She shook her head vehemently. “I wanted to do the song, but since there was so much trouble going on with my band, RCA said no. I wanted to do the song as an upbeat, catchy pop song with a rock flavor—guitars—y’know. It was never meant to be slowed down. I wanted something that would get into people’s heads. Something with a catchy hook that they would want to belt out in their car or sing in the shower.”
Lew grinned and nodded his head. “And I agree with you on that completely. We’ll get to that in a minute.”
He waved his hand to temporarily dismiss the thought as he continued. “Back in 1987, when we started discussions about you coming onto our legal team, I talked to the execs that signed you over at RCA. You were the bright star. Your band wasn’t on par and they saw that as a liability. Can’t say I blame ‘em, kid. You burn pretty darn bright.”
He let out a long sigh. “I heard about all the drama with them. I knew about the altercation with your boyfriend slash guitarist. I know about the police reports, the hospital time, the restraining order. I know you’re a first degree black belt that studied martial arts to protect yourself from that monster. I heard about how they dropped your band from the label and wanted to sign you as a solo artist, but you were too scared to do it for fear that your ex-boyfriend would kill you. And I know that’s what drove you away from being an artist.”
He placed his hand on her knee gently and looked deeply into her emerald eyes. “I get it. You almost died. You got the shit scared out of ya. You were young. You had two people in your corner from what I hear—Joe Arden and Alexa. Instead of pushing forward, you fell back on what you’re good at, but not necessarily what your heart called you to do or express in this lifetime. You took the safe route. And I can’t say I blame ya, kid.”
He chuckled and sat back, unable to wipe the grin from his face. “I saw this in you from the beginning. Day one. Everything those execs said checked out. You have always been that brilliant bright light, you’ve just been dimming it behind others and catapulting them to stardom instead of taking that leap again yourself. I’m here to tell you, Kit, that this time, you’re safe. That bastard that almost killed you—twice—is dead as a doornail and he ain’t coming back to haunt you.”
He chuckled and threw his hands up in the air in celebration. “The world loves you already! They fell in love with you when you shared a song that charted, then when you showed your face on an album cover in 1983 and most recently when you did that interview for Billboard last year. The world wants you out in front as a big brand. You can carry it.” He stared at her to make his point. “You, Kit.”
He shook his head and gave her a look of warning. “Don’t you think you almost dying at the hands of that same guy and living through it is a wakeup call? You left the artist side back then. Are you going to abandon it again? Or will you answer the call this time?”
He met her eyes. “You need to find your way back to the fold. Truly embrace it. It’s time. Luckily, you’ve got some pretty great handlers that can do that for you, myself included. I’d be honored to guide you and be your north star.” He grinned and winked at her.
She stared at Lew, not quite sure how to digest everything he had shared. She was stunned he knew her entire story this whole time and never said anything. Despite what he said, she still couldn’t shake everything she had worked for since setting foot in L.A. Letting go of her business head wasn’t all that easy. She wasn’t sure how to do it.
She cast her confusion aside and push past her heart that was screaming at her to step into and embrace her artistry now, allowing Lew to witness the transition firsthand. Despite Lew’s valid points, it just didn’t feel safe enough for her. Running Diamond Records did.
She blurted it out. “But I want to be CEO too. This is your legacy. And to be honest, Lew, I’ve kinda thought of you as my dad in a lot of ways. Like I’ve been part of your family. Like I’m the daughter that gets to carry on your legacy.”
He smiled as his kind brown eyes welled up with tears. “You’re tugging at my heart strings there, kid. You have been family and I have thought of you as a daughter many a time. As much as I would love to see you fully pursue being a top of the charts artist, I would be blessed to have you run the label that I birthed ages ago if that’s what you really want to do right now.”
He nodded. “I have full confidence that you could eventually be in my seat as chairman decades from now. It all started with Diamond Records. That led to Diamond Pictures and our other entities. And you get Diamond Records. You get it better than anyone I’ve ever known.”
He pointed at her. “That being said, I keep going back to you as an artist. I see something very special in you that I can’t let go of. This may be my own shit, but something in me tells me to keep at ya on it.” He surveyed her as she shifted in her seat and wrung her hands unconsciously.
He offered a friendly grin and put his hand atop hers in an attempt to soothe her. “I can
