Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 64: Grow Up, Antony
When Charles Kosonen called Antony Kosonen up to the CEO office that evening, Antony didn’t know what to expect. He’d just returned from the after-party of the Golden Sound Music Awards, the most prestigious and significant awards in the music industry in S Country.
That night, he’d taken the stage and delivered a passionate speech in front of all major industry figures after winning Producer of the Year for his work on Karl Hanski’s latest album. The album had once again made headlines and broken the internet after its release, and Karl himself took home seven other awards that same night.
As for Antony, he never cared about how many gold-plated statues he got. As long as he got to make music, and most importantly, prove to his cold-blooded father and his two entitled half-brothers that he could make a name for himself without those letters spelling Kosonen attached to his name, he’d feel content enough.
Ever since he first stepped onto KE campus, not once had Charles Kosonen spared him a talk, and now that jerk had summoned him to his office? The sun must have started rising from the west.
The office was dim when he walked in. No lights were on, save for the faint ambient glow from nearby buildings pouring through the wide curtainless windows.
At the only desk in the room sat his half-brother, an empty glass in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other, pouring that pricey ruby liquid steadily, unhurriedly into the glass. After a careful twirl and a patient pause for the wine to breathe, he lifted the glass, inhaled the aroma, then brought the rim to his lips for a modest sip. Not a single reaction crossed that ever-expressionless face.
"No glass for me?" Antony teased, smirking at the exquisite scene before him, one hand casually slipped into his pocket.
The teasing did nothing to Charles’s blank face. "You never fail to amaze me with how ignorant you are," he said dispassionately, placing the glass back on the desk.
"Which part of me being the most successful producer this label has ever had appears ignorant to you, brother?" Antony shot back coldly. "Enlighten me."
"The part where you keep indulging in your childish dreams, fantasizing you’re the greatest of all time after winning some puny awards, while none of the numbers on the reports agree with that," Charles said, opening a drawer and throwing a thick stack of papers onto the desk.
Antony eyed the papers wearily, then looked at Charles. Those silver eyes were now cold as steel, sharpened with the same contemptuous look Antony knew all too well.
The same look, in the exact same shade of silver his father had always thrown at him whenever he’d shown more musical talent than skill at planning management strategies or deciphering financial reports.
Hesitantly, Antony stepped toward the desk and picked up the stack, reading.
"I’m sure you’re acquainted with Raimo, who we signed just this year," Charles said, leaning back casually in his chair. "Though he’s only made a few albums, the revenues from those already outweigh whatever works you’ve won awards for this whole year."
Antony tossed the stack back onto the desk, tone disdained. "And? Have I not made mountains of gold for this company all these years? You get one shiny new moneymaker and suddenly everything I’ve done means nothing?"
A scornful smirk tugged at Charles’s face. "What I’m trying to teach you is that you need to be more efficient with the company’s money. Start making more albums like Raimo does, or stay stubborn and wait for my decision to relocate you to a different department."
Antony’s anger surged at once. He leaned over the desk and grabbed Charles by the collar, yanking him up so hard the wine glass toppled to the floor and shattered.
"Don’t you dare do that to me, you ungrateful jerk!" he snarled. "Don’t you have a fucking conscience? What happened to your soul? You know damn well my music is true art, and Raimo’s music is trash. Why are you doing this to me?"
"What good is art for?" Charles shot back, completely unfazed. He didn’t even try to break Antony’s grip, just smirked as he said, "If trash sells, then it’s valuable trash. The market cares about what’s valuable, not what’s meaningful."
Antony’s grip tightened, teeth clenched. "Let me ask you this, brother. Isn’t there anything in life that you actually care about? That you feel something for?"
"What are those useless things for?" Charles’s brow furrowed. "Will they pay the thousands of people employed under us? Will they hit the next financial milestone for our shareholders? Or should I go find a passion and chase it and not give a damn about anything else just like you did, brother?"
Antony’s voice rose sharply, his face taut. "At least I’m creating something meaningful for people like me out there! At least I can sleep at night without feeling like I’m wasting my life away!"
Charles let out a sharp laugh. He straightened and yanked Antony’s hand off his collar in one swift motion.
"Are you?" he sneered, calmly adjusting his tie. "The fact that you contribute nothing to Kosonen Group’s future while being a Kosonen already means you’re wasting your life away. Grow up, Antony. There are things greater than yourself, and more important than your petty personal desires."
The elevator doors slid open, cutting into Antony’s memories of that fateful conversation. He could still recall the thundering rage he’d felt storming out of Charles’s office in his chest.
Kaija had gone quiet after he admitted why he’d quit. He wasn’t sure if she fully understood what he meant, so he chose to stay silent as he walked next to her toward Room 1.
Outside, dawn was about to break. Inside, only the dry, cold air of the empty corridor filled the space between them.
"Thank you for walking me back, Instructor," she said, her eyes red and hazy with exhaustion. "See you in the morning."
"No," he said softly, "see you the next morning. We’ll have the morning session off. I’ll text the girls and let them know."
Surprise flickered across her face, but she was too tired to argue. Honestly, she was grateful. She wasn’t sure she could even move in the morning.
"Thank you. You should rest too, Instructor," she said with a bow. As she straightened, Antony stepped closer, bent toward her, and pressed his lips to her forehead.
Her entire body went still. "...Instructor?" she shuddered, heat rushing to her ears. The kiss was gentle but unhurried, his soft lips lingering for a few seconds before pulling away.
"Good night, Kaija," he whispered, his warm breath brushing her skin. It was his first time kissing a girl, even if just on the forehead, and his chest was heating up rapidly from his racing heartbeat. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
"Good... good night," she stuttered, fumbling for her key card before disappearing behind the door. If she’d stayed a second longer, she might’ve combusted on the spot.
A soft smile curved on his lips. Maybe he should do that to her more often, just to see that expression again.
Though he’d told her he was used to having coffee at night, it was a total lie. Caffeine and he had never gotten along well. His body was extremely sensitive to it.
He knew he’d be awake for the next twenty-four hours, but if that’s what it took to keep going that night and work on her track, then maybe a little lie wasn’t so bad. Now, he could still head back to his office and continue working.
With that thought in mind, he turned, only to catch the sight of cold, gleaming silver eyes staring straight at him with murderous intent from the far end of the dim corridor.
