"He absolutely destroys them." Bill's words echoed through the room, and for a split second, everything seemed to freeze. The silence that followed was palpable, with each person in the room unsure of how to react. And then, as if on cue, an eruption of laughter filled the space. It wasn't just the light chuckles of a few people—it was an all-out, uproarious outburst, as if Bill had just cracked the funniest joke anyone had ever heard. Even Raymond, the usually stoic figure in the corner, was laughing, shaking his head with a wide grin on his face.
The sound of laughter reverberated off the walls, mocking Bill's statement. To them, the idea that Ethan could somehow surpass the legendary figures Bill had mentioned earlier seemed laughable. Sure, Ethan had been making waves recently, and his name had been buzzing in the industry. But to place him in the same category as icons like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Tiger Woods, and LeBron James? It was simply absurd. The laughter grew louder, the mocking undertone unmistakable, and Bill's bold declaration became the subject of ridicule.
Lisa, who had been quietly observing the scene, felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. She had worked with Bill long enough to know when things weren't quite right. The laughter wasn't just lighthearted; it had a clear edge to it. The way they laughed showed a complete lack of respect for Bill's statement—and by extension, for Ethan. Lisa turned her head to the side, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, but her attention kept returning to Bill. To her surprise, he wasn't angry. Not even a flicker of irritation appeared on his face. Instead, Bill stood there with a smile on his lips, his demeanor unchanged.
The contrast between Bill's calm, collected attitude and the mockery around him was jarring. He wasn't flustered, not one bit. It was almost as if the laughter didn't faze him at all. This only added to Lisa's confusion—she couldn't understand why Bill wasn't reacting more strongly to the situation. But just as she was about to process it further, she noticed something more unexpected. Derrick Langston, the Chief Marketing Officer from Coca-Cola, was not laughing along with his team. In fact, his expression was the complete opposite of everyone else's. His face had scrunched up, his brows furrowed, and his lips formed a deep frown as he processed Bill's statement.
Derrick, unlike the others, wasn't taking the situation lightly. He knew that Bill had just made a bold claim, one that, in his eyes, seemed to undermine the very foundation of the deal they were negotiating. The rest of his team was caught up in the humor of it all, but Derrick was seeing things differently. The way Bill had confidently said that Ethan could "destroy" the legends of the industry—he could tell that Bill wasn't joking. Bill genuinely believed it. And that realization made Derrick uneasy. He wasn't about to let things spiral out of control.
With a quick, sharp gesture, Derrick raised his hand, signaling for his team to quiet down. The laughter died down, but there was still a faint sense of unease in the room. Derrick cleared his throat and addressed everyone, trying to maintain control of the situation. "Okay, guys, okay, that's enough," he said firmly, his voice carrying a note of authority that commanded attention. His tone wasn't angry but controlled, attempting to regain the focus of the meeting. As his team grew quiet, Derrick turned his attention to Bill, now fully aware of the tension in the air. "Mr. Miller," he began, his voice taking on a more diplomatic tone, "I deeply apologize for my colleagues."
Bill looked at Derrick, his face still unreadable, but his gaze was sharp. Derrick continued, giving his team a pointed look, signaling them to settle down before addressing Bill once more. "Don't mind them," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "They shouldn't have reacted like that. It's just that your joke—well, it was very funny." Derrick let out a forced chuckle, hoping to smooth over the uncomfortable moment.
But Bill wasn't having it. He tilted his head slightly, his face an impassive mask, and with a perfectly innocent expression, he responded, "What joke?" His tone was so sincere that it caught everyone off guard. He continued, "I'm a little lost here, because I don't remember cracking any joke." Bill even glanced over at Lisa, who was standing nearby, a silent witness to the exchange, and asked with exaggerated curiosity, "Did you hear me crack a joke, Lisa?"
Lisa, unsure of how to react, simply shook her head, not willing to play into the absurdity of the situation.
Bill, seeing her response, turned back to Derrick and the others. "Exactly," he said, voice smooth but tinged with subtle mockery. "See, it wasn't just me. I didn't crack any jokes, which makes me wonder why your colleagues were laughing so hard. What joke did I miss?" His question was directed back at Derrick, his eyes narrowing just slightly, daring Derrick to explain the situation.
Derrick, who had been trying to navigate this delicate moment with humor, now found himself fumbling for words. His frown deepened, and for a brief moment, his composure cracked. But he quickly regained his professional facade, forcing a smile onto his face. "Oooh, come on, Bill," Derrick said, though his tone carried a hint of irritation. "Can I call you Bill?" he added, his voice more strained than before. "I mean, I know Ethan. We all do." Derrick gestured to his team, who nodded in agreement. "Yes, we all know he's a talented kid, but to compare him with those legends... let's all just calm down a bit now," he said, trying to play the situation down and get back on track.
