Chapter 146: Charity Concert (3)

(I'm back. Sorry I have a mini heart attack and major asthma attack. So I was resting for a while.)

[General P.O.V.]

"This is breaking news! Ugh, why is he broadcasting this? The value of this information will be lower," a sleazy paparazzo muttered as he checked the pictures he had snapped with his secret camera, as Edward didn't allow flash photography inside the concert.

In the world of paparazzi, the less people knew about the information, the more valuable it was. That's how it worked in their line of work but now everything was actually being broadcasted and most news agencies would have their own people stuck to monitors getting everything on real time.

Having been ignored during the interview in front of the hospital earlier, he vowed to exact revenge by capturing unflattering pictures of Edward on stage. But as he reviewed his shots, he was stunned to find that all of the singer's pictures were immaculate and dashing.

"Why is this happening?" he asked with teary eyes. "I just want ONE... Just ONE bad photo..."

Then, he was spotted and escorted out of the venue by a muscular African-American security guard in PE clothes.

Far away from the venue, Desiree was busy packing her belongings as she and Abby needed to move back to New York the next day. Her skin glistened with sweat, and her red tank top clung to her body.

They hadn't brought much with them to California, so it wasn't difficult for her to fit everything into three suitcases. After finishing, she wore a satisfied smile before turning her attention to the laptop, where she was watching the concert.

"Hmm, I can still catch the last song. Wait, I'll bring an umbrella too," she muttered as she rushed out of the house. However, in her haste, she forgot to change her outfit when she got into the car and even left the door unlocked as she walked out.

At the VVIP section, Selena kept teasing Taylor about the previous song. "You know, he did multiple songs for you, and you only tweaked a line for him in your song, Starlight," Selena said with a serious expression.

"So maybe you should write a song just for him," she suggested. Taylor pondered it briefly, but then her dad chimed in, "No. You cannot do that. I haven't heard his country song yet. I haven't judged him still remember that for all the loud screeching you do these days you started singing country so we will still wait and see."

Taylor rolled her eyes and replied, "Dad! He will do it... I think... I'm not sure. I forgot to ask."

Scott looked at his daughter while she tried to avoid his gaze. Meanwhile, on Edward's website and forum page, discussions about the songs were exploding with activity. Almost everywhere in the country, people were starting to believe that there was something going on between Edward and Taylor, no matter how much they tried to 'cover' things up and any opinion on the contrary was quickly followed by a continued post and repost of the leaked Princess dress photos.

However, the conversation quieted down as Edward continued the performance with another song.

[Edward's P.O.V.]

"Did you guys bring your umbrellas? I checked the weather forecast this morning, and it said it should be sunny. I don't know why we can smell the scent of rain right now," I spoke casually with the audience as they murmured with worry.

The clouds kept darkening, and distant sounds of thunder could be heard. 'Why is this happening?' I thought anxiously.

From the injuries this morning to not getting permission to walk around the festival, and now rain threatening my performance, I felt like I was cursed today.

'Shouldn't my luck be good? Or is there another Gacha session tonight, and my karma points have been tallied now? If so, did my bad karma surpass the good ones? How is that even possible?'

"Well, I don't want to end the concert early. I have three songs left to perform. One of them, you guys have already had the chance to listen to, a song from my newly released single, 'Natural.' Then—"

The crowd cheered upon hearing the song's name, prompting me to pause. I smiled as I patiently waited for them to calm down before continuing, "Seeing you guys like this, I think I will keep the other two songs as a surprise."

Although there were some playful protests here and there, it didn't change my mind.

For the next song, I decided to focus on singing and avoid the dancers. Just then, I heard Enid's hoarse voice coming from the crowd, and I turned to wave at her, unable to hold back my laughter.

I signaled to the band, and the dancers rushed to the stage, circling around me as I sang.

"♫♪Will you hold the line♫♪"

[General P.O.V.]

"Why do I already have goosebumps? This is what Taylor meant when she said we definitely need to watch him live," Jennifer Stone, Selena's best friend, commented while rubbing her bare arm.

♫♪When every one of them has given up and given in? Tell me♫♪" Edward's gaze turned murderous, sending shivers through the crowd. They held their breath, their hearts racing, and their eyes filled with excitement.

