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Lil Durk stood at the forefront of the video, his presence commanding attention. His lyrics echoed through the space, raw and unfiltered.

"How that nigga gone call me a bitch,

And think he gon' slide past it?

Ain't no love lost, we ride fast,

In these streets, we don't play that.

Ain't no Twitter fingers, I'm 'bout that action,

Pull up, see if you react, no distraction."

The energy shifted as the video cut abruptly to Lil Reese, his verse picking up from where Durk left off. His words were equally charged, adding fuel to the fire.

"Talkin' tough online, but in real life, you soft,

Tryna run your mouth, but you know you lost,

We see through your games, boy, you ain't got no sauce,

Step to us wrong, and you gonna fall off.

Close range, no escape, when the bullets fly,

You claimed you'd shoot back, but you just lie.

Hit up, face-to-face, no place to hide,

Now you know the truth, ain't no place to run, you just died."

After the video cut off, Kenny handed the phone back to Arell, his expression a filled with shock. "Bro, you literally already killed him off with that last track you dropped." Kenny stated bluntly.

Malik interjected, offering a different perspective. "People won't see it like that. Especially since Durk is in it, they're gonna gas it up even if it's just a snippet."

Kenny seemed puzzled, turning to Arell. "But ain't you and Durk cool?"

Arell and Malik exchanged glances, clearly surprised by Kenny's naivety. Arell broke the silence, "Nah, man. Remember when Reese dropped the first track? Durk tweeted something about me being a bitch or whatever."

Kenny's memory jogged, "Oh yeah, when Reese dropped that track... and you talked about it too, but you didn't say much about homeboy."

Arell nodded, confirming Kenny's recollection. "Exactly."

Cam chimed in, "But ain't Reese got beef with Durk? I thought they weren't on good terms."

Arell shook his head. "Nah, they patched things up a while back. It's all part of the game. They're tight now, especially when it comes to going against people."

Malik then added, "What about Von? Would he fuck with this?"

Arell leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Von from prison? I don't think he'll believe what I said about Reese since Durk is rocking with him and Durk and Von are practically brother's in all but blood, and he and Reese been cool too."

Malik raised an eyebrow. "Weren't y'all cool too?"

Arell's face darkened slightly as he recalled the past. "Yeah, we were cool. I met Von when we transfered after a big fight broke out. I helped him out when someone tried shanking him. We got pretty cool while we were all locked up."

Cam looked curious, breaking his silence once again. "But it don't matter though, right? Even if Von's got a lot of play over there in Chicago, he's not coming out of jail this year."

Arell shrugged. "I don't know. Last I heard, they were trying to get his sentence shortened, but I don't know if it happened or not."

Malik shook his head. "It's a lot to think about. You gotta be careful. This ain't just about Reese anymore. With Durk involved, it's gonna get more complicated."

Arell nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I know. We need to stay ahead of this."

The conversation lulled momentarily, each person lost in their thoughts. Arell finally broke the silence. "I need to talk to Geoffrey about this. Kenny, head to the nearest park and tell them to follow us."

Kenny nodded and started the car, winding down the window to signal the car behind to follow. They drove in silence and after minutes of driving, they finally pulled up to a relatively quiet park. The night was still, with only the occasional sound of distant traffic breaking the silence.

As they parked, Geoffrey approached Arell. "What's the plan?" he asked, sensing the urgency in Arell's demeanor.

"We need to talk," Arell replied, motioning for Geoffrey to follow him. They walked a short distance away from the group, finding a secluded spot under a tree.

"That video complicates things," Arell began. "We were planning the music video, and I've got that festival in Texas next week. We can't afford to let this distract us."

Geoffrey nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. We need to stay focused. You have to get that Travis Scott verse as well, and I convinced the label to pay any fees on your behalf. But it'll come out of the marketing budget."

Arell sighed. "That's good, but it also means we need to be smart about our spending. Every move has to count."

"Exactly," Geoffrey said. "The label's going to want to get your team assembled quicker now, too. They won't take any chances with this kind of heat."

Arell nodded, seeing the silver lining. "That would be good."

"I'll talk to the label and we'll get a filming crew ready," Geoffrey continued. "We can film at the Puma building and the Atlantic Records building before we leave Atlanta. We'll see who Atlantic wants to appear in the video, and we can get some shots in Texas as well."

"Sounds solid," Arell agreed. "We should also talk about other plans with the filming crew. Maybe even prep some interviews with someone big before we drop the music video. Build up the hype."

Geoffrey nodded, already thinking ahead. "That's a good idea. Your performance stat has gone up to 69. You're in a good position to finish the quest."

"Yeah.." Arell said, his voice trailing off as he looked around the park, taking a deep breath. "We should probably buy a new home somewhere else as well. Cam, Keeve, Tariq, Jamal, and Rashid can't keep staying at a hotel. And the apartment's location is going to be widely known now because of that video."

Geoffrey agreed. "You're right. Plus, with your label advance, you're going to get $2 million upfront. Thats more than enough to get a decent place."

