Page 4 of Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

LYRIC

Two months later

Good morning, Lyric,

Please come to my office. We have a situation on our hands.

- Roger

Lyric smiles. She loves how Roger describes the jams their clients get themselves in.

Whether it’s a mistress announcing her pregnancy by a very married fashion mogul or an athlete in trouble after a coke-fueled orgy, Roger always says the same thing: We have a situation on our hands .

It’s a big reason why Lyric loves her job.

There’s never a dull moment. She gets up and heads to Roger’s office.

Being a fixer calls for creativity, attention to detail, a mastery of thinking on your feet and critical thinking skills all at once.

Cause these rich folks really stick their feet into a lot of shit.

Take, for example, Lyric’s current client, Eliza Faulk, a rich socialite who’s the kid of Echo CEO, Elias Faulk.

Echo is the biggest streaming service around the globe, and Mr. Faulk’s estimated net worth is two and a half billion—with a big ass B —dollars.

Eliza has entered the business world after creating a makeup line inspired by her Indian heritage.

Her mother is from Mumbai, and her father is Australian.

There a lot of people invested in her business’ success, particularly her dad, who gave her the seed money.

So, of course, when she posted something on social media that was super offensive—and, frankly, ignorant—people weren’t too happy. Two days ago, she posted on Threads,

“ Breastmilk is the only proper way to feed your baby. Formula has far too many chemicals. If you’re denying your child nourishment coming directly from you, then why even have children? ”

The backlash was harsh and swift. Many investors backed out.

Sponsors for the makeup line launch party vanished.

The first thing Lyric did was sit Eliza down and read her the riot act.

Most of these pampered rich kids never had someone talk to them like they were a person.

Lyric specializes in that. One of her little cousins, Charae—who is five years old—told her friends that her big cousin Lyric, “gets paid to yell at rich white people and make them cry.”

That’s not really true, but it’s not a lie either.

After Lyric let Eliza know how her statement hurt many people, she contacted organizations who help individuals only able to bottle feed.

These nonprofits supply formula for thousands of people.

She also had Eliza sit in on a Zoom with bottle-fed only families as they told her in unflinching honesty how her words were damaging to them. By the end, Eliza was crying.

After Lyric let her dry her tears, they got to work on her making amends tour, starting with the most important part, the statement.

The problem with most celebrity apologies is the lack of accountability.

It’s all playing victim and being obtuse.

It’s not until their statement falls flat that they give the “I was wrong mea culpa,” but by that time, it’s too late.

They’ve lost the public’s trust. They need to be genuinely sorry and willing to learn from their mistake.

Lyric is methodical when she writes an apology.

With Eliza, first, they spoke on the phone.

Lyric asked her things like, “How did hearing those people’s stories make you feel?

” And “Do you now understand why what you said was problematic?” She makes these rich folks sit in their shame.

She then had Eliza write an apology before polishing and sending it to Roger for approval.

He gave the green light this morning, and Lyric just released it.

I am sincerely sorry for all the hurt I caused all caretakers of children who are unable to breastfeed.

My statement was steeped in ignorance, and I have no excuse for it.

I am a new mother, but I have nannies, a nutritionist, and a personal chef.

Not to mention the best medical care anyone could ask for; thus, my breastmilk supply is ample.

Not everyone has access to healthy food or proper knowledge about nutrition, and that can affect their milk supply.

Those of us who come from privilege, myself included, need to stop and think, is what I’m about to say helpful or harmful?

If you think it will cause harm, then say nothing.

What I should have done was look into why all caretakers don’t breastfeed and see if there was anything I could do to help.

That’s what I’ll be doing going forward.

Again, I am so sorry for my words and all the pain I caused.

Thank you,

E

The next step is getting Eliza and her father to donate to a nonprofit that supplies formula.

Lyric loves being a fixer, but there are times where she has to reconcile with the fact that she helps rich people win the goodwill of the public after they fuck up.

She can only hope that her methods work, and the clients actually learn something, but she’s more than a little doubtful.

She looks down at her phone and checks various social media sites.