"♫♪In this house of mine…Nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost, tell me ♫♪"

"♫♪Will the stars align? Will heaven step in? Will it save us from our sin, will it?♫♪"

"♫♪'Cause this house of mine stands strong♫♪"

Gloria instinctively did the Christian sign of the cross, silently offering prayers for Edward's soul. "God, don't blame him. He's not an infidel. He's just a child."

"♫♪That's the price you pay… Leave behind your heart and cast away!!!♫♪"

"Oh MY GOD." Phil widened his eyes. "My blood is rushing all over my body." As he jumped around like a liy kid on a sugar rush.

"♫♪Just another product of today!! Rather be the hunter than the prey!!♫♪"

"Wait, is this the song you guys put in the movie?" Scarlet asked RDJ in a hushed tone.

"Uh…no," RDJ replied, filled with regret. "Although now I kind of wish we had, that does it next time I'm making him go over all his material."

Edward advanced toward the front of the stage, enveloped by the dancers who seemed to burst away as he passionately sang the chorus.

"♫♪And you're standing on the edge face up!!♫♪"

"♫♪'Cause you're a natural!!♫♪"

The crowd erupted in cheers, with a few undergarments soaring through the air and making their way toward the stage.

"Stop." Scoot firmly grasped Taylor's hand, preventing her from attempting to remove her bra. "Ugh," Taylor exclaimed in frustration, resuming her modest demeanor.

"♫♪A beating heart of stone, You gotta be so cold, To make it in this world♫♪"

"♫♪Yeah, you're a natural! Living your life cutthroat! You gotta be so cold! Yeah, you're a natural!!♫♪"

"Ahh, I can't even analyze it," Edward's therapist muttered as she enjoyed the show through her laptop. She even danced around and momentarily forgot about her work as she listened to the song.

Edward smiled and stared directly into the camera, "♫♪Will somebody…Let me see the light within the dark trees shadowing?♫♪"

"♫♪What's happening? Looking through the glass, find the wrong within the past, knowing♫♪"

♫♪Oh, we are the youth, Cut until it bleeds inside a world without peace, face it♫♪"

"♫♪A bit of the truth, the truth♫♪"

"What is the truth?" Luke asked his mother.

"Even I don't know, Luke," Claire replied.

Edward extended his microphone to the audience, and they sang the lines of the song together, creating a loud symphony of voices.

♫♪That's the price you pay~~

Leave behind your heart and cast away~~♫♪

♫♪Just another product of today~~

I'd rather be the hunter than the prey~~♫♪

"Good job, everyone!" Edward muttered with a satisfied smile before he continued, "♫♪And you're standing on the edge face up—!!♫♪"

"♫♪'Cause you're a natural!!♫♪"

♫♪A heart of stone,

You gotta be so cold,

To make it in this world♫♪"

The web broadcast exploded with cheering comments from the fans.

"When is he coming to our city?" a girl in Texas asked.

"Let me check… Um… the 20th!"

"Buy the tickets! NOWW!"

Unaware of the situation with his concert tickets, which had already sold half, Edward continued, "♫♪Yeah, you're a natural! Living your life cutthroat! You gotta be so cold! Yeah, you're a natural!♫♪"

Suddenly, all of the dancers around stopped and kneeled, while Edward looked down and sang, "♫♪Deep inside me, I'm fading to black, I'm fading… Took an oath by the blood on my hand, won't break it… I can taste it, the end is upon us, I swear-♫♪"

"End? What end?" Claire muttered in concern.

"♫♪Gonna make it♫♪"

The crowd held their breath, while Ted vowed to himself that he would see Edward through the therapy session.

"♫♪I'm gonna make it!!!!!!!!!!!!♫♪" Edward shouted, causing the entire crowd to be stunned, and then it exploded into thunderous cheers a few moments later.

♫♪Natural! A beating heart of stone♫♪! ♫♪You gotta be so cold to make it in this world♫♪! 

♫♪Yeah, you're a natural! Living your life cutthroat♫♪! ♫♪You gotta be so cold! Yeah, you're a natural♫♪!

Edward walked back to the center of the stage, preparing for the ending.

"♫♪Natural… Yeah, you're a natural!♫♪"

The dancers brought a throne to the center. Edward sat on the throne with a cold expression on his face, eliciting immense cheers from the crowd.

