Three days later, the executive conference room felt noticeably different from the one they had occupied a few days earlier.
Back then the focus had been recording.
Now the focus was war.
Not the kind fought with contracts or lawsuits.
The kind fought with timing, attention, momentum, and public interest.
The song was finished.
The mix had been approved.
The visual assets were nearing completion.
The distribution teams had already received preliminary instructions.
Everything was ready.
Now came the difficult part.
Making sure the world received it at exactly the right moment.
A large screen occupied the front wall of the room while several charts, projections, engagement reports, and marketing schedules were displayed across it.
Alice stood near the screen with a tablet in one hand.
Unlike the recording session, this was her battlefield.
And everyone in the room knew it.
