Liam didn't check his messages that morning.
He didn't want to be distracted. Didn't want to start thinking like someone who owed the world something.
But Nova? She did check.
She burst into his garage-turned-studio without knocking, nearly tripping over a stack of old vinyl boxes.
"Liam—read this."
He glanced at her phone screen.
Subject: Collab Proposal – from Everline Records"Your raw vocal style and lyrical depth caught our attention. We'd like to offer you studio time and mentorship under one of our indie producers for a possible EP."
Silence.
Then Liam leaned back, expression unreadable.
"I haven't even released a second track yet."
Nova raised an eyebrow. "That's why they want you. You're unshaped clay. Pure."
Later That Day
Liam sat on the rooftop of his school building, guitar beside him, wind cutting across his hoodie.
His fingers tapped the strings, absentmindedly forming chords that weren't songs yet.
Truth was… he wasn't sure if he wanted to go corporate. Not this soon. Not ever.
Everline Records was legit. Not massive, but respected in the indie scene.
But Liam remembered labels from his past life. Some molded you. Some broke you. All of them wanted control.
He wasn't ready to give that up.
Flashback – Past Life
"You're talented, Liam," the exec had said, sitting across the table. "But talent is easy to find. Marketability isn't."
He remembered how they changed his sound, scrubbed his lyrics clean, turned his pain into packaged playlists.
He swore, if he ever had another shot…
He'd do it his way.
Back to the Present
Liam called Nova.
"Set a meeting," he said.
"You're accepting?"
"No," Liam replied. "I'm listening."
End of Chapter 7