Eddie was genuinely freaking out. He’d witnessed the whole Yondu Luke situation firsthand–the guy had been their procurement director before everything went to hell.
Procurement director was serious money, especially at Harrison Group.
“Boss, should we amp up security?” Eddie asked nervously. “And maybe give Ms. Hope a heads–up?”
Nathan massaged his temples and nodded for Eddie to handle it.
Yondu Luke. Ice–cold fury flashed in Nathan’s eyes. That bastard wouldn’t get away with anything.
At the hospital, Amelia had washed off her makeup and was back in bed when Harper swung by.
“Girl, you were absolutely fire!” Harper grabbed Amelia’s arm, beaming. “That performance was next level!”
“You’re being extra,” Amelia laughed at Harper’s dramatic face. “Pretty sure you’ve got best friend goggles on.”
“Hell no!” Harper shot back, cuddling up to Amelia. “We’ve been tight since forever–I know exactly what you can do.”
“And I wasn’t watching those butchered online clips either. Had a friend on the crew live–streaming it on her phone. Wish I’d thought to record it–wonder if she kept anything.”
Harper got more animated as she talked. “Back when I was still being a brat following Caspian around, you were already grinding at piano practice. Then you became a total prodigy at everything!”
“That was just for fun too. Your dad was literally grooming you to take over back then…”
Harper caught herself mid–sentence. Amelia’s smile wavered for a split second, but her face stayed calm.
Her father was still a raw nerve. Everything had spiraled after his death.
“Amelia…” Harper squeezed her hand.
Seeing Harper’s worried expression, Amelia refocused. “Babe, don’t treat me like I’m made of glass. I’m not that fragile, and that’s ancient history.”
“I’m doing fine now, right?” Amelia squeezed back reassuringly.
Harper studied her face and, satisfied she wasn’t putting on an act, finally relaxed.
After a pause, Harper ventured carefully: “What about… her? How’s that situation?”
Amelia caught the cautious tone. Between them, only one person got that treatment.
Her mother.
After her father died, vultures had circled, trying to pick their bones clean. Nathan had promised protection and put Harrison people in charge of what was left of the Visconti empire, but it hadn’t been smooth sailing.
Mom had once been this gorgeous, magnetic woman who could stop traffic with a single dance at elite parties. But eventually… she got tired and older. Needed someone to lean on.
So she found a new husband.
“Amelia…” Harper’s voice pulled her back.
“We don’t really talk anymore,” Amelia said. eyes on the TV. “Last time I saw her, I gave her some cash. Heard she opened a little boutique or
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something. She’s probably… doing okay.”
Truth was. Amelia knew her mom’s feelings about her had gotten messy over the years. Especially after what happened.
“Honestly…” Harper sighed. “Maybe it’s better this way. No drama.”
“Yeah.” Amelia nodded. Probably for the best.
The TV weather report was on. “Breaking: Another severe storm expected tonight. Residents should take precautions and keep rain gear handy…”
Harper groaned about the nightmare commute ahead.
Amelia grinned. “Just crash here. Split the bed like old times.”
They used to have sleepovers constantly as kids.
Harper rolled her eyes. “No way. If I accidentally hurt you, Caspian will murder me.”
Amelia smiled without commenting. She knew Harper was right about Caspian
Harper kept insisting she should “loan” Caspian to her as payback, but Amelia wasn’t thinking about romance right now. She had bigger things to handle.
Six days ago at city hall, the divorce papers she’d given Nathan had a buried landmine. The agreement basically said her assets stayed hers.
Nathan was planning to remarry in six months anyway, plus she’d deliberately pissed him off that day, so he’d barely skimmed the paperwork.
He’d missed that among the specific items was one vague line: “other assets originally under Amelia Visconti’s ownership.”
That covered everything that used to belong to her family before Harrison Group absorbed it.
Her father’s old connections–she was getting them back, even though most of the original people were long gone.
The vague wording was intentional. If Nathan played nice, easy. If he fought back, they’d negotiate.
That division had always been her baby and barely connected to Harrison’s core business. She figured she could buy it for a fair price.
Worst case, she’d sue over the disputed parts. Even a partial win would give her something to work with.
All of this required serious cash.
Given Nathan’s cutthroat business instincts, she’d get exactly one shot. So “Voice of Heaven” had to be hers!
This was her launching pad–massive exposure, professional credibility, viral performances. Everything she needed to explode her market value and earning potential.
Even if Nathan tried to blackball her, she had other options. At least Louie had her back.
Question was: would Nathan really go nuclear?
Amelia’s expression darkened. She remembered how Nathan had looked at her like a threat while protecting Vivian.
She couldn’t read him anymore, so she had to plan for the worst.
She knew Louie had gone all–in on this bet. His older brothers had years of head start building power bases at Cavendish Entertainment. Being the baby of the family put Louie in a tough spot.
With Grandpa Cavendish getting sicker and the three sons at each other’s throats, if Louie could ride her success to the top, maybe he could finally grab some real power.
Amelia glanced at Harper, who was still channel surfing.
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“Hey, that friend who streamed for you–can you hook me up with her?”
Harper kept clicking through channels, bored with everything. “Sure, what’s up?”
Amelia watched the flickering screen. “I want whatever footage she got.”
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Chapter 36
Chapter 36
