Jason's pen glided across the contract with the kind of ease that only came from doing this too many times. The stack of papers between them felt heavier than it should have, and Rose sat stiffly in the chair, arms crossed like she was ready to bolt at the first sign Lex was bluffing.
Jason, ever the professional, didn't notice—or pretended not to.
"Alright," Jason said, tapping the top sheet. "Sign there."
Rose stared at the line, unmoving. "I feel like I'm agreeing to something that's going to end in regret."
Jason chuckled, leaning back. "Probably. But at least you'll be regretting it in a recording studio instead of someone's garage."
Lex smirked but didn't say anything. He was waiting.
Rose glanced at him, tapping the pen on the table. "You're really serious about this?"
Lex's eyes didn't waver. "I don't joke about money."
"Could've fooled me," Rose muttered, sitting back in the chair. Her gaze flicked to the contract, then back to him. "I don't get it, Lex. You could pull in professionals—people who've been doing this for years. Why me?"
Lex leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk. "Because they've been doing it for years. You haven't."
"Alright, Rose," Jason said, his tone brisk. "I know you thought that last contract was the end, but no. There's more. Welcome to the music business."
Rose arched a brow, glancing at Lex. "You didn't mention paperwork would be part of the job."
Lex smirked, leaning casually against the console. "You'll thank me when you're cashing checks."
Jason slid the papers across the desk with a pen. "Sign here, here, and—oh, here. This one's for licensing your voice on the tracks. Standard stuff, nothing scary."
Rose hesitated, picking up the pen but not writing. "This feels like I'm selling my soul."
Jason snorted. "Nah. If anyone's taking your soul, it's him." He jabbed a thumb toward Lex.
Lex smirked, but Rose's eyes narrowed as she glanced at him. "You're sure about this, Lex?"
His expression didn't waver. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I wasn't."
As Rose bent over the paperwork, Jason leaned closer to Lex, lowering his voice. "Speaking of deals, I've got an update on Aiden."
Lex nodded. Aiden was Jason's first big find, a scrappy singer-songwriter with raw talent but no direction. Jason had seen potential; Lex had seen dollar signs and bankrolled his next EP.
Jason smirked. "Sent him out live."
Lex tapped a finger against his chin, thinking. "Good. Push him hard. When Silent Crossings goes live, we can tie the soundtrack and his album together. He gets buzz, we get royalties."
Jason grinned. "Man, I love it when you get devious."
Rose cleared her throat, drawing their attention. She tapped the stack of papers Jason had given her. "Done. Anything else, or am I officially trapped in this circus?"
Jason grinned. "Congratulations. You're in the circus."
Rose rolled her eyes, but a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Jason leaned against the console, studying her. "So, Rose, how'd Lex rope you into this, anyway? You don't look like the usual talent he drags in."
Rose hesitated, glancing at Lex. "I work for his family."
Jason blinked, his grin faltering. "What?"
"I'm… a maid," Rose said, her tone even. "At his family's estate."
Jason turned to Lex, his expression incredulous. "Seriously?"
Lex shrugged, completely unbothered. "She's more than that."
Rose snorted softly, shaking her head. "Don't let him fool you, Jason. I've known Lex since he was seven when the family move home. Back then, I was just trying to keep the house from falling apart while he ran around pretending to be a mini-CEO."
Jason leaned back, laughing. "Now this I gotta hear."
Rose smirked. "There's not much to tell. I was five years older than him, so I didn't take him seriously. We had our fun, though. Chess games in the library. Sneaking cookies out of the kitchen. He was a bossy little thing, but…" She glanced at Lex, her smile softening slightly. "He grew on me."
Jason looked at Lex, his grin widening. "Bossy kid to bossy adult. Some things don't change, huh?"
Lex chuckled. "She exaggerates."
"Do I?" Rose said, arching a brow.
Jason laughed, shaking his head. "You two are a sitcom waiting to happen."
Jason straightened suddenly, clapping his hands. "Alright, enough backstory. Let's talk songs." He rifled through a stack of records and pulled one out triumphantly.
"This one," he said, holding it up like it was the Holy Grail. "'Echoes on the Wind.' I was gonna give it to Aiden, but it fits better with Rose. Haunting, moody—perfect for Silent Crossings."
He slid the record onto the turntable, and the room filled with the melancholy hum of guitar strings. Rose's brow furrowed as she listened, her fingers tapping absently against the table.
"It's beautiful," she murmured.
Jason pointed at her, his grin widening. "Exactly. You're gonna crush this."
Before anyone could respond, Jason grabbed another record. "And for the nightclub scene?" He held up 'Night Shadows' with dramatic flair. "Pulsing bass, sharp synths, and that smoky tone you've got? Benny's gonna lose his mind."
Lex laughed. "The mezzanine jump."
Jason nodded eagerly. "Yep. The infamous Benny moment. This track's perfect—it builds, it pops, it gets the crowd going. And Rose is the icing on the cake."
Rose crossed her arms, looking at them both skeptically. "Do I have a choice in any of this?"
Jason smirked. "Nope. Welcome to showbiz."
As Jason loaded the track, Lex leaned closer to Rose, his tone low and deliberate. "You were right, you know."
"About what?" she asked.
Lex's smirk softened into something more genuine. "We had our fun back then. But this? This is the start of something bigger."
Rose didn't answer right away. Instead, she glanced at the turntable, where the first notes of 'Echoes on the Wind' drifted into the room.
Her voice, raw and unpolished, would soon turn those notes into something unforgettable.
Barnie Maddox could keep his polished boardrooms and armies of yes-men.
Lex Latham was building the board, collecting discard pieces.