Bad Boy vs Millionaire (19 page)

“
What would Tamaki be doing at the management company?” I asked Angie. I wasn't saying she was lying but it just seemed so strange.

“
I have no idea. Why don't you ask him? What kind of work does he do anyway?”

I grabbed a CD from the pile on the table and copied an address from my list to the envelope then folded a note from the band and sealed it, adding it to the growing pile on the floor.

“They are mainly into exports. A few other things too. It's a huge company.” To be honest, both Tamaki and Ichiro had been a bit vague about their company and even vaguer about how they wanted to join forces with my father.

“
Well, obviously, since he's filthy rich. You don't get filthy rich with a small company. Maybe they are into band management too?”

Angie looked up from the note she was folding.

“Why would a big company like that be into music management? They have much bigger fish to fry. Like massive fish. I don't know that there would be enough money in music management, especially a management company in another country, to make it worth their while.”

“
Well, it was for your dad, right?”

Yeah,
it had been. After all, he'd owned the company that managed Storm until he'd signed it over to me. It was weird though, why would my dad even have a band management company that he never did anything with? Apparently, originally it'd been to sign up a couple of his friends who had bands. Right at the start, before he even had too much money. But then why did he sign up Storm? If you had a neglected management company, why would you sign a band you had no intention of promoting? He hadn't signed anyone else to the company in like 20 years.

I sighed and realised I hadn’t included the note from the band in the last parcel I’d sealed.
I ran my fingernail along the edge to reopen it. You had to keep your wits about you to do that.

“
Okay, you have a point. It is suspicious. I'll ask Tamaki about it tonight. Are we still going ahead with the video, even though those nasty betrayers have betrayed me?”

“
We should. If the guys want to, of course. I'm not even sure if they are going to sign to the new management group. Eric isn't so keen. And can they do that? Legally, I mean? They have a contract with you.”

I
sighed. I'd thought about this a lot.

“
If they want to do it, I'm not going to stop them. I don't think it's worth trying to force them to stay on with me, is it? It'd be awful, knowing that they didn't want to do it.”

Angie
looked at the ring shining on my finger but she didn't say anything. I put my hand in my lap.

“
Still, they could be a whole lot more grateful. You sorted out the tour deal for them and you have done so much work. It's not like they would have even been offered the Blainsley contract if you hadn't got their attention.”

I
shrugged. Maybe, maybe not. It didn't really matter now.

“
This is all Spud's doing. You can bet your life on that. He's such a misogynist. And Jack is stupid for listening to him.”

Angie
had told me all about their night out and how Jack and Spud were reunited.

“
How did you know Eric isn’t keen anyway?”

Angie
blushed. I swear she blushed. Her cheeks turned a definite pink that you could see even under the layers of makeup she wore.

“
I was talking to him last night. He's convinced Jack to wait a few days, to think things over.”

“
Oh, talking to him or 'talking' to him.”

“
Just talking. We can talk, can't we? It's not like we can't
talk
.”

I
arched my brow. Everyone knows there's talking and then there's talking. But at least I'd taken Angie's attention away from that ring on my finger before she started asking about that.

“
Anyway, if you do shoot the clip, you can count me out. I am not going back to that place ever again. It was so awful. I thought I'd die there.”

“
Seriously, you were like 10 minutes’ walk away from the farmhouse. It's not like you were stranded in the middle of nowhere. And I'm sure that woman would have gone looking for you eventually.”

“
You don't understand…”

I focused on the envelope I was stuffing, hammering it shut with the side of my fist.
I didn't want to put it into words but Angie should've guessed that the reason it was hell was because Jack Colt was there. All that emotional shit, ick.

“
It's not like you'd need to be there anyway. I mean, it'd be more fun with you but we could film the clip without you.”

Even
though it was what I'd suggested, my heart sunk. It seemed to be the theme of the week ― things people could do without Hannah. Most of them revolving around Storm. I wanted to be part of it. I wanted to have the fun and the excitement. I wanted to be there to see the band become what they should be.

