Page 10 of All That Glitters

The laptop screen has already gone dark in front of me.

Fuck this.

Work is impossible when I worry this way about her, and despite my best efforts, I worry.

Empire has always been bubbly and carefree, wanting for nothing. Now, she’s withdrawn, and I wonder if the girl I used to know will ever return. Surely, it’s just a matter of time. She’s practically an adult.

Eighteen is a mark of growth, even if she can’t legally drink yet. She should be able to handle herself, her emotions. I curl my hand into a fist. I even offered to pay for a goddamn therapist so she’d have someone to talk to, someone who isn’t me. What more can I do at this point?

Get her medicated?

I suck on my teeth. I wouldn’t feel right shoving pills down her throat. So, if she wants to stay in her room for weeks on end—

I groan, leaning back in the chair and finally shutting the laptop lid again.

The excuses are hollow.

I am worried about the brat.

Her parents’ death hit her harder than I'd have thought for a vapid little princess. Not that there isn’t substance at the core of her, but in this field, you want to protect whatever is down there to the best of your abilities, and Empire protects it like a dragon with a hoard of treasure, even from me. I’ve worked for her mother for too many years to count. Correction—I push up from the desk with an agitated grunt—I worked for her.

Past tense.

As hard as it is to remember, that entire portion of my life is past tense, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do to bring any of it back.

Light filters in through sky high windows lining the hallway. The office is in the opposite wing of the house, far enough away from the family bedrooms for Bennet to have done his work without disturbance. The villa had two floors, the master suite above the office in its own wing, Empire on the bottom floor by herself.

Privacy for the growing girl and, more importantly, privacy for her parents.

The living room and kitchen were open in the center of the house, connected to the large dining room where Olivia used to hold parties. I claimed the bedroom across from Empire when I moved in, thinking she’d find comfort in having someone close, especially when she woke up screaming night after night. I hear everything.

I’m just checking on her. That’s all I’m doing, making sure she isn’t dead in her room, where she holed up immediately once we got home…

A morbid thought to consider, but always a possibility in this business. I’ve seen one too many managers lose clients to accidental drug overdoses and those kinds of things, even though Empire has managed to stay on the outskirts of it, whether it’s been on purpose or because Hollywood’s sweetheart has the worst luck I’ve ever seen.

I hustle down the hall with a knot forming in my chest and pause at the door with my fist lifted, ready to knock. Laughter sounds from inside the room before Empire says something too low for me to make out, and another woman answers. Whatever the response, Empire chuckles, the other female tone, rich and smoky, makes a comment about…her hair.

Leaning in closer, I press my ear against the door to listen in on the conversation. The other person sounds tinny and a little distant.

She’s got to be on the phone talking to her bestie. There’s only one person Empire calls these days. The knot in my chest loosens inch by inch.

“Please tell me you didn’t let your hair air dry today,” River is saying.

River Barlett, Instagram celebrity and closet book nerd. But in this business, you don’t let the nerd out, because brains don’t pay the bills. It’s a lesson Empire hasn’t learned yet.

“You know what happens to those weird curls around your face,” she continues. “It’s not exactly the best impression you could have made, especially since you actually did it! You went to an audition!”

River claps.

“I did let it dry,” Empire answers with a tight laugh. “I didn’t really have a lot of time to get ready! Bad enough I had to do my makeup in the car. Marcus practically threw my makeup kit at me and told me to paint it on.”

“Have you been sleeping okay?” River asks.

“What do you think?”

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say no, you’re still having trouble. Why don’t you let me hook you up with this guy I know who does medicinal supplements? He’s got to have something for sleep.”

Empire sighs loudly enough for me to hear. “No, thanks. I’ll be okay. I did pretty well today even though I didn't sleep. Everyone seemed to like me.”

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