Chapter 7 The Score Controversy
Emily had already moved her things to the new apartment, but she wasn't staying there yet.
She knew exactly what would happen if she left now—the Johnsons would make a scene, and Grace would use it to trash her name all over again.
When her follow-up appointment came around, Emily got her dressing changed and went back to the villa. She barely made it through the front door before she heard something crash inside.
"Charles is nobody. A complete nobody. He never had any business being mentioned in the same breath as me."
"The hottest talent show on right now, and the judges actually said his songs were better than mine? Are they blind? A bunch of clueless amateurs who wouldn't know real music if it hit them."
That was David.
Emily understood immediately.
Every bit of fame David had, he owed to the songs she'd written for him.
When the family had pressured her into donating a kidney, she'd cut off all work for David on the spot. After everything fell apart, she never picked it back up.
As for Charles Green—he was just a short-video creator who'd gone viral with comedy clips. That was the only reason he'd gotten a spot on the show.
David had always looked down on influencers. He'd never taken Charles seriously for a single second.
And now he'd just been publicly crushed by someone he'd written off as beneath him. The humiliation was eating him alive.
Emily, on the other hand, was in a perfectly good mood. She pulled up the trending video and strolled leisurely into the house.
The comments were full of snark.
[David's new song is such a half-baked mess. That melody's way too familiar… did he copy it?]
[Looks like his creative well has run dry.]
[He called Charles a clout chaser once, now Charles destroys him. Cringe.]
[David's definitely seething back home.]
The floor was wrecked. David stood in the middle of the debris, his face dark as a storm.
A full-on meltdown. Pure, helpless rage.
Every servant in the room had their head down. No one dared make a sound.
Grace stood on the staircase, her voice soft and soothing. "David, don't let it get to you. You're the best in my eyes, always."
"What does your opinion matter?" David snapped, too wound up to care. "The whole internet is dragging me. This is humiliating."
Grace bit her lip and glanced at Emily, hesitating. "Emily, maybe you could…"
David went still, waiting.
Every other time he'd been in a bad mood, Emily had been the one to come to him first—asking what was wrong, coaxing him out of it, and getting straight to work on a new song.
But this time, Emily didn't react at all.
He stood there deliberately, waiting for her to say something.
What he didn't expect was for Emily to walk right past everyone without a single glance and head straight upstairs.
David stood there, floored.
"Emily, aren't you going to ask what's going on with David?" Grace called after her, keeping her voice light.
Emily heard every word. She just didn't care enough to answer. She walked into her room and closed the door.
"She actually just ignored me?" David exploded. "Who does she think she is?"
Grace lowered her eyes, her expression crumpling into something wounded. "David… maybe it's just me, but Emily's been so cold to both of us lately. Do you think she's still holding a grudge? Taking it out on you because of me?"
"Over something this small? She's really been sitting on this for a whole month?" David's expression darkened further.
"It's been a month." Grace's eyes went glassy, and the tears spilled over almost instantly. "And just a few days ago, Emily called me out in front of everyone."
That was all it took. Whatever lid David had been keeping on his temper blew clean off.
Emily thought she was so high and mighty.
"I'm going up there." David stormed toward the staircase, fury in every step.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Grace's eyes. She quietly fell into step behind him.
David hammered on the door, each knock harder than the last.
Five full minutes passed before it finally opened.
"What do you want? What's the big hurry?" Emily leaned on her crutch, mid-yawn, looking thoroughly annoyed.
David gave her a quick once-over. "It's been a month. Why isn't your injury healed yet?"
Emily rolled her eyes. "Excuse me? I fell down a flight of stairs. It was bad. How long do you think recovery actually takes?"
David wasn't interested in a detour. He cut straight to it. "Then why have you stopped writing songs for me?"
"Are you actually this dense, or are you just choosing not to see it?" Emily's tone was ice-cold. "You people tried to pressure me into giving up a kidney. Then Grace shoved me down the stairs and I ended up in the hospital with a broken bone. After everything I went through—you have the nerve to stand here and demand an explanation from me?"
"You—" David looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Emily had never spoken to him like this. Not once.
"Say that again." His face had gone pale with anger.
Emily's voice stayed even. "I said—you need to take a serious look at yourself."
Then she shut the door in his face.
David stood there in the hallway, so furious he couldn't find words.
"David, Emily's temper has gotten really out of hand lately," Grace murmured beside him, fanning the flames.
David carried his simmering rage back downstairs and walked straight into Mark coming through the front door.
"Mark." His tone was flat and cold.
"What's going on? You look terrible," Mark said, almost as an afterthought.
David started venting right away. "Did you catch that talent show? I actually lost to Charles. How does someone like that beat me?"
"Charles?" Mark thought for a moment. "He's nowhere near your level. How did that happen?"
"It's Emily's fault." David's anger flared hot again. "She refused to write for me this time, and that's why I lost. I just went up to talk to her about it and she basically bit my head off. Completely out of line."
Grace sighed at just the right moment. "I understand Emily's been through a lot and she's in pain. But if it were me—no matter how awful I felt—I'd still find a way to help David. I just wish I had her talent."
Mark glanced at her, then turned to one of the servants. "Make a pot of chicken soup. For Emily."
Grace blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "Mark—you're still looking out for her?"
"David, Emily was right." Mark looked at his brother directly. "She has a fracture. A serious one. She's supposed to be resting."
"Mark…" David faltered.
"Let her recover in peace."
Grace tucked her surprise away and smiled sweetly. "Mark, let me come with you to bring it to her."
Mark looked at her—so well-behaved, so eager—and gave a small nod. "Good girl."
