38. Chapter Thirty-Eight
Over the past five years, I’ve witnessed Xander’s downward spiral. He never opened up to me about what really happened between him and Poppy, but based on what I just witnessed a few minutes ago, it seems like there’s more to the story than he’s let on.
Reg and I have been doing our best to keep him on the right track and prevent him from ruining everything. Just last week, Lionel from Victory Records called me and Reg in to let us know that if Xander doesn’t start showing improvement soon, they might have no choice but to cancel our contract.
Despite the fact that we generate millions for them each year, the constant negative media coverage, the never-ending expenses of hiring lawyers to resolve issues and non-disclosure agreements (NDIs), are starting to have a significant impact. Just last week, Xander, under the influence, took one of his sports cars out for a drive and ended up crashing it. Thankfully, no one was injured. Thanks to our legal team and a settlement with the affected family, this incident hasn’t made headlines yet. However, like everything else, it’s only a matter of time before the world becomes aware of it.
Not only has Reg attempted to address Xander’s behavior over the years, our attempts have proven futile. Xander acts according to his own will, disregarding any consequences. It feels as if he’s a ticking time bomb, threatening to dismantle all the achievements we’ve worked tirelessly to attain.
Lionel said they couldn’t care less if we stopped producing albums. There’s always the next best thing to take over the music industry. They can continue to make millions without worrying about paying the NDI’s and lawyer fees for all the messed up things Xander keeps getting himself into. That’s why they don’t give a damn if we’re no longer part of their label. They own the rights to all our songs. What we didn’t realize back then was that we were signing away all our rights. Xander was furious when I told him about it because he poured his heart out to create them. I believe that might have been the starting point for all this chaos.
When Reg and I saw Xander’s confrontation with his father earlier, I knew it would be a challenge to calm him down considering his strong feelings towards his father. Unfortunately, Reg didn’t react when I told him to grab Xander, maybe he didn’t hear me. My only goal was to remove Xander from that situation, knowing that he was about to lose control, and the media would exploit it for days. However, to our surprise, things unfolded in a different way, rendering our intervention unnecessary.
I’ve never seen him change that way before. He’s always been hotheaded, but when this little blonde came over and said his name and placed her hand on his chest, he instantly stopped. It was as if Poppy Reeves had cast a magical calming spell that made everything come to a halt. As Xander’s best friend, I have never witnessed anything like it before. That’s when I told Reg we needed to bring Poppy on board. Maybe with Poppy around Xander will stop engaging in his reckless behavior.
Reg initially didn’t approve of it, but when I warned him that I would reveal his affair with Lionel’s wife, he finally agreed to have a conversation with Poppy. I am completely lost about what actions to take. All I am aware of is that my brother is spiraling, and I need to take responsibility and intervene.
We are about to start a seven-week tour in Australia, and then we’ll spend another week in New Zealand. I’ve heard that the Australian Police are quite strict and shouldn’t be underestimated. The law is enforced rigorously there, regardless of someone’s status or influence. So, I’ve come up with a solution to this dilemma. Now, I just hope that Poppy Reeves is willing to be a part of it. No matter how much it costs me. I am prepared to pay her whatever it costs to save our contract and prevent my best friend from going off the rails.
”I have a proposition for you,” I say, leaning in close to ensure she can hear me.