Chapter 2

EPOV

The first time Jessica had mentioned anything like this, after eavesdropping on Carlisle's plans and running back to tell me about them, I was dead set against the idea of doing anything remotely like it.

But then everything changed.

I saw her video.

~(*)~

I had been in the industry for a few years, okay, more than a few years, and I knew that I still had a few more to go before I was deemed 'too old' to be doing this anymore, not that it bothered me. I knew that as soon as I 'retired', I would move to behind the cameras, just like my father.

He was beyond skilled at how he could read people, relate to them and give them what they wanted. He was on the ball all of the time about trends, what was changing and how he could change to adapt. He was never scared about doing something new and I really admired him for that. Working in this industry, well, it wasn't easy, but he made it work. He put his heart and soul into it and I wanted to do it justice when it was my turn to step up and take the lead.

"Edward, you would have full control," Jessica piped up as I read over the terms.

Dad had come up with an idea to lure in more Internet users and although the Internet was now our major earner, interaction through live chat was dwindling and fast. There was so much free stuff out there now and if you could get it for free, why would you pay for it? He wanted to turn this around and try and coax viewers back, and in turn, bump up the profits.

I could see his point. If we had a more intimate set up with our viewers, they would come back again and again. They wanted to relate to us, be us in some cases, and if we could appeal to their wants and needs more directly, it could work.

I could see his logic, I just didn't know if I would be up for everything else that went with it.

I placed the terms on my desk and dragged my hands heavily over my face. If I agreed to this, there was no backing out. Not only was I the son of the business owner, but I had my own following, people wanted a certain image from me. If this, or I, fucked up, there was no knowing where we would all end up.

"Edward, don't over think it. It's an amazing opportunity to bring in more business, meet new people and be a part of something that hasn't happened in the industry yet," Jessica cooed soothingly as she ran her fingers over my scalp.

I prickled at her touch and it wasn't in a good way.

We had filmed several scenes together, but that was as far as our relationship went and I was beyond happy about that. I knew what game she was playing and I wouldn't let her go much further than what she had in her head. She knew full well that I would have the final say on whoever we had in the house, and she wanted me to choose her.

I was in two minds though. I wasn't totally sure that dad's plans were good in all the aspects of them, and Jessica and I got on well. Even I had to admit that we had chemistry on set while the cameras were rolling, but again, that was as far as it went. I didn't think I could actually live with her.

And that's what it all came down to.

There would be six of us living in the house for the foreseeable future and I had to make sure that we would all get on. If we didn't, the viewings would plummet and we would all be out of pocket. By one hell of a lot. And not only that, but it was also down to our reputations, if we lost those, it would be hell for us all.

"Jessica, let me re-read the terms and tell dad I'll meet him for lunch in a little while," I said as I extracted myself from her and stood up from my desk.

I picked up the papers once again and made my way out of the office towards the gym.

It was the one place that I could get worked up in or chilled out, depending on my mood.

When I got there, I found that I wasn't alone and smiled at the thought.

"Morning, Edward," Em grunted as he lifted weights in the corner. Normally he would have been a lot friendlier since we had known each other since the beginning of high school, but he was in his 'zone' in the gym and was always serious in here. He said the gym was no place for pranks and I was happy he saw it that way because he was the practical joker out of all of us.

Honestly, you couldn't go a day without him doing or saying something, and in our line of business, it was refreshing to laugh and joke about sometimes.

"Hi, Em," I said as I threw the papers on a bench next to the door and walked over to the running machine. I loved to run. The feeling of lactic acid in my muscles, the burn, how I would ache afterwards, I loved all of it. It made me feel as though I had made progress and that I had pushed my body just that little bit too far.

"Slow down, Edward, or you'll pull something," Emmett's growl broke through my thoughts as he slowed my machine down click by click.

I hadn't even realized that I had been going so hard or for so long.

"Thanks, Emmett," I gasped as he handed me over a chilled bottle of water and threw a towel over my shoulder.

Despite his ape shit ways, I loved him.

"That's when you end up injuring yourself, not paying attention to what your mind or body is doing," he said firmly as he sat down on a bench next to me.

Picking up the papers, he scanned my dad's print and then looked up to me.

"He's really planning this?" he asked, his tone showed little surprise.

It wasn't news to anyone that dad had had something in the pipeline and with Jessica having the mouth that resembled a fog horn, there were rarely any secrets around this place.

"Yep, he wants to get this going as soon as possible," I replied with a shrug.

"Are you up for it? I mean, this is a huge thing to take on, there isn't even a timescale, when have we ever worked like that?" he asked as he stood up, reading and re-reading the ink on the pages.

It was true. Everything we had done in the past was on a timescale. It was planned down to the last details, but with this, there would be nothing, and in theory, we would be winging it for most of the time.

"I've thought over the pros and cons. The pros are good, really good in fact, but if it goes tits up, it will be one huge fall, financially and with his, and our, reputations," I mused as I started to stretch.

I felt the burn in my calf muscles and that was when I was grateful for Emmett stepping in. I would be so focused throughout the day, that when it came to the gym, I would just lose myself.

Not a good thing when you had a ton of shit on your mind.

"I'd be up for it, it sounds like fun, but I'm not exactly happy with some of his points. Why on earth does he want newbies in?" he asked in exasperation.

"From what we've managed to chat about through quick calls and texts, he wants fresh faces, to bring in a new swing to things. He wants to appeal to a wider range and if we carry on the way where going, we won't be in the lead of the market anymore," I replied honestly.

I hadn't seen dad in a few weeks and I hadn't spoken to him in full about any of his plans since before he went on vacation with mom.

"I think you need to sit down and work out the finer details with him, Edward. I don't mind doing this, but I'm not doing it in a blind date sort of way. I want to know about who he's going to set me up with," he almost huffed as he handed me back the papers, picked up his towel and walked out of the gym.

That was serious Emmett.

The fun one would be back later when we sat down at the dinner table, as always.

I let out my own little huff as I showered quickly and got dressed in clean sweats and a tee.

As I walked through the house, I thought about anything else that I would like to see or not see in dad's plans and by the time I got to my own office, I had a list as long as my arm on what I wanted to add or take away.

There was no way I was comfortable with starting out with a newbie on the first day of filming.

I wasn't that cruel.

I wanted to 'gel' with the right person and saw that it was only fair to be in on the interviews. I'm sure Jasper and Emmett would agree with me.

I also thought that we would definitely have to get to know these people before anything else, because yet again, if we didn't get on, it would all go tits up, and not in the good way.

Sighing deeply, I jotted down my own ideas in pencil next to dad's plans and then headed out to meet with him and mom for lunch, hoping that we could see eye to eye on the finer details of it all.