Page 6 of Broken Harmony (Heartbreak Melody #2)

“You’re fucking with me,” she breathes out, looking a little panicked.

“No?”

She shakes her head and scrambles to grab her phone from her pocket.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, starting to panic. Fuck. I should have just kept my mouth shut until I locked in that contract and they were stuck with me.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

“Chase?” she asks into the phone. “Our lovely new winner of the competition says she’s your niece. Wanna shed some light on this for me?”

I hear cheering on the other line, and my lip twitches. “Yes. She won.” She pauses for a moment for Uncle Chase to speak. “Well, no, I had no idea... So she really is your niece?” She looks at me wide-eyed. “Why did no one let me know!?”

I chew on my lip, praying I didn’t fuck everything up.

“Yes, that makes sense.” She starts calmly.

“Okay, yes, I understand. No, I don’t think that would have affected the outcome, you know I’m honest, and there’s no amount of money you could pay me to fuck with my career.

” She raises a brow, giving me a playful smile.

She huffs at whatever he says and rolls her eyes.

“No. No amount of money will get me to go on a date with you, Chase! You're my boss. It’s not happening. Also, are you that desperate for a date that you're willing to pay for one? You have women throwing themselves at you.” Her cheeks blush, and it’s my turn to raise a brow.

Huh. Does my uncle have a crush on this woman?

She’s an Omega, like him. It’s not uncommon for Omegas to get together, but I always thought my uncle would go for an Alpha woman. But hey, what do I know?

“You're insufferable,” she huffs out, but there’s no heat behind it.

“You do know this could cause an issue in the future, right?” She rolls her eyes.

“No, not you going out on a date with me, because that's never gonna happen. I’m talking about your niece being the winner of the competition.” She pauses for a moment.

“No. It doesn’t change my mind on picking her.

She won because of her talent. She deserves it.

..” My damn heart warms again. “Alright, I guess we will deal with it when it’s needed. Okay. Talk later.”

She hangs up and looks over at me. “Let me guess. You kept this to yourself because you didn’t want it to affect the outcome of this competition?"

“Pretty much, yeah.”

She sighs heavily. “I can’t blame you. Honestly, I admire you for it.

With something this big on the line, I know a lot of people who would have taken the opportunity to use the chance to push themselves further in something like this.

Hell, they probably would have used the connection to get a straight-up contract without doing any of this.

” She waves her hand around the room, meaning the competition.

“That makes me even more sure about my decision. You’re hard-working and honest.” She grins. “Well, for the most part.”

I huff out a laugh. “I wanted to make sure that it was all me and what I have to offer that won me this. Nothing and no one else.”

She nods. “And it was. We’re honored to have you as a part of this label, Ally. I mean it, you’re going to do great things.”

“Thank you,” I smile. “It’s kind of crazy.”

“It is, isn’t it?” She smiles back.

“So other than all the office business meetings and signing contracts, what else do I need to do?”

“Pretty much, after everything is signed, you go onto your channel and update your viewers. We will put out an official statement to the public, do a few interviews, and once we know more, we will go from there. It’s going to take some time to work everything out, see where we want to take things.

You are going to be involved in a lot of the decisions.

Chase takes pride in the clients who work with us.

It’s not just about us making money. He wants to make sure everyone feels respected, seen, and heard.

We don’t want to lock you into something you don’t fully understand or agree with.

It’s a process. But I think within the next few weeks, we’ll be starting a new album.

” She grins. “And I hope the songs you’ve made for the competition will be added.

They were amazing songs, Ally. People are going to love them. ”

“Really?” I ask, sounding surprised. “You want my songs?”

“Who else?” She laughs. “We want your voice singing your songs. All original, all you. It’s why I made the competition rules the way I did.

While we have some really talented songwriters, I wanted something completely authentic to the artist. There’s too much in this industry being controlled by the higher-ups.

Artists hiding their voices or only singing what sells, not what's in their hearts. I don’t want any of that here. ” She shakes her head.

“Whoa.” I laugh. “Okay, yeah. For sure. I have a ton of songs already written.”

“Well, if that's the case, then I don't think it’s going to be long before we have your first album out.”

“Not going to lie, I’m kind of freaking out.” I laugh, feeling jittery, like I can’t sit still.

“It’s a lot to take in.” She laughs. “Go, meet up with the guys. Celebrate. I’ll get the ball rolling, and we’ll be in contact tomorrow.”

“I have a question.” I swallow hard, hoping this isn’t asking for too much or pushing my luck. But I’ve been thinking about this a lot the past few weeks, and I know it’s what I want.

“Ask away.”

So I do. I tell her why I want this, what it means to me, and when I’m done, I’m relieved to see her nodding in approval. “I like it. I think we can make that happen.”

“Really?” My eyes widen in excitement. “You can?”

“I think so,” she laughs, smiling. “Question is, do you think you can make it happen?”

“I’m gonna damn well try!” I squeal with excitement.

Becky laughs and sends me on my way.

I’m a whirlwind of exhilaration as I leave the label building. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I sent a quick text to the guys, asking them to meet me in the hotel lobby in about an hour.

The whole way back to the hotel, I feel like I’m walking on air. I can’t believe this is real. That this is really happening.

My phone rings as I enter my hotel room. Looking down, I see it’s my mom’s number. Smiling wide, I answer.

“Hey, Mom! You will not believe what just happened!”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Mom says, voice sounding a little strained. My brows pull together.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She’s silent for a moment, which has me worried. “Mom, what's going on? Did you call me about something, or to just talk?”

“To talk, of course.” She laughs, but it sounds forced. “What were you going to tell me?”

I’m not sure if I believe her, but I’m too excited right now. “I won!”

“What!?” she gasps. “Really?”

