Page 48 of Snapdragon

“I’m surprised you care.” I sniffle, unable to stop the tears that are flowing freely again.

“Oh, Flora.” His eyes soften further. I look at him properly, and he looks a mess, his clothes and hair ruffled. He’s red around the eyes too. “Please let me in, I’ll explain everything. Please, let me look after you.”

I shut the door in his face. Moving the latch open, I open it properly and step aside to let him through. Once he’s inside, I shut it and quickly put the latch back in place.

Sebastian turns to face me, and I burst into a fresh torrent of tears. I pound on his chest with my fists.

“It was supposed to be ours!” I cry.

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to his chest. He leans forward and breathes in my hair. Picking me up, he moves into the living room, sitting on the couch with me in his lap. I cry into his chest, feeling an injustice in being upset by him but also needing him as my comfort. He shushes me, stroking my hair and rocking me back and forth.

Once my tears begin to fade, he starts to speak.

“I didn’t release the song, Flora. I had nothing to do with it.”

I hiccup, my tears drying up. I grab a tissue from the coffee table and wipe my nose.

“What happened then?” I ask, still clinging to him.

“It was Karl. He’s not a good male, Flora. I’ll explain everything, and give you the back story on Karl. But I can’t stand how upset you are. Can I please look after you first?”

I’ve cried so much that I feel numb. So I just nod and let him care for me.

Sebastian potters around my kitchen before bringing me a cup of tea and a glass of water. I down the glass of water as he leaves again. This time, he comes back with the blanket from my bed. He tucks it around me, before snuggling up beside me. I rest my head on his shoulder and sip on my tea. I have to admit that this is all making me feel better.

He strokes my hair as he continues, telling me the full story.

“A long time ago, when I was first trying to make a name for myself in the industry, I met Karl. I was in the same stage of my career as you were when you met Frank. Karl was older than me, and he sold me the dream. I got drunk with him one night and he convinced me to sign a contract with him. Except I was young, stupid, and drunk enough to sign before reading.

“I didn’t realize my mistake until the next day. You see, Dragons horde treasure by nature, and so we’re usually one of the more wealthy Monsters in society. My parents had done particularly well, and I never had to worry about anything. All it did was give me a false sense of my own worth. I thought I was invincible. A young, rich, strong and talented Dragon.”

I take a sip of my tea, resting my hand on Sebastian’s thigh under the blanket.

“That’s why I signed the contract. I didn’t think there were any consequences for someone like me. Of course, there were. Karl practically owned me. He was taking an 80% cut of my earnings, and had full decision making rights over me as a person.”

I grip his leg in shock. “Couldn’t you buy yourself out of the contract? You said your parents were wealthy.”

“They were,” he sighs. “But not wealthy enough. The buyout on the contact was set at $10 billion.”

“Holy shit,” I whisper. “That’s crazy! You’d never make that as an artist, no matter how well you did.”

“I know,” he hangs his head. “I’ve been stuck doing whatever the fuck Karl wants since then. Don’t get me wrong, he’s signed me to Fortune Records, and he’s helped my career become what it is. But it’s all self-serving, because his cut is so big. He also makes my life incredibly difficult.

“He’s the reason I did the Noma shoot, and why I did our PR dating. So I guess some good did come out of it.”

He kisses my forehead gently, a fond smile on his face as he looks at me.

“Once he realized that we were actually seeing each other, he was definitely pissed. I think it’s why he called me out of the studio on Monday. He doesn’t want me to be happy, Flora…

“He released the song behind my back and he kept me busy on set, hiding my phone from me. He released the song, barely giving you a feature, and I can’t even do anything about it.” Sebastian tugs on his hair, frustrated.

I instantly feel guilty, “I’m so sorry I jumped to conclusions. I was just so angry, and I—”

“Shh…” he strokes my hair. “Your reaction was completely valid. You didn’t jump to a conclusion, you were trying to give me a chance at first.”

I’m so sad for him, how he has spent his career being manipulated by Karl and forced to do everything.

“But, how did he even get the song?”