Bill, however, was not backing down. "Oh, I'm not comparing him to them," he said, as if the idea was absurd. His words sent a ripple of relief through Derrick's team, who smiled, thinking they had cleared the tension. "Oh, Bill, you scared me there for a second," one of them said, chuckling. "Maybe we misheard you," another added, laughing lightly.
Bill nodded, playing along with the act. "Yes, yes, maybe you all did," he agreed, allowing them to laugh with him. "Ethan hasn't reached their level of fame, not yet," he continued, his voice light. "At least not yet." Derrick, sensing a brief moment of understanding, smiled again and nodded in agreement.
"But at that stage in his career, compared to theirs, it's not comparable," Bill continued, his voice growing firmer again, the smile slipping from his face. "Ethan Jones absolutely destroys them," he stated, his tone unwavering.
The room fell silent once more. This time, it wasn't the laughter that filled the air—it was an uncomfortable stillness. Derrick's smile faded, his eyes narrowing as he processed Bill's bold words. The tension in the room was palpable, and Derrick, who had been so confident just moments ago, now found himself at a loss for words. He knew that Bill was really serious. The statement had been made with absolute conviction. And as the silence stretched on, it was clear that Bill was far from done.
To shut Bill down quickly, Derrick's voice rang out, his tone now more formal, "Mr. Miller." The shift in his address wasn't lost on anyone—it was clear that this was no longer a casual conversation. Derrick's words carried the weight of seriousness now, his patience running thin. He continued, "Even that is blasphemy. Ethan is great, no doubt about it, but to compare him to those legends... "
Before he could finish his sentence, Bill cut him off completely, and it wasn't just a casual interruption—it was a calculated move that silenced the room in an instant.
"167.9 million," Bill's voice sliced through the tension like a knife. The room fell into an even heavier silence, the weight of the number hanging in the air. Derrick's eyes narrowed as Bill continued, "167.9 million followers across all platforms. As of right now, Ethan has more followers than 80% of the people in this industry."
There was no mockery in Bill's tone, no laughter, no playful back-and-forth. His words were crisp, precise, and deadly serious. He wasn't finished.
He let the numbers linger in the air, the room still, the intensity palpable. "Three songs that have reached Billboard's number one," Bill went on, his eyes never leaving Derrick's. "Seventeen songs that have entered the Top 100 at one point he was top 10 . His album? The fastest-growing album in history, nearing 3 billion streams. And on Spotify alone? Thirty-three million-plus monthly listeners since 2021. Out of Top 10 most viewed and streamed songs since 2021—six of them are his. out of Top five—four of them are all his. "
Bill's voice never faltered. He was methodically building his case, each fact an undeniable truth, each figure a testament to Ethan's astronomical rise in the music industry. He paused for effect, letting the magnitude of his words sink in.
"Seven-time Grammy nominee on one album," he continued, his tone firm but almost reverent. "He's even the current number one on the Billboard charts with his duet with Taylor Swift. His album—still in the top five, was first for weeks after its release, charted at number one on the Billboard Top 200. His tour? An average of 60,000 people per show, sold out within days."
Each achievement was a punch to the gut for anyone still doubting Ethan's place in the industry. Derrick, now visibly taken aback, opened his mouth to speak, but Bill wasn't done yet. He wasn't even close to being done.
"These are just some of the things Ethan has accomplished in just over one year in the largest and most prolific entertainment industry in the world," Bill added, his voice becoming more forceful, the weight of his words pressing down on everyone in the room.
The silence was deafening now, every person in that room caught in the gravity of Bill's statement. The impact of what he had just laid out was undeniable. There was no room left for doubt. Ethan Jones wasn't just another rising star—he was already a force to be reckoned with, and Bill was putting it all on display.
He took a step forward, his posture unwavering, his eyes locked on Derrick, who now seemed increasingly unsure of himself. "Bearing all that in mind," Bill said slowly, each word heavy with authority, "I say again, at that point in their careers—Ethan Jones absolutely swallows all of them."
He let that hang in the air for a moment, watching the tension in the room tighten even further, before finishing with a calm yet firm assertion: "So you can see why I demand a deal that reflects that."
Bill's gaze swept the room as he stood, his presence commanding. "So, I say once again," he said, his voice lowering but carrying a weight of finality, "no to your deal."
Then, with a fluid motion, he spread his arms wide, as if inviting the entire room into his bold vision. "Now, gentlemen," he said, his voice steady and unwavering, "are you ready to bet on the future? Are you ready to bet on Ethan Jones?"
The challenge was undeniable. Bill wasn't just making a statement—he was offering an ultimatum. And as the room stood in stunned silence, everyone knew that this wasn't just a negotiation anymore.