REMUS BENNET
Things with Lexie had not gone as he had hoped, but he was relieved that they had managed to move past their little adventure.
He liked Lexie, both as a person and as a friend.
So, despite his own desires, he was happy that they had decided to put his stupidity behind them.
In a way, her decision suited him a bit better, for from what he was able to gather, the next few months were about to be very hectic for him.
he had not yet signed with a record label, but some discussions had been made, and any good deal involved an album release.
All of them expected him to quit school and focus full time on his music, and he was not averse to it.
Going to school was becoming a problem, and the classes were mostly useless to him by now.
He knew most of the content anyway, and was certain that he could pass out at any time.
“Principal Hayes has agreed to your request,” Leslie added from the kitchen, and there was no reason for him to disagree.
He would let you test out of your classes early, and with this, he would be done with his school by the end of the month.
She had taken a day off for him, for today would be the day that he would be meeting the lawyer who would negotiate on his behalf with the Record labels, and since he was still a minor, his mother would have to sign everything for him until he turned eighteen next year.
“But the man did have a condition,” she added, looking up at him.
“What’s the catch?” he questioned.
“Well, you know about the Highland fair,” and he did indeed.
It was a charity event organized by their HOA to gather funds for various NGOs and charities.
There would be rides, games, and even a few silly competitions.
“Yeah,” and he could not understand how that was connected to him.
“He wants you to perform at the fair,” and that was a surprise to him.
“Hold up… me? For real?” he confirmed, and she nodded as she finished whatever she was doing and began washing her hands.
“Yes, you,” and he did not have anything against doing such a thing, and given it was a local thing, it could be a great experience for testing out his live performance skills.
“Sure, why not?” and she smiled as she turned towards him.
“I knew you would say that, so I have already agreed for you,” she added as their doorbell rang and the lawyer was here.
“I will get it,” he answered as he rose from the sofa and walked up to the door, and after he had told Bill about his needs, the man had contacted the people at his firm.
They were quick to get to him, and they had guided him about a few things as well before asking him to buckle down for a week when a partner from their firm would come to see him.
Still, he did not expect to see Harvey Specter waiting for him at the door.
“Hi,” the man greeted him, and he was wearing a full three-piece suit and had a very confident smile to him.
“I am Harvey Specter,” the man offered him a handshake, and it took him a second to answer back.
“Hi, I am Remus. Remus Bennet,” he answered, as he shook the offered hand.
“Come in,” and by now his mother had walked up to the door.
“You must be the beautiful Leslie,” the man added charmingly, as he shook his mother’s hand.
“Yes, I am indeed. Please, come in,” and she led him to the lounge, as the man looked around their House.
“First of all, I must say that I am very grateful to both of you for what you did for Bill and Gina,” the man added, as he sat down, much to their surprise.
“You know Bill and Gina?” Remus questioned.
“Gina is an old friend of my wife,” he answered with a small smile.
“Oh, I did not know that,” Leslie added, and the man now looked him in the eye.
“Wait… so that’s why you’re here, personally?” His question caught everyone by surprise, and the man raised a brow.
“What do you mean?” Leslie asked, and unlike him, his mother did not understand what it meant to be a Managing Partner at one of New York’s biggest law firms.
“He is not an ordinary lawyer, Mom. He is a Managing Partner at one of New York’s biggest firms,” and he had asked Bill for someone good and trustworthy, not Harvey Specter himself.
Though he would be glad to have the man as his lawyer, given what he knew of him.
“Managing Partner?” Leslie asked, as she sat a bit straighter.
“You can think of him like a CEO,” and now her eyes widened a bit.
“Well, you are a sharp one, aren’t you?” Harvey teased, as his eyes narrowed.
The whole revelation took Leslie by surprise, as she whispered to him.
“Won’t he be very expensive then?” she whispered, but not so quietly that Harvey was not able to hear her words.
“I would like to ease your heart about that. I won’t be charging you, or Remus here, any money for this,” he cut in softly, taking her by surprise.
