Page 209 of Fame & Chaos

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.” He nods wisely. “Sometimes I like to sit quietly and observe life around me. You can learn a lot about yourself through observing others.”

I stare at him blankly. “Wow. That was almost profound.”

“Thanks. Read it in a fortune cookie last night.”

I snort loudly while Chad rings the doorbell, and a second later, Dee opens the door, smiling warmly.

“Afternoon, boys. How was the drive?”

“Smelly,” I answer immediately.

Chad bursts out laughing. “Chinese food farts are elite.”

I shake my head while silently mouthing no at Dee, making her laugh harder.

“Well, come in. Everyone’s already here,” she says while stepping aside.

We head down toward the music room, and the second we walk in, Rob practically lights up.

“Oh, good, you’re finally here,” he says excitedly. “Sit down. I’ve got some news.”

Something in his voice instantly tightens my stomach.

Chad and I sit while everyone watches Rob expectantly.

“Right,” Rob says while rubbing his hands together. “I got a call literally minutes before you two arrived.”

The room goes dead silent.

And then he grins.

“I officially have confirmation that The New Era has hit platinum sales in Great Britain, the United States, Italy, Denmark, Germany, and Australia.”

What?

For a second, nobody moves. Nobody breathes. It’s like the words don’t fully register.

Rob laughs in disbelief. “Did you hear me? You all just went platinum!”

The room absolutely explodes.

Annie shoots to her feet, screaming, while I stand at the same time, my hands flying into my hair as adrenaline crashes through me so hard I nearly feel dizzy.

Holy fuck.

Holy. Actual. Fuck.

Aston grabs Annie, spinning her around while she practically bounces on the spot, screaming at the top of her lungs. Ella still looks completely frozen in shock until Chad crosses the room, sits beside her, and wraps an arm around her shoulders. She slowly looks up at him with huge watery eyes before bursting into tears.

Chad pulls her against him while she cries happily into his shoulder, and I swear I’ve never seen him look more serious or protective in my life.

Meanwhile, I’m pacing around the room with my hands on top of my head, trying to process what the fuck is happening.

We sold over a million albums in multiple countries…

In three days.