AGENT II

We return to Ethan's home, where he was still processing the call from Paul, his old senior friend from high school, whom he hadn't spoken to in ages. "Is that Paul, as in 'hot senior Paul'?" his sister Precious asked.

"Yes," Ethan replied, his mind still racing.

"As in 'lawyer Paul'?" Precious repeated, remembering her childhood crush.

"Yes, Precious. Can you leave my room now?" Ethan said, clearly trying to regain some privacy.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Precious replied, stubbornly. "Put the phone on speaker—I want to hear his voice!"

Ethan didn't respond, just put the phone back to his ear and turned the speaker off.

On the other end of the line, Paul's voice came through clearly:

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ethan. Long time," Paul greeted, sounding genuinely happy to catch up.

"Yeah, it's been a while. How's law school?" Ethan asked, trying to focus despite the distractions.

"It's going fine. Thanks for asking," Paul replied.

In the background, Ethan heard a deep male voice, most likely his father, say something like, "Tell him." Ethan's thoughts shifted quickly.

"Sorry about that, Ethan," he said. "I'm coming, Dad. Look, I actually called because my dad wants to talk to you."

"Yeah, we'll catch up later, man," Paul said. "I have to go soon anyway."

Before they could finish the conversation, Precious grabbed the phone from Ethan's hand.

"Hey, Paul! How are you?" she said in a flirty tone.

"Oooh, hey, Precious! Didn't know you were there," Paul responded, his tone light. He remembered how the younger girl had always seemed to cling to him during their high school days.

"I'm fine, Senior Paul! How's school?" Precious asked.

"It's fine, and you should be in your senior year by now, right?" Paul replied, sounding amused.

Before Precious could respond further, Ethan snatched the phone back. "That's enough!"

"Sorry about that," Ethan said, quickly tossing Precious out of his room and locking the door behind her. "She wanted to say hi."

"It's fine, Ethan," Paul assured him, "I really enjoyed talking to her. It's been so long."

"Let's talk more later, but I need to go before my dad has a stroke."

"Yeah, of course. I'll miss you, man. And by the way, loved your song!"

"Thanks, Paul. Help me greet your parents."

But this time, the voice that came through wasn't Paul's. It was his father, Bill, his tone deeper and more serious.

"Good morning, sir," Ethan said, recognizing Paul's father's voice. "How's business?"

"Business is fine, son," Bill replied. "That's actually why I'm calling. I heard your song with the family, and I have to say—you're extremely talented."

"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate that. How can I help you?" Ethan asked, still somewhat shocked by the unexpected praise.

"I wanted to ask if you have an agent, son. If not, I'd like to represent you," Bill said, his voice filled with a professional seriousness that left Ethan momentarily speechless.

"An agent?" Ethan repeated, his mind still struggling to catch up. His song had just been out for a day, and here was one of the top agents in the business wanting to represent him.

"Don't be modest, son," Bill continued. "You have real potential, and I want to help you reach the highest level."

"Thanks, sir," Ethan responded, still reeling from the sudden offer.

"I'll send you my resume," Bill said. "I really think we can make this work."

"Thank you, sir," Ethan said quietly, trying to process everything.

Before he could say anything more, Paul's voice came through again.

"Sorry for ambushing you like that, man," Paul said, his tone apologetic. "I just knew Dad was adamant about talking to you."

"It's fine, Paul. I liked the call. Let's talk later. I have a lot to think about. But don't let it be too long. I really missed you, man."

"I missed you too, friend. Have a great day. Also, I loved your song. Help me greet your parents."

"I will," Ethan replied.

After hanging up, Ethan sat there in stunned silence. It was hard to believe what had just happened.

"Mom and Dad are calling you," Precious's voice called out from the hallway, snapping Ethan back into reality.

He went to their room and saw them sitting together, his mother wearing matching couples' pajamas—an outfit she had forced his dad to wear. His little sister was crowding over his dad's phone.

"Son, did you do this?" His dad asked, his tone soothing.

"What are you saying, Adam? Can't you see it's him?" his mom teased, clearly excited.

"No, I mean, did he do all this by himself—the song and everything?" His dad clarified.

"Yes, Dad," Ethan replied, smiling a little. "I wrote the song, and I have plenty more."

"Wow, son," his dad said with a serious look. "I knew you were talented, but this is next level."

"Yeah, Dad, it's already got 9 million views," Precious said with a proud grin.

"Awn, my baby! I'm so proud of you!" his mom exclaimed, rushing over to hug him.

"Thanks, Mom," Ethan replied.

"By the way, Paul just called me," he added.

"Paul? You mean Bill and Stephanie's son?" his mom asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he called because his dad wants to represent me as my agent."

"Bill wants to?" his dad asked, clearly taken aback.

"Isn't that moving too fast?" his dad asked, unsure.

"Dad, Ethan has 9 million views and counting!" Precious replied. "This is the best time to strike! Plus, Paul's dad is really successful, which shows he knows what he's doing. Strike while the iron's hot!"

"It's okay, Dad," Ethan interjected. "I haven't signed anything yet. He's going to send over his resume first, and I won't make any decisions without talking to you and Mom first."

His dad nodded silently, not saying anything more.

"Well, let's go eat breakfast," his mom said brightly.

Precious dashed out of the room, always first to the food. "Foodie as always," Ethan thought to himself with a chuckle.

As he stepped out of the room, his phone pinged. He looked at the notification—it was an email from Bill Miller, with an attachment. "That was quick," he muttered, still reeling from the earlier conversation.

Meanwhile, while Ethan was enjoying breakfast with his family, little did he know, his rise to fame was causing quite a stir online. A popular influencer known for exposing hidden information had just uncovered his Instagram and Twitter accounts, sending fans into a frenzy.

(Find all): "I just found the Instagram and Twitter accounts of the singer from Shape of You!"

Bella T: "OMG! Please post this! I would marry you, but I already belong to Ethan!"

Peculiar Human: "Hope this is the real account and not just some fake ones that have been popping up."

GreG: "You clearly don't know, Find all. All of his finds are real."

(Find all): "The reason he's been hard to find is that he didn't use his real name as his username. His Instagram handle is @Annamolly, and his Twitter is @therealannamolly. Do with it as you please. Though his Instagram is private, his Twitter is fair game."

And just like that, Ethan's peaceful days online came to an end.