FYN Chapter 62 There are shortcuts to adulthood.
Chapter 62 There are shortcuts to adulthood.
"Marriage." Harry Finn's tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "If you really want to completely sever Evelyn's control over Judy, the fastest way is not to go to court and fight her for custody, but to make Judy an 'adult' directly."
"Marriage?" Zeke was stunned, then realized, "You mean, I'm going to marry Judy? But we're not adults."
"That's right. In California, you can apply for a marriage license if you're 16 or older and your parents consent. As long as you can find Judy's missing father and convince him to sign the consent form, you can get out of Evelyn's control without going through a complicated trial."
"Once married, Judy will be a legal adult, and Evelyn's guardianship will naturally expire, and she will no longer be able to force Judy to do anything."
Finn leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "Of course, when you apply to the court, you'd better tell the judge that Judy is pregnant. This is the most common and least refuted reason. In order to prevent the child from becoming a burden on the government welfare system, the judge will approve your application as quickly as possible."
Finn's profound remarks left Zeke speechless; he felt that America had become even more surreal...
What kind of crooked and evil practices are these?!
Also, why can 16-year-olds drive, work, and get married, but not drink alcohol? In New York, where he used to live, it was 18 when it was legal to drink, and California was even stricter, requiring 21.
"You want me to lie to the judge and say that I got a 16-year-old girl pregnant?"
"It would be better if you actually got her pregnant. This is just a means to an end, child." Harry Finn shrugged, even showing a hint of confusion. "You're dealing with a ruthless character like Evelyn, who would make her daughter undress in front of a camera. If you don't use some 'dirty' methods, how are you going to save Judy?"
"This is so common in the United States, don't tell me you haven't seen it. Countless young people do it to escape a terrible family, to make money, or for all sorts of reasons."
"When Keith Richards (Rolling Stones guitarist) was 17, he reportedly got three different girls pregnant at the same time, which is considered quite a feat in the industry. That's a skill."
"No one will see anything morally wrong with this; everyone will just think you're a responsible couple. What's a few lies if it gets the job done?"
"No." Zeke's eyes were filled with shock. "This is too horrible. I would never throw this filth on her! To let a 16-year-old girl be stigmatized as an unwed pregnant girl, even just writing it on a document, I find it disgusting."
Seeing Zeke's intense reaction, Harry Finn was somewhat surprised, then smiled helplessly and waved his hand:
"Okay, okay. Young people these days have such serious moral fastidiousness. In my day, it was just a survival tactic."
"My advice is to calm down first and not try to fight head-on. You can't beat Evelyn, and you certainly can't beat the current laws. No matter what, you still have to go find Judy's father; that's the only way to break the deadlock."
"There is no chance of success if he is willing to stand up for Judy; if he is not, all your efforts will be in vain."
Hope rekindled in Zeke's eyes: "Mr. Finn, can you help me? If you help me with this case, I can pay the lawyer's fees. I'll find a way to raise any amount of money."
Harry Finn sighed softly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Rossi, I can't take this case."
Seeing the sudden dimming in Qi Ke's eyes, he began to explain:
"I know you're disappointed, but you have to understand that for a law firm like ours, reputation and win rate are our lifeblood. The odds of winning this case are less than 10%. There's no clear legal basis, no qualified applicant, and insufficient evidence to prove Evelyn 'abused' Judy..."
Harry Finn's gaze swept over the gold-rimmed glasses and landed on the empty high-backed chair next to Zeke.
"Even Judy herself probably wouldn't have the courage to go to court and publicly confront her mother. Losing the case would not only damage the law firm's reputation but also disappoint the clients who trust me. But I'm still willing to help, kid. I can give you advice and tell you what to do next, but my law firm cannot represent you in this case."
Hearing this, Zeke finally breathed a sigh of relief and was even somewhat moved, developing a very positive impression of this old lawyer who charged exorbitant fees but had unconventional methods.
He nodded quickly, his tone sincere: "Thank you, Mr. Finn. I'm already very grateful that you're willing to help, and I completely understand your difficulties."
Finding a father for Judy wasn't urgent. After leaving Harry Finn's law firm, Zeke headed straight to the Casablanca parking lot to meet up with his agent, Tino.
The morning light was just right, and his watch had just ticked past eight. In laid-back Los Angeles, most record companies don't start work until nine or ten in the morning, but this Casablanca-based company, run by New Yorkers, was already awake.
