Chapter Thirty-Four
Zoe
“Sweetheart, you remember Ethan, right?” My father rests his hand on my lower back as he stops in front of the man in question. Like I don’t know who he is. He’s the man with the Midas touch. Every performer he takes on shoots to the top of the charts. As such, he’s one of my father’s biggest competitors and the man he wants me to cozy up to.
“Yes, I remember him.” I nod and extend my hand.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Ethan wraps my hand in his and smiles as his eyes take in my appearance. Everything from the black high heels on my feet to the silver necklace dangling between my breasts.
He shifts his attention to my father while still gripping my hand. Goosebumps pebble my arms, but not the good kind of goosebumps. These are the kind that feels like someone is walking over your grave. “You have a beautiful daughter.”
“Thank you. She’s my pride and joy.” My father’s chest puffs out. The man would take a compliment about anything and run with it.
I tug slightly, and he drops my hand with a slow stroke of my palm and slightly upturned lips. “Don’t you also have a son?”
“Yes, but he’s not following in his father’s footsteps. He’s off doing his own thing.” He squeezes my side. “But Zoe here is following in her father’s path.” He pauses for a second. “Would you have time to discuss the matter we talked about?”
Ethan’s eyes narrow. “Now is not the time or place for those types of conversations.”
My father’s fingers tighten on my side, but he doesn’t say a word.
“Don’t you agree?” Ethan continues to push the point as if he’s enjoying watching my father squirm.
“Yes.” My father nods. “Absolutely. We’ll leave you to enjoy the party. Have a good evening.” His voice drips with sarcasm.
The second we step away from him, my father growls under his breath. “The man is the most pompous, arrogant man in the industry.”
“He knows his business.”
My father stops, leaving me lurching forward and having to steady my legs to keep from stumbling. “Ethan has nothing on me. Other than he had money when he started out. I had to claw my way to the top, and don’t you forget it. Of course, he can get anyone on his label. He pays twice as much as I do.”
I frown as the couple in front of us turns and stares. My voice is low so that the other guests can’t hear me. “So, what are you working on with him?”
“I have a client he wants.”
My heart thumps in my chest. “What do you mean?”
“He wants to buy out the contract of one of my clients, and I’m trying to up the ante. If he wants the group, he’s going to have to pay.”
“And who gets the difference? The client?”
“No. That’s crazy.” He looks at me like I’ve sprouted a second head. “They’ve already signed the deal, so they get nothing more. I’ll take the difference. That’s how business works.”
“I don’t understand.” My heartbeat thunders in my ears. We’ve lost a lot of clients over the years. Many thanks to Ethan James. Were they all sacrifices for my father’s coffers?
“I’m a broker. I scour the internet in search of talent. I sign them at bottom dollar and then transition them to better deals.”
“But they don’t get the additional money.” How did I never know this? Of course, once again, my head was in the sand while everything else was going on around me.
He shrugs. “In the future, they get better deals. Once their initial term is over.”
I swipe my palms over my dress as a waitress brushes between us and another group of men who’re dressed to perfection in their Italian suits. I don’t recognize them as music executives, so they must be with another group.
One of the men stops. He has dark hair and oozes confidence and wealth. “Hello, Fletcher.”
“Damon.” My father nods at him and turns to me. “Zoe, this is Damon Macklin. I’ve known him for years.”
Damon is older than me but younger than my father. Very attractive. No ring on his finger. If Daisy wasn’t already knee-deep in a messy situation from her sister’s wedding, I’d introduce them. He takes my hand and shakes it. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
After our quick introduction, they chat for a few moments before Damon clasps my father’s shoulder. “My daughter would love that group to perform at her wedding reception in Tahoe. Let me know if that can be worked out.”
“I will.” My father nods with a slick smile on his lips.
Lake Tahoe? Macklin? Oh, my God. Is this Karissa’s father? Karissa is Zoe’s cousin. We’ve hung out together lots of times, but I’ve never met her father. “Are you Karissa’s father?”
“Yes, I am.” Damon smiles. “Do you know my daughter?”
For several minutes, we discussed his half-niece and daughter, and how I’ve known them for years.
“I’ll see you around. I’m headed to New York in the morning to meet with my new business partner.” Damon tips his chin outward as if he senses my father has no intention of working that deal. That’s probably the stupid band that he’s trying to sell to Ethan.
The second Damon disappears, my father returns his attention to me. “Sweetheart….” His eyes are fierce as they bore into mine. “This is business. If I didn’t operate this way, I wouldn’t have gotten to the top.”
“But–”
“Do not tell me how to operate my business.” His chest puffs outward as he tips his chin up, making him appear even more imposing than usual.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Drinks?” The waitress stops in front of us.
“Thank you.” I grab a glass of champagne off the black tray. Not that I feel like drinking, but I need something to get rid of the nasty taste in my mouth.
I knew my father made lots of deals with Ethan, but I thought it was to help the clients get bigger contracts. And all this time, he was stealing their money. Granted, when they went to Ethan’s company, they went higher on the charts so in the end they’d come out on top. Or as on top as they could get.
