Chapter 128: The Harem Meetup.

"I’m guessing it was Chloe," I said smoothly, leaning back against the driver’s door and keeping my cool despite the heat in Ruby’s eyes.

Before Ruby could throw a full-blown interrogation, she suddenly stepped in closer, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. She reached up on her tiptoes and leaned right into my ear, her voice dropping into a sultry, dangerous whisper.

"I want you to give me one too... right on my chest."

I pulled back slightly, raising an eyebrow at her sheer boldness. "...? Okay, but later. We have places to be."

May just rolled her eyes with an amused laugh, shaking her head as she tossed her gear into the back seat. "You two are absolute lunatics. Can we get going before Ruby starts writing a whole album in the driveway?"

"There’s someone I want you both to meet," I said, opening the passenger door.

For the entire drive back to LUMEN, Ruby was attached to my arm like glue—resting her head on my shoulder, humming low, romantic melodies, and marking her presence every time I shifted gears. May sat in the back, casually stretching out her legs, asking sharp, practical questions about the island layout and how the new venue was performing.

When we pulled up to LUMEN, the private VIP section overlooking the ocean was dimmed down, set with pristine crystal and flickering candles. Chloe was already seated, sipping wine, while Patricia stood nearby, double-checking the service setup.

The second we walked in, Ruby’s eyes locked straight onto Patricia.

She let go of my arm just enough to step forward, running her gaze up and down Patricia with a sharp, hyper-analytical look. The seductive pop-star persona flickered for a second into total territorial curiosity.

"So..." Ruby drawled, stepping right into Patricia’s personal space with a theatrical, overarching posture, trying her absolute hardest to assert dominance like a protective big sister. "You’re the new girl everyone’s talking about?"

Patricia stood her ground, but her cheeks flushed slightly under Ruby’s intense, dramatic scrutiny.

Chloe leaned back in her chair, taking a slow sip of her wine with a satisfied, quiet smirk, watching the chaos unfold exactly as she had predicted.

May leaned against the back of a plush leather chair, crossing her arms and letting out a low, amused chuckling sound as she watched Ruby try to play the big, imposing sister.

"Yeah, nice try, Ruby," May chimed in, a wicked smirk playing on her lips as she tossed her hair back. "If we’re pulling rank, you aren’t the top of anything here either. Remember who was around before you showed up?"

Ruby whipped her head around, her eyes widening in dramatic offense. "Excuse me?! May, that is entirely beside the point—"

May just laughed, waving a hand dismissively.

She couldn’t care less about any actual hierarchy or harem drama—she was far too grounded, focused, and practical for all the territory wars.

She just loved throwing gasoline on Ruby’s hyper-dramatic fire whenever the opportunity popped up.

Patricia, meanwhile, stood there completely defenseless, looking back and forth between Ruby’s theatrical chest-puffing and May’s dry, effortless teasing.

Her face was bright red, completely overwhelmed by the sheer force of personalities suddenly taking over her quiet dining room.

"I—well, I’m just the chef..." Patricia stammered out, looking down at her apron as if it could somehow shield her.

Chloe practically choked on her wine, letting out a clear, delighted laugh from the end of the table as she watched Patricia get hopelessly tangled up in the middle.

Once the initial banter died down, though, the sharp edge melted away surprisingly fast.

May pulled out a chair, ordered a massive protein-heavy platter without hesitation, and started talking shop with Patricia about macro-nutrients and high-performance kitchen pacing.

Ruby, satisfied that she had made her dramatic entrance, slid into the booth right next to me, resting her chin on my shoulder while offering Patricia theatrical tips on how to handle

"Ethan’s ridiculous work hours."

Before long, the table was filled with the clinking of glasses, warm laughter, and amazing food.

I leaned back in my seat, watching the four of them—Chloe, Patricia, May, and Ruby—all bantering, sharing stories, and surprisingly getting along like they’d known each other for years.

After all the chaos, the corporate takedowns, seeing them all under one roof, completely relaxed and comfortable with one another, was easily the best view in the house.

I took a slow sip of my drink, leaning forward slightly as the conversation at the table ebbed.

"Speaking of careers," I said, turning my eyes toward Ruby, "how are things progressing on your side? What about that rival over at Quin Records—Fastine? Is she causing you any trouble, or are you keeping her in check?"

The energetic, theatrical sparkle in Ruby’s eyes vanished in an instant. Her shoulders slumped, and a heavy, quiet stillness settled over her. She stared down at her glass, swirling the ice without saying a word.

The sudden shift didn’t go unnoticed. Chloe set her fork down, May raised an eyebrow, and Patricia glanced over with immediate concern.

"Ruby?" I asked, my voice dropping into a firm, deliberate tone. "What are you hiding?"

Ruby bit her lip, avoiding my gaze for a beat before letting out a soft, defeated sigh. "It’s... it’s not going great, Ethan," she murmured softly. "The concert... I had to push the date back. The ticket sales just completely plummeted out of nowhere."

"Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked immediately, brow furrowing. "You don’t carry something like that alone."

"Because you were already dealing with the esport team, LUMEN, and a million other disasters!" she blurted out, her voice cracking slightly with raw frustration. "I didn’t want to be another problem on your plate. After we exposed Hailey, the viral hype was insane, but... it faded. Internet attention span is brutal. Once the scandal cooled off, Fastine’s label moved in, swallowed up the promotional algorithms, and pushed me out of the main spotlight."

As her words hung in the air, a glowing translucent interface flickered into my field of vision, visible only to me:

[SYSTEM PROMPT ACTIVATED]

Target: Ruby

Current Status: Creative Stagnation / Declining Stage Presence

Opportunity: Career Investment & Brand Architecture Overhaul

Objective: Launch a high-yield promotional campaign and secure absolute dominance over Quin Records & Fastine.

Reward: Higher Career Evolution. 100x Cashback!

The System confirmation made it clear: her aura was dying out under the weight of industry sabotage, and it was time for an upgrade.

May leaned over, slapping a firm, reassuring hand onto Ruby’s shoulder with her signature grounded grit. "Hey. Stop beating yourself up. It’s just a bump in the road, Ruby. Everyone hits a slump, but you’ve got way too much raw talent to stay down. You’ll bounce back—we’ll make sure of it."

Chloe gave a calm, elegant nod in agreement. "She’s right. Fastine might have a record label machine behind her, but you have us. And more importantly, you have Ethan."

Patricia smiled warmly from across the table. "We can even host promotional acoustic sessions right here at LUMEN if it helps pull the crowd back."

A faint, grateful smile broke through Ruby’s sullen look as she looked around at all of them, visibly moved by the unexpected wave of encouragement. "Thanks, guys... really."

She leaned her head against my arm again, feeling a bit lighter. But while the girls were comforting her, my mind was already racing, calculating market angles, promotional plays, and absolute leverage.

Fastine Hope and Quin Records thought they could quietly starve Ruby out of the spotlight. They were about to learn the hard way what happens when you try to crush one of my investments.

I rested my hand over Ruby’s, my voice quiet, smooth, and absolute.

"Don’t worry about Fastine anymore, Ruby. Consider it handled."