Kayla, Rusty, Brooke, Sean, and I all sit in the bar waiting for the band’s arrival. I knew a higher power brought Brooke and Boyd into my life a month ago. I just didn’t know for sure at the time why. After I arrived in Bangkok, I saw how torn up Rocky was over thinking that he could cost the group their record deal, so I decided to have a brief conversation with Sean to see if that could really happen.

I knew I had to read the band’s contract, but getting my hands on a copy was going to be tough. That’s when Kayla called her mom, then her mom called Cayson's mom, and before you knew it, I got a call telling me a copy of the contract would be sent to my office. Who said girl power didn’t exist? I’m a firm believer that the old adage ‘Behind every great man stands a strong woman’ is absolutely true; they’ll just never admit it.

I didn’t want to leave Rocky by himself. I knew he wanted me to stay, but if there was any way I could protect him, I had a feeling it was in that contract. Two days later, I headed home with the intention of saving my brooding rock star from himself. It wouldn’t be long before his demons pulled him back, not with the way he was internally blaming himself for everything that happened. When I sat down and started reading through the contract, I knew I was in over my head. I graduated college with a law degree, but I wasn’t the best student, which is why I decided to sell real estate instead of practicing law. I did, though, know enough to make myself dangerous, and when I saw the Key-Man clause, I knew there was hope.

The next day, I picked up the phone and contacted Boyd. The day I presented the keys to Valley Rossa, both Brooke and Boyd told me if I ever needed anything, not to hesitate to call. So, I called. Boyd was more than helpful since the label that held the contract for Razor’s Edge was a subsidiary of his biggest rival. It wasn’t long before I had an idea, one I knew was a risk, but I was willing to take that risk if it saved Rocky from any more heartache. I immediately picked up the phone and called Brooke and pitched her my idea. Brooke was quite the entrepreneur on her own. If anyone could give me direction, she could. Come to find out, Brooke was head over heels about my idea and willing to help in any way possible. Since I wanted to keep my new venture as part of our small group, I was willing to allow Brooke to have a financial stake in the startup with an agreement that once we paid back her financial contribution plus interest, she would have no legal part in the business.

Next, I had to sell Kayla on the idea. It didn’t take much to get her to agree to invest with Brooke and me, and that is how Wallace and Marshall Records was formed, better known a WNM Music. It took just over three weeks to get everything in place. Money talks, and money is one thing we were not short on. I’d made a ton of money over the years, and I’d invested it wisely. Brooke’s connections through Boyd got us the hookup. Who wouldn’t want the wife of the CEO of one of the industry’s biggest conglomerates to owe them a favor? I swear I didn’t sleep for three weeks, but when all was said and done, our company was ready to take the world by storm. We didn’t need an A&R department; we had Sean for that. Boyd set us up with an attorney who recently retired from the industry, and he ended up on our payroll. Before long, Brooke had us set up with a promotional, publicity and marketing department, ready and waiting for us to sign our client. No one knew who it would be, but they were all ready to be a part of something Brooke Cooper was a part of. After all, she carried clout in the industry.

I feel Rocky enter the room before I even see him. My heart begins to beat faster, as if it knows its counterpart is within reach. When I look up toward the entrance, five very happy men are walking toward us. It’s time to let the cat out of the bag.

“Well, you all look happy.” I direct the statement at Rocky.

“Bright eyes, Cayson was amazing. He fed those execs their balls on a platter. We’re free from our contract with them.” The smile on Rocky’s face as he finishes his sentence turns into a frown. “Shit, I was so happy that we weren’t being forced into doing something we didn’t want to that I forgot.” Rocky looks at Cayson. “Dude, we don’t have a label anymore.”

Cayson lifts Kayla out of her chair and sits down, placing her on his lap. When he looks at Rocky, a shit-eating grin shines brightly on his face. “Buddy, do you think I would do something that wouldn’t work in our favor?” he questions Rocky.

Tim, Neil, and Michael all respond in unison, “What are you hiding?”

I place a contract on the table, then look all of them in the eyes and ask, “What will it take to get Razor’s Edge to sign today?”

Rocky looks at me. “Bright eyes, what’s going on here?”

I don’t have to answer. Cayson does that for me, explaining how he already knew the end game going into the meeting. It has always been in the back of his mind to talk to the guys about starting their own label when their contract was up. After all, why not put one hundred percent of the profits into their pockets instead of the label’s?

“Have I ever led you all astray?” Cayson looks at each band member. “I’ve seen the numbers, and they’re in our favor. Sixty-two percent of the music industry is comprised of streaming music. We don’t need the label for that. Look, Kathy has done the legwork. I know what you're thinking. How could she understand the business? She doesn’t, but she has financial backers who do. I’d like to introduce you to Brooke Cooper, wife of Boyd Cooper CEO of Warner. Trust me on this, guys. Sean and I believe in this, so let’s sign the contract and make the music we want. We don’t have to give up anything. We just do it on our terms.