“Good question. You don’t have to worry about that. It doesn’t mean you’ll be allowed to create meaningless things, but as long as it isn’t bad, you’re always free to explore different sounds. You are your own boss when it comes to creative freedom,” Anna replied.Alex’s gaze lit up.“Then I have no problem being your artist, but there’s one more thing…”“Go ahead.” She nodded.“I want to venture into acting later in my career. Can it be done?” he asked.“Of course it can. My other artists are also multi talents, so I have experience in both regards.” She nodded again.Alex didn’t know whether she was saying this just to convince him, but he hoped it was true.“Alright, I’ll work with you.” He nodded.“Great. I’ll prepare the contract. Give me your address. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow, and we can start immediately,” she said.“Alright.” He brought out his phone, and they exchanged contacts.“See you tomorrow.” She stood up as she spoke.Alex watched her leave, a smile playing across

They moved on to the contract. The terms were straightforward.Aside from the fact that she would recover everything she invested once he started earning, the contract term was five years, during which she would earn ten percent of all his career income. This included streams, shows, tours, merchandise sales, CD sales, movie income, bonuses, anything tied directly to his career. In exchange, he would retain the larger share of everything else.Producer payments were handled separately, taken directly from the master recording share rather than from his own cut. Having his own producer shielded him from the heavy percentages label-backed producers usually demanded through their control of the pipeline.According to the contract, she would invest an initial fund of fifty thousand credits, to be repaid within one year or less, depending on how successful the artist became. The recoup would come directly from the artist’s earnings.When Alex saw the amount, his eyes flew open. This was no

Alex and Jude were in the studio, working on a song as usual.“Yes, I want the tempo that way. Exactly. Good.”They moved in perfect sync. Alex had a clear direction and melody in mind, and Jude brought it to life with his masterful skills, adding his own creative touches along the way. Their collaboration felt effortless, as though they were meant to create music side by side in that studio.Ding!Alex’s phone chimed with a notification.He took it out calmly. It was an email from Anna. He opened it immediately.“What the hell?!”“What’s wrong, Alex?” Jude frowned, instantly sensing something was off.“Shit, Jude. I can’t believe this,” he said, eyes wide as he stared at the screen.“Believe what?” Jude asked, leaning closer to catch a glimpse of the phone. His eyes widened in shock a second later.“What? You got a feature with Rose? She’s B-list, Alex. A fucking B-list!” Jude shouted.“Actually, I think she’s A-list in the country. Internationally, yes, she’s B-list,” Alex corrected

She stood there, watching him walk away, then shook her head with a soft, lingering smile.“What do you think?” the landlady asked, nudging her playfully.“I don’t think I’ve ever met a guy like him before, hehe. He’s the first one who tried to woo me and I actually gave him my number.”“Oooh. Does that mean he’s the one, eh?” The landlady smirked, one hand resting firmly on her hip.“Why don’t we start with you telling me what you really have with her first?” Mara shot back without missing a beat.******Alex hurried out of the compound, laughing at himself for what he had done in the heat of the moment. It truly felt good to be young again.Honestly, he had not planned to pursue her. Even so, getting a beauty’s number felt undeniably satisfying.He took a cab back to Eric’s studio.“What’s up, Eric? What’s with the signboard?” he asked as he stepped inside, puzzled by why he would be closing early in the morning.“Did you forget we have a song to make? I’m not opening for work until

Jude advised them to focus on clothes priced between sixty and two hundred and fifty credits.Their budget was the entire ten thousand they had earned from the show. They only needed good quality clothes costing between sixty and one hundred and fifty credits, along with a few designer pieces ranging from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty. There was no need to overdo it.They also bought three pairs of good quality shoes.With Jude’s help, they found very good quality clothes at excellent prices. Even the designer pieces they selected did not exceed two hundred credits.They decided to take a cab home. Just as they were about to call one, Alex received a call from Anna. The new apartment was ready.“Anna just called. She said the apartment is ready. She sent the address and wants me to come over,” Alex explained.“Oh, that was faster than we agreed. Let’s head straight to the apartment then. We can drop the clothes there and move in tomorrow.” Jude patted his shoulder and