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Why would that change now?

I started the video. Amina rocked on the screen, a gentle motion that somehow added to the lilt of her voice. The song she was singing was clean—water and crystal and velvet in my ears. She was reaching through the phone and stroking the contours of my soul.

She became more enticing the longer she sang. Her plump lips spread apart, luring me deeper, making me imagine what else they could do. The way her chest rose as she took a new breath to sing another lyric had my mouth dry.

Then her head rose up. She looked straight at the camera.

Gray as a storm cloud.That was the color of her eyes.

The frozen, singular frame Violet had used to introduce me to this woman had been a trick. It had left me fully unprepared for this...this wave oflife.I’d expected to tell my VP that this was a waste of time. I never expected my heart to skip a beat.

Violet's whisper was free of mockery. “I was right, wasn't I?”

Carefully, I turned off the phone and handed it back. “I want her. Find out how to make that happen.” Her sly grin gave away her game. “Youalreadygot her, didn't you?”

“If you're asking if I convinced a certain hot and fresh internet star to visit us here in LA and decide if she wants to sign a contract that will change her life...” plucking the glass from my hand, she took a sip, “...then yeah, I guess I did.”

“Holy shit!” Laughing, I vaulted over the bar, grabbing her in a hug. “You wonderful woman! She's really coming? What did she say?”

Wriggling out of my grip, Violet set the glass aside. “She agreed to hear us out. She sounded very excited.”

“When does she arrive?”

“Her plane lands tomorrow afternoon.”

“Alright, and when does she leave?”How long do I have to try and convince her to work with us?

Violet chewed the side of her lip. Her posture was closed off. “I kind of bought her a one-way ticket.” I laughed in surprise. “Don't smirk so much about it. The company is bleeding dry. Amina needs to convince the world that we can produce platinum artists again, or else...”

Everything HE worked so hard for will vanish.

Gently, I grabbed her shoulder. “Violet?”

Her eyes flashed curiously. “Yes?”

I dropped my voice, making sure I was as serious as I could ever be. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. And you know that I fuckinghatework. But this company means everything to me. Iwillsave our jobs—this place—and everything my father created. This girl could launch Beats and Blast straight to the top before the year ends.”

She was staring at me like I was a damn ghost. I wondered how I looked to her. Was I as convincing as I wanted to be? “You're hoping she'll be ready in time for the SoCal Artist Awards, aren't you?”

She's too sharp. Guess that's why Dad hired her.“It's the reason you brought her to my attention, isn't it?”

Her eyes softened, but her voice was hard. “No. Myhopewas that we could build her into a star that would draw in artists to replace the ones we lost. What you're talking about... Bach, if she loses it in front of that many people, it'll ruin us faster than anything.”

“And a slow death is better?”

She had the courtesy not to comment.

In a few long steps, I found myself standing on the other side of the room. The windows that swept across the walls showed off the hazy sky. LA wasn't a young city, it was a cityforthe young. These days, I felt older than ever. Was it from late night drinks in shithole dive bars? Was it the rotation of quickly forgotten women who rolled out of my bed?

Across the way, the windows of other buildings twinkled at me. They were the closest I'd come to seeing the stars in far too long. “Maybe you’re right,” I said softly. “Throwing money and effort into a stranger could be what tears the last of this company down.”My father's legacy.“But for the first time since he died, I actually feel like we stand a chance. What else can we do except jump in with both feet first?” Inhaling through my nose, I clung to that single breath. I was dizzy when I finally let it free. Twisting, I saw that Violet’s eyes were glistening.

She whispered, “You're going to hate this, but...”

“Don't you dare say it.”

“You remind me of him. Sometimes, I mean.”

“Violet?”