The comments are pouring in. A lot of support, but there’s also a good number of folks calling Eliza an ignorant bitch and generally talking shit about the wealthy.

After the donation, Eliza will participate in and fund a documentary that delves into food scarcity and how it affects one’s milk supply.

Also, she’ll be pushing back the release of her make up line indefinitely.

Eliza doesn’t know any of this yet, but Lyric sees that a simple statement and donation are not going to cut it.

Folks want to see real consequences, so without getting medieval, Lyric’s new goal is to do just that.

She now has to approach this as a lesson and a punishment.

Wealthy folks are like children, and they often have to be handled like them.

Lyric gets to Roger’s office, and his assistant lets her in.

Millionaire Ranson Hamilton turns and stands up from his seat, across from Roger’s desk.

He’s the eldest offspring of Parker Hamilton, a mogul who owns a media conglomerate of radio stations, television, magazines, and news programs. The Hamiltons have been described as the family from Succession , with a bit of the Lannisters from Game of Thrones , but Black.

Ranson is an angel investor who has built a name for himself by investing in Black-owned businesses and making a great deal of money on the returns.

He’s thirty-four, unmarried and is six foot two inches of fine!

His skin is smooth-brown melanated magic.

His beard is moisturized and shaped to perfection around his juicy lips, with his build giving Winston Duke and Teddy Riner vibes.

His finely tailored charcoal suit matches nicely with his white stripped button-down shirt and dark silver tie.

And his hair is a closely shaved fade, with small waves on top.

Lyric is impressed but has the best poker face in town.

She doesn’t get rattled, especially over a man.

“Good morning, Roger,” she greets her boss.

Roger comes from behind his desk. “Good morning, Lyric. Please meet Ranson Hamilton.”

“Hello, Mr. Hamilton. I’m Lyric Fuqua. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extends her hand to him.

“The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Fuqua.” Ranson smiles.

She responds with a warm smile, hoping she’s pulling off looking professional rather than turned on.

“Lyric, please have a seat. Ranson, the floor is yours. Please tell Lyric the issue.”

They all take their seats. Lyric sits next to Ranson and smells his spicy, vanilla-tinged cologne. She looks him in his cognac-colored eyes and fights to not get lost in them.

“Ms. Fuqua, as I’m sure you are aware, I have spent a great number of years helping Black-owned businesses build from the ground up. I am very proud of the work I have done and would like to continue to do, but an issue has risen that can put that in jeopardy.”

“What kind of issue?” Lyric asks.

“A familial one. This is a doozy, so I need to know that what I’m about to tell you won’t leave this room.”

“You have our word,” Roger agrees.

Lyric nods.

“Thank you. I’m set to invest in a promising start-up company that is full of potential. But the founder is Lee Bodham.”

Yikes! No shit that’s a familial problem. And not a small one.

Lee Bodham isn’t just Shandola Hamilton’s longtime partner, he’s the man she left Parker Hamilton for.

Shandola is technically Ranson’s former stepmother, but he doesn’t refer to her that way.

He calls her Momma Dola. Her; Ranson’s mother, Lilian Hamilton; and Peyton Hamilton—Parker’s third wife and the mother of his three youngest sons, Lionel, Yusef and Chance—are referred to as the mommy trio.

The three ladies turned heads when, after Peyton’s divorce from Parker, they all moved in together and raised their children under the same roof.

At the time, people thought it was unorthodox, at best, and batshit crazy, at worst. But it worked, though they’re known for their rich kid shenanigans—especially Braxton Hamilton.

The siblings are some of the most well-adjusted nepo babies out there, and that’s saying something.

“Even though she and my father broke up years ago, my dad is still bitter about what he sees as Momma Dola’s betrayal. She had an infidelity clause in her prenup, so her settlement was a joke. Braxton and Michaela have been taking care of her for years.”

“So, she doesn’t have the capital to invest. Why doesn’t she ask her kids for help?” Lyric asks.

“She doesn’t want to ask them for more money, and it’s literally my job to invest in businesses, so she wants me to help. This puts me in a precarious situation, namely because I get my capital from my father. He’s my not so silent partner in all of this.”