4-The showoff.

Hardin lay down on his bed, his eyes on the painting on the ground beside his bed.

The painting was gifted to him by GY for Hardin's 25th birthday. It has been six years but it felt like yesterday.

One of the gifts he ever cherished.

He shifted on the bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand drawer.

He checked the time and groaned. It was half past midnight and he wasn't sure if his members were back.

He typed a message and sent it to each one of them.

'Care, are you back in your room? Reply immediately.'

Care was what they used amongst themselves when it was something serious or urgent.

Just a few minutes later the three of them responded.

Danny: I'm back big bro, no worries.

He said, attaching a picture of himself on the bed.

Marcel: Your boy is in.

Scott: I'm back, you don't have to worry.

Hardin released a sigh of relief before dropping his phone.

His members are like a family to him. Scratch that, they are his family.

Hardin started as a trainee in GY Entertainment when he was ten years old.

The first member among the group.

He trained for seven years before he could debut and discovering him and the whole members of SHAKE was the best thing GY ever did because his company skyrocketed after SHAKE's first album and never went down since then.

Being in the industry for 21 years one would think Hardin's passion for music has reduced but with the years that passes so is his hunger to produce more good songs and write lyrics for his members.

He was the pillar of GY Entertainment.

****

"Good morning bro and everyone else in the room." Danny said when he walked inside the living room where the others were waiting for him.

"Why are you late? Maria served breakfast a little bit over thirty minutes ago." Scott said, his eyebrows raised at Danny.

"I am sorry." Danny apologizes without arguing and sits down beside his eldest.

"Are you okay?" Hardin asked and he hummed. "Let's eat and get going, shall we?"

They finished eating their breakfast and all went outside the house where their manager was sitting behind the van's wheel.

It is Friday and their third day of practice, also the day when they will finally meet the new trainees.

The van stopped at the parking lot of GY Entertainment and they all got out of it.

They walked inside the company and the employees and trainees started greeting them.

"What's on our schedule today?" Hardin asked their manager.

"Today is actually your free day except practicing of course."

They walked inside SHAKE'S practice room.

A staff member brought bottle water and handed it over to all of them before walking away.

Hardin opened the bottle cap and gulped on the water.

"Let's get it."

They got into position and Lose yourself started playing.

Doing choreography was not their style but they had to do it because the song they are performing requires choreography.

GY walked inside the practice room to see SHAKE members practicing. When they noticed him they stopped practicing and Hardin walked towards him.

"Are they here yet?" Hardin asked, referring to the new trainees.

"Yes, that's why I'm here to call you. One of them is in the booth right now."

Hardin nodded and both him and his members followed GY to the trainees studio.

"How is it going?" GY asked the employees inside the booth.

"The second trainee is ready to sing, Sir."

Hardin held a gasp beside him and he turned to know who it was.

He saw a young girl, probably 15 years old with a black hair and a black eyes. Her eyes were wide in shock and her mouth opened and closed at the same time.

Hardin looked away from her and concentrated on the person singing.

He massages the back of his head with his hand and furrows his eyes.

He always does that when he is annoyed with something.

He speaks on the microphone for the girl inside the booth to hear him.

"Please stop for a moment." He said and the girl stopped.

"What do you have to say, Hardin?" GY questioned curiously.

"I think your voice is special. I love it. It is deep and magical. Not the normal high range voice but you just don't know how to use it. Don't aim for a high note which you won't hit, instead focus on perfecting that low note. We can try this again." Hardin said.

Emma's POV:

My heart skipped when he turned to look at me.

I wanted to faint but I just couldn't embarrass myself like that in front of Hardin, in front of the other members and every other person in here.

His cold eyes accessed me for a moment before he turned away.

I was hurt but also happy that he noticed me. That he checked me out.

When I heard his criticism about the other trainee vocal I nodded my head in agreement. He was right. A low note would best suit her voice.

It is my turn. I am nervous and excited.

I can't wait to show off my vocals in front of everyone. I can't wait to hear him praise me.

"Ms Dalton, your turn." A girl said to me and I nodded. I slipped inside the booth and took the headphone. I took a deep breath and started singing a song by GY Entertainment's first girl group (GX1), the group debuted ten years after SHAKE.

I was singing flawlessly. It was going smoothly until Hardin told me to stop.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He asked coldly.

Say what?

"Your voice is too high pitched, too shaky, but you didn't notice that because you wanted to show off. You have a nice voice, but your voice is literally 0.5 amongst the fifty trainees in this company. You won't debut to any group if you continue this way. Ms Dalton, you're young. Let go of that pride and work on your vocals first, shall we?"

"Yes….. I understand." I stuttered

I was stunned. Everything he said.

How did he come to that conclusion so quickly?

I bit on my lower lip and started again, this time slowly and more careful of how I sing.

I was going to prove him wrong.

When I came out of the booth, I smiled at him but he turned to face GY. I looked behind him to see the other members of SHAKE and I waved at them.

They smiled at me and winked.

That is more than a cure to the brutal words Hardin said to me some minutes ago.

"Emmabelle has a nice voice. All she needs is a coach who will help her on how to manage her voice." GY said and Hardin nodded. "Would you like to manage her? I know that great minds think alike."

"The group has a lot on our schedule at the moment, I can't take on that task."

Ouch.

Why do I feel rejected?

Why do I feel so down?

But he is right. He can't leave his group activities to focus on me.

I totally understand him.