The moment Prim disappeared from sight, Drew hurried toward the bathroom.
He locked himself inside a stall and immediately took out his phone.
The call connected almost instantly.
"What happened?" his uncle asked.
"Have you gone to sign the contract already?"
"Not yet."
Drew ran a hand through his hair.
"I'll go soon."
He lowered his voice.
"Uncle, what happened with the boss?"
His uncle frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you tell him to fire Prim?"
"Didn't you make it seem like the music drafts were stolen from me?"
Drew asked impatiently.
"Of course I did."
His uncle sounded confused.
"I made sure the boss hated him."
"I told him Prim stole your music scripts."
"I even mentioned the Releam Studio."
"The boss was terrified."
"He definitely planned to deal with Prim."
"Someone like Prim won't be able to fight back."
"That company might be small, but it still has enough influence to crush a nobody."
Drew released a breath.
Then his expression darkened.
"That's the problem."
"What problem?" his uncle asked.
"Prim resigned."
The other side became silent.
"What?"
"He resigned today."
"Out of nowhere."
"He said he wanted to focus on studying because he's a scholarship student."
Drew clenched his jaw.
"When he went into the boss's office, nothing happened No security No shouting No public humiliation No accusations no Nothing."
His voice became increasingly annoyed.
"I wanted him disgraced."
"I wanted everyone to know he was a thief."
"I wanted news to spread."
"I wanted his reputation ruined so he could never write music again."
"That way nobody would ever discover the truth."
The bathroom fell silent.
After a moment, his uncle spoke.
"Maybe he got scared dumb."
Drew frowned.
"He didn't look scared."
His uncle snorted.
"You're overthinking."
"Did you forget?"
"I was the one who got him that part-time job."
"I know exactly what kind of person he is."
"He's poor."
"He's weak."
"He's so stupid that he sold high-quality music scripts for pocket change."
"A fool like that isn't worth worrying about."
His uncle continued.
"Just focus on signing the contract ,I'll handle the rest The boss already contacted that songwriter who bought the scripts to tell him prim stole the script."
"I dig through Prim's computer find all the previous drafts he sold Once we gather everything, Prim won't be able to deny anything if he brings out this script you bring it out yourself saying it is yours."
His uncle laughed.
"Don't worry Prim is finished By the time we're done, nobody will believe a word he says."
"I did his computer was completely clean."Drew gritted his teeth."There were games, random files, and other useless things, but everything related to his work was gone No drafts No customer records No conversations No proof he had ever interacted with any clients."
"The only files left belonged to other workers he had helped."
"Not a single one of his own files remained."
Drew rubbed his forehead.
"Uncle, it was too clean."
A brief silence followed.
"Hmm."
His uncle's voice became thoughtful.
"That is a little troublesome maybe he has a habit of cleaning trace no big deal."
"But give me Prim's contact information just in case."
Originally, he had planned to wait.
Wait for Prim to be destroyed.
Wait until the boy was desperate and had nowhere else to go.
Then he would appear like a savior.
But now...
Things were different.
"From what you've told me, I'll contact him myself."
His uncle chuckled.
"He's just a kid He hasn't seen much of the world A little pressure here A few sweet words there."
"Cause a bit of chaos Offer a helping hand He'll behave and from what I've seen, he's ridiculously innocent and naive he'll fall for it."
Drew nodded.
"I'll send it to you later."
"Good."
"Now focus on signing the contract."
"I will."
Drew ended the call.
Standing before the bathroom mirror, he adjusted his hair and straightened his clothes.
The reflection staring back at him looked confident and successful.
A future songwriter.
A future celebrity.
Someone destined for greater things.
"Tsk."
"Prim."
Drew sneered.
"You're not worth my time anymore."
After signing this contract, they would belong to completely different worlds.
With that thought, he left the bathroom.
Back in the office, he grabbed his phone and headed for the exit.
The moment he left, the workers immediately began gossiping.
"He's probably going to his new job interview," one girl said.
"I thought he already got accepted?" another replied.
"Same thing."
The curly-haired girl shrugged.
Then someone suddenly asked a terrifying question."Who is going to do his work?"
The office became quiet.
Everyone looked at one another.
Silence.
A man sitting nearby swallowed.
Only now did they realize something.
Since morning, Drew had barely spoken to a single client.
Meanwhile, Prim had been handling customer inquiries, editing requests, scheduling assistance, social media consultations, and half the office's workload before resigning today.
A worker hurriedly opened a customer queue.
His expression immediately changed.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"My pending requests."
Another worker checked her own screen.
Then another.
Then another.
The office instantly erupted into chaos.
"My queue doubled!"
"Why are there so many unanswered messages?!"
"Who was handling these clients?"
"It is drew"
A woman slapped her forehead.
"It was Prim had done all his work and helped with our work with some customers before how can we start helping them when prime does it "
Everyone froze.
