Chapter 195 | Both Unnecessary and Appreciated
Chapter 195: 195 | Both Unnecessary and Appreciated
Professor Chen wrapped up her lecture at one forty-five. Jordan packed his bag and headed for the exit, weaving through the crowd of students flooding into the hallway.
His sociology class was followed by a two-hour gap before his daily gym session with Kyle and Leo. Enough time to grab lunch, review Brooke’s LLC documents, and maybe text Chloe about dinner plans.
His phone buzzed as he stepped outside.
Brooke.
"I have completed the preliminary operating agreement draft. Attached is the document for your review. Please note sections 4.2 through 4.7 regarding revenue allocation, as these provisions will require input from your talent before finalization. Additionally, I have scheduled a follow-up meeting for tomorrow at 11:30 AM in Study Room 412B. Please confirm your availability."
Jordan confirmed.
Brooke responded immediately.
"Excellent. I have also compiled a list of potential web designers ranked by portfolio quality, response time, and cost-effectiveness. The top three candidates are available for consultation calls this week. Would you prefer to conduct these calls independently or would you like me to facilitate?"
"Facilitate."
"Understood. I will schedule preliminary consultations for Thursday afternoon. Is there anything else you require?"
Jordan thought about it.
"Have you eaten today?"
A long pause.
"I consumed a protein bar approximately six hours ago."
"That’s not eating. That’s surviving."
"The distinction seems semantic."
"I’m buying you lunch tomorrow. After our meeting. Non-negotiable."
Another pause.
"I find your insistence on my caloric intake both unnecessary and... appreciated."
Jordan smiled at his phone.
Brooke Hastings. Certified genius. Terrible at taking care of herself. Absolutely essential to everything he was trying to build.
He needed to add her to the payroll as soon as Nova Network started generating actual revenue. Someone that brilliant deserved more than fifteen percent of management’s share and occasional protein bars.
Jordan walked toward the dining hall.
His stomach growled.
He hadn’t eaten since the tacos with Kumiko, and that felt like hours ago.
The dining hall was crowded with the usual lunch rush. Jordan grabbed a tray and loaded it with chicken breast, rice, vegetables, and a protein shake. Clean eating. Part of his new routine. The old Jordan survived on pizza and energy drinks. The new Jordan understood that his body was a machine that required proper fuel.
He found an empty table near the windows and sat down.
His phone buzzed.
Chloe again.
"Dinner tonight? My place?"
"What are you cooking?"
"Nothing. I’m ordering Thai."
"Deal."
"Also Kumi wants to come over. She keeps texting me about the date and I think she needs to process in person. Is that okay?"
Jordan considered.
Dinner with both his girlfriends. At the same time. In the same room.
Three weeks ago, the idea would have been inconceivable. Now it was just... Tuesday.
"Sure. Tell her to bring her dream drawings."
"You’re enabling her."
"I know."
"I love that about you."
Jordan stared at the message.
Love.
She’d used the word casually, like it was nothing. I love that about you. A throwaway phrase. Something people said without meaning it literally.
But Chloe didn’t say things she didn’t mean.
Did she?
Jordan ate his lunch and tried not to overthink.
The chicken was bland. The rice was passable. The vegetables were boring. But his body needed the nutrients, and his body’s needs outweighed his taste buds’ preferences.
He finished eating, cleared his tray, and headed back outside.
Three hours until the gym.
Time to be productive.
Jordan found a bench in the shade near the library and pulled out his phone. Brooke’s operating agreement was attached to their text conversation. Thirty-four pages of legal language that made his head hurt.
He read through it anyway.
Section 4.2. Revenue allocation for individual talent based on individual performance metrics including but not limited to subscriber count, viewership numbers, sponsorship acquisition, and merchandise sales.
Section 4.3. Collective fund allocation of twenty percent for operational expenses including equipment maintenance, software subscriptions, marketing expenditure, and emergency reserves.
Section 4.4. Management compensation structure with provisions for performance bonuses tied to collective growth benchmarks.
Jordan skimmed the rest.
Brooke had thought of everything. Exit clauses. Dispute resolution procedures. Intellectual property ownership. Non-compete provisions with reasonable limitations.
The document was thorough.
Professional.
Ready for real lawyers to review and tear apart.
Jordan texted Brooke.
"This is impressive."
"Thank you. I referenced seventeen existing entertainment industry contracts while drafting. Would you like me to arrange consultation with an entertainment lawyer for final review?"
"How much would that cost?"
"Initial consultations typically range from two hundred to five hundred dollars depending on the attorney’s hourly rate. I have identified three candidates with relevant experience and reasonable fees."
Jordan did the math.
He had money. The System’s cashback from his spending on Chloe had been generating steady profits. But every dollar spent was a dollar that couldn’t be invested in something else.
Still.
Legal protection was important.
"Schedule the consultation."
"Understood. I will provide options by tomorrow morning."
Jordan pocketed his phone and leaned back against the bench.
The campus hummed around him. Students walked to and from classes. Birds chirped in the trees. The California sun warmed his face through the gaps in the foliage.
He thought about Cameron again.
About that smirk. Those words. Eliza’s wallet guy.
The anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface. It probably always would be. Some wounds didn’t heal completely. They just scarred over and ached when the weather changed.
But Jordan could live with that.
He could live with a lot of things now.
Because the alternative, the pathetic kid crying in a parking lot on Christmas, that person was dead. Jordan had killed him. Buried him under clean sheets and gym sessions and business plans and relationships that actually meant something.
The new Jordan had two girlfriends. A business partner. A support network. A body that could bench one-eighty-five. A future that extended beyond next week.
Cameron Mitchell had money and a smirk.
Jordan had everything else.
He pulled out his phone and texted the group chat.
"Gym at 4. Don’t be late."
Kyle responded with a thumbs up.
Leo responded with a series of emojis that Jordan chose not to interpret.
Kumiko responded even though she wasn’t in the group chat.
"Wait why am I getting this? Did you add me to something? What’s at 4? Can I come?"
Jordan realized he’d accidentally included her in the message.
"Wrong chat. Gym session with Kyle and Leo."
"Oh! Have fun! Get strong! I believe in you! Send me a sweaty selfie!"
"That’s weird."
"I know! But I want one anyway!"