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Jaylen smiled slightly. “Worried about me Dad? I have had numerous offers from agents, willing to represent me if I wanted to go into acting. I have enough money to travel the damn world and just take it easy.
You built this company for you. You get off on the hype, sleeping with the young nubile so-called singers who would do anything, barring nothing to get on with their careers.”
“And I am not like that anymore.” James admitted in a quiet and resigned tone.
“Ah, let me guess. You went to bed one night and got a revelation, an epiphany.” Jaylen dragged his fingers through the tangle of shoulder-length blonde hair that was his particular trademark.
Truth be told, he was sick of the arguments and the anger churning inside his gut. He was labeled a playboy and that was something he had come to resent. He wanted to be taken seriously but was afraid that his reputation had been cast in stone.
“I don’t want to fight with you son.”
“Neither do I," he admitted. Glancing at his watch, he saw that he was already running late for his appointment. “Is that all? I have agreed to show a united front by attending this music festival. Consider my duty finished for the day. What time is the flight?”
“First thing in the morning.”
“I will be there.” He turned and headed for the door and James let him leave. The doors slammed shut behind his son and he leaned back in his chair, the weariness invading his body.
He could not blame the boy. An example had never been set. He had allowed power and fame to get to his head and had been unable to resist the women coming at him from all directions.
Now he had lost his only son. The constant battle between them had been going on for years and he was getting sick of it.
The knock sounded on the door and jarred him out of his despair. “Come in.”
“I hope I am not interrupting.” The coolly beautiful woman strode into the office, bringing the vibrant air inside with her.
“Not at all.”
“Jane was not at her desk," she murmured, referring to his assistant.
“She had to run out for a bit. I hope you are ready for the trip.”
“I am looking forward to it.” A slight smile touched her lips. “I have a few statements to go over before I send out a press release.”
“You don’t have to run anything by me. I trust your excellent instincts.”
“And that is something I really appreciate and do not take for granted. But I need your input. We have all of these talents attending the festival. The rumors surrounding Shenae are pretty off-putting. Drugs, the lackluster performance on stage at the academy has put a stain on your stellar record.”
“Have you contacted her agent?” James leaned back in the chair, the problems with his son, shoved to the back of his mind. He noticed that the young woman had not bothered to sit, but was pacing the thick powder blue carpet slowly as she clicked something on her iPad.
“Several times. She refuses to confirm the rumor, only saying that Shenae has agreed to go to an exclusive clinic to get some treatments. I need to spin this in a positive manner.” She looked over at James and jotted something down.
“The public will not be fooled by a half-assed statement and I am not in the habit of making one. I always check the source and the verity of the statement.”
A smile touched his lips. “You are always very thorough.”
“I have also added that your son Jaylen will be joining the entourage and attending the festival.”
She had seen the man striding out of the office with barely a civil nod and had surmised that there had been an argument as usual. She was just an employee here, and working for a man like James Monteith was difficult without the family drama thrown in.
“Yes," he said in clipped tones, an ominous expression on his very attractive face. “He has deigned to grace us with his presence.” He shook his head as she opened her mouth to speak. “That’s not your problem. Report on the new group.”
“Nothing much to report.” She glanced at her notes. “They are very good and have been getting a lot of airplay. The video was a very good touch by the way. It shows them as a united front and women who are not afraid to take chances.”
He nodded, pleased at her insight. She was very good at what she did and embraced the challenges, even though there were many. He was very demanding and expected exceptional work from the people around him.
Anika Groves was a determined young woman who was not afraid to speak her mind. He admired her honesty and her integrity. “I think that is all. You may finish up and go on home. We are heading out early in the morning.”
“I have some things to finish up before I leave.” Jotting something else down, she made her way out, leaving him to brood.
