Kit met him over in the other half of the room where two rich, mahogany leather sofas faced each other. He leaned forward and gave her a warm embrace.
He pulled back and searched her eyes. “I take it we’ve got some pretty big things to discuss today. Sure you’re up for it?”
She chuckled hoping he couldn’t see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes of what was to come. She forced a grin. “Of course, Lew.”
He nodded and sat down, motioning for her to do the same on the sofa across from him. He reached for the remote to turn down the volume on the stereo as the maid returned with a tray containing two glasses of sparkling water with lime. She set the full glasses in front of each of them quietly. Lew thanked her when she left the room.
He sighed and smirked at Kit. “No more scotch for me. Doctor’s orders.”
She nodded. “It’s ok. I haven’t been drinking much since I was in the hospital. I’ve lost my taste for it. Sparkling water is more my speed these days. Jon told me that you’ve had to scale back.”
He wagged his finger. “Not by choice, Kitten. I asked you here today so we could have a one on one. Consider this an informal interview.”
He snickered. “Although Jon and I are unanimous about appointing you as CEO. As you know, though, we do require a board vote. I will tell you that the board is receptive. It looks good for you, Kitty. You’ve got an excellent dossier and they’ll be happy about that. As long as the majority shareholders agree and there are three of us—two of which outweigh the third.”
She grinned and although she was happy they were having this conversation, something felt slightly off. That strange feeling was back again. She shoved the intuitive nudge down, chalking it up to nerves.
She reminded herself that this had been her dream since moving to L.A. Here it was practically being handed to her on a silver platter yet that sinking feeling in her stomach wouldn’t let up. It seemed everything had felt off since the shooting and her brush with death.
Her L.A. life as she knew it was crumbling more and more every day. Diamond was the only mainstay she had left. She clung to it like a life preserver and kicked her intuition to the curb in one fell swoop.
She immediately jumped back into the game. “When is the vote, Lew?”
He assessed her carefully, sensing something was going on in her head. He proceeded carefully and decided to probe for information. “Thursday of next week. How did your meeting with Chris go yesterday?”
She shook her head. It had gone anything but well. She and Chris had butted heads. It wasn’t pretty. He was still pushing for a merger with Majestic, dangling the carrot of her vote for the acquisition in exchange for the seat as CEO of Diamond Records. She didn’t feel right about it.
She had been very vocal about her stance against it and that didn’t bode well with him. She met Lew’s eyes and knew she couldn’t lie. She needed to be straight with him. He had a way of seeing right through her. Total transparency was warranted.
She smirked. “It didn’t go as smoothly as I would have liked. We have different perspectives on a few crucial issues and…”
He interjected. “Majestic?”
She sighed. “Yes. Lew part of the reason why I ended up at Diamond all those years ago was because of your passion for the company and how you built it from nothing. The company is you. It deserves to have a legacy and be one of the last standing bastions of this industry. Things are changing. The climate is different. All the smaller labels are getting gobbled up by the conglomerates. Everything is a 360 deal which can be hell for the artists in the long run. I remember you saying that you would never sell. Have you changed your mind?” She searched his eyes.
He shook his head. “Hell no. I’d rather we go bankrupt then sell out. And we won’t go bankrupt with you at the helm.” He held up his finger to make his point. “This I know.”
He sighed and hung his head for a moment. “Chris may not understand exactly, but Jon does.” He looked up again and met her eyes. “Jonathan may not have the level of creativity you do, but he gets it. If we were to allow Majestic to acquire us it wouldn’t just be Diamond Records, Kit, it would be the whole enchilada.”
Her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. Chris had neglected to leave out that major detail. “What? Diamond Pictures? Diamond Publishing? Diamond Media?”
He nodded. “Yep. And all the imprints that go along with ‘em. By the way, I’m sorry about Flat 5, Kitty.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s ok. It wasn’t the right time. Everything happens for a reason. I’m not taking it personally. Am I disappointed? Of course. Will there be other opportunities in the future? Maybe. Who knows?”
Lew leaned forward and let out a long sigh. “GT was moved back to Diamond with a contingency clause. Spencer masterfully negotiated it for them. There are rumors everywhere that they’re breaking up. What’s going on, Kit?” His brown eyes bore into her.
She avoided his gaze. “I resigned as their manager.” She inhaled deeply knowing she had to tell Lew about she and Sully.
She worked up the courage to finally meet his eyes. “I’m filing for a legal separation from Sully. Which, most likely, will end up as a divorce eventually. I figured a legal separation would buy us more time with him finishing the tour. I’m headed out to Philly tomorrow to tell him in person.”
Lew took his glasses off, closed his eyes and rubbed
