Chapter 112: The New Trainee

Luna took a step back, her hands shaking as Lucas reached out toward her wrist.

Before his fingers could even brush her sleeve, a hand clamped down on Lucas’s arm.

"Don’t touch what isn’t yours," Jude said.

Lucas flinched, trying to pull away, but Jude’s grip didn’t budge an inch. The two bodyguards stepped forward, but Lucas held up a palm, wincing as he glared at Jude’s delivery vest.

"Who the hell are you?" Lucas snapped, his jaw tightening. "A delivery boy playing hero?"

Jude let go with a slight flick of his wrist, sending Lucas stumbling a half-step back.

He didn’t even look at him; instead, he looked straight up at the rooftop ledge seventy feet above.

"Harold Wang!" Jude called out. "Get down from that ledge right now. Whatever money Starcrest owes, I’m covering it."

Up on the roof, Harold rubbed his tear-filled eyes, squinting down into the glare of the streetlights.

"Jude?" Harold choked out, recognizing him immediately. "Jude Lawson?!"

"Come down," Jude told him. "No one is losing their agency tonight."

Ten minutes later, the lobby doors burst open. Harold... known by everyone in the business as Warren Wang stumbled out onto the sidewalk.

He ran straight past the muttering crowd and stopped next to Jude, looking between him, Lucas, and the Cullinan parked at the curb with wide eyes.

"Jude... you don’t understand," Warren wheezed. "Vanguard Financial is calling in a massive loan. If we can’t pay tonight, they seize all our artist contracts and shut down Starcrest for good!"

Lucas dusted off his suit jacket, regaining his smug smirk as he looked at Jude.

"You heard the man," Lucas chuckled. "He owes eight million dollars on that note. Unless you’ve got that kind of cash sitting in your courier bag, back off before I have my men snap your legs."

Jude turned around, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the hood of the Cullinan.

"Simple bet," Jude said, looking right at Lucas. "Whichever group ranks lower in the finals of Starlight Stage gives up all their artist contracts to the winner... plus cash."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, a cocky smirk on his face. "How much cash are we talking, Lawson? Don’t tell me you’re betting another lunch bill."

"Fifty million dollars," Jude said calmly. "Fifty million in cash, wired within 24 hours of the finale, plus your agency’s entire talent roster."

Warren stood beside Jude, choking on his breath.

Fifty million was more than Starcrest and all its competitors were worth combined!

Even Luna looked up, clutching her bag tight.

Lucas burst out laughing, totally sure of himself.

The agency he’d just bought already had two popular trainees with huge social media followings and big sponsor deals.

Compared to Starcrest’s unknown girls, Eclipse had an easy, massive head start in the fan votes!

"Fifty million," Lucas sneered, walking toward his Maybach. "Done. We sign the papers tomorrow morning. When your girl group gets kicked out in round one, Lawson, don’t try crying to your lawyers. And remember... the second Starcrest loses, Luna belongs to me."

"Just make sure you have the cash ready," Jude replied. "Your family’s bank accounts are already hurting after that mess at the docks."

Lucas’s smile vanished. He gave a wave to his bodyguards, climbed into his car, and the Maybach sped off into the traffic.

As the taillights faded, Warren let out a sigh and turned to Jude, looking half-relieved and half-terrified.

"Jude... fifty million?!" Warren wiped sweat from his forehead. "Eclipse is tight with three TV execs on the judging panel! Their star girl, Kelly Song, already has half a million followers before episode one even airs! Our girls have real talent, but we have zero hype and zero connections."

"They have hype; you have real skill," Jude said, clapping a hand on his friend’s shoulder. "Twenty million dollars will be in Starcrest’s bank account by nine tomorrow morning. Use it to hire the best vocal coaches, rent top studios in Manhattan, and get them the best outfits. Don’t worry about TV networks or shady judges... Apex Media runs the broadcast. If any judge tries to cheat, I’ll take care of them personally."

Hearing that Jude owned the broadcast channels, Warren’s fear vanished. "Got it, Chairman Lawson! If the game is fair, our girls are going to tear that stage apart!"

Jude turned to Luna. "Can you walk on that ankle tomorrow?"

"It barely hurts now," Luna said, looking up with clear focus. "I’ll be at practice by seven in the morning. I won’t let you or Mr. Wang down."

"Get a good night’s sleep first," Jude told her. He turned back to Warren. "Grab a cab with her and make sure the girls get home safe. Send the ownership papers to my office tomorrow."

"You can count on me, Jude!" Warren nodded hard.

Jude tapped the steering wheel with a slight nod. "Tomorrow at noon works. Text me the gate info, Miss Liu."

"I’ll have our driver wait for you at the entrance," Chloe replied warmly. "Thanks, Jude. See you tomorrow."

Jude hung up and turned the Cullinan onto 44th Street, pulling into the private valet at Ginza Lounge.

Waiting under the bright neon lights were six couriers and Manager Zhao from the delivery hub, looking awkward in their regular work jackets by the velvet ropes.

It was a high-end Midtown club with crazy prices... definitely not their usual hangout spot.

The second the Cullinan pulled up and Jude stepped out in his blue courier vest, the guys broke into huge grins.

"Brother Jude!"

"He really brought the Rolls-Royce!"

Jude introduced Warren and Luna to the crew, keeping it simple, "This is Warren, an old school friend, and Luna, a singer from his studio. Let’s head inside."

The host led them past the velvet rope straight into a VIP private room with plush leather couches and a massive karaoke screen.

Within ten minutes, waiters rolled in ice-cold champagne, platters of grilled skewers, and cold beers...

The couriers loosened their collars, grabbing the mics and screaming out classic rock songs at the top of their lungs.

Manager Zhao clinked glasses with Warren, talking about small business struggles, while Jude leaned back on the couch, enjoying the good, honest fun of the room.

Luna sat next to Jude, sipping a club soda.