“And Adesina’s biggest holdup is financing,” I said. “We’ve gathered some sponsors, but it’s all a bit rough… piecemeal.”
Linyue took her glasses off to rub the bridge of her nose. “I will… see what I can do. I still blame you for this, Julie Branch.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s totally fair,” Julie said. Linyue waved her away.
“Then make yourself useful in penance! Go wash the dishes.”
“What—Linyue, don’t treat her like—” I started, but Julie hopped up to her feet, nudging my side.
“See, she knows how to let me help,” she laughed. “Not going to snatch the brush from my hand this time?”
“You do not need to—”
Julie nudged me again with a wink, and she headed for the kitchen, going around the corner. A second later, I heard her put on some music, and Linyue wrinkled her nose.
“She has bad taste in music. Are you sure about that one?”
Something fluttered in my chest. “She’s… very effective, actually. This has progressed as far as it has despite some significant outside setbacks and limitations.”
“You got your hardheadedness from your father,” she said. “That isn’t what I mean.”
I folded my hands in my lap, looking away. “Julie and I have a professional working relationship.”
“I am not a stupid woman, Helena Warrick. You set up a second bedroom, and it isn’t being used.”
I should have figured she’d see right through me. I sighed, standing up and leaning against the window, staring out the glass. I wanted to argue, or I felt like I needed to, but I couldn’t find the words, couldn’t work out how to, so in the end, I just said, “Yes. Very sure.”
“You’ve had a very good career in modeling.”
“I don’t want to give it up. I just want to do more than that.”
“Is this your teenage rebellion, much delayed?”
“Ha. My teenage rebellion was smoking pot and having threesomes. Neither of us are happy that you know about it.”
“Spare me, then. You intend to have a rebellious phase every decade.” She paused. “I will take poorly-scheduled business plans as rebellion over pot-fueled orgies.”
“Look, I love you and I love Mom and Dad, and I’m grateful for my life.” I turned back to her, feeling nervous, small and vulnerable, as I sank back into the corner of the sofa. “But I have my own dreams, too. I’m not giving up modeling, acting, any of it. I just want to take a break from it, focus on other things. And you know I’ll be better at modeling for it, too. The same way you improved your relations with Shiyun Group in the end by moving to work for Shiyun America. You have to fall to learn how to fly. You have to leave to learn how to stay. I’m not turning into a different person. Just… a better person. More of the person I want to be. And I want you to be a part of it. To support me in that like you do in everything. And to share it with you.”
She stared at me for a long time before, with a soft sigh, she pushed her glasses up, wiping at one eye. “Yes, that is better than the pot-fueled orgy.”
“Orgy is still a strong word, they were threesomes.”
“I think your parents will be proud of how it’s come along.” She looked back at the kitchen. “And I think they’ll be fond of her. She has a strong personality.”
“I got really lucky, with her.”
“You don’t worry she’s hiding anything else? Planning to disappear again?”
I shook my head. “She might have faked a name, but she never faked caring. Never faked belief. I know this is the actual her.”
“Perhaps Shiyun America will need to explore branding opportunities in the music industry. You are still a part of the family. Even if you try to sneak behind our backs.”
I laughed, wiping my eye too. “Everywhere I go, Shiyun branding follows? Shiyun-branded marijuana orgies?”
“Spare me.” She put her hands up. “Ah… I’ll talk to your father. And I’ll make sure we can find a way to get this event to run. Or die trying. Well, at this juncture, I suppose it’s more of the latter, but we do what we can.”
She left the apartment not long before Julie finished up in the kitchen, coming into the room and looking around. “I see where you learned the escape tricks from, Freckles. Is she gone?”
