The Choice is Yours

9

(Present Day)

      I let out a calming breath as I stepped out of my car into Edison. After being directed by the hosts to a vacant table in a secluded corner, I placed my drink order and continued to calm my nerves. "I don't know what I'm gonna do," I said to no one in particular. Just as the waitress was bringing out my drink, Kassie Smalls and her manager come over to the table and sit down.

      "I'm glad you two could make it." I stated with a forced smile.

      "Thank you so much for opening your schedule to us. I know that with you being the best heartbreak record writer, you don't have much time on your hands. I'm Lilian." Kassie's manager said. I politely shook Lilian's extended hand.   

      As we took our seats and placed our orders, I put on my professional attitude and pulled out my tablet ready for work. "What can I do for Kassie Smalls today?" I asked.

      "Well as you may already be able to guess, we need a powerful heartbreak record." Lillian began.

      "Yeah, I'm a fairly new artist and I think putting out a record that is similar to my big break up with RJ Stewart would be exactly what my fans would want to hear." Kassie finished.

      "RJ Stewart, the actor?" I asked making sure that I had the right person.

      "That would be the one," Kassie answered with a sigh. From the sudden sadness in her eyes, I could tell that the break up was fresh and she hasn't fully dealt with it yet. 

       "I remember reading a few headlines about you two, but just so we are clear can you tell me a little about the relationship. I want to make the song touch as close to home as possible." I needed to know if I still had it in me to connect to such a vulnerable place. Kassie looked down at her hands nervously before she spoke.

      "We were together two years, which is extremely long in celebrity years. We were doing great until I noticed the looks he was giving to my former producer and manager. At first I didn't think too much of it because, honestly I was just being naive. But as time went on, I noticed that she kept asking to speak to him privately and they hung out a lot more than usual. I initially thought it was because he was showing interest in music and she wanted him under her label.

        One day we were at his apartment and I was looking through his laptop and I noticed a folder with her name on it. When I opened it, there were hundreds of sexy pictures and videos of them together. I went ballistic and trashed the entire apartment. After maybe about an hour, he walked in with my former manager and saw what I had done. We got into a big fight and broke up. 

      So after a year or two of the press and media having a field day with the break up and speculation of both of us being with other people, I went on a vacation to Bologna, Italy. And as luck would have it, I saw him there not knowing that he was shooting his latest film. I still wasn't over the big break up, so when he offered to talk I was 100% down for it," she let out a sigh as she continued. "From there we got back into a relationship for about a year. I started to notice that he was being controlling of me and what I did. I brushed it off because I still did what I wanted regardless of what he said. Slowly as time went on, he got more controlling and started to get abusive physically and verbally. I knew that I couldn't continue being abused, so I got out. So now six months later, I am here with you," she finished with an uneasy smile.

      I smiled back at her as I looked up from my notes. "With your incredible story, this is going to be an amazing song."

      "Great! We have 100% confidence in you Ms. Starr." Lillian squeaked with excitement.

      "Will you be involved in the recording process as well?" Kassie asked.

      "I can be wherever you want me to be for the right price Ms. Smalls," I responded matter-of-factly. Lilian's smile started to grow by the second.

     "Also as far as promotion for the material goes, is it safe to say that our teams will be in constant communication?" Lillian asked. Once again, I flashed a million dollar smile.

      "For the right price, anything is possible," I repeated my motto.

      "Great! Lastly, do you have any connections to any DJs?" Lillian asked. With the simple mention, I was instantly sent to another flashback.