Page 13 of Perfectly Wrong

“I think so. I have some new songs I’m planning to show the producers soon. Just need to finish one I started earlier today.”

“Can I see the lyrics? Or maybe you can play them for me?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. They’re still rough. I need a more professional opinion first.”

I rolled my eyes, and Sam chuckled. I wasn’t going to push him. If he wasn’t ready to share, that was fine. I was just happy he was writing again and that we’d have something to work with soon.

It was our fourth meeting in three days. The band’s team’s demands were starting to get on my nerves. I understood they deserved to be heard, given their popularity, but this was getting out of hand. Did they think we were amateurs who couldn’t handle a group of up-and-coming singers? We’ve been doing this for decades.

My phone buzzed in the middle of the meeting, and I glanced at it.

Call me as soon as you can! SM

Before I left, Sam had asked for my number. I tried to avoid giving it to him, but the guy was persistent. In my opinion, what we had wasn’t serious enough to be sharing personal information like phone numbers or email addresses. I was already sharing my bed—what more did he want?

One of our lawyers shot me a look. Another request for changes to the contract had just come in, and the Japanese representatives were waiting for my response. I wanted to tell them all to go to hell and walk out of that room, especially now that they were demanding their own marketing specialist work with our team, essentially replacing my colleagues. That really rubbed me the wrong way.

“Gentlemen, I have to say I’m a bit offended by your request,” I said, keeping my tone professional. “With all due respect, your marketing team isn’t familiar with our target audience. How could they create a marketing plan based on what they know of the Japanese market in Canada? I understand your concerns, and we will keep you informed of all our projects. That’s the best I can promise from our marketing team.”

Murmurs went around the table. From our side, there was unanimous approval. Who did they think they were, trying to dictate how we did our job? We were already offering far more than the band was truly worth. On their side, there were raised voices, but I didn’t care.

“You know, she’s right,” Rento, their marketing manager, finally said. “We could take the lead on this, but it would take us months to research the Canadian audience. Elena’s team already knows them well, which will save us a lot of time. And she’ll be kind enough to share everything with us. We’ve worked together before, and you can trust in her team’s excellence and professionalism.”

That was unexpected. I almost thanked Rento, but I just nodded, hoping everyone else would agree. And they did.

We wrapped up the meeting, and I stepped out of the room, immediately pulling out my phone to call the number that had texted me.

“Hey, how are you?” Sam answered almost instantly, his voice bright with excitement. “How are the negotiations going?”

“They’re driving me crazy,” I replied, still annoyed, as I ducked into the nearest restroom for some privacy.

“I’m sorry to hear that. But I have some news, and I hope it’ll cheer you up.”

“Really? Let’s hear it, Martin. You went to the studio, recorded an entire album, and now we can finally get to work, right?”

I must have sounded too eager because Sam laughed nervously. “Not quite, but we’re getting there, I promise. Before I tell you the big news, I have a question for you. Do you got plans tonight?”

That was an odd question coming from someone who was many time zones away.

“Yes. I’m going to put on my pyjamas and sleep like a baby, hoping not to dream about managers and Japanese bands. Why?”

“I was thinking of, I don’t know, flying to Japan to spend the rest of the week with you.”

I laughed. “Sure, right.” But he didn’t say anything. “Wait, are you serious?”

“Yes!” Sam sounded anxious. “I’m about to get on the plane.”

I sat down on the toilet lid in shock. “You can’t come! You’re famous here; people will start questioning why you’re in Japan! What am I supposed to tell Icon Records? That I’ve taken up a side gig as a tour guide in Tokyo?”

He sighed. “We’ll figure it out once I’m there. Just text me your hotel and room number so I can find you. And Lena?”

“What?” I felt a headache coming on.

“Try not to fall asleep. It’s just a few hours, and I have a surprise for you.”

Then he hung up. I left the restroom feeling a mix of tension, shock, and confusion. But after a moment of thinking, I realized he had to be joking. There was no way Sam would fly seventeen hours just to see me. Even though I was more than worth the trip, he had to be bluffing, and I had nothing to worry about. Deciding to play along, I texted him:

Keito Plaza Hotel, room 321! Xx

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