“Why not?” she asked skeptically.
“Well, I am doing this as a favor to Bill and Gina. My wife, Donna, is actually godmother to the little girl you saved. So, she would probably kill me if I took a dime from you for this,” and he did not know that, but still he felt a lot more comfortable having him fighting on his behalf.
“So, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I believe we should talk about business,” and his demeanor shifted in an instant, and the kind gentleman was replaced by a legal hunter in an instant.
“First of all, you did well by contacting us before signing anything. Your music is good. No. It is more than good, and I believe that you have the makings of a star, and I will do everything in my power to help you achieve that,” and with that, the discussions began.
Harvey questioned him about what he wanted from a record label deal, and given that multiple labels were interested in him, he held quite a bit of leverage.
His songs were doing well as well, and despite the upheaval caused by the Jonas Brothers with their single, his streaming numbers were solid, and his songs were still growing, if only a bit slower than before.
Remus’s main desire was freedom and ownership.
He did not wish to let go of his ownership of the Masters, and while that would greatly lessen the amount of money he could get as a signing bonus, he knew that it would be the more profitable thing in the long term.
Harvey explained to him everything such a deal would entail and how his life would no longer be the same, and he had realized that much already.
“You will need an agent moving forward,” Harvey added, and he knew that.
“A few people have reached out, but I did not want to rush into a decision,” and an agent or a manager could make or break one’s career.
Essentially, one could divide a manager’s role into three parts.
One was the legal aspect where they would negotiate terms for him with labels and brands, and deal with all the business side of things.
Then there was the personal assistant and talent manager who could help one organize tours, career strategy, and so forth.
“Good,” Harvey nodded.
“If you are open to it, I know someone very good,” Harvey added, leaning back slightly.
“You will be in good hands with her. I promise,” and he did not wish to have a very grand team around him.
“Can she handle everything by herself?” Remus questioned, a bit nervously, and the man in front of him smirked. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Yes, she can. She has been looking to relocate to LA for some time, and has been looking to get out of the corporate side of things for a time,” and perhaps sensing his hesitation, the man’s tone got a bit softer.
“Just meet her once. She is a whirlwind. You will like her,” and if he deemed her competent enough then, he would give her a shot.
“Sure, why not?” It was not as if he had any other people lined up.
They spoke for a bit more as he explained the whole concept of Coogan’s account to Leslie, and how they would have to go to court with any agreement they would reach.
By the end of it, she was smiling slightly as the man walked out of the door.
“Speaking of that, someone from the firm would have reached out to you,” and he nodded.
“Yes, they told me to record a few new songs on a cassette,” and Harvey nodded.
“So, do you have any new songs for me?” and he did indeed.
“I recorded four new ones,” and that caught both Leslie and Harvey by surprise.
“Four?” he asked, and Remus nodded.
“Yes,” and now he could see the wheels spinning in Harvey’s mind.
“Are they any good?” he asked in a very serious tone.
“They are,” he answered confidently.
“Then give me the cassettes, and let me handle the rest,” and Remus did not know what he intended to use them for, but he ran up the stairs and gave the man the cassettes on which he had recorded the songs.
“Thank you,” Harvey said as he buttoned up his suit again.
“It was lovely to meet you both,” he said, shaking their hands.
“I will have Amy reach out to you in a few days. Until then, don’t do anything stupid,” he offered as a goodbye greeting before he walked up to his car waiting on the road, as Leslie finally turned towards him.
“I like him,” she added, as they both saw the car drive off.
“You told me yesterday that you did not like lawyers,” and Leslie nodded.
“He seemed sincere,” she added, and that was true.
He remembered Harvey Specter as a badass, cut-throat corporate lawyer, but the man who had come to their home was very genuine and intelligent.
He had been very accommodating to them both, answering all their questions and queries while offering good advice when he did not have to do any of that.
“Honestly, this feels like overkill. He’s way too big‑time for something like this,” Remus answered.