“Don’t be so naive. Business is business and not for the weak. It’s time to put that bleeding heart in the corner where it belongs if you want to make money and take over the company when I retire.” He squeezes my shoulder and smiles. “Actually, with your sweet and innocent demeanor, I’m going to start letting you take the lead. Ethan seems taken with you, and the artists we sign won’t suspect a thing.” His eyes twinkle with glee. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this already. I’m going to be able to double my profits in a year. And if I could get you married off to him, we could merge the two businesses together. Also, to my benefit.” His eyes grow distant as he studies the wall behind me. “I need to think.”
My teeth grind together as I down the champagne. The second the liquid hits my stomach, it rolls. Lord. I cough and drop the glass onto the nearest table. No more of that.
After my father disappears to schmooze and scheme against some more unsuspecting people, I wander around the party, chatting with guests and trying to figure out my next move. I’ve always wanted to be involved in the music industry, but taking advantage of people goes against everything I believe in. I don’t want any part of the shady dealings of the business world.
“Hey, Zoe.” Felix, my boss, grabs my shoulder and studies me with a concerned expression on his face. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” I frown and shake my head as my stomach continues to roll as if I’m riding on a boat in the middle of the ocean. The day with Jace comes to mind, and sadness mixes in with the underlying nausea and disappointment in my father. How can he even think that I’d willingly go along with his plans? That I’d follow in his footsteps with no questions asked.
Does–
Never mind. I straighten my shoulders. I’m not going to ask. It’s disrespectful to talk about my father with one of his employees. Likely, Felix knows how he operates because they’ve worked together for years anyway.
“I’m sorry. I was feeling nauseous for a second, but everything is fine.”
“Good.” He grins, making his ruddy complexion brighten to a more volatile shade of red.
A woman I’ve never met walks up to us and lays her arm around my boss’s waist. “Hello, Felix.” she smiles and kisses his cheek. The woman has long auburn hair and a stunning figure. The man following behind her is older, but very attractive. Perfectly trimmed graying dark hair, sun kissed skin as if he spends lots of time on a yacht out in the Caribbean, and an air of old money.
“Beatrix.” Felix’s eyes light up, and he hugs her before standing back. “You must be Hudson.”
“Yes, in the flesh.” The man shakes my boss’s hand.
Before I can remove myself from an awkward conversation, Beatrix pins Felix with a look. “You’ve got to sign Jace Graham.” She shakes her head. “The man is delicious and can sing the telephone book. Why hasn’t he been signed to the label? You know I’m willing to contribute to the fund if necessary. He was fabulous when I brought him to your attention four years ago when you said you’d sign him.” Her eyes narrow into slits. “And you failed me then.” She tweaks his cheek. “But the man is absolutely divine now. You’re a fool if you don’t sign him.”
“Thanks.” Felix’s face is tight as he steps back, putting distance between them, and looks everywhere but at the three of us. “I appreciate the intel.”
“You should.” She tweaks his cheek again as my heart hammers in my chest. Jace is putting out new music? A wave of darkness rushes over me. I’m trying everything in my power to forget about him and move on, but it’s killing me. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I’m crying at the drop of a hat.
For fucks sake, yesterday, someone said the word gazebo, and I bawled in the bathroom for fifteen minutes. Normal people don’t do that.
My heart stops in my chest. Four years ago? What in the fuck? This woman brought up signing Jace four years ago?
“Lord.” Felix rolls his eyes after she leaves us and snatches a drink off a tray as a waitress traipses by. “I get tired of her pushing that guy. Not that he isn’t good, because he is. Even before Beatrix came to me, I asked your father to sign him, but he refused.” His face is hard, as if he’s thinking back to a previous conversation between them. “Basically, he blackballed the guy for some reason.”
“What do you mean?” The whooshing in my ears makes it hard for me to hear him.
He slugs down his drink. “I mean, your dad has a hardon for this Jace character and refuses to sign him. He said he’s a loose cannon and spread a bunch of rumors about him to make sure Ethan James didn’t sign him either.”
My hands ball into fists. What he’s saying can’t be true. Bile rises in my throat as I calculate the distance between where I’m standing and the bathroom. It’s too far. I swallow. Where’s the nearest trashcan? The last thing I want to do is vomit on my red dress in front of everyone. “Are you lying?”
“What?” His head snaps backward. “Why would I lie about that? The original contract is in the file cabinet, ready for your father’s signature.” He turns on his heel as if he’s tired of the conversation and wanders off.
The lump in my throat is so large I can barely breathe. Shit. I’m not going to make it. I speedwalk, dodging people on my way to the bathroom. With each step, my stomach flips and flops.
When I get close to the bathroom, I swerve to the right, take the elevator, and ride to the top floor. I can toss my cookies in my purse if necessary. I need to know the truth this instant.
Five minutes later, I have Jace’s contract in my hand. The contract my father jabbed his pen across x-ing out Felix’s proposed offer. It was a solid offer. Okay. It was a shitty offer now that I know he lowballs people and screws them to get more money for himself. But he wouldn’t even give Jace that satisfaction.
Why? What did he have against him? It doesn’t make any sense. He’s signed guys who overdosed on a regular basis. I scan down the page and land on the date. It was the week after Jace stayed at my mom’s place for Christmas. The Christmas after I turned 18.
The weekend, we laughed and talked until all hours of the night, and my crush fueled into a full-on puppy love. Fuck. I close my eyes. It was my fault. I wouldn’t stop gushing about him at Dad’s house after that visit. I lean over the desk and vomit into the trash can.