"Fluffy-shire," Abraham said while wiping his tears. Elsa rolled her eyes and immediately said, "NO!"

[Phil and Claire's commentary.]

Phil was excited. "It was as if I was watching a movie! I got goosebumps all over my body."

Claire nodded and said with a face filled with astonishment, "He's not exaggerating. It appear…all over…"

Phil glanced at Claire in confusion before continuing, "Not only that, my Instagram page got a lot more followers during the show."

"Huh? How many?" Claire asked.

"Five!" Phil said in excitement. "I'm going to be… what's that word Edward said?... Yeah, Insta-Famous!"

[Haley and Alex's commentary]

"We... have split opinions about the song," Haley muttered while crossing her arms.

Alex nodded and continued, "I think it's too dark and I also think that she only enjoys it because she can't catch the lyrics or understand what any sentence actually means."

"Hey!" Haley exclaimed in offense. "I got what they meant."

"And…" Alex trailed off, trying to make Haley continue.

[Luke's commentary]

"I didn't understand a thing of what he said, so I just danced to the beats," he confessed.

[Jay and Gloria's commentary]

Gloria babbled incomprehensibly in Spanish for a while before she said in a decisive manner, "Ay, we need to bring Edward back to the church. He's gone astray. Right, Jay?"

Jay sighed beside Gloria before he said, "Well, not exactly. He's just facing the world with a logical attitude right now. I think it's the best choice for him. When a man is no longer naive, then there's not a lot of things that can hurt him anymore."

"So you're saying he shouldn't believe in God, Jay?!" Gloria said angrily. "Un día, toda la familia va a arder en el infierno (One day, the whole family will burn in hell), excepto yo (except me)."

[Mitch and Cam's commentary]

"Eh, I liked it but I do have to admit that the song is not for us," Cam replied. Then Mitchell said sarcastically, "Because all of our songs are either Abba, Adele, Or Gaga?"

"Don't make it a gay thing," Cam glanced at Mitchell in disbelief. "Well, I like it," Mitchell said, emphasizing the 'I'.

[Commentary ends]

As the song concluded, Edward grabbed a clean towel to wipe his sweaty forehead before turning to the crowd.

"I've just been notified that we've reached our target for charitable donations from people all across the country. Let's give a round of applause to all the school staff members!"

The crowd erupted in applause, accompanied by whistles and shouts from various directions.

Edward smiled and continued, "As you all know by now, I started this concert with some ulterior motives. But that doesn't mean the cause was bad."

"Ulterior motives?" Claire was confused, and Haley asked her, "You didn't check his interviews before the concert started?"

"What interview? Show me," demanded Claire. Haley took out her phone with the interview page already loaded.

The title read: [A young pop star almost died being stabbed in an alley?] There were several more articles about Edward circulating today, including:

[Injured a few hours before the concert? Will the young pop star give up?]

[Hidden motives behind the charitable cause. Surprising story from Edward Newgate!]

[Why does a kid do more for the homeless than the politicians?]

Edward continued, "With the cooperation of the SOUP company and the soup kitchens all around California, fresh meals will be delivered at least once a day to all the soup kitchens across the city."

Most of the food in these soup kitchens used to come from canned donations, mainly because they were nearing their expiry dates. As a result, the choices for the homeless were limited.

"I hope that with this effort, people will start looking out for those around them and not turn a blind eye to the plight affecting our country. Damn, I sound like a politician there. In 20 more years maybe I'll run for president. How's that sound?"

Edward joked, but some people, with their eyes filled with fanaticism, took it seriously.

"President Edward!"

"Run for the White House!"

Edward laughed for a moment, waiting for the audience to settle down before suddenly putting on a cowboy hat, leaving them all confused.

"Well... I'm pretty shy about doing this, but a promise is a promise. When Taylor came here from Texas to attend the concert, I told her that if her dad came along, I would sing a country song to thank him for taking the time to bring her here."

The crowd laughed and cheered for Edward, causing him to blush. "Stop, guys. I'm telling the truth. So, I had to create a country song to fulfill that promise."

"It was quite challenging, and I had no idea what to write for a long time," Edward explained. "Until one day, a neighborhood dad-"

"He's talking about me!" Phil exclaimed excitedly.

