Chapter 64: Singles.

[Edward POV]

Today I decided to indulge in a full-course Japanese breakfast for lunch. As I had experienced Hiruma's 2 years worth of memories, I had grown to long for this type of food in my normal life.

My breakfast consisted of a 6 ounce salted salmon, a bowl of white rice, a bowl of miso soup, a plate of tofu topped with bonito flakes, a plate of pickled daikon and quick pickled cucumber, and a few other complimentary dishes.

With a chopstick in my hand, I start to eat the breakfast that was made just for my newly acquired taste. My hair was styled neatly, and I was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans as I greeted the guest today.

Sitting in front of me, a sassy man was holding the chopstick skillfully as he tore into the salmon on the plate in front of him. I had prepared two meals , one for me, and one for Pepper. Pepper was wearing a cream-colored suit and a paisley vest to come visit today.

"I can't believe it. With your skills, you can shut down a few Japanese restaurants if you decide to open a store. Is there anything you couldn't do?" Pepper exclaimed as he closed his eyes to enjoy the crunchy exterior and the supple meat full of umami as he took a bite of the salmon.

"I can't drive…yet." I replied teasingly before I took a small bite of the rice using the chopstick.

"Arrogant. Good, I need you to be confident when your singles are released next week." Pepper said casually despite dropping a major bomb at the breakfast table.

"Huh? We're doing that now?" I asked in confusion.

Pepper smirked and said, "We're going to ride Taylor's and yours's... taboo love hot topics and release three songs. People are begging for it. As a marketing tactic, and also, you're going to leech on Taylor's fame in the beginning of your debut. So, we're going to release 'Two is better than one' now."

"That's understandable. And a good choice. But Taylor and I still haven't recorded the song yet." I replied. "Also, their agency is being a prick. They are rejecting the collaboration agreement, right?"

"No need to worry about that. Harvey had done her job well. You'll get the full rights to the song, and Taylor will receive a one-time payment for her part." Pepper said. "Same condition as her 'Love Story' song. You'll get more than 400,000 dollars for that."

"Use it for Taylor's payment. They are increasing the price for her contract right?" I asked calmly.

"...I don't want to tell you about this, but they wanted more than 700,000 dollars as they are claiming she was more famous than you, so her price should be higher."

"It's okay. As long as she will still sing the 'Two is better than one' song."

"That's my plan exactly. Paramount Pictures will foot the bill, so don't worry about it. They are really stupid to reject OST royalties, just to not have some ties with us." Pepper said in irritation.

However, Pepper didn't know that Harvey and I had schemed something else for the song. She had tracked Taylor down to make her sign a contract that would ensure her royalties for the song. It might seem like a bad financial decision, right?

The reason Harvey and I did that was because of a special clause in an artist collaboration in Taylor's contract. If she collaborated with me more than four times in a year's time, my agency would be entitled to making decisions about Taylor's future career. It wouldn't work if our collaboration didn't reach five in a year's time. Therefore, I need to plan this properly.

'Simply speaking, I would have some power over her career, and could even help her get out of her contract with her agency.' I schemed silently.

A lot of artists have the same contract as Taylor. That was why the artist's collaboration wouldn't go over four times, as the agency wouldn't want to share the decision-making power over their artists.

I could still hear Harvey's heavy breathing when I asked her to hide the clause in fine print when she made Taylor sign it. She really loves screwing others up through legal matters.

'Of course, if Taylor doesn't want my help, then I wouldn't reveal my hand and force any decisions on her career.'

Pepper snapped his fingers in front of my face a few times. "Ed. Are you still here?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm here." I said after snapping out of my thoughts.

" Like I was saying, the production company really wants your song. They are also eyeing 'It Will Rain" to be put into the movie. The meeting with the producers is next Wednesday. You don't have to go to class that day, so be happy."

"Nice." I said with a sideways fist pump. Then, I said, "We can do 'Me and My Broken Heart' and 'Grenade' in the same singles release. We'll put up a theme for the first single, 'LOVE AND HEARTBREAK.' How about that?"

