Eddie Jay wasn’t just a musician; he was a phenomenon. A child prodigy turned country-pop shapeshifter, he had the voice of a repentant angel and the soul of a patent attorney. His songs were clinically designed to top the charts—every bridge a calculated tear, every chorus a hands-in-the-air epiphany. He also had a secret: he didn’t write them. He collected them.
Three months ago, Kaylee had been a rising star. Her raw, unpolished anthem “Broken Compass” had gone viral. It was about her father, a truck driver who’d taught her to navigate by the stars. It was real. Then Eddie Jay released his version. Same melody. Same chord progression. Different title: “Anywhere With You.” It became the song of the summer. Kaylee’s version was scrubbed from the internet by a flurry of copyright claims she couldn’t afford to fight. Her label dropped her. Her producer stopped returning her calls. Her father, ashamed of the legal battle, stopped talking to her altogether. kaylee lang vs eddie jay
Then it was Kaylee’s turn. She pulled out her Mustang, the one with the dent from when her father dropped it during a blizzard. She didn’t have a new song. She didn’t have a plan. She just started playing the first three chords of “Broken Compass”—the real version, not the radio edit. But halfway through the first verse, she stopped. Eddie Jay wasn’t just a musician; he was a phenomenon
Kaylee’s heart hammered. It was a trap. It was also the only door left open. He also had a secret: he didn’t write them
“No,” she said. “That’s his song now. I need something else.”
“A deal’s a deal,” he muttered without turning around. “My lawyer will call yours. If you have one.”
“Now it’s the world’s story,” Eddie replied, finishing his drink. “But I’ll make you a deal. One song. One stage. Right now. No audience except the bartender. You play me your best, and I’ll play you mine. If you win—whatever that means to you—I’ll publicly credit you for ‘Anywhere With You.’ I’ll even pay you retroactive royalties. If I win… you sign over the rest of your catalog. All of it. For good.”