Chapter 205: Our Popstar Breakthrough

Gorel sat frozen for a long second, his eyes wide and trembling as he looked at me, then at the contract on the counter, and back at me again. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes before he nodded frantically, leaning forward to grip my hand in a tight, desperate handshake.

"Yes! Yes, absolute agreement! I’ll take it! Please, save this place!" Gorel choked out, his voice cracking with pure relief.

"Great," I said with a confident nod, stepping back from the counter.

Chloe smirked, sliding her hands into her coat pockets as she shook her head at me. "Always the businessman, huh? What ever happened to our quiet country date?"

"Ah, my bad," I chuckled, turning to her with a guilty grin.

"I’m just joking," Chloe purred, her dark eyes flashing with fond amusement as she linked her arm through mine. "The date is still very much on. In fact, watching you take over a whole establishment in under five minutes was pretty hot."

I pulled a pen from my jacket, scribbled Sarah’s contact info onto a diner napkin, and tossed it to Gorel. "Call this number later tonight. Give her your account details and business info, and your loan shark problem disappears."

With that, Chloe and I walked out of the diner, stepping into the cool afternoon air. As we strolled down the peaceful country street, Chloe’s playful tone shifted into her sharp, analytical lawyer mindset.

"You know, Ethan... guys like that loan shark don’t just back down because a debt gets paid in full," Chloe warned softly, looking up at me. "He didn’t just want his $125k back—he wanted to seize the diner and squeeze Gorel for everything he had. If you clear the bill, he’s going to turn that hostility straight onto you."

"That’s exactly why I bought the place," I said, a dark smirk tugging at my lips. "If he wants to make it my problem, he’s more than welcome to try."

"So you’re taking the target off Gorel’s back and putting it squarely on yours," Chloe sighed, though a proud, impressed smile played on her face. "You really can’t help playing the hero, can you?"

"I just know how to protect my investments," I replied with a wink.

I pulled out my phone, dialling my personal assistant immediately.

"Sarah," I said as soon as she picked up. "I just acquired a local diner out here. A man named Gorel will be calling you shortly with his account details. I need you to wire $1 million directly into his business account for full property transfer and expansion capital. On top of that, prepare $125,000 in physical cash."

I paused, my eyes narrowing as I looked back down the quiet street toward the diner.

"And Sarah? Send three of our heavy security guards out here to the ranch as backup before nightfall. We’ve got a loan shark coming back at dusk who needs a hard lesson in business ethics."

Sarah confirmed the wire transfers and security arrangements on her end, and I slipped my phone back into my jacket pocket. Chloe and I turned back toward the ranch, hand in hand, letting the cool country breeze settle over us after the drama at the diner.

As we neared the edge of the ranch pasture, a soft, ethereal melody carried across the open field.

We slowed our steps and looked over toward the barn. Sitting high up on a tall stack of golden hay bales was Ruby. Gone were the high-fashion, head-turning luxury clothes she usually wore in the city. Instead, she was wearing the simple, rustic sundress with the tight laced corset that Emiliana had gifted her during our last trip out here.

She had her heavy studio headphones resting snug over her ears and was holding the handheld mic close to her lips, singing completely lost in her own world. Without a massive stadium crowd, flashing cameras, or publicists watching her every move, she looked entirely free—raw, unpolished, and breathtakingly happy.

The song drifting from her lips was slow, vulnerable, and thick with subtle jealousy and aching sweetness. Her voice soared over the quiet fields, carrying a raw emotional weight that gave me instant goosebumps.

Chloe and I stood near the wooden fence, careful not to make a sound or disturb her sacred little moment. I pulled out my phone, pressing record, and framed the shot as the late afternoon sun cast a warm, golden glow around her silhouetted figure on the haystack.

Chloe leaned her head lightly against my shoulder, listening in silence, both of us completely enchanted by the pure, unfiltered magic of her voice.

Ruby hit the final lingering note, holding it until her breath gently tapered off, and pulled off her headphones. She let out a long, heavy sigh, wiping a stray strand of hair from her cheek.

"Seriously..." I called out with a smirk, clapping my hands slowly. "That was incredible."

Ruby flinched, practically jumping a foot off the haystack. Her head snapped toward us, her eyes wide with surprise. "Um—how long have you two been standing there?!"

"Long enough to catch the whole thing on video," I said, holding up my phone with a grin. "In fact, I might have just posted the whole thing."

"You did WHAT?!" Ruby shrieked, scrambling down off the hay stack so fast she nearly tripped over her sundress. Her face instantly flushed bright red as she lunged at me, trying to snatch the phone out of my hands. "Ethan, delete that right now! Oh my god, I am so embarrassed! That wasn’t even a real song yet, I was just testing out random melodies and venting! Those aren’t even the actual lyrics!"

I easily held the phone up out of her reach, laughing as she tried to hop up to grab it.

"I don’t care if it was a test," I chuckled, wrapping my free arm around her waist to pull her close. "It was raw, sweet, and honestly? I loved it."

Chloe stepped up beside us, a soft, genuine smile on her face as she nodded in agreement. "He’s right, Ruby. It was beautiful. Vulnerable, real music. You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Ruby stopped squirming in my grip, looking back and forth between Chloe and me. Her pout slowly melted away, replaced by a shy, radiant smile as her cheeks stayed a cute shade of pink.

"You guys... actually liked it?" she muttered, burying her face in my chest. "Fine... but if my manager sees that video before the official teasers drop, I’m blaming both of you!"

"I hate to break it to you," I smirked, turning the screen around so she could see the live counter. "It’s already too late. 1,000 views in three minutes and hundreds of comments. They’re going crazy over the teaser."

Ruby gasped, snatching the phone out of my hand to scroll through the flood of praises, fire emojis, and wild theories taking over her feed. A soft, proud smile slowly broke through her initial shock.

"Okay... well, at least the reaction is amazing," she giggled, shaking her head. She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with fresh determination. "Honestly, I actually locked down a few full tracks while you guys were gone. But to make this album really pop, I need a live backing band. I’m going to call my team right now and have my musicians sent down here so we can record the whole thing directly in the diner."

"That fits right into the vision," I said, a new idea clicking into place. "Listen to this—what if we turn the diner into a permanent, high-end live session hub? But rooted in this rustic diner. We host weekly Friday night live streams featuring raw talent. With Quinn’s record label in my pocket, we can push those videos globally and give young, undiscovered artists a massive platform to blow up."

Ruby’s jaw dropped as she caught onto the scale of the plan.

"And if you’re the very first superstar to drop a live album from that exact diner stage," I continued with a grin, "the entire concept is going to go ridiculously viral."

"Ethan... that is absolute genius!" Ruby beamed, practically bouncing on her toes as she clutched her phone. "A global launchpad for indie artists starting with my album?! I’m calling my manager and band right now!"

"Great idea," I said, watching her pace around with excitement as she dialed her manager.

The system window flickered to life right in front of my eyes:

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: TARGET RUBY]

[Milestone Achieved: Writer’s Block Broken]

[Current Status: Live Country-Pop Album Project Initiated]

[Unlock Requirement: Complete & Perform Final Track in the Diner Live Session]

[Potential Reward: Glow-Up Phase Complete | 100x Cashback Multiplier Unlocked]