Arell nodded, digesting the information. "That's good." He went silent for a moment, looking around, lost in thought again. Geoffrey noticed and asked, "What's on your mind?"

Arell sighed. "It's crazy that I'm a millionaire now, a famous rapper, and all of this... and for some reason, none of it feels surreal. It's like it was just expected."

Geoffrey studied Arell for a moment before responding. "Well, you've always been introverted, hard-working, and you spend a lot of time alone. Plus, you've been attached to others for validation. It could be that you're not feeling the excitement because you've conditioned yourself to see success as the only acceptable outcome. There might be some underlying psychological issues at play here."

Arell shook his head slightly. "I think I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in."

Geoffrey nodded, not pushing the matter further. "Alright, let's focus on what we need to do. We need to get an office, hire people for the label, secure a new house, prepare for the music festival, get that Travis Scott verse, and work on the 'Fair Trade' music video. And lastly, prep some interviews with big names."

Arell agreed, ticking off the tasks in his mind. "Yeah, we have a lot to do."

They got back in the cars, with Kenny driving them back to the apartment. On the way, Arell pulled out his phone and sent a direct message to Travis Scott, hoping to lock in the verse. He put his phone away, leaving the message pending.

When they arrived at the apartment, Tariq was already there, waiting in the parking lot with the Subaru. Arell handed the keys to the Honda to those who needed to go to the hotel. "Use this for now," he said. "We'll figure out the housing situation soon."

They took the keys, grateful for the temporary solution, and headed off, while Arell and the rest went back to the apartment.

The next day, Arell was sitting in his studio, working on beats for his album. He was deeply engrossed in his work when Geoffrey walked in, a triumphant look on his face.

"I've got an interview secured," Geoffrey announced, breaking Arell's concentration.

Arell looked up, curious. "With who?"

"The Breakfast Club," Geoffrey replied. "They're huge in the industry and love interviewing people with beefs. It'll be perfect for building hype around the new music and addressing any rumors."

Arell nodded, impressed. "That's a major get. When's the interview?"

"Next week," Geoffrey said. "It's going to be a busy week, but we can handle it. The Breakfast Club studio is in New York, so we'll need to coordinate our travel from there to Texas for the festival."

Arell nodded, making mental notes. "Alright, let's make sure we're prepared."

Geoffrey nodded, already planning ahead. "Absolutely. And speaking of preparation, Atlantic and Puma have both called for a meeting. Don't worry, I'll attend on your behalf."

Arell raised an eyebrow. "And what will I be doing?"

"You'll be meeting a real estate agent and giving Becalis these documents to sign," Geoffrey said, placing a stack of folders on the desk.

Arell picked up the folders, flipping through them. "And what's in these?"

"Mostly contracts and some legal stuff we need her signature on," Geoffrey explained.

Arell nodded, understanding the importance. "Got it."

"Oh, and I sent an email to Kamilah," Geoffrey added casually.

Arell's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, you're hiring her?"

"Yeah," Geoffrey confirmed. "I told her to send her resume. I'll find an appropriate position for her. She's got potential, and we could use her skills."

"That's great," Arell said, genuinely pleased. "We need all the help we can get."

Geoffrey continued, "And another thing, I invested some of our money into Notion, GitLab, and Figma. We've got significant stakes, not 50% in each, but enough to make a difference."

Arell looked at him, curious. "How did you manage to get all those with just $100k?"

Geoffrey grinned. "Well, I've spoken to Atlantic..."

He trailed off, pulling out his phone. Arell watched, intrigued. "What?" he asked as Geoffrey searched for something.

Geoffrey turned the phone to Arell, showing him a payment confirmation. "Here."

Arell's eyes widened as he saw the amount: $2 million. He felt a mix of disbelief and excitement. "Two million dollars," he said, nodding slowly.

Geoffrey smiled, repeating, "Two million."

Arell nodded again, the reality of the situation sinking in. "This is real," he murmured, more to himself than to Geoffrey.

Geoffrey's smile widened. "Well, not exactly two million. Rather, it's 1.7 million now. I took 300k to get as large of a stake I could possibly get in those companies. And after we buy the house, the remainder will go into the stock market and towards the label."

Arell looked at him, impressed but slightly incredulous. "Damn," he said, shaking his head. "Can't I at least get 100k out of it to play around with?"

Geoffrey hummed thoughtfully, considering it. "Alright," he said after a moment. "But be smart with it."

Arell grinned, feeling a sense of relief. "Of course, of course."

"So, when exactly do I have to meet the real estate agent?" Arell asked, trying to keep track of everything.

Geoffrey nonchalantly replied, "She's waiting on you right now." He started to walk out of the room.

"Whoa, I haven't even bathed yet!" Arell exclaimed, scrambling out of his chair.

"Your problem, not mine," Geoffrey said with a shrug as he continued walking away.

Arell threw off his shirt as he ran out of the studio, muttering to himself about how fast-paced everything was becoming. He darted into the bathroom, quickly washing up and getting dressed. Within minutes, he was out the door, slightly breathless but ready to meet the real estate agent.