Betrayed Spotlight-Chapter 43: Studio Session

Eli dropped Sarah off at the entrance of the building at exactly eleven o’clock. Sarah took a deep breath as she watched him drive away towards the parking lot, feeling nervous and excited about working with Silas.

She had spent the morning going through her old notebooks, finding lyrics she had written months ago when she was still with Diamond Sound Entertainment. The words felt different now, more meaningful after everything she had been through.

Thinking about it, she realized she had no regrets whatsoever leaving Diamond. The agency discarded whoever brought a hideous scandal that they had to spend lots of money to solve.

They deserved whatever happened to them.

When Sarah reached Zachary’s office, she could hear laughter coming from inside. She knocked gently and walked in to find Silas and Zachary sitting across from each other, looking at some papers spread out on the desk.

"Sarah!" Zachary called out, his face lighting up. "Perfect timing. Silas was just showing me some of his ideas."

Silas stood up and smiled warmly at her. "Good morning. I hope you slept well." he repeated.

"I did," Sarah lied, not wanting to mention that she had stayed awake thinking about her husband and his sister.

"I brought some lyrics I wrote a while back," Sarah said, pulling out her notebook. "I thought maybe we could work with them."

"That’s perfect," Silas said, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I have some melody ideas that might work well with any words."

Zachary clapped his hands together. "This is so exciting! Let me see what you both have."

Sarah handed over her notebook, feeling a little nervous about sharing her personal lyrics. Silas gave Zachary a folder filled with sheet music and notes.

Zachary read through Sarah’s lyrics carefully, his eyebrows rising with each line. "Sarah, these are beautiful. The emotion in these words... it’s incredible."

"Thank you," Sarah said, blushing slightly.

Silas was reading over Zachary’s shoulder, and Sarah could see his expression change as he read her words. "These lyrics are amazing, Sarah. They’re so honest and powerful."

"Now let’s see what you have, Silas," Zachary said, turning to the sheet music.

Silas had written several different melody lines, with notes about tempo and rhythm. "I was thinking we could start with something mid-tempo," he explained. "Something that builds emotion gradually."

"I love it," Zachary said, studying the music. "You know what? We should go to the studio right now. I want to hear how this sounds together."

Sarah felt her heart start beating faster. She hadn’t been in a recording studio in weeks, not since her problems with DSE began.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean, shouldn’t we practice more first?"

"The best way to know if a song works is to try it," Zachary said confidently. "Plus, I have a feeling you two are going to create something magical."

Zachary led them down the hall to a state-of-the-art recording studio. Sarah had never seen equipment this advanced before. There were multiple computer screens, mixing boards with hundreds of buttons and sliders, and professional microphones that looked like they cost more than most people’s houses.

"This is incredible," Sarah whispered, looking around in amazement.

"Zachary has one of the best studios in the city," Silas said proudly. "I’ve recorded some of my biggest hits here before."

A sound engineer named Mark was already in the studio, setting up equipment. "Good morning, everyone," he said with a friendly smile. "Ready to make some music?"

"More than ready," Zachary said. "Mark, we’re going to need a piano track first, then we’ll layer in some light percussion and strings."

Mark nodded and began working at the computer. "What key are we thinking?"

Silas hummed a few notes. "Let’s try it in C major first. We can always change it if it doesn’t feel right."

Sarah watched in fascination as Mark created a basic piano melody using the computer. The sound was rich and warm, filling the studio with beautiful music.

"Now we’ll add some soft drums," Mark explained, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "Just a gentle beat to give it rhythm."

The drums came in subtly, like a heartbeat underneath the piano. Sarah could feel the emotion of the song already starting to build.

"And some strings for depth," Mark continued, adding a layer of violins and cellos that made the melody sound fuller and more dramatic.

"That’s perfect," Silas said, his eyes closed as he listened to the music. "Sarah, what do you think?"

Sarah felt tears forming in her eyes. The music was so beautiful, so perfect for the lyrics she had written. "It’s exactly what I imagined when I wrote those words."

"Alright," Zachary said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Let’s hear it with vocals. Sarah, you ready?"

Sarah nodded, though her hands were shaking slightly. She hadn’t performed in front of people in so long, and she was nervous about whether her voice still sounded good enough.

Mark handed her a pair of professional headphones and positioned her in front of the microphone. The studio went quiet except for the soft hum of the equipment.

"Take your time," Silas said gently. "Just feel the music and let your voice follow."

Sarah closed her eyes and listened to the instrumental track playing in her headphones. She could feel the emotion of the song flowing through her, and when she opened her mouth to sing, her voice was clear and powerful.

The lyrics poured out of her, each word filled with the pain and hope she had been carrying for months. Her voice soared over the music, hitting every note with perfect precision and raw emotion.

When she reached the bridge of the song, she opened her eyes and found herself looking directly at Silas. Without thinking, she sang the most emotional line in the song while staring straight at him: "Through all the darkness, you’re the light that guides me home."

Silas’s eyes widened, and his ears turned bright red. For a moment, he looked like he was imagining that she was singing those words directly to him, not just performing a song.

When Sarah finished the song, the studio was completely silent. She looked around nervously, wondering if something had gone wrong.

Then Zachary started clapping, his face full of amazement. "Sarah, that was... that was incredible. I got goosebumps."

"Your voice," Silas said, his voice full of wonder. "Sarah, you sound even better than when we were kids. That was absolutely beautiful."

Mark was staring at the sound levels on his computer screen. "The emotion in your voice... it’s perfect. We barely need to do any editing."

Sarah felt tears running down her cheeks. "Really? It sounded okay?"

"Okay?" Silas laughed. "Sarah, that was amazing. You’re still the light of Wuhan. As expected of you.Your voice has this incredible power to make people feel everything you’re feeling."

"I remember why everyone used to call you that," Zachary said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Sarah Chen, the light of Wuhan. Your voice literally lights up the room."

Sarah wiped her tears away, feeling overwhelmed with happiness. For the first time in a while, she felt like herself again. She felt like a real singer.

"Should we try it again?" she asked. "Maybe I can do it even better."

"We can definitely do another take," Silas said, smiling widely. "But honestly, that first one was perfect. You have such natural talent."

They spent the next hour recording different versions of the song, with Sarah’s voice getting stronger and more confident with each take. Silas added his own vocal harmonies, and their voices blended together beautifully.

"This is going to be a hit," Zachary said as they finished the session. "I can feel it. This song is going to change everything for you, Sarah."

As they prepared to leave the studio, Sarah felt happier than she had in a long time. Working with Silas felt natural and easy, like they had never been apart.

"Want to grab lunch?" Silas asked as they walked toward the elevator. "I know a great place nearby."

"I’d love that," Sarah said, smiling at him.

Just as they reached the elevator, Sarah’s phone started ringing. She looked at the screen and saw Mason’s name. Her heart sank slightly. She had been having such a good time that she had completely forgotten about her problems at home.

She hesitated, not sure if she should answer. Silas was standing right next to her, and she didn’t want to have an awkward conversation with Mason in front of him.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Silas asked with a friendly smile, nodding toward her phone.

Sarah’s heart stopped. She stared at Silas, not sure how to answer. The phone kept ringing, Mason’s name flashing on the screen, and she could feel her cheeks getting hot.

"I..." she started, but no words came out.

Silas was still smiling, waiting for her answer, completely unaware of the complicated situation he had just asked about.

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