Chapter 12

“What is it that you want to talk about?”

“Can I just say,” Bethany took a deep breath in and said her words to him. “That your words earlier that seemed like a challenge are both pointless and useless?”

Kevin was surprised by the use of her words, and he had his mouth gaped trying to defend himself, but he did not speak yet and let her finish her sentence.

“Listen, I think and feel that you want to redeem yourself from whatever has been done to you in the past, but you don’t have to risk your career into making music for the girls that were already at the end of their careers.”

“Is that what you have been thinking this whole time?”

“What?”

“Your thinking,” Kevin mentioned to her, looking Bethany straight in the eyes. “Is that what this company has in their minds before me? Is your thinking like the other board member that was with us earlier?”

“No, I –” Bethany tried to explain herself further but ended up losing the words to say. “I am just pointing out that –”

“I didn’t mean to be harsh to you like that,” Kevin already interrupted, giving her a small smile. “In fact, I know where you are coming from, but for me, I just felt the need to do this.”

“Reviving Lip n Hip?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t need to do it, you know.”

“I have to,” Kevin answered with a chuckle, going back to his seat. He then lay his hands on the table and grabbed it firmly, with Bethany patiently waiting for him to continue his answer. “I already messed up and caused quite a ruckus back then. This is the least that I can do to amend the things that I have done in the past.”

“But that was before, it does not have any connection with anything in the present!”

“I am sorry for being stubborn, Bethany, but I really want to do this. I have already fixed my mind,” Kevin stood firm in his decision. He looked up into her eyes in disbelief, and he only ignored it. But silently, inside him, he is thanking her for being there, standing by his side.

“Besides, don’t you think that this girl group has the potential to be stars?”

She was taken aback and blinked a few times before speaking. “Yes, I think they do.”

“They just had a rough start, that is all. But with me now, and hiring a new producer, I think we can create a new song for them, repackaging them for the better.”

“Their dreams are our capital, right?”

Kevin laughed at the statement from her. “That is a bit too much. They are not just simple tools for us to be rich. They trusted us to make their dreams come true. I think this is the time to prove to them that they did not make a mistake coming to us.”

He is naïve, she can give him that. But what Bethany had in mind was the heart that he had, still not changing since they were in high school.

At least, to her, that was the case she could see.

She then decided that she would be there with him, even though she did not think about this through; and Bethany was about to open her mouth when the door of the office opened, and there was Gwen, startling both of them with her presence.

“What are you two doing?”

“Ah, I am just discussing with him about the next meeting that we will have later,” Bethany lied, slowly stepping aside with both of her hands raised up. “And adjusting the schedule for him for the next few days. It will be a busy week.”

Gwen shifted her eyes to Kevin and the man looked at her with a sad expression.

“Can we… talk?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

It was at this moment that Bethany felt awkward, and the atmosphere became heavy. It was as if they were going to confront themselves with something that she does not want to pry about the most.

She also did not want to feel the little sting inside her, knowing that Kevin, her apple of the eye during her teenage years, was already falling for someone else.

Without saying goodbye, she bolted towards the door and shut it quietly, giving them their nice, little time together.

When she closed it, there was her friend Amy looking directly at her with some papers she was holding.

“What were you doing inside his office?”

“I am just trying to change his mind on his wager earlier at the board meeting.”

“Wager?” Amy raised an eyebrow at her, getting curious about the topic. “What wager?”

Bethany sighed and dragged her arm, getting away from the hallway.

“I will tell you later,” she answered Amy, still confused about her words. “Let’s just get away from here for a while.”

Meanwhile, a group of five young women was on their phones, checking social media, killing the day away.

“How much do you think we have left before we will get axed?” A blonde woman asked suddenly, putting a sudden negativity on the group, with her fellow members giving her a glare.

“Cindy, I thought that we are not going to discuss that!”

“But it is true! I also heard it from the staff earlier this morning,” Cindy reasoned out with them, looking like she is ready for their disbandment. “And besides, we did not even have a successful song, not a single one.”

“You are right about that,” a black-haired short woman agreed with her as if she was already whispering her words. “I wish we could –”

Their conversation was interrupted when a woman in her forties came in and adjusted her glasses while scanning them.

“Get ready for tomorrow, here is your schedule.”

“What are these for?” Cindy asked as they received a piece of paper given to them.

“You are going to be repackaged as a girl group, the board did not decide to axe you… for now.”

“Who is going to be our producer from now on?” The short-haired woman from earlier asked. “Ours just got fired earlier.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” their manager assured them with a smirk. “The CEO himself will lead this revival project that you will be having.”

“Huh?” All of them asked in unison, both confused and excited on the revival project that were dropped to them suddenly.