They were interrupted in their family hug by someone clearing his throat. He wiped the tears that were on his cheek before getting up and turning around. Taylor was here with a happy smile even if her eyes were a little red too.
"Can I have a hug too?" Said Taylor, laughing.
He good naturally gives her a hug not realising that millions of people would kill him to be in his place right now. That didn't last long as they were interrupted by Diane who wanted a round too. Once everybody got over the emotion, Nathaniel sat back behind the piano again pressing a note, very aware that five people looked at him intensely.
When they were hugging he noticed that his grandfather had cleared the room and closed after everyone got back to the party.
"Taylor." Said Robert with a slight nod as a geeting.
"Mister Lyndon." Said Taylor with a nod as well but with way much respect in her voice.
Everyone in the music industry has heard of the man in front of her, he was a legend. Son of a music and english teacher, he never had a gift as a musician or as a singer. But he has a gift nobody could match in the industry. He could look at someone for a few seconds and knew if it had what it takes to become a star. It's like that at nineteen he started a label that nobody knew existed. Twenty years later, nobody could not know the Universal Lyndon Records. Although she never worked with him, they met a few times in various parties like this one and they had talked a few times.
"So, what the hell was that?" Ask Robert in a stern voice, focusing on his grandson who was still refusing to meet anyone in the eye, his eyes focus on each key.
"I don't know grandpa… I just kind of… improvise." Respond Nathaniel, looking finally at the people in front of him.
"Yeah right. You say that you 'improvise' something on the fly that is better than all my wrinter in their entire life?" He almost choked out.
"Easy Robert, it���s possible that he heard it somewhere and just remember it in the moment." Said Diane in a placative voice.
"No, I never heard it before and I checked on our file with my phone. This is an original. I save it on my personal server by the way if someone here wants to steal it." He said with a fierce expression.
"Father, I think he really just improvised it. Just look at the lyrics, I don't think that anyone on the planet could resonate with it except Nathaniel." Observe Mary.
"You're right Mary, that's just perfect. It needs work and more instruments obviously but this song is going to become a hit, I guarantee it." He affirmed with gleaming eyes.
"Do we keep it a duo or not father?" Ask Mary getting excited, she always knew that her son was amazing and now she could prove it to the world.
"I think so yes, the music is opportune for a duo. If we link him with one of our female stars, that could go worldwide."
"Katy or Adele?"
"Adele, I believe, Katy is not the most suitable person for that. Nathalie would be good tho."
"Okay you guys need to stop!" Nathaniel asserts in a firm voice.
"We are better in this kind of thing than you kid, you should let us handle the situation and you would become a star in no time." Said Robert waving his concern away.
"I don't care about that and it is irrelevant. This is not because you are more experienced in this kind of thing that you know better than me about what I want. The truth is, I don't want to become a star. I'm way too young for that and I need to go to college. I need to have a degree in what, I don't know yet but I'm thinking about it".
Seeing that his grandfather was about to lecture him, he spoke again.
"Hush grandfather, I'm not done yet. I don't say that I'm opposed to commercialising the song but if we are going to do it, we would do it my way. Taylor, do you want to be my duo for this song?" He asked Taylor, who was watching, even a little embarrassed. That was kind of a family moment and she was very much not that.
"This is not a good idea sweetie, she's not from our label and that could be troublesome to get her on board. Moreover her label could ask for a significant amount of money from the sale of the music." Said Mary.
"No they would not mom."
"We are a capitalist country kid, I assure you that they would take the majority of the percentage to the sale which is understable when you are a nobody and she's a pop idol." Said Robert with disdain.
"They wouldn't dare because I plan to give away the money from the song to a charity who help the veteran soldier. My part of it at least. The label would never risk the public backlash to oppose me on this." Nathaniel asserts in a flat voice, his will indomitable.
His family pause at that, looking at him in a new light when he shows them his inflexible side.
"So Taylor, what do you think? Interested in a pro bono song?" He asked again with a laugh.
"Well giving the fact that it is your song, it's your choice in my book. So yes, I'm in. Moreover I was bored the last few days, that could be fun. For my label, I will call them tomorrow and help with things."
"Great!" He said gleefully.
"You know that you could make a lot of money with it, right?" Robert said through gritted teeth.
"Grandfather, I don't care about money, you should know that by now. Moreover we are already wealthy beyond reason, more would make no difference." He said with a shrug.
"That's our money, not yours. Maybe I should cut you off to teach you the importance of earning some." He threatened.
"You could and you're welcome to do so. I will just need to find a job, maybe in the music industry seeing I'm not too bad at it, a rival one preferably." He speculated with a winning smile.
"You should look on your right to see how this idea of yours was received by the way." He added.
Turning his head, he was received by his wife who was looking at him with a stare that could melt iron and the stare of his daughter was not much better.
"You know, they could straight up refuse the idea of Taylor being your partner and this whole conversation would become pointless."
"Grandfather, if you can't convince a small label to grant something so insignificant, maybe that I should disinherit myself and start thinking that your reputation was all smoke."
"Careful grandson." He said before leaving but got stopped by the door.
"Grandpa, I'm not opposing you because I don't respect or love you. Quite the opposite in fact, we are family." Nathaniel said heartedly. The scowl present on Robert's face seems to lessen significantly after that. "I just want to do things my way, I thought that you of all people would understand that. Maybe I'm wrong and I will fail, in that case you will be welcome to come and give me your best 'I told you so'."
His grandfather simply nodded and then left the room.