Michael was tracing a phantom payment through three shell companies when the number stopped him cold.
Fourteen. That was the chart position Nia Rain's single had hit on the Hot R&B Songs chart. He'd glanced at the Billboard update automatically, the way he glanced at everything — a reflex, not a focus. Nia Rain. The name meant nothing. Meridian's new signee, completely unknown, zero prior releases.
But she'd climbed to #4.
Michael's fingers stopped moving over the keyboard. He stared at the number and felt something in his chest tighten, the way a guitar string tightens before it snaps.
Nia Rain. Marco Velez — #3 on Dance/Electronic. Lena Cho — #41 Hot 100. Kei Matsuda — some experimental track that didn't even chart traditionally but had Rotterdam calling.
Four debut artists. Four different labels. Four simultaneous breakouts in a single month.