"That's great Ed! Let me jot that down." Pepper said before taking out a small notebook.

"Finally keeping track huh. I told you not to trust your memory capability." I teased as I drank the miso soup by holding the bowl with both hands.

"I gave up after trying to share your song names with a producer for the third time." Pepper said without shame in his voice. He even took out his glasses to do his job properly, even though he was the owner of the agency.

"Should we record a music video?" I asked after I saw Pepper had finished writing.

"For which one? You can't do Two is better than one. The studio wants to release the music video too for marketing purposes." Pepper explained.

"We'll do it for Grenade. I think I can do it quickly. If we have time, we can do it for the other one."

"Ed. Making a music video needs some time. We need a music director, producer, editing team, film set, a storyline, and more. It'll take at least 3 weeks, minimum." Pepper explained calmly.

"What if, we already have a storyline? And I can handle the editing. How fast can you find a set director, a cameraman, and a fake piano prop that I could lug around with a rope?"

Pepper opened his mouth, but then he closed it as he suddenly realized that I had already planned everything for the music video.

Not that I need to plan much, I just need to copy what I have already seen in my previous world. And with my eidetic memory, I could copy it– frame by frame, and do it with a higher quality than in the previous world with my advanced computer skills.

"But I'm going to need a creative director to have a second look at it." I said while holding my chopstick to take a pickled daikon and brought it to my mouth.

"Oh. That reminds me. Cam said you created another song yesterday. I envy him." Pepper muttered as he counted the time Cam and Mitch could sit through me creating a song on the spot and compared it to his opportunity to do that.

"Yeah. We can throw that into the album. I said casually.

"Still haughty, I see. Good good. Keep it up." Pepper said encouragingly before he took a sip of his green tea.

While Pepper and I were having a discussion on our future plans, I wondered how the Dunphys would react to the song I played for them yesterday.

…

[3rd Person POV]

-Dunphy's house-

In the hallway near the living room and the front door.

"Make love, Phil?! MAKE LOVE!? Are you seriously defending him?!" Claire said in frustration as Phil stood in her path and blocked her way to stampede into Edward's house and give him a talking-to about his behavior.

"He's thinking about having SEX, and he's 14!"

While clutching her bag, she tried to fake out Phil by moving to the left, but actually was moving to the right, but Phil managed to catch her and return her to her initial position before she could get away from him. She looked at him in frustration, but Phil wasn't budging from his position.

"Someone needs to talk to him!"

[Claire's commentary.]

"I had a nightmare last night." Claire confessed with an ashen-white face. "That song…haunts me… I dreamt of Edward living with us…in our house…Everything is nice, and warm, but the only thing I could focus on was Haley's bulging belly as she was nine months pregnant…at 16…"

Claire snapped out of her delusion and said, "So I need to go talk to him, and Haley too." She then said fearfully, "If…they had done it."

"But she had driven off to school with her friends so early in the morning that I hadn't had time to get to it. I know Edward is going to school late today, so I will go and talk to him first."

[commentary ends]

"Claire. He said, 'Make love so nice.' 'Nice' Claire. If it were me, I would describe 'make love' as fine, hot, or something of the sort. He said it was nice. I don't think he's talking about…you know…them doing it…" Phil said in Edward's defense.

"Oh God." Claire exclaimed fearfully as she was reminded of her nightmare again last night. "Don't you remember how guilty Haley looked when she got back home last night? Something is going on with them Phil!" Claire said in frustration.

"Claire. Back to my original point. Maybe, he's saying that she made that feeling—love feel so nice again. Not the act, making love…the feeling…love… He's afraid of loving someone, and now he can let himself fall in love again. What if that is the meaning of his song?" Phil tirelessly tried to defend Edward again.

[Phil's commentary.]

"I had a precognitive dream last night." Phil confessed with a smile.

"We were all in the living room…all dressed in formal clothes…Haley has a white dress on, and Edward was in his tux…I walked Haley down the aisle as she was pregnant and needed her dad. The band was playing 'Wedding March'."