“I will have to thank Gina and Bill for this,” Leslie added.
“Yeah, me too,” and when he had first reached out to Bill, he had not known about their connection to Donna or Harvey.
He had simply hoped to find someone sincere and good enough, but the whole affair had gone way beyond that.
“Speaking of that, you have another appointment with your therapist next week,” she added, and he groaned.
“I’m fine, Mom. Seriously, I don’t need this,” he said, though his experience with Jimmy Laird had been rather good, and the man was perhaps the best therapist he had met to date.
“You made a promise to me,” she pointed out, and his shoulders slumped.
“Moreover, I have decided that Rue should see someone there as well,” she added, and now his ears perked up.
“Why?” He already had a therapist here in New Highland that she was seeing.
“She has been seeing Patricia for years, and she has not had any breakthroughs. You mentioned that the therapist you saw was quite good, so perhaps he could talk to Rue as well,” and that was not actually a bad idea.
“I don’t think a therapist is allowed to see two members of the same family,” he guessed.
“I have already spoken to the people there, and they say that there is a woman therapist there who they think would be quite helpful for Rue,” and she had already done the work, and now she walked up to him.
“Your sister is trying to get better,” and that was true.
It was only a short period of time, but Rue was getting better.
Perhaps it was the influence of her newfound friend or simple maturity, but she was improving.
“I want to help her,” she added weakly.
“It’s easier to convince her to go to therapy if you are doing it as well,” which was why she was insistent on him seeing a therapist.
“Fine. I’ll drag her with me if that’s what it takes,” he added, and that was all.
“Good,” and with that she walked away, and as he was about to head up to his room, he remembered something else.
“Yeah, I forgot to tell you, but I will be driving up to Highland Park this weekend,” and she nodded.
“Why?” she asked.
“I’m just gonna hang with a friend, chill,” and now she looked up at him.
“I did not know that you had a friend at Highland Park,” and until a few weeks ago, he did not either.
“It’s a new friend,” he answered back.
“Sure, you can go…” and with that he rushed back upstairs.
“Love you,” he screamed back at her, as he picked up his phone and texted the secret friend in East Highland.
R: So, the plan is on.
BE: Cool.
When will you be here?
R: I will be a bit late.
Have to slog at a therapy session.
☹
BE: Therapy is good.
Helped me deal with my issues.
R: Really?
BE: Yeah!
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Harvey had missed this.
It had been some time since he had found himself sitting across a team of lawyers, trying to get the better of him.
The kid was smart, humble, and mature.
The boy had just had three of his debut singles crack the Billboard charts in a week, and yet looking into his eyes, he could tell that to the boy this was just the beginning.
He had confidence, and for good reason.
Harvey’s own father had been a musician, and so he knew the boy had talent in spades to back up that confidence.
His vocals were way mature for his age, and his songwriting ability was top-notch as well.
Apart from that, the boy had a clear vision about what kind of an artist he wanted to be, and given what the boy had done for Bill and Gina, he was going to help him in all the ways he could.
Bill and Gina had not told them about the accident, but after learning about the whole affair, he was very grateful for how things had gone.
While it was a mistake, the truth was that in legal terms Bill and Gina were the ones responsible for the whole affair.
He was certain that quite a few lawyers would have reached out to the Bennetts, and if they had decided to pursue the case, it could have gotten quite ugly.
But the Bennet’s had not done that, and both he and Donna were very grateful for that.
They were not rich, he could tell.
The mother, Leslie, was barely holding it all together, and yet despite that, they had chosen to act with grace.
Few people had such moral character in this day and age.
So, he would see them rewarded.
That was why he had spent the last hour so wrangling all the concessions he could from the lawyers in front of him.
Simply put, he had gotten the boy the best deal possible, and now it was time for them to settle the final dispute.
“Given all your conditions, we believe that one million is a sufficient amount,” and Harvey raised a brow at that.
