Page 83 of Honest With You

Stephen curses behind me and before he can reach over to get me, I'm rising from her bed.

I turn and walk out of her room, ignoring the unyielding stare from Stephen and the tear-stained one from Reese.

I bypass the waiting room, not bothering to tell my parents I'm leaving.

I head straight to my car.

The sonogram I had tucked into my song book, along with the polaroid of Ava, haunts me from the passenger seat.

They're both gone.

I lost them.

I lose it.

Six years later.

Head high. Shoulders back.

Don’t trip.

Don’t let them see you sweat.

I repeat the mantra over and over in my head until I can catch my breath again. Even after all these years of therapy and breathing exercises, sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me.

But not today.

I wave a hand to my security, making the gesture for Ben and Mina to grab a bite to eat. I wave my phone at them, indicating I’ll call them when I need them.

Entering with an entourage has never been my style but it has become necessary since I stepped into my new role and started attending high-profile events. Luckily, I found a personal security service that was vetted by dad’s security company. It’s run by former federal agents.

The glass doors leading into the penthouse floor of theTorres Entertainment Groupoffice building swish open and I’m hit with both nostalgia and regret.

It’s been five years since I first stepped foot in our flagship and two years since I’ve assumed the role of COO for my family’s entertainment empire.

I did a short stint at our London offices as acting CEO there, but then Dad had a health scare. Now I’m back and hoping to convince the media mogul to lessen the load and let me handle things, like he has been training me to do.

Like I was born to do.

I wave hi to a few familiar faces, including one of the newest pop stars in the UK right now, Mickayla Sandoval, better known as Mimi to her fans. I was the one who actively recruited her after she placed fifth in a televised singing competition. I’ve been a fan of those kinds of shows for as long as I can remember, and I know all too well how much success they can bring to someone. So when I saw her audition, I knew she was the one to watch, no matter the final rankings. Thanks to the power of social media and a kick ass marketing strategy, she left the competition with a bigger platform than any of the other competitors combined, and a number one single to boot. Now, she’s working on her second studio single, one we are hoping will propel her into the US music charts.

She’s sitting in one of our conference rooms that is specifically for our more popular musical artists. It takes up a couple hundred square feet, encased in soundproof glass windows equipped with a keyboard, a few guitars, including a bass and an electronic drum kit for production meetings. She blows me a kiss but doesn’t say any more, knowing she has a meeting with the producer later today. She’s playing around with a guitar and I stop short when I notice who she’s with. It’s one of our in-house musicians, who is also her boyfriend. I’m not too fond of him. He is definitely not supposed to be here. I suspect they have a song they want to propose for the album and I brace myself for all possible scenarios. I make a mental note to drop in during her contract signing with her manager.

With the exception of the CEOs and COOs, the offices in the penthouse floor are open concept, encased in glass walls with the option of a partition for more intimate meetings with high profile clients.

As soon as I pass the conference rooms and I’m greeted by the receptionists, executive staff members rush to me on the way to my dad’s office. Most congratulate me on my recent takeover, with a few who are obviously putting on a front. I get it. I was faced with a lot more skepticism in our London offices. Some people even blatantly accused me of being a product of nepotism. Which… is understandable. I’m young and barely graduated college but I earned my time and place here.

I shadowed my father through various sets and music studios around the world. I did grunt work, learned the ropes and was pretty much his EA for years, before he let me control a deal on my own. Breaking ground in London was my test, and with two successful productions on the West End, three multiplatinum albums, a dozen client acquisitions and a major motion picture blockbuster under my belt, I think I passed.

Now, I’m here hoping I can do the same. Or at least convince my dad so he can take a damn break. Stephen is supposed to meet me here later for reinforcement. He’s been busy outside of the office these days for reasons he has not told me yet, but I have my suspicions and so does Reese.

Speaking of Reese, I pull out my phone and check it for messages. She’s due back from shooting her latest campaign soon. Much to dad’s chagrin, as soon as she entered high school, she declared she wanted to be a model. She got homeschooled, very much like I was senior year, and went to pursue it full time. Now, she’s one of the highest paid models under the newly formed modeling wing ofTEG. As soon as Dad realized it wasn’t just an Instagram thing and Reese was truly serious about it, he built a team specifically catered to Reese, down to the only photographer he trusted with her personal brand deals.

Ever since the incident, Dad has gone above and beyond to make up for the time he lost with us. It’s been great for the most part, but while I was in London, he ended up working himself nearly to death.

Stephen: Running late, be there in 30.

I sigh inwardly, keeping my professional mask in place as I dip my head in greeting and excuse myself from the throng of staff currently vying for a meeting with me. I really need to look into hiring an Executive Assistant like Dad has suggested so many times.

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