Hamza could be seen laying lifeless on his bed, eyes still calm. It had been two days since the incident at the party, and Hamza was still hooked on the miserable feeling. He tried to cover up the whole incident, but somehow the whole of his classmates already knew what happened. People were already sending him messages, telling him sorry about what had happened. Some even cursed Sofia and Ken for what they did.
All the attention didn't help Hamza, as it was mostly insincere - people cared more about being part of the drama than Hamza's well-being. After the video of him singing was posted online, Hamza received attention from many well-known artists and influential people, not just in Nigeria but globally. His social media accounts were gaining followers and likes rapidly. But none of this was on Hamza's mind, as he didn't even know what was happening.
Hafsah could be seen talking with Adekunle, her facial expression showing worry for Hamza. Seeing this, Adekunle sighed and said, "Don't worry, I will talk to him." Hafsah smiled and said, "Please do, I'm very worried about what's going on." Adekunle agreed to go speak with Hamza.
Entering Hamza's room, Adekunle saw him laying on the bed. He sat close by and asked, "How are you feeling, Hamza?" Hamza sat up and faked a smile, replying, "I'm fine, sir, thanks for asking." Adekunle saw through the facade and said, "We both know you're not fine. Tell me what's going on and clear things up for me."
Hamza then recounted how Sofia, the girl he loved, and Ken, his close friend, had betrayed him. He explained they didn't seem remorseful, even after being caught. Adekunle tapped Hamza's shoulder and offered some wise words of encouragement, hoping to lift his spirits.
After hearing Hamza's story, Adekunle tapped his shoulder supportively. "I'm sorry this happened to you, my friend. But you must know that in life, no matter how good a person you are, betrayal is always a possibility. Human nature is flawed - people can disappoint us, even those close to us.
"This is just the beginning of your journey in entertainment. There will be many who try to pull you down or go behind your back. You need to be prepared for that. But don't let it deter you from your dreams or make you lose faith in people.
"It's clear Sofia and Ken took pleasure in your pain. Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you broken. Stand up tall - you've done nothing wrong. Make them regret betraying your trust by succeeding despite their actions. Stay focused on bettering yourself and your craft.
"Don't dwell on this heartbreak or let it define you. One day soon, people will only remember your talent, not the actions of others. I know the kind of man you are - you have so much to offer. Don't let anyone, no matter who they are, stop you from achieving your goals. Keep your head high!"
Upon hearing this, Hamza's blood began to boil. It was exactly what he needed to hear, and it gave him the strength and faith to rise up and fight for what he believes in. With this in mind, he stood up from his bed and said to Adekunle, "Thank you, sir. I really needed to hear that."
Seeing the look on Hamza's face, Adekunle smiled, indicating that he understood what he meant. He patted Hamza's shoulder and said, "Very well then. This doesn't mean that it would become easier for you. It may even become harder as you push through, so remember resilience and consistency is the key to success." With that, Adekunle left Hamza's room.
Hamza decided to focus on his music when his phone rang. Looking at the screen, he saw it was David who had been calling to check up on him since the incident. Hamza picked up the call and said, "Hey, my bro."
Hearing Hamza's voice, David sensed the difference in sound and knew that Hamza was recovering from the incident. He said, "I am good and from your voice I can tell you're better. Hehe."
Hamza chuckled and said, "Yeah, thanks for always checking up on me."
"Anyways, that was one of the reasons I called. The second is, when did you sell your song to Bruno Mars and you didn't tell me?" David asked, a bit annoyed and confused.
"Hmm, sell my song to Bruno Mars? What are you talking about, David?" Equally confused, Hamza couldn't get his head around what David was talking about.
Hearing what Hamza said, David was also confused and said, "You remember the song that you told me you wanted to sell to Johnny Drille before the present one? That's the song that Bruno Mars released in his new album."
Thrown into confusion, Hamza said, "Let me call you back and confirm." At this point, Hamza's heart was already beating fast, and he just hoped it was a lie. He scrolled to his Apple Music and checked Bruno Mars' name. He saw the song with the exact name and played it. Immediately, Hamza said, "F*ck." He was pissed and confused. He then rushed out of his room to tell Adekunle what happened.