“Don’t kid me, Charles,” and he was sitting at 2220 Colorado Ave, at the Headquarters of Interscope Records.
It was a subsidiary of Universal Media Group, the world’s largest media conglomerate.
UMG was the biggest for a reason, for they allowed their artists to have their freedom, and that was why they were a good match for the kid.
They already had deals with quite a few artists, including Billie Eilish, Eminem, and the famous Selena Gomez.
Charles Trisch, the person sitting opposite him, was an old colleague.
He had been his senior at Harvard and was the head of the legal team here at UMG.
The man had chosen to come himself.
“Come on, Harvey, you and I both know that one million is a fair number,” and Harvey shook his head.
“I don’t know such a thing at all,” Harvey argued, and the man leaned back.
“The kid is good. No doubt at all, but he only has three songs out,” and Harvey cut in quickly.
“He has three very big hit songs,” Harvey clarified.
“Still, I can’t go any higher.” That was not true at all, and Harvey knew that.
“Sony is offering me double that, and I haven’t even begun negotiating with them,” and that was a lie as well, though only the latter part.
Trisch knew that as well, and closed the folder in front of him.
“You are talking to Sony as well,” and if Universal Media Group was number one, then Sony was number two.
“Maybe,” Harvey answered.
“You are enjoying this?” Trisch noticed, and he shrugged.
“It has been some time since I have been in the trenches,” and now his old classmate’s brows came together.
“And why are you in the trenches again? Aren’t you a Managing Partner now?” the man asked, and Harvey nodded.
“I am,” and after his short stint with Mike in Seattle, he had realized that while he did like doing pro bono work, he missed the bustling life of a corporate lawyer.
He liked the high stakes it offered, and so after a two-year sabbatical, he and Donna had decided to come back to New York to resume his career as a Corporate lawyer.
His other partner, Louis Litt, had never taken his name off the wall at the firm, so it was quite easy to transition back.
With a new kid on the way, Louis had decided to take a sabbatical himself, and so Harvey had found himself in the driving seat not long after his return.
“Then what are you doing here, negotiating a contract for a debut singer?” Harvey asked.
“That should not matter to you. What should matter to you is the number Sony is willing to offer me,” and he picked up the notepad beside him, wrote the number, and slid it towards Trisch.
His old senior glanced down at the pad and raised a brow.
“You are bluffing,” he countered, but Harvey shrugged.
“Am I?” he countered, and now this was a battle of wills.
“Three then,” Trisch caved, and he could not help but laugh.
“I never asked for three,” Harvey countered, and now Trisch’s expression shifted.
“Anything more than that is simply impossible,” and now he did believe him.
“I will agree, three million is quite a fair amount for a debut singer with three hit singles,” and his words took Trisch by surprise, as Harvey took out a Walkman he had bought earlier in the day and slid towards Trisch and his colleagues.
“That is why I have brought something else?” It had been some time since he had gambled in such a way, but given the expressions on the opposite side, he had not gotten rusty at all.
Now, he placed four cassettes on the table, and instantly Trisch shifted in his seat as he realized just what this was.
“I am going to make you the same offer as I did to Sony?” Everyone on the other side was looking at him.
“You have doubts about my guy’s abilities, so let me relieve them,” and before coming here, Harvey had listened to all four songs here himself, and as he had expected, each and every one of them was as good as, if not even better than, the ones the boy had already put out.
“You can either let me offer a number worthy of my client,” and they would never let that happen.
“Or you can listen to these four songs yourselves, and know why I am the one sitting here in front of you instead of another no-name lawyer?” and now he had attached his own fame to the boy’s.
“But each of these cassettes will cost you two hundred and fifty grand,” and that was the offer.
“So, if you listen to all three, your three million becomes four at the minimum,” and now they all whispered nervously to each other as a smirk appeared on Trisch’s face.
“I knew that this was going to be an exciting negotiation,” Trisch added, and Harvey now leaned forward.
“So, gentlemen. What will it be?”
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Have a fantastic day!