THE RULES OF FAME

Chapter 2 - Breach

Peyton Bell

Finally, the New York studio came together. Eddie, my cousin, and I were partnering on this new venture. A venture that had the kickstart job of producing Leon Vedder´s new album. Some of the songs were already made, and yet, we still had so much work to do that delivering a quality product, keeping Vedder´s prior label´s release date.

"Relax, everything will come nicely, " Eddie said, and I glared at him. He was a well-known music producer and manager, and I was a newcomer. I felt the need to prove myself.

I didn´t want people to say that my cousin and Leon handed me everything, that my career started because they vouched for me. I know it is not true, but coming from the place I come from, it is only natural to feel wary of people´s help, people´s words, or people´s overall.

I am Eddie and Elisa Muse´s cousin. My mother is their father's sister. My father is a bastard who gambled and had a very volatile and violent behaviour. He is locked down now, but her did hurt us, especially my sister, Amanda.

Amanda got a second chance at happiness when she married Thomas Louvier. Thomas is one of Leon´s best friends; the other one, you´ve guessed, is Eddie.

At my sister´s wedding, I was crushed. My father had been calling me nonstop, trying to find out where the wedding would be celebrated. Of course, he was ready and eager to milk my sister´s life to his advantage. My sister had protected me my whole life; that night, it was my turn to protect her. I endured all of the nasty messages, the calls, the pressure...

I was so distracted that I almost missed the beautiful girl who stood in a corner of the roof garden. Her sweet smile, blonde hair, and tender eyes. I came to find out later that she was Vanessa Louvier, Thomas´s younger sister.

Destiny pulled us together, and she has been my girlfriend for about six months. She has helped me through all the trauma of seeing my mother beaten, of having her admitted to a recovery facility, and so much more. She is a smart, amazing woman. Despite being young, she has endured her fair share of trauma, and I have been there to hold her together.

I don´t believe in love at first sight, but I do believe in eternal love. That type of love where when you see the person, you connect to them. I believe in love that is pure and everything that a soul needs to heal. I love her, and she loves me. Her family approves, and once the release of this record is done, I will ask her to be more than my girlfriend - my fiancée.

Call me crazy, but I have already started looking for rings.

Today was the verdict reading on her case. Yes, her brother, Thomas, found out she had been cyberbullied and exposed to the dark web, smearing her reputation, and has rained hell on fire to get her justice. I was there sitting behind her. I have been absent and a little distracted with work, but I wanted her to know that she mattered to me the most. So, I sat behind her, distractedly listening to the judge, while I kept receiving texts from people. The verdict was not what they had expected, and yet, she stoically accepted the fact that little justice was better than no justice at all. To help her cheer, and becuase we desperately needed a moment just for the two of us, I asked her to go out with me to have dinner. With the studio now operating and everything under control, I can keep normal working hours. and become the boyfriend I used to be, not this version of me, where I have not been the poster boyfriend I once was.

I picked her up, and we arrived at the cozy place. We had a table in a romantic corner, and she looked beautiful. I laced my fingers with hers and knew deep down in my soul that we were meant to be together.

We sat and we talked for a bit, when my phone rang, and it was Eddie. With the studio finally running, people were lining up to record with us. With an artist as important as Leon Vedder, it was certain others would follow through. We were the it studio, and we had to milk it...

"I booked Shanty, she will be at the studio tonight..." he said, and I was livid. I wanted to be with my girlfriend.

"Why did you book that project tonight?" I barked,

"Because she only has three days in the city, and she wants to record two songs with us..." Eddie said, and I took a deep breath, "With you, specifically." he chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.

I hated the way this industry operated; they were sharks out for blood... sharks out for new talent. In the end, the perfect date got ruined by Eddie. I excused myself and dropped her home... I could see the sadness and disappointment across her features, and honestly, it killed me.

Then, I drove to the studio, and as Eddie said, Shanty, the most popular female solo artist in the world, was sitting on the reception couch.

"Good night," I smiled. She was young...like Nessa and me. I was close to turning 20, while Nessa was 18.

"Wow, you are hot..." She bit her lower lip, and I took a deep breath. She was a beautiful woman, sexy, attractive, but she was not Nessa. Vanessa Louvier had that classic beauty, mixed with poise and class. A beauty that commanded a room, that didn´t need exhibitionism or crass comments to get a man´s attention. She was a newcomer in the acting scene, and she was a good actress, one who just needed to get discovered to make it big.

"Shanty, nice to meet you..." I said, "This way," I pointed out at the recording area. I opened the door for her, and she stepped into the control room.

"Tell me, what type of song do you have in mind?" I said, taking a clipboard, and concentrating on writing her ideas.

"So formal... why don´t you get to know me better, loosen up, and then we can talk about the song?" She slowly walked towards me, and I shook my head.

"Shanty, I was pulled out of a very important dinner for this, and I would rather work on what I must," I said, and she pouted.

"Then, your loss..." she sighed.

"I heard you are really good with sounds... I have a couple of songs that I believe are meant to be hits, but the music feels bland...I am stuck..." she said and handed me a USB

I took it from her and nodded. I plugged it into my laptop, opened the files, and listened to the demos with attention.

"Yeah, the choir feels bland and repetitive... the transitions between lines and chorus are non-existent..." I sighed, "But you are right, the lyrics are powerful, and the songs are awesome." I said, and she nodded.

"So, will you help me make them the hits they are meant to be?" She said, and I smiled.

"Of course, your songs are in good hands," I smirked, and she nodded.

"How about you give me tonight to work on them and I´ll meet you here tomorrow at noon," I said, and she nodded.

I walked her out of the studio and locked the main door. I had a s**t-ton of things to do.

I took the first song and tweaked it, and started coming up with smoother transitions, more powerful. The choir needs to be re-recorded. The monotone voices didn´t do anything to support Shanty´s voice... And there were a couple of lines that Shanty needed to work on.

By three in the morning, I was tired, but satisfied with what I had come up with. I locked the studio and made my way home. I could get 5 hours of sleep before I was needed at the studio.

I texted and called Nessa... She texted back, and it was so comforting to hear her voice. Even when we talked to each other, I felt the distance, and I didn´t like it. I promised her to see her as soon as I was done with Shanty´s songs. Two days turned into two weeks... Two weeks, during which the breach between us grew bigger and bigger.