-Timeskip-
[General POV]
"♫♪ Tsamina mina, eh eh! Waka waka, eh eh! Tsamina mina zangalewa! This time for Africa ♫♪"
Edward visited various places across South Africa for his world tour, including Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg.
During the FIFA World Cup, he cheered for Spain, even predicting their victory, as there was a trend of making predictions at that time.
The octopus Paul became famous during FIFA 2010 for accurately predicting the outcomes of several matches. Edward joined in the fun and playfully claimed he had a higher success rate than the octopus.
Edward felt bad for Paul considering a lot of people across the world were sharing octopus recipes, holding their resentment at the octopus. A lot of superstitious people out there, thinking that an octopus could actually influence the outcome of a match.
For the final match, Edward planned to go to the stadium and invited his friends to join him. However, he was soon disappointed to find out that his friends couldn't travel out of the country for the World Cup since they were minors.
Instead, Maggie, Amy, Vanessa, Taylor, Selena, Ashley Tisdale, Max, and Caroline got the tickets, joining Edward and his father in the VIP section of the stadium. Just a few days prior, Edward had met with the President of the country to discuss network installation, allowing him to secure all the tickets for free.
"They could've done this earlier. I wasted a lot of money buying tickets myself," Edward grumbled.
However, it wasn't for nothing. Staff members with outstanding performances during the world tour were rewarded with those tickets. Forty tickets were distributed to the company back in LA, including first-class tickets, five-star hotel accommodations, and even a couple of days off for them to enjoy a vacation in South Africa—security included.
After the World Cup concluded with the Spain team's victory, Edward accepted an invitation from the football team manager and met with the Spain National Team before they flew back home.
"Why don't we see the field one last time?" Sergio Ramos suggested.
Edward was elated; his inner fanboy came alive. Living in Europe, these guys in front of him were legends.
"Have you played football?" Gerard Piqué asked politely. Although they were veteran players, they realized that the person standing in front of them had a higher status—not because of his skills, but because of his wealth!
Their manager had informed them that Edward had expressed several times in his Instagram Live that he was interested in acquiring a football team for himself. Even if he couldn't do that, Edward's wealth made it possible for him to become a team sponsor. The players were reminded by their managers to be polite to Edward.
Currently, Edward revealed that he had around $20 billion in personal wealth, showing the world only the tip of the iceberg.
"I played rugby before, but I'm a really fast learner," Edward replied to Piqué.
Edward trained briefly with David Villa and Andrés Iniesta, astonishing them with his quick reflexes and highly developed skills. And with his friendly attitude, the players quickly opened up to him. The image of a rich entitled kid was gone, replacing it with a capable, athletic kid who loved football.
[Golden Skill—Seishiro Nagi (Bluelock)—Football]
"With your skill… I think you could try out for our club," Iniesta said, bewilderment in his tone.
Edward wiped his sweat and said, "I'm not going to. I'm too busy. Besides, my best friend will cry if I abandon American football."
A paparazzo managed to capture a picture of Edward and the team playing football together. It was a photo of Edward pulling his shirt up and wiping his face with the hem of his jersey. The picture garnered a lot of attention, especially from his female fans.
"His body! Wha— I can't even— Is he photoshopped?" Lily, the fan club president, had another nosebleed and fainted at the sight of the picture.
Edward toured as many countries in Africa as possible, including South Africa, Tanzania, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Egypt, Namibia, Kenya, Botswana, Mozambique, Uganda, Ghana, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Seychelles, and Madagascar.
Although there were political instabilities and a lack of infrastructure in many of the countries, Edward still went there to perform, even if he could only support a crowd of hundreds.
Many of the countries turned over a new leaf after Edward met with their presidents. Even the international agents lurking in the governments were confused by the sudden changes, but they never connected it to Edward, as the changes began to appear a few months later.
In Africa, no personalized songs were created in the countries' languages, mostly due to Edward's hectic schedule, which made learning a new language almost impossible.
After the World Cup, Edward went to San Francisco for the League of Legends World Championship. Millions of fans around the world gathered to see who would win the $1 million cash prize for first place.
