Chapter 139: Fastine Wants To Negotiate

The moment the last, magnificent chord of Ruby’s performance echoed through the arena, the entire stadium erupted into a deafening roar that literally shook the foundation beneath our feet. Sixty thousand fans inside, and tens of thousands more packed in the plaza outside, were chanting her name in absolute unison.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow down.

A sharp, brilliant golden interface—invisible to everyone around me—flared to life right in front of my vision, blindingly bright and pulsing with pure power:

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: TARGET ENTERTAINMENT ELEVATION COMPLETE]

Primary Entity: Ruby Vane

Status: ABSOLUTE CAREER ASCENSION / SCANDAL OBLITERATION ACHIEVED

Global Impact Index: Peak (50M+ Live Viewers / Plaza Takeover)

[CALCULATING TOTAL CONCERT & ELEVATION INVESTMENTS...]

Arena Venue Booking & Escrow: $12,500,000

High-Concept Stage Production & LED Grid: $3,200,000

Independent Audio Engineering & Auxiliary Power Setup: $450,000

Emergency Global PR & Blackout Marketing Push: $1,000,000

Supplemental Production & Logistics Coverage: $850,000

Total Direct Investment Allocated: $18,000,000

[APPLYING SPECIAL 100x CASHBACK MULTIPLIER]

Multiplier: 100x

[PROCESSING FINANCIAL RETURN...]

CASHBACK PAYOUT: $1,800,000,000.00

Status: TRANSFER EXECUTED TO PRIMARY BANK ACCOUNT.

PING.

My phone buzzed in my suit pocket—a quiet, heavy vibration. I pulled it out casually, sliding my thumb across the screen.

A private banking alert was sitting right on the lock screen:

[OFFICIAL BANK NOTIFICATION] Direct Deposit Confirmed: +$1,800,000,000.00 Updated Account Balance: $1,803,420,150.00

Nearly two billion dollars, clear and liquid, sitting directly under my control.

A slow, cold, utterly lethal smirk spread across my face as I slid the phone back into my pocket. Every single cent I had poured into Ruby—from the venue escrow and the backup generators to that last-second million-dollar blackout PR push—had just returned to me a hundred times over.

Chloe looked up at me, catching the quiet, dangerous satisfaction in my eyes as the applause continued to thunder around us. "Ethan? What is it?"

"Nothing," I murmured, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as we watched Ruby bow to her massive, roaring crowd on stage. "Just confirming that every single investment I make pays off exactly the way I intend."

Across the street, Fastine Hope was left sitting in the ruins of a ruined, empty stadium, holding a disgraced label and a broken reputation.

And standing right here in the wings, I was officially holding the capital to build a global empire.

My phone buzzed in my hand, displaying a caller ID that made a dark, amused smile creep onto my lips.

Fastine Hope.

I slid my thumb across the screen and brought the phone to my ear, stepping slightly away from the backstage noise as the crowd outside continued to roar Ruby’s name.

"Ethan," Fastine’s voice came through the speaker, tight, breathless, and completely stripped of the corporate arrogance she had brought to our chess match. "Ethan, listen to me. We... we need to talk about this situation."

"I’m listening, Fastine," I said smoothly, leaning my shoulder against the backstage corridor wall. "Though I thought our negotiations ended when I sacrificed my queen."

"Don’t do this," she pleaded, her voice wavering as she tried desperately to mask her panic under a tone of professional collaboration. "Quin Records still holds immense distribution power and global media networks. This... this little stunt tonight was impressive, I’ll admit it. But going to war with us long-term will drain your resources. What if we re-frame this entire evening as a joint promotional showcase? A strategic rivalry built by both our teams? We pull ColdZon into a duet project with Ruby, split the master revenue 50/50, and—"

I let out a soft, low laugh that cut her off completely.

"A joint showcase?" I asked, my voice cold, calm, and utterly unbothered. "Fastine, look out your VIP suite window right now. Your stadium is empty. Your streaming numbers collapsed. Your ’Best New Artist’ is singing to vacant seats, and half your board of directors is currently calling your phone to fire you."

There was a suffocating, total silence on the line. I could hear her sharp, panicked breathing over the receiver.

"You came into this thinking you had leverage because you owned a label," I continued softly, every word laced with absolute finality. "You don’t have leverage anymore, Fastine. You don’t have Ruby. You don’t have the narrative. And you certainly don’t have anything I need."

"Ethan, please—"

"Goodbye, Fastine."

Without waiting for her to say another word, I tapped the red button and ended the call, instantly blocking her number.

I tossed the phone back into my suit jacket pocket, turning back toward the stage just as Ruby finished her final bow, glowing under the floodlights to a standing ovation of sixty thousand screaming fans.

The game was over. And Quin Records didn’t even have pieces left on the board.

On stage, the show reached its absolute pinnacle. When the final lights began to dim, the crowd refused to let her go, screaming her name in a deafening, unified chant, literally begging her not to leave the stage.

When Ruby finally made her way down the backstage ramp, she was practically floating on pure adrenaline. Her face was flushed, her violet eyes electric, and her skin glowing under the warm corridor lights.

The moment her eyes landed on us standing by the wings, a high-pitched, ecstatic squeal burst from her throat.

"WE DID IT!" she screamed, sprinting the last few steps and throwing herself straight into my arms.

I caught her effortlessly around the waist, lifting her up as she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. Before I could even say a word, she leaned in and kissed me firmly right on the lips—a passionate, electric kiss filled with all the raw triumph and relief of the night.

When she finally pulled back, resting her forehead against mine, her breath was hot and fast. She looked over at Chloe, who was standing right beside us with a fond, amused smirk.

"Don’t be jealous, Chloe!" Ruby teased with a breathtaking, radiant laugh, stepping out of my arms and instantly wrapping Chloe in a huge, bear-hug. "There’s enough of our genius investor to go around!" 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Chloe laughed, shaking her head as she hugged Ruby back tightly. "I’m not jealous, Ruby. You earned every bit of this."

I stood there with my hands casually in my suit pockets, looking at the two of them with immense pride. Ruby had stepped onto that pitch-black stage with the weight of the entire industry trying to crush her, and she had walked off it as an undeniable superstar.

"I told you," I murmured, a smooth, warm smile spreading across my face as Ruby turned back to look at me, her hand sliding into mine. "You were always meant for the top."