Page 9 of The Twisted Beats

“Actually, I was fourteen when I started making real money. With my licensing agreement from The Ember line beginning then, I had it made.”

“You’ve had a good run so far. I can only imagine how much farther you’ll go.”

“Yeah, I’ve done well, but I feel like I cheated somehow.”

“Hence your tattoo.”

She scrunches her nose up. “What?”

“The tattoo on your chest. The heart with ‌one black and one white lily inside it, and the money sign going through the stems.”

Her eyes round. “What’s that got to do with this?”

“You said it symbolizes the good and bad sides of beauty, love, and money.”

“I’m still not getting it.”

I shrug. “You feel like you cheated, which is a negative thought. But you worked hard and deserved it, therefore you were paid well. That’s the positive side of the situation.”

“Ah… Yeah, right.” She scratches at her skin near the lilies as if she has hives.

That’s concerning. I wait to make sure she doesn’t move to her wrists.

She pulls in a rush of air. “Anyway, I learned all I could about building a brand. As much as I hate the acting industry, I’m grateful for my time as a child megastar.”

“Like I always say, every road traveled leads to a path of opportunity.” I shift closer, reaching for her hand.

She slides her palm into mine. “You’ve proven your point. If I hadn’t gone to Paris to track you down to get your help and learn about the fashion industry, I never would’ve gotten to know you.”

“We’ll always have Paris.” My heart cracks, but I hide it with a gentle smile. “Tell me what happened earlier that upset you.”

“Jax, she’s cruel.” Livianna squeezes my hand, releases it, and folds her arms over her chest. “I slipped, saying I needed to get back to my date, but realized she would see me with you, so I tried to cover it up by quickly saying it was a meeting.”

“And that made you angry?”

“No. It wasn’t that. She mentioned she knew you were helping me with my business. Once she realized I was calling our dinner together a date, she made some snide comment about getting involved with a family friend. She said it would turn out terribly.”

“Meaning she knows issues with your dad will arise if he ever finds out.” My pulse races. “She has no proof of why we’re here, so if she wants to run to the tabloids, let her. We can easily explain it away.”

Livianna’s eyes fill with pain, and I’m taken aback by heronce again. I’m about to ask her why when the server returns with our wine. It’s excruciating waiting for him to open it, have me sample it, give the go-ahead to serve it, and pour it.

I know her well enough to know she uses the time to detach from her sadness, so I let it go. Once he leaves, I try to get back to the issue I must address.

“Here’s to your success, finding each other, and hopefully never forgetting what our relationship means to us.” I lift my glass.

She toasts with me. “To all that and more.”

We take a drink and settle back into our discussion.

She leads this time. “When you say you don’t want us to forget about what we are to one another, what are you getting at?”

“About my attitude over the last couple of days, I have something to tell you.” I adjust my tie and clear my throat. “It’s about the call I took.”

“If the expression on your face is any indication of what you’re going to say, maybe we should postpone any work conversations. I want the rest of the evening to go well.”

I furrow my brow. “My expression?”

“Yes. You have a look of sorrowful resolve. There’s almost a defeated aura around you.”