The event started with Edward singing the song "Rise," and Vanessa finally unveiling her song, "Legends Never Die." It was held in the Moscone Center after some upgrades by the entertainment staff. The stage was moved to the center, and an esports Jumbotron made of LED screens was installed above the stage. Four screens ensured that everyone in the hall could see what was happening on stage.
– San Francisco–
Vanessa wore a stylish blue-ish purple short skirt dress as she sang in front of the crowd of 10,000. Dorning a twin-tail hairstyle, her hair bounced around as she performed.
"♫♪ Legends never die♫♪" Vanessa crooned, her voice melodious. After getting a Spartan training by Edward, Vanessa found her skills had grown leaps and bounds.
"♫♪ When the world is calling you… Can you hear them screaming out your name? ♫♪"
Her charisma took over the stage immediately. The 10,000 fans– mostly men, started to fall for her.
"♫♪ Legends never die… They become a part of you ♫♪"
While she was singing, Vanessa had a mischievous idea and walked right to Edward who was standing beside her. Edward was shocked as Vanessa pulled his tie and lead him to the center to sing with her.
"♫♪ Every time you bleed for reaching greatness! Relentless you survive! ♫♪"
The beat dropped and the entire crowd became excited. Edward sang without missing a beat, "♫♪ They never lose hope when everything's cold
And the fighting's near ♫♪"
Vanessa nodded in satisfaction, locking her eyes on Edward as she continued the verse, " ♫♪ It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke When the fire is fierce. Oh, pick yourself up, 'cause–♫♪"
Both of them sang together in harmony.
"♫♪ Legends never die♫♪
♫♪ When the world is calling you (the world is calling you)
Can you hear them screaming out your name? ♫♪
♫♪ Legends never die
They become a part of you (they become a part of you) ♫♪
♫♪ Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Legends never die ♫♪"
Olivia Munn, the official emcee for the event, was agape as she watched the performance. "This isn't planned, right?"
'I'm going to scold her seriously after this.' Edward thought angrily albeit keeping a performer's poker face on stage.
Vanessa continued alone as Edward slowly moved away from the spotlight, "♫♪ They're written down in eternity! But you'll never see the price it costs! The scars collected all of their lives ♫♪"
At the beginning, Vanessa was at a loss to find the emotions relating to the song. She thought it was just a stupid game song.
However, the more she listened, the image in her mind became clearer. The hard work she put in behind the stage, the excruciating dance practice, every hour she put in.
"♫♪ When everything's lost, they pick up their hearts! And avenge defeat ♫♪"
"Is she crying?" Taylor was stupefied when she noticed Vanessa's eyes. She came there for fun with Selena, and didn't expect to see the scene in front of her.
"♫♪ Before it all starts, they suffer through harm! Just to touch a dream ♫♪"
Vanessa was deeply emotional that it impacted the audience too. Edward noticed the audience reaction and was elated. To sway an audience's feeling with her voice, it meant that Vanessa's skills were growing again.
"Finally! She reached the Red Quality!" Edward mumbled in excitement.
♫♪ Oh, pick yourself up, 'cause! Legends never die ♫♪!!" Vanessa bent slightly as she reached for the sky. The heart of the players inside the hall beats quicker.
"No one would ever imagine an E-sport championship will be like this! 88 million people are watching the show live on Netflix!" Sun-Hee muttered excitedly, jumping giddily which made the other staff members flustered. She was in charge of everything so they didn't want her to fall down, or worse, get tired early.
"♫♪ When the world is calling you (when the world is calling you)
Can you hear them screaming out your name?
Legends never die
They become a part of you (they become a part of you)
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Legends never die
When the world is calling out your name♫♪"
Vanessa turned to the players and sang, "♫♪ Begging you to fight ♫♪"
"I think I'm in love." One of the younger players said with a dazed expression.
"♫♪ Pick yourself up once more! Pick yourself up, 'causeee Legends never die ♫♪"
The music ended early as the emcee walked onto the stage to announce the start of the World Championship.
Vanessa and Edward left the stage while the crowd cheered enthusiastically for the League of Legends players. Eight teams, only one champion.
As Edward went to his waiting room, Vanessa entered the room behind him.
