Belinda carefully read all the papers André was handing her, serious and composed, even though all those clauses were giving her panic attacks. But she understood that it was only a professional agreement and there was no need to make a big deal out of it.
She reached the last page and, after reading it, looked at the man and said seriously, "No, I don't like it like this."
Four heads turned in surprise, waiting for an explanation.
"You want me to sign the contract?" she asked. "Then some changes have to be made."
"What are you not satisfied with?" André asked matter-of-factly. "The percentage of the proceeds? The commitments to us?"
"Oh, no! It's not about money," she chuckled, staring at both Karl and André.
"Is there anything different from what was agreed upon?" Bill asked, leaning over to take the contract.
"No, something's missing," the girl clarified with a twinkle in her eye.
Suddenly, as she was reading the contract, a crazy, fantastic idea came to her: did they want her to sign a contract, a commitment to them? Fine, then she would dictate the terms. She laughed as she watched them read the papers carefully, checking for mistakes.
She looked up at Tom, who was looking at her perplexed, but with his usual mischievous smile, and she knew she had made the right choice.
"We don't understand, Bel!" André looked a little annoyed.
"I want to appoint my own agent, André," he said slowly. "I don't want you or Karl."
The two men stared at her, mouths agape, and even Bill was taken aback.
"But... I didn't know you had one," André gasped.
"Indeed, I don't!" Belinda smiled amusedly. "But I want to appoint him today."
"But it will take time... we need to get to know him, warn him..."
"Oh, there's no need to waste time!" Belinda exclaimed ironically. "We're all here already!" and turned to look at them one by one.
The producer narrowed his gaze and looked at her thoughtfully, while the two brothers exchanged puzzled glances.
"Who do you think is your agent, Bel?" Karl asked seriously.
Belinda gloated and, rocking in her chair, enunciated the words carefully: "I'll sign those papers only if Bill is my agent and Tom, along with me, owns the copyright to that song."
A leaden silence fell in the room, as Belinda stared at four bewildered faces who wondered if she was crazy.
She burst into laughter, getting up and heading for the door: "Shut your mouths and think carefully. You won't get any signatures if I don't see those two names on those papers... In the meantime, I'm going to the bar."
She left, closing the door, surprised and delighted by her coup: she'd found a way to repay that shady manager and had decided to split the royalties between Bill and Tom so that they would each get half, thus binding them to that song inextricably.
She didn't care about money, success, or fame... she just wanted those two wonderful boys to remain connected to the song that would remind them of that wonderful summer they spent together.
Naomi was waiting in the living room and went to meet her when she saw her arrive. "Finished already?"
"No, actually, I left them arguing," and told her of her idea, making her laugh.
"So," her sister mused, "this way we'll have an excuse to keep in touch with them even if we leave!"
"I hadn't thought of that," Belinda mused. "But I think you're right."
They sat chatting calmly, waiting for a response from the men in the meeting.
About twenty minutes passed before Tom went to look for them. He looked unhappy and, bluntly, said, "I didn't like it, Bel! I really didn't expect that from you!"
"Why?" she asked, surprised. "You never wanted anything for your help!"
"I'm not talking about money!" she snorted. "You left me alone with those hyenas all this time!"
Belinda laughed, amused, and hugged him tightly.
"I told you, I won't make this trip without you. And not without Bill either," she said seriously. "You dragged me into this mess, and now we're all paying the price."
"What did they decide?" Naomi asked curiously.
"After you left, André admitted he didn't think you were that smart... Boy, was he disappointed!" She laughed, thinking back to the scene. "Bill, on the other hand, sat there quietly and finally laughed. Anyway, they had to accept. At this point, they can only approve your terms, since otherwise they'd lose out."
"Well done, little sister!" Naomi exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "These guys don't know you yet!"
Shaking her head in satisfaction, Belinda felt more relaxed: she had the feeling that recording the song would ease the uneasiness she still felt.
She reentered the room and stared resolutely at the three still seated at the table.
