"I see. Well, I'm interested in potentially working with this songwriter on some future projects. Would you be willing to introduce me?"
Zayden asked politely. He didn't have any air of being superior and was just asking. In normal cases, a superior would usually force people in a lower position to do what they want without thinking about their opinion.
However, Zayden was politely asking. Zayden was well aware of the worth of the songwriter of such caliber and the only one who could introduce him was Alan.
Moreover, he valued Alan. As a manager, he was talented. Maybe too talented considering his age. While Zayden wants to hire the songwriters for those songs, he certainly didn't want to lose Alan.
"..."
Alan thought for a second. As you know, he can't really introduce the songwriter as he was the one to give it to Irina and Cecilia. But he can't blatantly reject Zayden as it would make him seem rude.
He doesn't want to make more enemies for Cecilia and Irina because of his lack of judgment. And Zayden also seemed sincere with his request.
"Thank you for considering my friend as a potential songwriter for future projects. However, I'm afraid I have to decline your request. He doesn't really like meeting other people. Though I would ask him if he would like to."
Alan said, trying to keep my tone polite but firm. Zayden raised an eyebrow and showed a disappointed look.
"Okay, Thank you! Tell your friend that we are very sincere with our request and would give him a lot of benefits. Even if he doesn't want to work in our company, he is always welcome if he wants to cooperate with us."
Zayden said. It is not every day that a company as large as Dreamwave Entertainment gives such a benefit to a totally unknown composer. Usually, composers and those trying to become an idol would be begging Dreamwave Entertainment.
However, it was not a big deal for them if they could work with a composer as brilliant as the composer of 'STAY'. Just because he refuses to work under them doesn't mean that they want to ruin the relationship.
Moreover, he had already given them quite many songs to their new idol. There are chances for more, more so with Alan, who is his friend.
Zayden is a very patient man. Just because he failed to achieve his goals immediately, didn't mean that he would just give up. He might not succeed today but he thought that he would someday.
"Okay! If that's all, I would like to take my leave!"
"You can always come here if you have some difficulty in the company. I will do my best to help you."
Alan nodded and left the office. After that, he went to his office at Dreamwave Entertainment. He was already on leave from school and he didn't want to go back to school.
He continued staying in his office, working on his job as manager.
*******
On TwitFlick, the post of Irina and Cecilia singing 'STAY' was becoming popular with a lot of positive feedback. More and more people were charmed by the lyrics and the voice. They began demanding for the song to be released immediately.
However, that was not all. Many negative comments began to flood the post at once. Previously, there was rarely any negative comment, and the next thing you know, many people were criticizing them online.
"What a shitty performance was that? They don't even have good vocals. I would rather watch elementary kids singing than them."
"I can see that they are just amateur idols who are just starting out. No charisma, no voice. They might have used their beauty to debut."
"The song is actually so bad. How the hell do you mean that it is one of the best? It is a meaningless song with only catchy tunes."
"Don't waste your time listening to these horrible songs. You might as well sleep on a bed." …
Not only the negative comments on the social media page but also some of the music critics and journalists began to throw shade at Irina and Cecilia's performance.
"The debut of the two new rookies falls flat with uninspired lyrics and lackluster instrumentation. The melody is forgettable and fails to capture any emotion or energy. The vocals lack depth and fail to connect with the listener. Overall, the song feels like a missed opportunity for the two rookies to showcase their talent and creativity. It's disappointing to see such a lackluster effort from Idol trainees. I would also like to blame music critics who judge things by appearance and forget to look at the real song."
However, all of this was unknown to Alan for he was just going through some of the schedules that he made and calling some people responsible for recording the tracks. As the opportunity presented itself, Alan wanted Irinia and Cecilia to release their singles immediately.
-KNOCK! -KNOCK!
Right when he finalized the record tracks, there was a knock on his office door.
"Come in!"
Alan said.
-THUD!
The one to disturb Alan was Lua, his assistant. She seemed to be in some kind of hurry as she quickly appeared before Alan. Alan looked up to see what was wrong. It was the first time that he had seen Lua show this kind of behavior. Usually, she would be calm and patient which he respected.
"Manager, I got very bad news!"
Lua said. She was frowning.
"Some people are slandering Irina and Cecilia online. There are also journalists and music critics who claim their songs are bad. Someone is deliberately challenging them."
Lua said, showing her anger. She was in a bad mood after reading through their comments. Using their bodies? No talent? Only have a pretty face? That kind of thing was being said and she was fuming with anger.
Lua has seen how much training they do and how much effort they put out just for performing in a single night. She couldn't handle her anger after seeing those who know nothing about Irina and Cecilia just slander them.
"They must be hired by the enemies. They know nothing and dare to accuse them. We should take care of them as soon as possible."
Lua suggested. She knew well that those tactics were used by their enemy in order to damage the Idols' reputation. The only question was who the enemy could be. However, for her, right now it was important to take care of this matter.
Alan didn't know what was going through as he was pretty busy preparing for recording the songs and releasing them to various music outlets. However, he knew that this kind of thing was common in the entertainment industry.
"Thanks for informing me! You can go back! I will see what I can do for now."
Alan said. Lua bowed before leaving the office.
Alan opened his phone and went through social media. Just as Lua has reported, many people were spreading lies and bad rumors about Irina and Cecilia. One of the people even claimed that he is her ex-boyfriend of Cecilia and that she would date 5 more guys at the same time.
"This guy… "
Alan looked at the comment in anger.
TYPE! TYPE! *TYPE!
He knows that the other party must be paid by her enemy, which he presumed is either Luna or someone from the management side. There was also the possibility that it would come from another company, but the chances were lower as Irina and Cecilia's popularity was still low for other idol companies to notice them.
Even though he knew that the guy was paid to write negative comments, Alan had to reply to his comment.
"Ex? Did you say you were one of her exes? Did you hit your head, my son? Go and see the doctor if you are unwell. Don't come to social media with your no-thinking capabilities. And even if she did have 5 other guys, you should be honored that she even dated you. Now go and write your fantasy somewhere."
Alan wrote that in 15 seconds.
"Nicely said!"
"Yeah! Just a person who only knows how to slander other people should go to hell."
"How can she date 6 people at the same time? Don't underestimate the time needed to train to become idols. And their agency doesn't even allow idols to date. If she did, she would have been kicked out!"
"You ugly piece of shit is dreaming!" …
Within a few seconds, many people replied to Alan's reply. People were supporting Alan's replies while many were cursing at the original comment.
After replying to more than 20 negative comments, Alan began to get out of his chair. It was no use even if he wrote hundreds more as his enemy had spent a lot of money to hire a big number of netizens.
Moreover, they also use the fact that some of the journalists and Music critics were also criticizing Irina and Cecilia.
However, Alan was dauntless. He knew what he had to do to shut them up!