KIRAN shot to his feet the moment he saw Shir. “Mr. Atkins… what are you doing here?”

Shir raised an eyebrow as he stepped fully into the room. “Well, I heard our agency’s future star is considering a rather enormous project. As the owner, I felt I should be the one to hear this proposal and look over the contract myself.”

Kiran’s face grew warm after hearing Shir call him the agency’s ‘future star’. He sat back down slowly, feeling too embarrassed to know how to respond.

Astrid observed as Shir Atkins took the seat across from them. The man remained as strikingly handsome as Astrid remembered. Many people considered Astrid himself to be exceptionally good looking, often calling him the most attractive celebrity in the Empire. Astrid did not really agree with that assessment. He believed that title truly belonged to Shir Atkins. There was something about the other’s features that created an almost otherworldly appearance. He looked surreal, like someone who belonged in a painting.

Astrid glanced at Kiran, who still had a blush on his cheeks as he kept sneaking looks at Shir Atkins. His friend had mentioned being a fan of Shir’s work. But watching him now, Astrid had a feeling it was more than just simple admiration.

He turned to face Shir Atkins directly and offered a polite smile. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Atkins.”

Shir looked at Astrid. It had been a year since he last saw him. In that time, Astrid Townsend’s career had skyrocketed. After seeing his performance in the music video with Miria, Shir had felt certain the other was destined for great success. He just had not expected it to happen so quickly. The only other person he could think of who had achieved a similar rapid rise was that bloody Valentine.

Well, it should not be a surprise. Talented people with the right support will always find success. It also helped that Astrid was with Polaris, a very competent agency. Not to mention, he glanced at the woman sitting next to him, the agent he had was very good. So, his success was practically a sure thing.

That’s precisely the future Shir wanted to build for the artists at his agency. The roster was still small for now. But he was confident that with their raw talent and the dedicated support he provided, they would all achieve great success in the music industry. He believed Kiran, in particular, had the potential to rise to the very top.

And that was the entire reason he had attended this meeting personally. He needed to ensure the contract Kiran was about to sign was fair and beneficial for the composer’s long-term career. Shir would not allow his artist to be taken advantage of.

“Yes, it’s good to see you again, Mr. Townsend,” Shir said with a nod. “I understand the soundtrack is for the movie you’re in, is that right?”

Astrid nodded. “Yes. There’s been a serious issue with the original composer. One track was flagged for potential copyright infringement. With the release only two weeks away, we need a new score written and recorded immediately. We came to Kiran to ask for help and thankfully, he agreed.”

Shir frowned as he listened. He appreciated Astrid’s honesty and him not trying to hide the difficult situation. But this was exactly the kind of high-risk scenario he wanted to protect Kiran from. Wasn’t this proposal putting far too much pressure and potential blame on his artist?

And why would Kiran agree to something like this? Shir knew Kiran had composed some songs for Polaris artists before. Did he and Astrid meet during that time and become friends? Kiran would not have agreed to this proposal otherwise. He was not a naïve person.

So the only explanation was their friendship. But were they truly such close friends that Kiran could not recognize how unfavorable this situation was for him?

Shir glanced at Kiran. The other man was looking at Astrid Townsend, and wait, was that a blush on his cheeks? Shir frowned. Did Kiran have feelings for Astrid? He felt a small, sharp twinge in his chest at that idea, which he immediately ignored.

But despite that he still asked, “Are you two friends?”

“Y-yes, Mr. Atkins,” Kiran answered quickly. He had forgotten their friendship was not widely known, so Shir likely did not know. “We met at Redwood and grew close. Aster helped me a great deal. I saved a lot of money early on because he always shared his lunch with me,” he added, a playful note in his voice. “But joking aside, I probably would not be where I am today without his support.”

That last statement made Shir’s frown deepen. He didn’t like the implication behind Kiran’s words. Not one bit. And what had he just called Astrid Townsend? Aster? Were they really on such familiar terms?

“No, Kiran, don’t say that,” Astrid said, speaking in a firm voice. “You are where you are today because of your own talent. You worked hard to get here. I had nothing to do with your success.”

“And that’s a fact,” Shir cut in before Kiran could argue. He knew he’d be genuinely annoyed if Kiran kept saying such stupid things. “But are you thinking about taking this job just to repay a favor to Mr. Townsend? Because if that’s your only reason, then I’m advising you right now not to take this project, Kiran.”

Kiran blinked. His heart started hammering in his chest the moment Shir said his name. The sound of it seemed to echo inside his head, and it took him a full minute to actually process what the other just said.

“No, it’s not like that, Mr. Atkins! Of course I want to help Aster because he’s my friend. But I’m also genuinely excited about this project itself. The chance to score a full length film is a huge opportunity for any composer, and it’s the kind of challenging work I’ve been hoping to do.”

Shir stared at Kiran, recognizing the sincerity in his words. He knew he should focus on that, but for some reason his mind stuck on one detail. Kiran had just called him “Mr. Atkins,” but he called Astrid Townsend by the familiar nickname “Aster.”

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