"Okay, Bel, we accept your terms," André admitted through gritted teeth. "Do you want to reread the new draft?"
"With pleasure!" Belinda sat down and glanced quickly at Bill, who was smiling with his head down.
She reread all the pages and, seeing that they had been corrected as she requested, signed the papers.
"You've probably noticed that your commissions are lower now that there are two other people, right?" André emphasized, staring at her and gathering the papers.
"I assume you didn't believe me when I said I wasn't interested in the money, André," he said calmly. "And you didn't understand the reasons why I wrote the song. By now, everything should be clearer to you."
She stood up and, offering him her hand, said her farewell resolutely: "It was a real pleasure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a song to record."
She stuffed the papers into her bag and, taking the two brothers' arms, headed for the door without looking back.
"You let a little girl fool you!" Karl said, laughing, as the door closed.
***
"You don't want to hire a bassist you don't know, do you?" Kristian asked perplexed, looking at Belinda across the table.
"Well, I actually didn't think about it," she snorted, pushing her hair back. "I thought we'd record the backing track and then Tom and I would just play guitar."
"But it's mechanical, not very natural," the boy retorted, looking at Tom for support.
"Oh, no." The young man shook his head, trying not to laugh. "She's the boss."
The group instead let out a laugh, considering what Belinda had gotten from the bargain with André.
"Actually, it's not like that!" the girl scolded him. "Kristian, don't get mad at me. I didn't even think about it."
"You can always think about it now," he retorted. "I thought you were my friend!"
"Oh my God, guys!" he muttered. "Of course I'm your friend. I didn't think you cared, that's all."
"I do!" Kristian retorted irritably. "It's like seeing something born from your hands and then having it taken away. After all, you were born here, with us."
"Well..." the girl admitted embarrassed.
"Let's start with the moral blackmail!" Naomi laughed. "We haven't even recorded an album yet and there's already scenes of recriminations."
"I'm not making a scene!" Kristian reiterated, standing up. "I already have my own band and I'm happy with it! I just feel a little left out, that's all. After all, Bel is ours, ugh!"
Belinda looked at him in surprise and he blushed slightly.
She hadn't really realized the affection those boys felt for her and their involvement in her life. And to think that for a month they had been pampering her like a sister, being there for her through the bad times and the good times. After all, why not?
He turned his head to Bill, sitting on the couch, who was chuckling as he watched.
"Boss!" he called, letting out a soft whistle to get his attention. "Can we afford the Scream bassist?"
Pretending to think about it, Bill admitted in a serious voice: "It depends on how much he wants."
"What kind of question!" Kristian blurted out, getting up and walking toward him. "Now we're talking about money with friends? What have you become?"
Tom burst out laughing, getting up and patting his friend on the back. "Calm down, kid! Unfortunately, the 'boss' is the one keeping the books, so…"
"I told you money gets to your head!" Naomi laughed.
"Okay, then," Bill agreed. "We'll let you participate, but you'll have a trial period, because we don't know if you're really capable of playing."
In response, Kristian picked up a pillow and threw it at him with all his strength, pinning him to the couch.
The spark had ignited, and it didn't take much to spark a battle. Belinda followed them, laughing, while the girls also armed themselves to strike.
It was beautiful to see them so happy, carefree, and friendly. Instinctively, she grabbed the phone Bill had given her and snapped a photo. The shot was beautiful, and she managed to capture them all together in a single shot, buried under the pillows, with only their heads and smiles protruding.
"Hey, Bel's still sitting!" Klaus exclaimed, raising a pillow, ready to strike.
"Oh no! Our protégé is off limits!" Tom exclaimed, raising his arms to protect her. "She's worth a lot of money now... half of which is mine!"
"But what do you do with all that money?" Naomi laughed, hitting him.
"Otherwise, how am I supposed to support a spendthrift like you?" he replied, falling backward.
The girl was taken aback for a moment, but another pillow hit from Annalisa knocked her to the floor.
Belinda gazed at that magical moment, promising herself she would never forget it.