Page 14 of American Royalty

Henry cleared his throat and nodded across the table to the black woman Dani had noticed upon entering the room. “I’m going to let Barbara address this.”

Barbara? Really?

Dani turned her chair and caught the resigned annoyance on Barbara’s face before the executive covered it with a practiced mask of professionalism.

Been there, experienced that, sis.

Barbara folded her hands on the table. “We’re concerned about your latest altercation with Samantha Banks.”

Dani stiffened, the heat of frustration burning away her earlier apprehension. She’d worked hard, paid her dues, and established a good reputation in the business. Before two years ago she’d had no idea who Samantha Banks was. Now, it seemed they were joined at the tit.

She mentally reached out for patience. “I didn’t have an altercation with Samantha Banks.”

“The video all over the media says otherwise.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Has anyone bothered to really look at that video? Y’all can tell it’s doctored, right?”

Barbara glanced quickly at Henry before responding. “Personally, I can understand why you were driven to say what you did. But your feud with her has gained traction.”

Dani wanted to slide her freshly manicured nails into her silk press and pull the straightened strands out. “I’mnotin a feud with her.”

“The public believes you are.”

“The public is wrong! Connecting my name with hers is insane. Before this incident, I’d never even met her. And my response had nothing to do with some bogus promise to appear on her track. She assaulted my bodyguard and pretty much called me a whore. I’ve never said anything negative about her online. I haven’t even acknowledged her existence. And yet we’re in a feud?”

“It’s really semantics at this point,” Henry said.

Heat swamped Dani’s body. Sweat gathered beneath her arms and slid down the valley between her breasts. She wished she could shrug out of her jacket, but she focused on keeping calm. After all, the last time she’d lost her cool was the reason she was here now, having this conversation.

“I make my living with words,” Dani said. “They matter. If you’re going to accuse me of something, the words you use to do so matter.”

Some of the executives around the table began shifting in their seats, as if uncomfortable with the discussion.

Join the fucking club.

“No one is accusing you—”

Barbara held up her hand to prevent Henry from continuing. “You’re right. But the perception is out there and, as we all know, perception is reality.”

Dani knew. Her own persona was built on that very idea.

“What are you saying?” Andrea asked.

“Everything Henry mentioned was correct. We love you. We love your company and your products. What you’ve done is show you’re more than a pretty girl who spouts suggestive lyrics. We want to do business with you. Bring you into the Genesis fold. We want to take Mela-Skin to the next level.”

Though the words sounded nice, Dani waited.

“But... we can’t have our brand tarnished. Companies are getting canceled left and right these days. Samantha Banks has a large following of young girls and they’ve taken exception to your treatment of her. We can’t afford to be on that growing list.”

Had she heard right? The big corporation was going to use cancel culture as their excuse to side with a pop star over her?

Wasn’tthatsome shit?

Henry jumped in. “It’s not a good look online. Half of why we wanted to acquire Mela-Skin had to do with your products. The other half had to do with you. Take Rihanna and Fenty. Her image is tied to that brand. It’s a more valuable commodity because of her. And Mela-Skin is more valuable because of who you are. Because of your image. Sexy. Fearless. Glamorous.”

Good to know all the work she put into projecting that vision was paying off.

“We understand creative types are driven by emotions. This didn’t have to be a big deal. But the mainstream media latched on to the story and young girls, our target demographic, are seeing you differently. And it’s affected how we’re seeing you. And your company.”