Chapter 186 Songwriting
Meanwhile, the online world was abuzz with activity.
Luann Weaver had posted a photo on her social media.
The image showcased a sheet of music and lyrics.
"New song is ready," she teased, "looks like I might collaborate again with a favorite artist."
At first, people simply marveled at Luann's talent.
But as they pondered, something struck them as off.
“Did anyone else notice the problem? 'Little Sun' is listed as the lyricist and composer.”
“What's wrong with Little Sun? Probably Luann's stage name for songwriting, sounds sweet!”
“Ahem, you might want to check out Nicholas’ latest hit... "Embrace the Snow", you're in for a surprise.”
Embrace the Snow
Singer: Nicholas
Album: Embrace the Snow
Lyrics: Little Sun
Composition: Little Sun
Arrangement: Little Sun
A stunned silence fell over everyone.
“So... the person who wrote the lyrics and music for Nicholas is… Luann Weaver?”
“Can't figure out why Juliet Weaver's hardcore fans are gloating, could she have covered the song without Luann's composition?”
“What's there to brag about, being such a minor player? Just look at the other side blindly promoting, it's obviously fueled by bots.”
“Heard that top-notch agent James signed Juliet Weaver, wonder if that's true or not.”
Big John: "As someone deep in the scene, I just gotta set the record straight—James was trying to sign Luann Weaver."
"Hey, look who it is, Big John's in the house! Spill the beans, man!"
Ever since the live broadcast of that race car, Luann Weaver's fans were on great terms with Big John.
Big John: "Let me paint you a picture of what went down. James was like: 'Ms. Weaver, have you considered joining us? We'll pull out all the stops to promote you, get you in a couple of shows, and you'll be an overnight sensation!' But Luann was unfazed; she flatly turned him down, stating she didn't need all that jazz because she was already a star. Oh man, you should've seen it, James' face turned livid on the spot, ha!"
“Luann Weaver just brushed him off?”
"So, guess we're not gonna see Luann hitting up Hollywood anytime soon, huh?"
"Luann's better off staying out of that circus."
In a twist of fate, Juliet Weaver's hard-earned buzz took another hit beneath Luann's shadow.
Watching these fans argue with such passion, Juliet's nails scraped against the desktop in frustration, snapping her freshly done French manicure clean off.
"Luann Weaver!"
Luann leaned on her hand, a playful smile on her lips.
"How about we go out tonight? A little celebration, just you and me."
Juliet was fuming mad, yet she pouted, her eyes misting up, tears welling.
Looking for support.
"Daddy."
Mike Weaver patted Juliet's shoulder, his face stern as he scolded Luann: "Look at you, what kind of sister are you?!"
"You know Juliet just dropped a new track last night, why did you have to release that silly post right then?!"
"Are you deliberately trying to steal Juliet's thunder?"
Luann pleaded innocence with a shrug, confusion sparkling in her eyes.
"Well now, it seems like you're trying to turn this around on me."
"If it weren't for the song I wrote, how would Juliet get a chance to sing it, let alone gain this fame?"
Juliet was left speechless by Luann's retort.
That's when her phone started to ring.
When Juliet Weaver saw the call from James, she hurriedly stood up and walked away to some distance.
"James..." she said, her voice trembling.
"Where the hell are you? I'm at your place and can't find you!"
"I'm... I'm at my parents' house right now," Juliet stammered, panic creeping into her voice.
"I want you back here in ten minutes!"
Her heart pounding, Juliet no longer dared to argue, quickly asking her father to drive her back.
As soon as she unlocked the villa door and stepped inside, someone yanked her back, causing her to fall to the floor.
"Ah! James!"
He towered over her, his face dark with fury.
"I told you to stay put! What were you thinking running off like that?"
Juliet shook uncontrollably, barely able to speak.
"I... I just wanted to share the good news with my mom and dad..."
James's grip tightened on her face as he bore into her with his piercing gaze, as if he could see right through to her thoughts.
"You think a little fame gives you the right to strut around, don't you?"
"James, I..."
"Useless!" he barked, flinging her face away from his grasp, his anger palpable.
A suffocating tension made it hard for her to breathe.
She felt so small, so utterly demeaning.
"If you hadn't flaunted yourself in front of Luann, do you think she would have reacted?" he accused.
Since the day they had stolen Luann's song and passed it off as their own, James had gotten a pretty good read on Luann. She wasn't one to fight over just anything. But provoke her, and she wouldn't let it slide.
If Juliet had just kept a low profile, stayed out of the spotlight and away from Luann, this mess might never have happened. But now, Luann had the upper hand, and to add insult to injury, was poised to strike back.
James was seething. And as far as he was concerned, it was all Juliet's fault.
"Can't you get a grip, Juliet?" he barked.
"You know you're no match for her, neither in playing music nor in singing. You finally get a taste of fame and you forget who you owe it to?"
"All of it's because of her, all of it! And here you are, acting like a fool, flaunting yourself in front of her like a clown."
"What are you thinking? Is your head filled with nothing but trash?"
Juliet Weaver bit her lower lip, her tears cascading down like pearls.
"I'm sorry, Mr. James... I didn't think it through, I just... just..."
She just wanted to show off.
She just wanted to prove to Luann Weaver that she was impressive, too.
But instead, she'd botched everything and created a mess.
"My plan was to have you lay low for a month after dropping your track, until the buzz reached its peak. Then I'd book you on a reality show to scoop up some fan love."
"But now... well."
