Dayo sat in his office, buried in files as the workload piled higher. Luna's album was in the pipeline, but first they were testing the waters with a single — the one he had recorded with her. He was studying how much the release could boost him ahead of the upcoming Global Competition votes. Between calls and scheduling, he had even started booking club shows. Just when he was running out of ideas, his phone lit up.

Luron Vale.

Dayo picked up almost instantly.

"Hello."

"Dayo, how are you?" Luron's smooth voice came through.

"Haha, I'm good. Your call came at the perfect time."

"Oh, really?" Luron asked.

"Yeah. I don't know if I told you, but I'm competing in the Global Competition."

"Nope. But I did watch your performance, so I figured it out," Luron replied.

"Hehe, my brother," Dayo said, almost cringing at his own tone.

"Ehn, abeg, stop that. Don't do that thing," Luron laughed in a fake Nigerian accent. "What do you want?"

"Haha, caught you. But seriously — you wanted me to perform at your show, right?"

There was a pause. "And how are you so sure?"

"I'm a fortune teller."

"You wish."

They both laughed.

"But for real, how did you know?" Luron asked.

"You mentioned the date back when we met in Morocco."

"Ohhh, that's true. Anyway, how do you want to do it? Honestly, I don't mind giving you a spot."

"Well," Dayo said, leaning back, "you've seen the teaser for Luna's new single? I plan to use that as a push for both me and her. So if I can perform it live, it helps us both."

"Hmmm," Luron said with a teasing tone, "very thoughtful… and smart. I'm even jealous. You've got your own label and you're doing well for yourself."

"Oh, abeg, don't say that. You know my label is just small enough to carry me. If you wanted something bigger, you could have it in a week. With your net worth?"

"Haha, alright, you win this round," Luron laughed. "I'll send you the schedule. The best I can give you is two slots."

"That's all I need. I owe you one, Vale."

"You do. And good luck with the competition — I'll be rooting for you."

"It means a lot, bro. Thanks."

After the call, Dayo quickly informed Luna to let Lois know about the show. Then he went back to grinding, still searching for more opportunities to push both the album and himself because he knew it waa aborut to get hot soon.

---

Two days later…

It was time for the Global Competition to reveal the Top 30 Wildcard selections.

This time, instead of everyone crowding around his small phone, Dayo connected the livestream to the TV. His family filled the living room, buzzing with anticipation.

He already knew he'd made it, but he hadn't told them — not wanting to spoil the fun. Everyone had been doing their part, voting, sharing posts, spreading the word. He wanted them to experience the reveal as fans, not just as his family.

The countdown ended. The Global Competition logo appeared, followed by the announcement:

"Here are your Top 30 Wildcard qualifiers."

One by one, videos began to play. Then, Dayo's face appeared on screen, guitar in hand, singing Light Beyond the Horizon.

The room went silent. His mother leaned forward like she was trying to confirm it was really Dayo singing. His father froze mid-sip of Coke, and his siblings just stared wide-eyed.

By the time the final chorus hit, his sister had her hands over her mouth. His younger brother whispered, "Bro, this is next level type shit."

"Hey, Jeffrey! Language," their father barked, though he was still staring at the screen in awe.

Janet glanced at Dayo with a sly smile. "You have to teach me, bro. Otherwise, you won't marry your wife."

"Huh!?" Dayo blinked, caught off guard.

"….."

"….."

The living room that had been quiet during his performance erupted into laughter.

His mom wiped tears from her eyes. "Dayo… my son… this is bigger than I imagined."

Dayo smiled. He understood their shock — he had only performed in front of them once, and that was when he first came back home.

His dad nodded slowly, pride tucked behind a rare smile.

His sister finally burst out: "JD! You didn't even show us this before? Ahh, you're wicked!"

Dayo laughed. "Then what's the fun in that? Isn't it better this way? At least now, you've seen I qualified."

Standing up, he announced, "Since I'm in a good mood, I'm cooking everyone's favorite tonight."

The family cheered, but then all eyes turned to Abishola, Dayo's mom, the "goddess of the kitchen," for final approval.

She chuckled at their faces and waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead."

The room erupted again — Dayo's cooking was legendary in the house, and they'd only tasted it twice. The thought of having it again made everyone giddy.

But before doing that Dayo didn't forget to repost the video as by tomorrow the official voting starts.

***

Meanwhile…

Sitting in his office, Michael scrolled through his phone absentmindedly. His desk was piled with papers, but his attention was split between emails and the trending tag for the Global Competition.

His phone buzzed.

Frank.

Michael answered without hesitation.

"Michael, thank you," Frank's voice was brimming with excitement. "I saw my name on the Wildcard list. I can't lie — I was nervous, but seeing it there… thank you for pushing this through."

Michael leaned back in his chair, tone cool and steady. "It's nothing. But remember, this is just the beginning. Making the list means nothing if you don't qualify. I expect nothing less than results, Frank. I've already put resources behind you. Don't waste them."

"Yes, sir. No problem, I'll work hard for it," Frank replied quickly, almost too eagerly.

"Good, you should be nothing less than No 1" Michael said shortly before ending the call.

For a moment, he stared at the phone in his hand, thinking. Something tugged at his mind. He opened the competition's official page and began scrolling through the Wildcard performances.

Then he found it — Dayo's video.

He clicked.

The screen lit up with Dayo strumming his guitar, voice carrying a raw sincerity that cut through even Michael's hardened ears. He leaned forward unconsciously, eyes narrowing as the performance climbed higher. By the time the final chorus ended, Michael's jaw had tightened.

The video finished. Silence filled his office.

Michael exhaled slowly, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I have to get him," he muttered under his breath.

"The boy really is good Haha"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.