“Yes!” I squeal. “I won the whole damn thing, Mom! I did it!”

“Oh, honey,” Mom’s voice breaks. “I’m so proud of you.”

My eyes sting. “Thank you.” My heart races. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”

“Believe it, baby. You worked so hard for this. And you're so damn talented. You deserve this, Ally. You deserve every single bit of this.”

“Thank you,” I say again, this time it’s my voice that breaks. “Sometimes I don't feel like I do, you know?”

“Why not?”

“Because...” I lay back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m here. And she’s...back home.”

Mom is quiet again, and I’m sure she’s sick of me whining about Lulu by now. “Ally...”

“I know, I know. You’ve said it before. Don’t worry about her, worry about myself.

I can’t change anything. I need to keep living my life and take one day at a time.

But it’s not that easy, okay? I miss her.

I love her. And I wish she were by my side through all of this like we planned.

” I close my eyes, swallowing the ball of emotion stuck in my throat.

“I know,” she whispers, voice cracking. “I know, baby. And I know Lulu would want this for you, okay? She would want you to dream big, go high. Live your best life. It’s what we all want for you.”

“Yeah,” I sigh heavily. “I want that for me too. I just wish I wasn’t doing it alone while she’s stuck back there.”

“Me too.” Is she crying? It sounds like she is.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she laughs it off, but again, it sounds forced. She’s not fine.

“No, you’re not,” I insist.

“I am. I’m just so happy for you, sweetheart. You're going to do big things. And we’re so excited for you. Tell me everything.”

After filling Mom in on everything, I ask if she has any news about Lulu. She said there were no changes. It kills me to hear this. That her parents really did get into her head. I hope she’s okay and happy. I really do.

I let my mom go and get ready to go out with the guys before meeting them downstairs.

“There she is!” Ryker says, holding his arms out. “Our superstar.”

Laughing, I rush over to him, letting him scoop me up into a big hug.

“This is so unreal. I can’t believe it,” I say, vibrating as I step back. There’s a smile that just won’t leave stuck on my face.

“Better believe it, babe,” Tyson says, throwing his arm over my shoulders as we head out of the hotel. “You're going to do big things.”

“So are you,” I say, stopping just outside the hotel and turning to look at the three of them. “You know how you said you were going to focus on the band?”

“Yeah?” Skyler asks, eyeing me suspiciously. “What about it?”

“Do any of you plan on being the lead singer?” I ask, biting my lower lip.

They look at one another before Ryker shakes his head. “Not full-time, no. Sure, we’ll probably sing a few songs, but we were thinking about looking for a lead singer to join the band.”

“But that won’t be for a while, because it has to be someone who we click with. We can’t pick just anyone,” Tyson says.

“Fair point.” I nod, stomach in knots. “And how much do you think we click?”

The guys have been working with me on each of my songs. They are the ones who have been playing the instruments for the music. Why use people the label think will work well with me when I have three who I already work well with and who know each song almost as well as I do?

We worked together in this competition, not against each other.

“What are you saying, Ally? Out with it.” Skyler glares at me.

“How about I be your lead singer?” I ask, trying not to puke with nerves.

“What?” Tyson’s eyes widen.

“Our sounds work together, and you know it. I love what we’ve made these past few weeks, and I’d love to have you as part of so much more.

Why have a group of people I don’t know coming along on this journey with me when I could have the three guys who’ve been there with me through my hardest time?

” My eyes well with tears. They know all about Lulu and me.

And whenever things got too hard for me, they were there.

A shoulder to cry on. A distraction. A best friend.

A big brother when I needed it the most.

“Really?” Skyler asks, not sounding convinced about what I’m asking. “You want us?” I nod. “To be a band... with you?” I nod again, grinning wide.

The three of them look at one another, having a silent conversation. “Are you sure?” Ryker asks.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.” I nod. “I’m sure.”

“You have?” Tyson asks.

“Yes,” I laugh. “I want to do this with you three. So... what do you say? Want to start a band?”

“Fuck yeah, we do!” Ryker shouts with excitement before wrapping me up in his arms and spinning me around, making me break out into laughter.

“We’re really doing this?” Skyler asks.

“If you want to, yes. I asked Becky, and she said she could make it happen.”

“For real?”

“For real!”

His face breaks into a grin. “Well, fuck me then,” he laughs.

“Look, you're hot and all. But it would be like fucking my brother.” I wrinkled my nose. “And I’m not into that.”

“You're such a brat,” he laughs, hugging me with his arm as he messes with my hair.

“Not the hair!” I squeal, squirming out of his hold. “Don’t mess with the curls.” I glare at him. Fucker just grins back.

“Come on, Spitfire. We have a lot of celebrating to do.”

“Yes.” I smile wide. “Yes, we fucking do.”

Now. Now, I can breathe a little bit better.

I might not be able to get everything I want, like the person who owns my heart by my side. But I have the guys, three people who’ve come to mean so much to me. Even if it was in a short amount of time, it doesn’t take away just how important they became to me.

They know the darkest part of my soul, and they trusted me enough to tell me theirs. We’re four troubled people who just need someone to lean on.

Knowing I’ll have them with me through all these big changes makes me a little less scared to take this new opportunity by the balls and really enjoy it.

She’s still going to be on my mind; the muse for most, if not all, of my songs. She might not be with me in person, but she’s going to play a big part in what I become. Even if she doesn’t know it.

I just hope she’s happy. I hope she’s okay. That whatever might come from her life, she doesn’t regret it.

And if she chooses one day to leave her parents' cult and come find me, I know I’ll welcome her with open arms.

Because no matter what, no matter who I end up with, wherever life takes me, she will never leave my heart. She owns a piece of it and always will until my very last breath.