Chapter 12: A Different Kind of Influence
"Turn it off, Brock," Carter said evenly.
"Come on, man, don't be like that!" Brock laughed nervously, keeping the camera rolling. "Our audience wants to know why Carter Hayes is sweeping floors for minimum wage! Say something to the chat!"
Carter looked past the phone screen, directly into Brock’s eyes.
"I’m not sweeping floors to be punished, Brock. I’m here because I finally learned how to build something real."
Carter gestured around the quiet, focused room—at the vintage tools, the apprentices learning trade skills, and the community clocks waiting to be repaired.
"A few months ago, I thought having expensive things made me important. I thought putting other people down made me look big. But everything I was doing was fake. None of those likes put food on anyone's table. None of those videos repaired a broken life."
Carter took a step closer, his voice clear and unwavering.
"If you want to film something, film the work these people do every day. Otherwise, put the cameras away. This place is for people who respect time."
Brock stared at Carter, completely caught off guard. The superficial arrogance was entirely gone from Carter’s face, replaced by a grounded, undeniable maturity.
Feeling the sheer weight of Carter’s sincerity, Brock slowly lowered the gimbal and hit stop.
May you like
"Let’s go, guys," Brock muttered to his crew, turning toward the exit without another word.
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