"Told me a story of how he and his wife first met, and how he always knew they would be together."

"Aww, Phil," Claire was touched and hugged Phil.

"So, this song is inspired by their love story. Enjoy, 'Your Man.'"

Edward skillfully strummed his guitar, and the drummer helped provide the beat. The country music rhythm made people sway to the music, and then Edward began to sing in a deep voice.

[Josh Turner - Your Man.]

♫♪ Baby, lock the door and turn the lights down low ♫♪

"Pff-" Phil nearly spewed out his drink as the song began. Claire froze in her spot, while the rest of the adults in the family looked at them in astonishment.

"♫♪And put some music on that's soft and slow♫♪"

"The nerve on that kid! HAHAHA!" Jay guffawed loudly.

"♫♪Baby, we ain't got no place to go~ I hope you understand♫♪"

Taylor's face blushed red, while her dad furrowed his brow. Taylor thought he was angry, but he suddenly smiled and exclaimed, "Good stuff!"

Edward playfully brought his guitar to the front of the stage, serenading the crowd.

"♫♪I've been thinking 'bout this all day long

Never felt a feeling quite this strong

I can't believe how much it turns me on♫♪

♫♪Just to be your man♫♪"

"I wanna dance!" ScarJo suddenly said. "With my husband."

"Well, he's not here, and my wife ain't here either," RDJ said before he took ScarJo's hand. They danced lightly to the melody. Not only them, but a lot more couples started to dance together as they heard the song.

"♫♪There's no hurry, don't you worry

We can take our time♫♪

♫♪Come a little closer, let's go over

What I had in mind♫♪"

"What, Phil? What did you HAVE IN MIND?" Cam teased. "I-I, Honey, trust me, I didn't tell him any of that!" Phil tried to placate the embarrassed Claire hurriedly.

"♫♪Baby, lock the door and turn the lights down low

And put some music on that's soft and slow♫♪

♫♪Baby, we ain't got no place to go

I hope you understand♫♪"

Jay and Gloria were dancing, and Gloria turned to Claire, saying, "Claire, you need to enjoy this! This is your song!"

Haley stepped away from her mother in disgust. Claire saw it and nervously tried to explain herself, "Honey, no! We didn't- Damn it! EDWARD!"

"♫♪I've been thinking 'bout this all day long

Never felt a feeling quite this strong

I can't believe how much it turns me on

Just to be your man♫♪"

Taylor's dad was thoroughly impressed, and he told Taylor, "I approve."

"Yes! Thank you, Daddy!" Taylor said as she hugged her dad.

♫♪Ain't nobody ever loved nobody

The way that I love you

We're alone now

You don't know how long I've wanted to♫♪

Enid's face blushed red, and she turned to Alex, saying, "I didn't think that your mom and dad were so affectionate."

"I have no mom and dad from now on," Alex said in embarrassment, trying to hide her face behind her hair.

"♫♪Lock the door and turn the lights down low

And put some music on that's soft and slow♫♪"

Edward's sweet and melting voice made many girls swoon once again. With a dazed face, Selena asked Taylor, "Hey, are you sure we can't share him?"

"Back off, bitch!"

Edward continued without knowing about the catfight going on in the VVIP section, "♫♪Baby, we ain't got no place to go~ I hope you understand♫♪"

"♫♪I've been thinking 'bout this all day long

Never felt a feeling that was quite this strong♫♪"

"♫♪I can't believe how much it turns me on

Just to be your man♫♪"

"Claire, don't be mad. He's not doing this on purpose - I think. If you listen to the lyrics, it's about how much I love to be your man, not about waiting to do 'it' with you," Phil tried to comfort his wife.

Claire nodded reluctantly and said, "No, Phil. I swear he is doing this on purpose!"

"What does 'it' mean? Sex?" Luke asked, causing both of his parents to freeze in their spot.

"♫♪I can't believe how much it turns me on

Just to be your man~~♫♪"

The gentle outro put a smile on everyone's face. Those from Texas and the country's state had all fallen under Edward's spell, especially with his handsome cowboy look and deep singing voice.

"How about it, folks? Did you enjoy the music?" Edward asked in a southern accent, earning thunderous cheers from the crowd.