC fines are coming out of their tour budget.” I slump into my chair.
She watches me for a beat, narrowing her eyes, voice dipping into a loaded, speculative tone. “Now is probably not the time to mention Morgan is meeting with Hollow Reign.”
My stomach flips hard. Liam’s band. “What?” I sit up straighter.
Rachel’s eyebrows lift, amused.
I run a hand down my face, trying to steady my breathing. “How do you know?”
Rachel waves her tablet like it’s a prize. “Because I have an entire kingdom of assistant spies, obviously.”
My pulse hammers. “Of course you do.”
She taps her screen again, pacing her words like she’s enjoying every second of this.
“They’ve been getting a lot of interest lately—high-profile gigs, streaming’s been up, and yet there’s no meeting on your calendar.
You let Morgan swoop in without a fight,” Rachel continues.
“Kind of feels like you’re handing her the win, boss. ”
My jaw tightens. “That’s not what’s happening.”
Except that’s exactly what it looks like.
Rachel tilts her head, eyes narrowing with a knowing grin. “Unless this is you playing nice to get under her designer skirt.”
My pulse spikes.
“Oh my God. You already did, didn’t you?” She covers her mouth in mock horror, drops her hand and grins. “DKG, you dirty little dog.”
I shoot her a glare. “Rachel.”
She leans in slightly, voice dropping enough to needle. “Is that what this is? You finally got her into bed, and now you’re trying not to screw up whatever this thing is before it even starts?”
It’s not that.
At least, not entirely.
Yeah, maybe I was finally getting somewhere with her—even if most of it was down and dirty, there was something there.
And then Liam had to show up. Had to fuck it all up.
He’s not some guy trying to get a record deal. He’s standing in my world—the one I built—like he belongs here. Like he has a right to be here.
I’ve never cared about where I came from. Never needed answers. My fathers are my family. But now that Liam exists, it’s like a loose thread I can’t stop pulling at. And I hate that he’s the one forcing me to feel it. To question it.
And now he’s circling Morgan.
Too close. Closer than I want him to be.
I stand up, pacing. My pulse is hammering, my skin hot. I can’t sit in this office one second longer.
“Dylan.” She says my name carefully. “Seriously. What is going on?”
I grab my jacket and head for the door.
“I’ve got it handled.”
Rachel calls after me, voice dripping with exasperated sarcasm. “By all means, go make excellent choices.”