Only now did they realize how much work the eighteen-year-old had been quietly carrying on his shoulders every single day.
And now
He was gone.
A tall, attractive woman walked toward Drew's desk.
"I'll help cover for drew."
The moment she spoke, several female employees rolled their eyes.
"Disgusting."
One girl lowered her voice.
"She's trying to win Drew's favor."
"Of course she is."
Another girl scoffed.
"Walking around in tight skirts and enough makeup to start a beauty channel."
"Every male employee practically does half her work for her."
"And now she's trying to cling to Drew."
A third girl snorted.
"As if Drew would even look at her."
"Did you see his attitude today?"
"He acts like he's already made it."
"Someone like him wouldn't glance at someone like her."
"Besides..."
She smirked.
"Everyone knows she's probably slept with the boss."
The three girls burst into laughter before returning to work.
Meanwhile, upstairs.
The boss sat heavily in his chair.
His eyes were closed.
His head throbbed.
"Damn it..."
Where was he supposed to get eight million Zens?
The company only earned around ten million Zens a year.
he pays 30 people 96 thousand zen a year each which is 8 thousand a month total 2,880,000 million zen a year money ,for new systems and equipment 160 thousand zen a month which is 1,920,000 zen a year .
drew uncle share is 1,400,000 million zen a year and taxes 2,40,000 million zen a year, and other bills he only earned 1,400,000 thousand zen which is 70 thousand CU dollar a year not a month he gives his wife 20 thousand CU dollar every year for house care and to keep for herself.
So how can he find the money to pay 8 million zen and he even promised songwriter dragon 50 thousand CU dollar to him
The more he thought about it, the paler he became.
What had he been thinking?
Greed.
Pure greed.
He had wanted Prim to shoulder the blame.
He had wanted Prim buried under debt.
He had wanted to earn five million Zens from the settlement.
He had wanted favor from Drew and the Realm Studio.
In the end...
He had dug a grave for himself.
His phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, he immediately answered.
"How are things?"The man sounded relaxed."Did you take care of it?" Drew uncle asked.
"Take care of it?"
The boss nearly exploded.
"The company is about to die!"
He quickly explained everything.
When he finished speaking
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then Drew's uncle finally spoke.
"Are you stupid?"
The words were squeezed through gritted teeth.
"What kind of contract did you make? That if workers breech contract they pay such amount"
The boss immediately exploded.
"I did it for order! For protection!"
"What if employees cross boundaries?"
"I was thinking about the company!"
"No."
Drew's uncle laughed coldly.
"You were thinking about your pocket."
The boss froze.
Then his face twisted.
"You have no right to lecture me If not for you, none of this would've happened!"
"You brought me into this!"
"You told me Prim stole the songs!"
"You told me Realm Studio was involved!"
"You told me to deal with him!"
The boss slammed the table.
"You own fifty percent of this company too!"
"If I fall, you're falling with me!"
For a moment, even Drew's uncle didn't speak.
Then his voice turned dangerous.
"Lower your voice."
The boss's breathing grew heavier.
"No!"
"I'm asking you one thing."
His voice trembled.
"Tell me the truth."
"Are you absolutely sure those songs belong to Drew?"
A pause.
Then the boss continued.
"Because Prim was too calm."
"Too calm."
"When I accused him of plagiarism, he wasn't scared."
"He wasn't nervous."
"He looked..."
The boss swallowed.
"...like he had expected it."
Silence.
Another long silence.
Then Drew's uncle laughed.
"Of course they're Drew's."
"Why wouldn't they be?"
"He was calm because he's a thief."
"Do thieves confess immediately?"
" He knew he was caught and wanted to escape quickly how can you let a 18 year old play you like this "
The boss remained silent he felt stupid he panicked cause of prim calm behavior.
Drew's uncle continued.
"Sigh."
"I already told you to deal with him."
"Instead, you dug a pit for yourself."
"And who promises someone fifty thousand CU Dollars?"
"Do you even understand how much money that is?"
"One million Zens."
"One million."
"If I help you, it'll come from my personal funds."
"I have a family to support."
The boss clenched his fists.
His face became uglier and uglier.
"You fucking bastards!"
The boss slammed his desk so hard the coffee cup rattled.
On the other end of the call, Drew's uncle's voice instantly turned cold.
"Watch your tone."
The boss froze.
"Don't take your anger out on me."
Drew's uncle scoffed.
"I can simply sell my shares, wash my hands of this mess, and leave you to deal with Drew, Realm Studio, Songwriter Dragon, and Prim by yourself."
His voice grew sharper.
"Don't push me."
"We are business partners, not drinking buddies."
"I am the reason this company even exists."
"Without my investment, my connections, and my help finding workers, you would've closed years ago."
A sneer escaped him.
"And now the moment something goes wrong, you're cursing the person who fed you."
"The dog biting the hand that feeds it."
The boss immediately turned pale.
The anger vanished.
Only panic remained.
