"Alan Sterling, be my manager!"
Luna said. The document that she handed me must be the contract for becoming her manager.
She was giving off an aura like she was doing me a great favor. Normally, this kind of offer from a popular idol would be something that no one could refuse.
In a world where working for an idol is considered a prestigious job, there might not be many people who would refuse to work for them. And there certainly wouldn't be a newbie manager who would reject an A-list idol's offer to become their manager.
Not only would you get fame, but you might also add that experience to your work portfolio. That way, it would be easier to get a job in the future as an Idol Manager.
"Sorry, I am not interested!"
However, I was not interested and rejected her. In the first place, I joined the Idol world as a manager, not to become a great manager of someone popular but because Irina dragged me into it.
I was already tired of managing their work. I don't want to think about what would happen if I became the manager of someone as popular as Luna. I might die under stress.
Though even if not for work, I would not accept Cecilia's enemy. What would Cecilia think if I became their enemy's manager? There was no chance for me to become her manager.
"…"
Luna's expression briefly conveyed disbelief upon hearing Alan's response.
"Sorry, I didn't hear it clearly. Can you say that again?
"I would like to decline your offer!"
"Huh? How could it be? You don't want to work for me? Me, Idol of everyone, Luna Garcia!"
She was certainly arrogant in saying those big words. Well, she had the right as she was indeed a famous Idol. Many people would beg to work for her.
"If you'll excuse me, I have some other business to attend to."
I said as I tried to leave the premises. This Luna Garcia is scaring me with her expression. She has this weird expression as if the world is going to end.
I just rejected her offer to work as her manager. But she had this expression as if she had been dumped by her crush.
I knew escaping would be the right choice.
"Wait!"
Luna said as she grabbed my wrist. For someone as delicate as Luna, she was surprisingly strong. She held my wrist tightly.
"Think about all the fame you will receive. You can also do anything you like in this company. Moreover, I will give you 5x the salary that you are receiving right now!"
"Please let me go! I don't think that I would like to work for you. Now, if you excuse me, I have something urgent to do."
I quickly let go of her hand and escaped. I don't want to say this just because she was our enemy but she really is crazy. A psychopath!
And what is with her offer? 5x the salary? I don't get a single cent working for Irina and she wants to give me 5x? Isn't it still zero?
Anyway, I quickly ran towards the nearest stair that I could see. I don't want to be stopped by that crazy idol again.
******
"Haha…"
"..."
Luna was laughing crazily after Alan left. Maybe he was right in saying that she was crazy. Her manager could only hide her presence and wait for Luna to calm down.
"Did you see that?"
Luna turned around and asked.
"He dared to refuse me! Me? Luna Garcia!"
She said,
"I even said I would give him five times more money."
"Luna, perhaps it's best if we focus on your concert. We can properly ask him again next time. Maybe he will agree at that time."
Her manager suggested, trying to steer her away from the topic and calm her down.
But Luna was not easily swayed.
"No, I won't let him get away with it. He needs to pay for his insolence."
Her manager sighed. This was going to be a long day.
"Luna, please calm down."
But Luna wasn't listening. She was already busy devising a plan to make Alan regret his decision.
*SIGH!
Originally, they had planned to recruit Alan for she found out that Irina and Cecilia's debut was only possible because of their new manager. He had managed to prepare everything over the course of one month even with limited resources.
It would not be possible if the manager was not highly skilled. Therefore, she thought that getting Alan might help to regain Luna's popularity which was on the decline.
Moreover, the songs that Irina and Cecilia performed also came from Alan. This fact came to know when she investigated and tried to find out who the songwriter was.
It was not known by her whether Alan wrote the song or got it from someone else. It was a fact that by having Alan work for them, they might get it in the future as Alan knows the songwriter.
By snatching Alan, Irina and Cecilia will once more have no manager which would complete Luna's revenge. At the same time, they will gain an incredibly skilled person to work for them.
The only flaw in the plan was that Alan was not interested in working for Luna. And for an egotistical and prideful Idol Luna, it was quite a shock. Luna's behavior was already becoming a headache for her as a result of the failure she is facing and her popularity which continues to be on the decline.
The manager of Luna had no idea how long she would be able to tolerate such a problematic idol.
******
"Finally! It didn't seem that a crazy woman was following me."
I ran at full speed towards the room where I had an appointment in. Only then did I calm down.
-KNOCK! -KNOCK!
I knocked on the door of Zayden's office.
"Come in!"
A voice called out from inside the office.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw a man sitting at a desk with a computer screen in front of him. He looked up from his work and smiled when he saw me.
"Ah, there you are."
He said, motioning for me to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Please have a seat."
I sat down and took a deep breath, still catching my breath from the sprint to his office. Zayden noticed and asked,
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, sorry about that. I just didn't want to be late."
I said, trying to catch my breath. I lied as I didn't want to reveal that I had a run-in with Luna. I still am not sure whether Zayden is our enemy or friend.
Zayden smiled again and said, "No worries at all. I'm just glad you made it. Now, let's get started."
Zayden showed an extremely good attitude toward me. I don't know whether it was because he was always like this or being like that because of me. His position is greater than Irina which is also equal to him being the boss of my boss.
Anyway, he did give me a good first impression, that is for sure.
"First, let me congratulate you and your Idols for an impressive debut. You guys did an amazing job."
Zayden praised us.
" I would also like to apologize! I wasn't able to stop other directors from making trouble for them. And also for thinking that you were betraying Irina and Cecilia and working for them."
Zayden said. From his attitude, it was clear that he was not against Irina and Cecilia. Although, I didn't fully trust his words yet.
"No need for an apology! I know that there are some things in this industry that just can't be helped. I know that you had your circumstances back then."
I said. I didn't want him to continue as it was not really his fault.
"So, Sir, why did you call me?"
I asked. I don't believe that Zayden, who is a director of Dreamwave Entertainment, just called me for an apology.
Zayden leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together, looking thoughtful.
"Well, there's actually something else I want to discuss with you."
He said, his tone serious.
"It is not me but also the CEO who wants to know. I hope that you can accept our request as it involves the future of our company."
"Let's hear it first!"
I said. Even if it was some CEO, it is not like I would agree just because they are some bigshots.
"Well, the reason I called you here is because I want to talk about the song Irina and Cecilia debuted with. I've been doing some research and it seems that you are the only one who knows the songwriter. Is that correct?"
I nodded, feeling a bit uneasy about where this conversation was headed.
"Yes, that's right. The songwriter is a friend of mine and we worked on the song together."
I lied. But this should be a believable lie. Zayden nodded thoughtfully.
"I see. Well, I'm interested in potentially working with this songwriter on some future projects. Would you be willing to introduce me?"