"Edward! That went really well!" she said cheerfully, her face beaming like a puppy expecting praise. However, as she met Edward's irritated expression, she inched closer to him, meekly adjusted his tie, and said, "Hmm~ I guess I should've discussed it with you before I pulled you in, huh?"
"And?" Edward raised an eyebrow.
Vanessa chuckled slightly and said, "I could've botched the opening performance. Sorry! I won't do that again."
"As long as you're reflecting on it," Edward smirked. He untied his tie, and while hanging it up, he asked, "What happened with your audition yesterday?"
Vanessa flinched, her mood souring. "Don't talk about yesterday. I don't want to relive that moment."
"Is it that bad?" Edward looked at her with concern. "If you're actually bad, then I'm going to be worried about our zombie movie."
"That will be fine! It has you in it!" Vanessa replied cheekily. "But it's not a question of whether I'm bad or not."
"Ah, so he's the problem," Edward figured out after noticing her discomfort when recalling the memories. He placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll deal with it. I have to make sure people know not to mess with my people."
Although Edward's voice was crystal clear, Vanessa heard something different, with a flowery background emanating from him as she looked at him with dazed eyes.
Delusion—Edward: "I have to make sure people know not to mess with my girl."
The next day, the director of the upcoming film surrendered himself to the police, his cheeks sunken with horror. He confessed everything he had done, wanting protection from someone he could not name.
Literally, he could not say the person's name. Every time he wanted to, his tongue would lock up, and he would be out of breath.
"Where are you going next?" Vanessa asked.
"It's summer, so I'm going to Coachella. But during my time in the Philippines, I promised the fans there a song. So I'm going to keep my promise. Next is the recording studio."
Vanessa's eyes lit up before she slumped her shoulders in realization. "If I had learned Filipino before, I could've helped you."
"You know what? This is a pretty fun challenge even if it will take some time." Edward smiled sincerely, which made Vanessa's heart skip a beat again.
Edward stayed until the end of the event and handed out the trophy to the winners. It was a historic moment in esports, where they finally reached the world stage. Almost all media companies were covering the event, which was a great opportunity to market the game.
"I feel pretty bad. They just started, but they are going to fall off when Mythic Quest is finished," Ian Grimm commented. SunHee perked up and stomped toward Ian to give him a piece of her mind.
As the two studio heads argued, Edward had a conversation with Olivia Munn.
"Here, your payment." He handed her a collection of beauty products tailor-made for her. Olivia smiled gratefully and accepted the bag with an excited expression.
"I was prepared to go through a lot to get these. I'm even considering seducing you to make it happen."
Edward chuckled and said, "Luckily, it didn't have to come to that."
"I would still do it if you want me to," Olivia flirted with Edward, insinuating heavily. Batting her eyes at him, she inched closer and ran her finger along his shoulder. "Maybe we can talk about your next film in my room?"
Edward stared disdainfully at her and said, "Stop trying to seduce me to get a movie part."
"Well, can't blame a girl for trying," Olivia shrugged the matter off casually. She already knew he would reject her; she was only doing it for fun.
"But I do need an Asian American actor for Vanessa's next project—"
"I'LL DO IT!" Olivia exclaimed, agreeing to the role immediately.
Edward pretended to be distraught. "But you always try something. I don't know if us working together is a good idea."
"I'll join the church and be a nun! I can even wear that chastity underwear for the entire filming process," Olivia negotiated, half-joking. Her contract with G4 ended in December 2010, so she was looking for new opportunities.
Usually, her agents would take care of it, but she wanted to work with Edward after hearing great things about him from the film studio staff. In Tinseltown, everyone knew everyone, and words traveled fast.
There was also a line of actresses who wanted to work with him to gain recognition and benefits.
Afterward, Edward hung out with Vanessa, Taylor, and Selena in a hotel room to get some rest before flying back to California.
Taylor asked, "You're going to start building your house now, right?" as she poured a glass of orange juice for herself.
Edward sighed, throwing his head back over the couch. "Finally. I had to wait six months just to get all the paperwork sorted."
Vanessa walked behind the couch and began massaging Edward's shoulders. "Hmm~ You know, I really miss the villa by the sea."
"The one that got blown up?" Selena asked incredulously, her gaze judging Vanessa for acting like a kiss-ass.