With a happy face, Phil continued, "Ed called me D-money and took her hand from me. I can see it in his eyes. He's deeply in love with her, and she's in love with him. That nothing in the world could stand in the way of their love. So yeah. I'm rooting for Ed…"

Then he said seriously, "If... they are truly in love with each other. I wouldn't force them to be together if they weren't. "

[commentary ends]

"Why are you so against them being together? Do you hate Ed?" Phil asked calmly.

His tone made Claire finally stop and think for a while. She started having questions like this – what was the reason she was freaking out in the first place, are they even dating each other, do they even like each other.

Claire took a deep breath to calm down before saying, "No. I don't hate Ed. It's just…they are too young Phil. Someone needs to tell them the truth. You're not going to survive with just love. You need money. And a good job. Good education-"

"Honey. You're thinking too much. Ed's a genius. Do you forget that you're working under him?"

Claire was stunned and she shut her mouth quickly as she looked at Phil with a face full of realization. How could she be so stupid as to forget that?—that was what her inner thought was saying.

"See. You can't rebuke me as you know I'm right." Phil said as he pulled his pants up by grabbing the belt. It was loose from his struggle against Claire before this. "He's going to be a rich man. It is a blessing for Haley if they end up together."

Suddenly, Alex interjected as she stopped in the middle of the stairs going down. "Or, she could end up with some Hong Kong businessman. Like I said, that's the only way she's going to survive in this world."

"Alex. Your sister is pursuing her dreams as a fashion designer. Why don't you show her a bit more support?" Claire rebuked Alex instinctively without fully looking at her.

Alex ignored her mother's warning and mumbled to herself, "Please, like she's going to pursue something in which she needs to truly try to succeed.. If anything, she's only doing it to get close to him."

"What did you say, Alex?" Phil heard the mumbling but couldn't make up the words as Alex walked beside him to go to the kitchen.

"Nothing." Alex said curtly.

"Doesn't she seem to be in a bad mood?" Phil asked Claire as he kept his eyes on the sullen Alex.

"Please Phil. I only had time to think about one problem." Claire said while holding her hands in front of Phil's face to stop him.

"Hey, this isn't a problem. They aren't even dating. Edward will tell me if they are dating. We have no secrets from each other." Phil said.

"Oh yeah. Did he tell you what he did with Taylor at the boat party? Huh, did he?" Claire asked instigatively.

"Yeah. He told me about it. What's the big deal? I did it too when I was his age. I did it with Mrs. Davis next door.

Claire was baffled by the situation and she said, "What are you talking about Phil?"

"You're talking about him giving Taylor a massage, right?" Phil asked in confusion. "That's what he told me."

Claire rolled her eyes and scoffed in derision before saying, "Phil. That kind of noise didn't come from a massage. Believe me. I know."

"Well, maybe you misheard."

"Phil, she was walking funny afterward!" Claire retorted.

"Yeah, maybe from the muscle pain." Phil said defensively.

"URGHH!" Claire groaned in frustration as she couldn't convince Phil otherwise.

Alex walked out of the kitchen with a lacrosse stick in one hand, and a cello in the other. "So, no one is trying to help me? That's fine." Alex said as she dragged her heavy stuff toward the car alone.

"See. Something is wrong with her." Phil said again, but he was still standing in his spot, refusing to go help Alex, who was struggling to open the door.

"For God's sake, Phil." Claire exclaimed before she went to help the sullen Alex.

-Abby's car-

Haley was sitting next to the driver while wearing a purple blouse with collars up to her neck—looking modest for the first time this year, pair of white-framed circular sunglasses that she put on her head, and teardrop dangle earrings on both of her ears. Her brown hair was curled into a wavy pattern, and she had put a lot of makeup on her neck today—for the same reason Edward was wearing a turtleneck shirt today.

She kept glancing at the driver, who was wearing a black leather jacket, a low cut top, and long jeans and was focusing on driving.

"Hmm? Why do you keep taking hidden glances at me? You haven't fallen in love with me, have you?" The twin-tailed Abby with the gothic maskara said.

