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His brow quirks. “Does she know you’re coming to see her?”
I shake my head, my teeth snagging on my bottom lip. This was what I was unprepared for. “I just need two minutes of her time. I won’t cause trouble. Then I’ll leave.”
Big, scary security guard looks me over before glancing around. “Come with me.” He motions for me to follow over his shoulder.
I follow him down the dark hallway, silently wondering if I made a mistake, when he knocks on the farthest door from the front. “Ah, Ms. Rosen?”
“Yes?” I hear a woman’s voice from inside and my pulse quickens.
“There is someone here to see you, ma’am,” he says, glancing at me one more time.
There’s a beat of silence and I’m terrified she’ll ask me to leave. “Let them in.”
My legs shake, but I manage to squeeze past the big guy, giving him an appreciative smile. Mia Rosen is standing at her desk, hands on her hips, looking as professional as I’ve seen her in images on Instagram. “I’m sorry to just barge in on you without an appointment, Ms. Rosen, but this might be the only chance I get.”
Her eyes widen and her brow cocks slightly. “Do I know you?”
Carefully, I raise my hand to my head and pull the hood down before lifting the baseball hat from my head. My long, brown hair with ashy-brown highlights falls in waves around my shoulders. I meet her gaze with my own. She instantly recognizes me. “How can I help you, Miss Heart?”
My chest aches and I want nothing more than to release the angry, frustrated tears inside me. Blowing out a shuddering breath, I let her see all my brokenness. “I want to join your record label.”
Her hands fall off her desk and she tucks them into her pant pockets, her eyes assessing me. “You’re in a contract with Big Notes Enterprise. I can’t steal you and the damages you would have to pay would be problematic for your savings and your reputation, if you break with them.”
My heart starts to crack further down the middle. My head shakes back and forth, “My contract ends on my birthday, whichis next week. At 12:01 a.m., I’ll be a free agent and I want to sign with you before my uncle gets the chance to sign behind my back again.”
Her head tilts, and she studies me, but her eyes are warmer this time. “Does anyone know you’re here?”
I can feel my cheeks blush and my hands tremble slightly. I’m really risking everything now. “No, I snuck out. I heard you were here and that Rise Above was playing at the Hibiscus tonight. I took a chance you might be here.”
“Why are you here?” Her brow rises and confusion is etched into her features. I can tell she’s confused as to why I would seek her out. Or why I would choose her above all other options.
Tears fill my eyes at the thought of being rejected. My body shudders with fear. “I was fourteen when my uncle first signed me with BNE. My parents died the year before and left me in his care, so he did the only thing he knew to do with me: used me to make money. I know it sounds crazy. Yes, I have money, my own house, cars, a private jet, and I’m famous.” I take a deep breath, reminding myself that this is my last chance at happiness. I can feel it. I catch my top lip with my teeth. Tears roll down my cheeks. “But I’m also extremely lonely. I’m invisible. I’ve been singing about love and relationships since I was fourteen, and I’ve never been in a relationship. I get dressed up in pink dresses, things that sparkle, and get made-up like a doll, but I hate the color pink. No offense.” I feel bad saying it as her hair is a golden rose color. It suits her, whereas for me, the color is a symbol of my imprisonment.
“None taken.” She shrugs it off and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“I don’t get to make my own decisions. I hardly get the chance to rest or take a break and when I do, my uncle uses it to his advantage to exploit me, so I have to go back to work. I do everything I can, stay as busy as I can, so I don’t have to be around him. No one at BNE listens to me or shares my visionfor my music or my brand. It's the Princess of Pop or nothing. I turn eighteen in one week. I will have a two-hour window to sign a new contract, without my uncle or BNE being made aware, or my uncle forging my name and giving my consent again.”
“Why don’t you turn him in?” she questions. It's a logical solution, and I know others might have thought the same thing.
“I’m underage. No one listens to me. They think I’m whiny and ungrateful. BNE doesn’t want to lose me because I make them huge money.” I shrug, wishing the answer sounded better. It's pitiful and I feel so weak anytime I think about it.
“Surely someone has tried to help you,” she responds, but I shake my head in denial. I can’t. I won’t think about him.
“I don’t talk about that person. All it took was a little push from my uncle and a better offer and that person was out of my life too.”
Mia moves around her desk. Her brow is furrowed while she watches me, like I’m a problem she can’t figure out. “Are you sure you want my record label? I’m hardly as big as BNE. I’m just starting out.”
Little does she know that is exactly why I want her. She’s fair. Untainted from the industry and she’s known for her powerful, all-female employees and partners. “You signed Onyx Kiddrick. And Rise Above has been gaining attention since you brought them here. They’ve sold out all their venues. I can do that for you too. I refuse to wear pink dresses, and I want to sing my own lyrics, but I promise, people will come.”
Mia steps away from her desk, approaching me. “When is your birthday?”
“A week from today. At 12:01 a.m., I am free from BNE and free to make my own decisions.” I lay out all the details for her.
“I need to check with my attorney,” she responds, and I instantly go stiff. If anyone finds out, I’ll be finished. I don’t trust anyone in the industry not to talk, especially if a legalrepresentative is looking into my contract. “If BNE tried to slap some fake paperwork to stop this, I need to be prepared ahead of time,” she adds gently.
“Okay, yeah. I’ve never seen a clause about anything, but I respect that you want to check. When will I hear from you?”
“Leave me your private email to send the contract. If everything checks out, Rise Above will play one of your songs this week. If not, then something was wrong, and I’m truly sorry, Ocean. I will try my best, but I can’t make any promises yet,” she tells me, honesty and pain laced in her words.