"It was my fault."
He hurriedly apologized.
"I'm sorry."
Drew's uncle remained silent for several seconds.
Only after the boss's anxiety reached its peak did he finally speak again.
"Sigh..."
"Look, I want to help you."
His tone softened.
"You know I'm married too."
"I have children."
"My son is growing up."
"My daughter will soon be looking for work."
"There is pressure everywhere."
"I have other businesses to manage."
"And if my wife finds out I'm spending this much money, we're going to have a huge fight."
The boss lowered his head.
The more he listened, the guiltier he felt.
Drew's uncle continued.
"But..."
A deliberate pause.
"I know I'm the one who introduced you to this opportunity."
"This company belongs to both of us."
"You made a mistake."
"But I won't stand by and watch you drown."
The boss nearly felt tears in his eyes.
At a time like this...
Only his partner was willing to help.
Then Drew's uncle finally revealed his proposal.
"Here's what I can do."
"I'll buy some of your shares."
"Immediately."
"For cash."
"It will give you enough money to settle the urgent problems."
"Your family won't suffer."
"The company won't collapse."
"And after the debt is cleared, you'll still continue earning money."
The boss's eyes brightened.
"Really?
"Of course."
Drew's uncle sounded sincere.
"I'm not asking for all your shares."
"Just twenty-five percent."
The boss's smile froze.
"Twenty-five percent?"
"Yes."
"For three million five hundred thousand Zens."
Drew's uncle sighed heavily.
"That is literally every spare Zen I can gather."
"I'll even have to borrow some money from my wife."
"You know how she is."
"I'll probably have to give her a small percentage of those shares just to calm her down."
The boss fell silent.
Twenty-five percent.
That wasn't a small amount.
But before he could think too deeply, Drew's uncle spoke again.
"Of course..."
"If you don't agree, that's fine."
"I'm not forcing you."
His tone became casual.
"You can always take a loan from the bank.
"
The boss's face stiffened.
Loan?
With the company's current situation?
That would be a nightmare.
Drew's uncle continued.
"Let's calculate."
"You owe around nine million Zens in total."
"But that isn't impossible to reduce."
"Talk to Songwriter Dragon."
"Pressure him a little."
"Use Drew's name."
"Drew has already signed with Realm Studio."
"He's highly valued there."
"And don't forget."
"The studio's major partner is owned a Virtual World that is like owning a city "
The boss swallowed.
Drew's uncle sounded confident.
"Tell Songwriter Dragon that."
"He'll definitely compromise."
"You can probably reduce the compensation to six million."
"Then I'm giving you three point five million."
"That's already enough to ease the pressure."
Another pause.
Then he added softly,
"Honestly..."
"There is no obligation for me to do any of this."
"I could simply walk away."
"But I'm helping because we're partners."
"After all..."
His voice lowered.
"The person who caused all of this is Prim."
"I've already done everything I can."
The office fell silent.
The boss stared at the financial reports on his desk.
Loans due to the breech contract with songwriter dragon
Debt.
Realm Studio backing
The possibility of losing everything.
Compared to those fears...
Twenty-five percent suddenly didn't seem that expensive.
His shoulders slumped.
"I agree."
A smile appeared on Drew's uncle's face.
Exactly as expected.
"Good."
His voice remained warm.
"Tomorrow we'll sign the transfer contract."
The call ended.
The boss slowly lowered his phone.
Relief washed over him.
He believed he had just been saved.
What he didn't realize was that the moment he signed tomorrow, the biggest winner of this entire situation wouldn't be Drew.
It wouldn't be Songwriter Dragon.
And it certainly wouldn't be him.
It would be the man who had convinced him that he was being rescued while quietly buying a quarter of the company for a fraction of its true value.
Meanwhile, Prim went home.
Or more accurately, he went to his grandfather's house first.
The old man lived alone in a almost run down home not far from the good neighborhood his son stay in.
"I'm home."
Prim pushed open the door and walked inside carrying the takeaway bags.
His grandfather looked up from the television.
"You're home early."
The old man raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you supposed to be working today?"
Prim set the bags on the table.
"Hmm."
"You know how Mom is."
"If she finds out I'm working a part-time job, she's going to lose her temper."
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Besides, it's the holiday period."
"I shouldn't stay out too long."
His grandfather snorted.
"Your mother is still treating you like a ticket to proverty."
Prim grinned.
"Isn't that normal?"
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right."
"A coworker bought lunch for everyone today."
The old man's attention shifted.
"Oh?"
Prim nodded seriously.
"Very generous He used robot delivery too Eighteen delivery robots."
His grandfather nearly choked.
"Eighteen?"
"Mm."
"Ninety thousand Zens just for delivery fees."
Prim began unpacking the food containers.
"I think he spent around two hundred and seventy thousand Zens altogether."
"That's about thirteen thousand five hundred CU Dollars."
The old man stared.
"..."
Prim stared back
"..."