more agitated when I think about my mother’s actions.
“It was disgusting watching her stand at the head of the conference room table earlier and stare me down with all that fake compassion and concern,” I continue, venom dripping from my voice as Finn puts the car in park but doesn’t kill the engine. “That stupid, ‘I’m an excellent mother’ persona she only exhibits in the company of others. Everyone around that table ate it up and believed the worry she had for me was actually genuine. There was nothing I could do but concede; otherwise I would just look like an ungrateful bitch.”
Finn nods his head in agreement but remains silent. “Especially when I swore I saw the makings of tears in her eyes—the perfect ruse to get everyone in the room on her side as she worried for her poor daughter’s safety. Give me a fucking break.”
We sat quietly for a few moments, listening to the hum of the engine, both of us staring straight ahead at the huge arena in front of us, lost in our own thoughts. Finn is the first one to speak.
“I’ve seen those letters, Layla. They were weird as hell. This guy travels to every single concert you ever do. He’s made personal assessments about your performances that even the tabloids haven’t caught on to. He’s watching you really closely, and I have to be honest, that scares the shit out of me. And it should scare you as well. You have no idea what this creepy fuck is capable of. You have no idea what else he already knows about you. I agree with Eve on the fact that we need to be extra concerned when it comes to your safety. I just don’t understand why she felt the need to go behind my back to make that happen.”
I clench my jaw in anger and take a couple of deep, calming breaths before I reply.
“Okay, so you've read the letters that we still aren’t even sure are real. But while you were busy doing that in her office before we left to come here, my lovely mother cornered me right outside the conference room. It’s pretty obvious what her intentions are.”
“Was it really necessary to hire a stranger to look into those letters? Finn is perfectly capable of doing his job,” I told my mother as we stood outside the conference room after everyone had left the building and Finn disappeared to check on something before we followed. “Don’t be so naïve, Layla. Finn is okay at what he does, but he doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head. It never hurts to have someone else looking into this thing,” she told me distractedly as she scrolled through emails on her Blackberry.
“Finn is more than okay at his job and you know it. There has to be another reason you’re doing this, and it doesn’t have anything to do with being concerned about my safety.”
Eve finally looked up from her phone and threw an annoyed look my way, her eyes narrowing and her lips pursing together.
“If you’re not safe, we don’t make money, plain and simple. And obviously, having a stalker is always good for publicity. It makes the fans concerned for you and feel sympathetic towards you. By hiring outside help, there’s no way it can be kept a secret. It will be public knowledge by this time tomorrow, and you’ll have everyone eating out of your hands,” she explained, glancing back down at her phone.
“I am not going to deceive my fans. They respect me and they believe in me. What happens when they find out this was all a hoax just to make them feel sorry for me?” I questioned angrily.
“It’s all part of the business, Hummingbird.”
I visibly winced when she used my father’s nickname for me and said it with such scorn in her voice. She knew how much I hated it when she called me that.
“And if you know what’s good for you, you won’t question my decisions again. Otherwise, your precious fans will have a field day when they find out you suddenly went back into rehab,” she said maliciously as she tossed her phone inside of her new Louis Vuitton purse, crossed her arms in front of her, and stared me down. “That little pill problem of yours was a pesky one to put a positive spin on, but I did it. And it can be done again. You think the reporters hound you