It seemed like not that long ago, I had this awesome, fun thing that I felt part of in a way that I’d never felt part of anything in my life.
We’d been a team, trying to bring a dream alive, but I’d been brushed aside and all the fun was gone.

Angie
grabbed my hand.

“
What's this ring?” she asked. “You've been trying to keep it out of sight all day.”

“
I'm engaged.”

“
Huh?” She dropped my hand onto the table. “Who to? What the hell?”

“
To Tamaki. He asked me a week or so ago and I agreed last night.”

Angie
stared. She stared in a way that made me want to look away. I scratched my nose and stared at the label I was writing. There was some major judging going on in that stare.

“
You are
engaged
to Tamaki? Why?”

“
What the hell else am I supposed to do? I no longer have a band to manage. I no longer have a life.”

Angie
grabbed my shoulders.

“
You didn't even tell me, Hannah. Isn't that a hint? When you get engaged to someone, you should want to shout it from the rooftops. You want to scream and laugh and act crazy. You don’t hide it from people like some dirty secret.”

I
felt as if I should say something to defend myself. I needed to justify myself, but the words didn't come out. What could I say? That I needed to do this for my father? That sounded lame. That I was terrified of another scandal? That if I couldn't have Jack I didn't care.

“
Even without the band, you have a huge future in front of you. You are smart and pretty and full of moxie. You haven't even finished Uni. Imagine what you can do! You don't want to tie yourself down. I totally do not approve.”

She
folded her arms.

“
I won't be finishing my degree or doing anything else if I don't get married. I have nothing, Angie. It's all an illusion.”

I
looked down and realised I'd totally screwed up the address. I couldn’t even write simple words.

I'd
have my dad in prison, my name dragged through the courts and no money. That's what I'd have. At least with Tamaki, I'd have safety and an anchor in my life. I wouldn't wake up again some morning to find the ground had fallen away from beneath me.

We’d managed to get through the entire mailing list.
Those CDs would be hitting the desks of every person with influence just before the first concert of the tour. And I hadn’t even thought to ask why the hell I’d been doing this for the band I no longer managed.

Once
our engagement became official, I got swept up in a rush of celebration and fuss. Personally, I'd have liked to have kept things quiet but that wasn't to be, obviously. I figured an engagement meant just some vague promise that we'd be getting married some time in the misty future. Not so with Tamaki. He wanted to set a date, get things organised and official. For fuck sake, he wanted us to see a wedding planner. In Tokyo. That was definitely making plans concrete.

“
I think we should have the wedding in Japan,” he said. “It would be easier.”

I agreed.
I didn’t really care where we held the wedding. It’s not as if I had any friends or family anyway. Well, except for Angie. I just wished he’d stop and let me breathe for a bit, rather than trying to make a hundred small decisions a day.

“
Anyway, we can see how we go. I have to return home soon and I think you should go with me, so we can have the official engagement party.”

“
How long for?” I asked. I didn't want to just pack up and leave like that.

“
Does it matter? There's nothing you need to be here for, is there?”

I
couldn't think of anything, except for like my whole life. I didn't want to head off and leave everyone. But I couldn't really say that. I had nothing tangible, just the need to be with friends and do things my way. Already, Tamaki had been making decisions for the two of us. Nothing huge, nothing I could argue with, just things like where to have dinner or making suggestions about what I should wear.

Tamaki
ran his fingers up my arm, a gentle stroke that tickled.

“
What's wrong, Hannah?” he asked. “You aren't having second thoughts, are you?

I
smiled. He was doing that biting his bottom lip thing. It was exceptionally cute. I was a sucker for that lip bite.

“
Of course not,” I replied. “It just seems so overwhelming. So much to do.”

He
nodded.

“
But you don't have to worry, Hannah. When we get home, the planner will do everything. All you have to do is sit back and be pampered, like a princess. That isn't so hard.”

His
smile reassured me and I didn't want to say that when he said “home”, he meant his home not mine.