"Yeah, there was a calming factor in that house. I really loved waking up to the ocean," Vanessa replied.
Edward sighed and said, "This one won't have any ocean sounds. Maybe crickets, since it's going to be up a hill."
Taylor suddenly said, "I have a lot of money. I want to build a house too."
"Not right now. It doesn't suit your style. After you completely transition from country to pop star, then you can do it. We want to keep your self-made label, after all, even though you've made a hell of a lot of money after leaving your finances with me."
Selena raised an eyebrow and asked, bewildered, "Really? How much did she make?"
"Do—does it even matter?" Taylor immediately shut her down. Edward smirked at Taylor, making her flinch. "Shut up! Tell her, and I'll kill you."
"I don't negotiate with terrorists. She made around $200 to $300 million. It's in that range," Edward exposed Taylor playfully.
Taylor's face fell flat, and she looked at Edward with disdain. "That's not even close—wait, that was four months ago. Is it—Is it really?" Her expression changed as she considered the possibility he was telling the truth.
"Pepper made a whole lot more," Edward laughed in satisfaction at seeing Taylor's reaction. Vanessa hit Edward's shoulder with her fists in a playful manner and asked, "What about me? What about mine?"
"You start a lot less than her, so—" Edward turned and whispered to Vanessa, shocking her when she heard the numbers.
Taylor suddenly accused Edward, "The only reason I can think of how you can pull this kind of growth is that you fixed the charts, right? You bribed the company for information, didn't you?"
"I'm not telling you my secret," Edward jeered.
Selena, who had been listening intently to the conversation, clenched her fist and suddenly had a determined look in her eyes. She walked toward Edward and sat on his lap, shocking everyone in the room.
"Hey, I have a preposition for you," Selena whispered seductively. Taylor fumed, "Bitch, get off him."
Intrigued, Edward said, "I'll hear it first."
Selena gritted her teeth and said, "How about, we dated for a while? Not for real, but just… on the surface."
She needed a breakthrough to get to the mainstream. Although Wizards of Waverly Place was popular, her popularity was focused on the Disney audiences. She wanted more, and dating Edward would help with that.
Edward nodded in understanding and interrupted her, "You were talking about what you're going to get from this, but how does it benefit me? I'm getting nothing from this, just attacks from Taylor and mine's obsessive shippers."
"Even though we're friends, I'll have to draw the line here." Edward said decisively.
"You're not… my people after all." He continued, which shook Selena to her core.
After forcing her to move, Edward stood up and prepared to leave the hotel room. Taylor felt bad for Selena, but she also thought that she had crossed the line there for suggesting that.
Vanessa looked at Selena pitifully before deciding to follow Edward, leaving the room in a hurry.
[Vanessa's commentary]
"I wanted to ask him something similar, but thankfully I didn't get the chance. I… don't think he wants to date anyone right now, so I'm keeping my mouth shut. If I shoot my shot and ruin my relationship with him… I'm afraid of what will happen to me."
She quickly waved her hand, "No! Not like, 'he's going to hurt me' kinda context. But like, my mind. I'm not prepared. Let me be delusional a little while longer. Just until this crush… goes away."
[Commentary ends]
As Edward opened the door, Selena suddenly said, "What if, I became one of your people?"
Edward thought about it and asked, "When will you renew your contract with Disney?"
"I still have one season of Wizards left. Then, it's renewal period. I can get a clean break from them and join your company agency." Selena said decisively.
"Hmm…" Edward thought about it while Selena waited for his decision anxiously. Edward tried to remember Selena's past work, but none come to mind except maybe the Spring Breakers movie and voicing Mavis in Hotel Transylvania.
'I didn't watch Only Murders in the Building, so I have no idea about her capabilities.'
"Hell, it's not like I'm going to lose anything with it. Alright, we'll do it after your contract is over."
"Dating?" Vanessa breathed heavily, her eyes shook anxiously.
Edward looked at Vanessa disdainfully and said, "Agency signing."
"Oh, right– right." Vanessa stammered, a happy smile escaped her lips for a second.
Time passed by, and it's almost 2011. Entertain has had tremendous growth for the year.
"Let's release another album for 2011." Edward said to Pepper after reading the company's revenue.