Dolce Dissonance // 'Sweet Dissonance'

Chapter 4

To: HR.DOArecords@email.co

From: ANGEL.DOArecords@email.co

Subject: Conflict of Interest

HR Team,

Attached is a formal submission of form 2A regarding the conflict of interest between client Will Solace and artist Nico di Angelo. Please advise how you would like us to proceed with this situation.

Kind Regards,

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano

Manager of ANGEL

_______________________________

Nico, against his better judgement, pulled out his own guitar the second Will left the studio. The guy had no right to call him selfish for not helping him. Sure, he knew exactly what the song needed - the removal of that god awful acoustic guitar - but he wasn't going to do Will Solace's job for him.

Especially not when he was his biggest competitor on the market at the moment.

It's not being selfish, its being situationally aware.

And yet despite all that, he sat there re-recording the guitar section on his semi-acoustic, because he knew the song needed an electric guitar. He didn't let himself make any changes to the part - except for some creative liberties adding a riff towards the end because he wasn't selfish and it was sorely needed - and when he ended the recording he barely listened to it. He just made a new composition file, replaced the acoustic audio with his own and upped the volume of the piano and the bass to balance it out.

He sent both files to Hedge, with strict instructions not to give Will Solace the electric file until he specifically requested an electric guitar. The guy needed to figure it out for himself, or he wasn't going to make it very far with DOA without getting a composer pulled in to help him.

He packed the rest of the equipment away, strapping his guitar case onto his back once more and leaving the studio. He offered Hedge a wave as he passed, purposefully ignoring the tall blonde.

As soon as he left the room he had Reyna's contact pulled up and dialling.

"I've been expecting this call for the past two hours, I'm impressed you lasted this long."

"Why the fuck was I given Solace as a client?"

Reyna didn't bother to sugar coat it, "He's a Grammy winning artist, upper management wanted the best instrumentalist. That's you, last I checked anyway."

Nico pulled at his hair as he walked through the corridor to where his own studio-office was tucked away. He'd been given it after he'd won his first Grammy, and began to write for other artists as well as himself as ANGEL. No one had really questioned why an instrumentalist would need a producer's studio setup thankfully. Though if they did, they probably just assumed his dad had given it to him. Never mind that his dad didn't seem to care that he or Hazel existed.

He pushed himself inside his office, throwing himself into the desk chair with an exhausted huff.

"What about the legality? If I reveal myself as ANGEL at some point down the line, or it leaks, wouldn't he be able to sue that I, I don't know, sabotaged his album or something if I win an award instead of him?"

"Nope, not unless he makes a complaint during the time you two are working together, explicitly stating he felt that you were sabotaging his album. Otherwise, he has no evidence to suggest there was any foul play."

Nico chewed his lip, "Okay, I want you to submit a 'conflict of interest form' to HR - they'll reject it anyway given how important Solace is to the company, and they know I'm their best option - but at least its in the system in case he does sue in the future. That way it'll fall back on dear old Father and not me."