"N-N-NO!" Haley replied exaggeratedly. "Why do you think that? I was just curious why you're wearing goth makeup again."

"Well…it's kinda embarrassing. But I'm not going to meet Ed today, so I'll wear it." Abby said.

Feeling as if a needle was pricking her conscience, Haley asked, "Why don't you wear it in front of him?"

Abby smiled softly as she reminisced and said, "Because. He said I looked pretty before. So…you know. I kind of want to stay the same way around him."

[Haley's commentary]

"Now what should I do? Should I tell her? Last night… we…"

Haley couldn't help but smile as she remembered the affairs of last night.

She was running her hands all over his hair as they made out heavily, not separating from each other for even a moment. As she wrapped her legs around her, she slowly moved her body up and down, dry humping him as they kissed each other.

His hand grabbed her ass as their kiss became more passionate. They started to move around the living room, and even knocked over the breakfast container Claire prepared for Ed as they walked before they fell together on the sofa and started to move their lips to other things.

Back to the commentary, Haley's smile disappeared as she remembered her friend.

"Well they were broken up. So it's not cheating. And we didn't plan to do that, or to date after this. So…what should I do now? Should I tell her?"

After thinking for a while, she sighed and said, "I shouldn't. It'll only hurt her. We're not dating in the first place. So why cause unnecessary drama? It's not like they are dating right now."

[commentary ends]

Abby arrived in front of Tara's house and picked her up. Tara was wearing a denim jacket as usual but with her hair tied up in a ponytail this time.

"Hmm…why are you dressing like a nun? Didn't you say you felt good when boys froze in front of your boobs?" Tara asked casually as she saw the strange way Haley was dressing.

"My mom forced me to do this. You know, cause we had a fight yesterday." Haley concocted an excuse hurriedly to avoid suspicions.

Tara nodded and she accepted the excuse as she thought that Claire was a crazy person based on Haley's stories. Then, she climbed over the door to sit next to Haley instead of at the back. As they were both small teenagers, they could easily share the seat without discomfort next to the driver's seat.

"Hmm? Did you put makeup on your neck?" Tara's eagle eye could see the contour on Haley's neck was different even though most of it was hidden by her collar.

Haley broke into a cold sweat as both of her friends were staring at her. Suddenly, her phone vibrates as she receives a text message.

Not only her, but both Tara and Abby received one too.

"Oh. It's from Ed." Tara muttered. Abby and Haley turned toward her before reading their texts, and were confused as to why Ed was texting Tara.

Tara realized what both of her friends were thinking so she explained, "We exchanged numbers at his birthday party. He promised to do an interview for the school magazine after I pestered him about the concert."

The girls accepted Tara's explanation and turned to their texts.

Abby read the text out loud, "Come by my place after school today - if you have a touch-screen phone, and some time to spare. I'll make it worth your while."

"What is he planning? Also, he sent a mass text. All of us received the same text." Haley said.

"I don't know. Maybe a party?" Abby thought before saying, "Nah. He hates that."

Haley thought for a while before saying, "Ah. The stupid yellow bird."

"The- what now?" Tara and Abby exclaimed at the same time.

…

[Edward POV]

"Pepper. Discuss with the marketing directors. I want to release two singles at the same time for shock factor." Edward said after finishing his breakfast.

Pepper widened his eyes and said, "But Ed. So far, the album only has 12 songs. If you release six songs as singles, then the album won't sell well."

"Don't worry. I'll just create a few more songs to put in there. So we will have 15 songs on the album. We are releasing it in September, right?"

"Ed. You're not a song pumping machine. You can not be sure that you can reach 15 songs." Pepper said with concern.

"Well… I understand your concerns… but don't worry, if there is someone on earth that would live his life without a music-creation block, it's this guy." I said while pointing my thumb at myself.

"If I added the song I played yesterday, and the other song that I played for Taylor, I already had 14. So I just need one more." I said to convince Pepper. He sighed as he saw my determined and confident look before saying, "All right. After all, the company's name is ENtertain. We'll do what you want to do."

"Thanks Pepper."