Many of the company's core members were Neil's former subordinates. They regarded Los Angeles as a gold rush destination, but deep down they were still New Yorkers, used to starting work early to keep up with the pace of the East Coast. The executives were among the first to arrive at the company, setting an example for others.
In other words, the company is full of ambitious, hardworking people from the East Coast, and they're incredibly driven.
"Did you get things sorted out with Amanda?"
"Don't even mention it. We went to great lengths to convince her to cut her hair short so that Spiders could stand out in terms of image and differentiate themselves from other bands by taking a gender-neutral avant-garde route. She always suspected it was because she had offended you before, and that you were deliberately getting revenge on her."
"Hehe, so she shaved her head now?"
Zeke's smile grew even more smug. He had already planned it out: Amanda's new look would not only fit the androgynous style of "Sweet Dreams" but also teach this big-mouthed guy a lesson.
"She's done shaving, and she wore a hat the whole way with a long face, she looked so unwilling." Tino shook his head. "They're already waiting in the conference room, Neil's here too, just waiting for you to come and listen to the demo."
"That's good, let's go in."
The two walked side by side into the Casablanca building and quickly headed towards the conference room.
The conference room was packed with people. Neil Bogart sat at the head of the table, surrounded by several company executives. The members of the Spiders sat to the side, their faces filled with tension and anticipation. Amanda, wearing a black Yankees baseball cap, kept her head down, radiating resentment.
The speakers were playing the Spiders' recorded demo of "Sweet Dreams".
Zeke found a seat and listened quietly. To be honest, this demo was still somewhat different from the original Apocalypse. Amanda's singing was impeccable, but the main problem lay in the type of synthesizer and the timbre. Limited by the Spider Band's existing equipment, it only reproduced about 80% of the original's texture.
Even so, in an era when electronic disco was just emerging, this piece was already stunning enough.
After the demo finished playing, the conference room was silent for a few seconds before Larry spoke first: "Neil, what do you think? This is Zeke's latest work, and it's definitely a style you won't find anywhere else on the market."
"Brilliant, an absolute masterpiece!" Neil clapped his hands, his face beaming with undisguised admiration. "Zick, this song is amazing! The rhythm is perfect, and Amanda's performance is so innovative—it's even better than I expected!"
"What's wrong with your brain?" Cecil Holmes, the black executive, shook his head. "The top songwriters in the industry often say: you usually have to write forty songs before you stumble upon a killer hit. It's a craft, and even the best creators have to polish it over and over to produce a masterpiece."
"But you're amazing. Your works have been more and more amazing since you entered the industry. This song, 'Sweet Dreams,' is no worse than your debut work, 'YMCA,' and it's even more avant-garde. The music reviews will definitely be better. Moreover, you can not only write lyrics and music, but your ideas for arrangement and production are also very clear. You can handle almost everything, which is very rare in the industry."
Cecil was a tall, handsome, and well-dressed Black man with a thick, afro-like hairstyle and almost no Black accent.
He was highly respected in the industry, had a gentle personality, and never swore or spoke ill of anyone. What was even more remarkable was that in Casablanca, a company with an absurdly high tolerance for drugs, he never touched drugs, not even once, making him a rare "outlier" in the company.
Zeke had a very good impression of him and quickly said modestly, "Cecil, thank you for your praise. I still have a lot to learn."
"You deserve that compliment, Zeke." Cecil smiled, his eyes full of approval. "Honestly, of all the artists in the company who haven't released an album yet, you're at the top of my personal 'anticipation list.' I'm really looking forward to your debut."
"Actually, it's not a finished product yet in all aspects," Zike subconsciously touched the tip of his nose. "Mainly because our equipment is limited, the tone and texture are still a bit lacking."
"That's easy to solve," Neil waved his hand. "You know Giorgio Morodel, right?"
"Of course I know. He's Donna Summer's producer and one of the top disco masters."
At this point, Zeke's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a little uneasy. Although Joyce wasn't at the company, she must have spies inside. Did Neil also want to give this song to Donna?
He quickly explained, "Neil, I planned this song to have a unisex style, targeting the mainstream market. Look at Amanda, I've already designed their looks to match the song's style. This song's vibe isn't suitable for Donna, who mainly focuses on a sexy image and dance floor style, is it?"