Adekunle was confused and told Hamza to sit down and made a call to Malik, the lawyer who handled the deal with Johnny Drille. Upon explaining the situation, Malik responded and said, "Hmm, this happens often. We were part of the fault for not registering the copyright of the song. Someone else already registered it and sold it. From the looks of it, that person has a backer from what I heard."
Adekunle's face twisted, showing he was not happy about the situation, and said, "Can't we sue the person in question?"
Malik sighed at the question. "I will advise you like a brother not to as I have seen many cases like this before, and believe me when I say they never come out winning. The law is not what it used to be. From what I heard, Hamza already offended someone, which is why he was targeted. I am sure this wouldn't be the last of it. All I can say is Hamza's journey as a musician would be tough if he starts here, if you get what I mean."
Adekunle sighed as he understood Malik and said, "Thanks, bro. I will come and see you soon." He then looked at Hamza and explained what Malik told him. The reaction from Hamza's face was confusion, which means he doesn't or can't remember offending someone that powerful. Besides, Hamza was a very cool-headed kid, so it still baffled him as to who was blocking Hamza's path.
Hamza was lost in confusion and couldn't help but wonder who he had offended to try to block his way. It then dawned on him why Don Jazzy didn't make any effort to sign him. He felt he was done with one headache, yet another was already in front of him. Although he was pained, he just let it go as normal in his world. The song was sung by Bruno Mars, after all. He just sighed and felt it was probably destiny.
Adekunle then said, "This is a mistake on our part for not registering the copyright. From now on, ensure that you get the copyright for any of your songs. Also, you will be leaving for the United States next week."
Hamza was initially confused, then stunned, and finally happy about leaving the country to study. Although he would miss his sister and family, he wanted to explore and start his career there. He was sure that he would become popular with time and said, "I understand, sir. Thank you, sir." Adekunle walked out, and Hamza went to call David to tell him the news, upon which David reacted in a strange way.
David, upon hearing that Hamza's song had been sold and that he was leaving, was thrown into a state of confusion. "Damn! Bro, I really don't know what to say about your song being stolen and not being able to do anything about it. That is reaping at the max. But all I can say is it's a lesson learned the hard way. Also, about you traveling to the U.S, I can't help but miss you and say it's going to be a while before we meet because I am going to Canada. But I wish you the best, though." With that, Hamza and David shared a moment in which they talked until dark.
Hamza decided to check the system as he hadn't done so in a while. He remembered that immediately after he performed the song at the party, he heard the system sound but didn't check it.
**DING!**
*System Status*
- Piano skill has improved to level 4
-singing level increase to level 9
-Due to the host amazing performance of the song host has been awarded with one free spin wheel
*System Status*
- Name: Adekunle Hamza
- Age: 17 years
- Singing level: Beginner 9
Composing level: Beginner 3 [5,000 PP to improve Composing to the Next level]
- Dance skill: NIL [2,000 to Unlock]
- Acting skill: Beginner 2 [7,000 to improve to the next level]
- Instrument level:
- Guitar: 7 [4,000 to improve to the Next level]
- Kambili: 5 [2,000 to improve to the Next Level]
- Flute: 4 [4,000 to improve to the next level]
- Piano: 4 [8,000 to improve to the next level]
- Performance Points (PP): 2,579
- System Level 2: 36,743/100,000]
- Skills
- Emotion Harmonizer: [This allows the user to stimulate any emotion and portray them on point; also, there is a possibility of making the audience feel the same emotion the user feels]
- Spin Wheel (1): [If the user upgrades the system, the user will be given a chance to make a draw, and the reward might include skills, leveling up in skills, language proficiency, a piece of art, etc. The spin wheel can also be gained when the user performs an incredible achievement.]
- Note: The Host should level up for more features and functions.
Hamza was amazed as his singing level rose to level 9, almost reaching level 10. His piano skill, which was at level 3 just a few weeks ago, had now reached level 4. He was also given another spin wheel, which he decided to keep in case he needed it later. With these thoughts in mind, he drifted off to sleep.