บท 6: INTERNET FRENZY II

Ethan sat at the breakfast table, trying to make sense of the whirlwind his life had become. The whole family seemed in a state of shock, mirroring his own disbelief. His mom was praying under her breath, his dad absentmindedly munching on toast and eggs, and his little sister—well, she was glued to her phone, completely absorbed.

The fact that Precious was allowed to use her phone at the dining table without their mom's usual scolding was enough to show how much this moment had affected their entire family.

"Okay, everyone," Ethan's dad finally broke the silence, his voice low and steady, "I know this morning caught us all off guard, but let's calm down and figure out our next step." He turned to Precious. "And Precious, would you please put your phone down?"

She didn't even look up from her screen. "Yes, that's true. What were you even doing anyways?" their mom chimed in, finally finishing her prayer.

"I was just checking the comments online," Precious replied absently.

Ethan's sister continued, not missing a beat. "Wait, are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room? Ethan is a freaking star right now!"

"Language, young lady!" their mom shot back, her voice firm.

"Sorry," Precious muttered, "but this is just insane. His video has 11 million views already."

"11 million?" Ethan blinked in surprise. "Wasn't it just 9 a few minutes ago?"

"Yes! That's why I'm saying it's insane. This has to have broken some kind of record or something," his sister responded, her excitement impossible to miss.

"Okay, okay," his dad said, taking control of the conversation again, "I get it's all happening fast, but we need to calm down and figure out what to do next."

"Well, has Bill sent his resume yet?" Emily asked, trying to bring some structure to the situation.

"Yes, yes, he did. Super fast, I might add," Ethan replied, his head still spinning from the attention his video was getting.

"Then what are you waiting for? Open it up!" his sister urged.

"Young lady, it's breakfast. Eat first," their mom reprimanded.

"Alright, alright," their dad said, his voice warm with patience.

After breakfast, the family found themselves in the living room, seated together. "Well, open it up, boy," his father urged. Ethan hesitated for a moment before pulling out his phone. He opened his email and clicked on the attachment. His eyes widened as he scrolled through Bill's resume.

"Wow, Dad, did you know Paul's dad has this many clients?" Ethan asked, his voice full of awe.

"No, I just know he's a successful agent," his dad replied, leaning in to take a look. "How many clients does he have?"

"31, Dad. 31. And some of them are huge names," Ethan continued. "You know that guy in the telenovela Mom likes?"

"You mean the one who plays the busboy in that 'Money Doesn't Grow on Trees' show?" his sister interjected clearly knowing the show that they all call their mother's favorite show.

"Yeah, that guy. Bill represents him," Ethan said, still trying to process it all.

"Wow," was all his mom could manage.

Ethan nodded. "And there are others. Like that show where the guy starts off in his office? Bill represents him too."

"You mean the one where the coaches look super comfortable?" his mom asked, her excitement growing.

"Give me that," his sister said, snatching the phone from Ethan's hands.

"OMG, he represents Crystal!" his sister squealed, visibly excited.

"Who's that?" Ethan asked, still processing the shock.

"She's this massive influencer," his sister explained, practically vibrating with energy. "I had no idea Bill was this big!"

"Yeah, no wonder he's so rich," their dad added.

"Well, if he represents all these people, I don't see why not to sign with him," their mom said thoughtfully. "The ball's in your court, son. It's your choice."

Ethan's dad nodded. "Exactly. This is your decision."

Ethan took a deep breath. "Wait, checking through his resume, I noticed something. He doesn't represent any singers." his sister said

"Wait, really?" Ethan asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah, there's not a single singer under his belt," his sister confirmed.

"Huh," Ethan murmured, thinking it over. "Maybe he's trying to break into the music scene, and I'm just the lucky find," he speculated.

"That would explain why he's being so... pushy," his dad said with a wry smile.

"Well, what do you want to do, Ethan?" his dad asked, his voice serious but supportive. "It's your call."

Ethan paused, then looked at his mom. "I know Mr. Bill. He's a good man who helped us out when we first moved here. Plus, his wife is really lovely. I think we should at least hear him out."

Ethan's mom smiled warmly. "Okay, then. I think you should give him a chance to say his piece."

"Okay, Mom. I'm going to have a talk with him. Dad, can you join the call with me?" Ethan asked, wanting to keep his father involved.

"No problem, son. I'm always here for you," his dad replied, his voice full of warmth.

Before Ethan could say anything more, his phone—sitting in his sister's hands—started going crazy. Pings were coming in non-stop. Ethan grabbed it from her and saw a flood of notifications from Twitter and Instagram.

"What's wrong with your phone?" his dad asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Ethan replied, flustered. "Notifications started popping up, and now it's frozen."

"Uh, I think I know what's going on," his sister said, holding up her phone. "Let me show you."

"Has Ethan been hacked?" their mom asked, her voice rising with concern.

"Hacked? What? No, Mom," Ethan said, his disbelief evident. "Someone online found his handles. People are blowing it up." His sister said giving the answer to what happened to his phone.

"That's impossible. I don't even use my real name," Ethan said, still trying to wrap his mind around how this was happening.

"Well, you better believe it," his sister said, holding her phone out. "Check for yourself."

Ethan looked at the screen, and his stomach dropped. He saw the page of someone named "find all" openly exposing his social media handles—ruining all the years he'd worked to stay anonymous.

"This guy..." Ethan muttered, his jaw clenched. "He just ruined everything."

"Well, not like it wasn't going to happen eventually," Precious shrugged, still on her phone. "You wanted to be a star."

Ethan scowled, his emotions a mix of frustration and disbelief. His sister did have a point, but that didn't stop him from feeling betrayed. He now had a name to focus his anger on. "He's my mortal enemy," Ethan muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, in his brother's study in New York, Jacob Mathew, feeling proud of his discovery, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. 'What's that? Who's talking about me?' he wondered, but quickly dismissed it and went back to his food.

Ethan, now trying to calm down, picked up his dad's phone to check his Twitter. His own phone was still unresponsive, so he had to borrow his father's. "What? I'm modern," his dad had joked earlier when he handed Ethan the phone because it was surprising of him to have a twitter account.

Ethan's hands shook as he opened his Twitter account, and what he saw made his heart stop.