Page 24 of Worth Every Moment (Hawkston Billionaires #4)

“You need to take a long, hard look at yourself, young lady,” Mum hisses.

“You owe me everything. Your fame. Your fortune. Your career. I got you that big break, dragging your portfolio to Arthur Knatchbull and making him see you. That’s what got you here.

My grit and determination. Without me, you’d be nothing.

How do you have the nerve to walk out of an appointment like that and tell me I did the wrong thing?

When I’m the one who built you up? I made you. I own you.”

The urge to cry rises up my throat. I’m choking on it.

She owns me? It’s always felt that way, but hearing her say it aloud is new.

To know that she actually sees me that way changes my reality in an instant.

The awful thing is, that while I hate it, I know Mum has a point.

I wouldn’t be where I am without her. She drove me to this high.

Always pushing, pushing, pushing. Greedy for more. And it got us a really long way.

Us.

“I hate you. I really fucking hate you.” I put out my hand, curling my fingers. “The keys to my apartment. Give them back.”

“Erica—”

“I’m serious. You can’t let yourself into my life whenever you want anymore.”

“This is pathetic. I’m surprised at you, stooping this low.

” She digs into her bag as though she’s trying to find my keys.

“I wasn’t going to do this, but now I will.

” She pulls out a newspaper, flashing it at me.

“I always know best. I knew those tiny breasts would hold you back.” She flaps a hand at my chest, which feels as though it cracks in half at the dismissive way she gestures towards it.

“What are you talking about?”

She thrusts the article at me, and I glimpse the headline. ‘ Erica Lefroy, the world’s least sexy supermodel ’ before she pulls it back.

“They saw you buying a copy of that Taming the Beast book, so now it’s all the gossip that you’re trying out for the movie. And to make it worse, one of your old audition tapes has been leaked. It breaks my heart to say it, but you are a terrible actress, Erica. Completely wooden.”

I take a step back from her. People are passing us by on either side, staring in that way people do when they think they recognise you. A hard stare. The ‘ Where do I know you from? ’ stare. It’s difficult to concentrate on Mum, knowing people are watching.

Mum flaps the newspaper again and starts quoting from the article. “‘ Breasts so small they might as well be inverted ’.” She smiles as though this insult delights her. I freeze, my throat growing so choked up I can hardly breathe. I’m going to cry.

“How on earth do you expect to become a movie star when the papers are talking about you like this?” Her eyes dip back to the paper.

“‘ Completely devoid of sex appeal’. They call you an Ice Queen . I could have protected you from this if you’d only shared your aspirations with me.

If you hadn’t hidden this desire to shift into the movies.

We could have sorted out your breasts long ago.

I only want the best for you, Erica. I want to give you everything so that you can fly.

And look at you now.” She wafts the paper up and down my form.

“So near the top. So close to being a superstar, and you’ll fall at the final hurdle because you won’t go through with that surgery.

” She raises a shoulder in a tiny shrug.

“It’s just a little cut here and there.”

I raise a trembling hand, my voice quavering just as much. “It’s not just a little cut. It’s you saying, yet again, that I’m not good enough. That there’s something wrong with me. What kind of mother does that? What kind of mother says—”

“Well.” She cuts me off with a disgruntled breath. “I’m glad you’ve got all that off your chest. Making your poor mother feel guilty. No one else will look out for you the way I do. No one cares as much as I do. How you can be so cruel to me, I don’t understand.”

My mind feels sluggish. How has she flipped this around so fast? “Me? You think I’m being cruel?”

“I do. And you’ll pay for this cruelty. You’ll never get what you want, and all because you won’t get your boobs done.

You think you’re good enough as you are?

You’re not. You never will be. You’ll never get to Hollywood, not with a reputation like yours.

Frosty, virginal little bitch with no breasts. ”

I cup both hands over my mouth, stifling the cry that escapes beneath them.

Confusion settles like mist in my brain; my psyche torn in two by the inconsistency.

I can’t keep up . I stutter like a toddler trying to form a sentence.

Finally, I gather myself enough to drop my hands and speak.

“You were the one who wanted purity. Innocence. Chastity.” I sound like I’m shattering into pieces, and I hate it.

“That was the whole thing. The whole Erica Lefroy deal. Untouchable .”

“Yes, but then you went and wanted the movies. Very selfish of you to want something different when we’re about to launch the fragrance and cosmetics. Only thinking of yourself.”

As much as I want to stand up for myself, there is a truth to this I can’t deny. I have been secretly trying to move away. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I really am a selfish little bitch.

“On the plus side,” Mum continues, “everything that article says about you shows what a wonderful job I did with the Erica Lefroy brand, doesn’t it?

You can’t be sexy in a way that isn’t wrapped up in virginal purity.

You can’t get a lead role in a film like Taming the Beast because I perfected this version of you.

” She violently jabs a finger towards me.

“And it worked. You’re worth millions. One of the most famous women in the world. You know what this shows?”

“What?”

“That your mother always knows best.” She holds out her hand to me, her face a mask of compassion that doesn’t fool me for a second. “So stop being a silly little girl and come back inside so the doctor can fix you up.”