***

Angie had come over with the videos she wanted to submit for her final assignment. She wanted my feedback but I wasn’t sure how valuable my feedback would be considering I knew nothing about that kind of stuff. Still, as we’d watched the videos she made, it struck me once again how super talented she was.

Anyway, she’d told me the most important feedback was my natural reaction to things and had sat there through the entire watching process staring at me and taking notes.

The live footage she’d captured of the band. It was amazing. It was hard to watch but it really felt like raw energy pulsated from the screen.

When it finished, she put down her notes and put on her serious talk face.

“How are things going?” Angie asked. “With you and Tamaki?”

“
It's all happening, Angie. I feel like my life isn't my own any more.”

“
Scary.”

“
Yeah, but it'll be nice to be in the papers for something that isn't a big scandal, you know. My life will be so uncomplicated after this. I’ll have a safety net.”

She
squeezed my hand.

“
It's going to be epic, right. I know I don’t approve of this but if it’s what you want, then I support you. When do you go back?”

“
I'm not sure yet. Tamaki has some things to finalise before we leave. I’m sure it’s going to be okay, it just seems overwhelming and crazy right now. I’ve never been the type to dream about a fairytale wedding. I wish we could just keep things low key and simple but it’s turning out to be a massive gala event.  This whole engagement party – ‘it’s not a party, it’s a business announcement’ is what Tamaki keeps saying.”

Angie gazed into space for a moment, her expression showing the cogs running in her brain.

“Can I go with you? Seriously, you need to have a friend at this party and that would have to be me, right? Right? I totally need to go with. Especially since I missed out last time. I only have the Storm video left to do and I’ll have that done next week and then I'm on break. I mean, I totally don’t approve of this wedding but if you are going to go through with it, then I need to be there. Especially if
there
is Tokyo.”

I
laughed at her jumping up and down in her seat, like a kid that's been offered a chance to go to the zoo.

“
Of course you can come. I'll talk to Tamaki about it tonight but it’ll be fine. I mean, I can't go through this on my own.”

“
Awesome,” Angie said, clapping her hands. “Of course, if you change your mind and decide to not go through with this, that’s okay too. You don’t have to get married just so I can have a holiday.”

This
whole engagement party thing seemed much more fun now Angie was going with me.

“
So do you have any more of your videos we need to watch?” I asked. Because I cared about helping Angie and not at all because I wanted to see any more of Jack Colt.

***

We were having dinner at yet another hip restaurant. It was some kind of Spanish fusion food place in a converted warehouse. All funky and loud and echoey. I'd already run into three people I'd rather not have ever seen again in my life.

I
hated going to those places. I hated feeling on display. But, increasingly, Tamaki insisted on it. We had to be in the right places. Sometimes, when we were about to leave to go out, he’d look in the mirror at the two of us together and comment on how well we suited each other.

“
A perfect contrast, don’t you think?” he’d ask. “You complete me, Hannah.”

When
we finally got a break from all the hellos and cheek kissing, I told him about Angie coming to Tokyo with me.

“
Do you think that's a good idea?” Tamaki put down his knife and fork.

“
Yes, I do think it's a good idea. It's a grand idea. I couldn't think of a better idea.”

“
Look, Hannah, Angie is lovely and a good friend, but this party… it's for very important people. The kind of people you network with. It's not a few drinks with friends, but with business associates. I don't know if Angie would be comfortable with those kinds of people.”

He
twisted his napkin in his hands and I knew he was really thinking that Angie wouldn't fit in with them. That she wasn't the right kind of person.

“
I want her with me,” I said in a voice that made it clear I wouldn't listen to any more of his arguments.

He
sighed.

“
Think of how Angie would feel,” he said. “I don’t want her being uncomfortable.”

But
I knew he was lying and only thinking of himself. I pushed the paella around my plate, no longer feeling hungry. I didn’t want to make a scene but honestly, if Angie couldn’t come to my engagement party, I didn’t want to go through with it.

I
finally looked up from my plate and, for a moment, Tamaki glared at me with a look of annoyance in his eyes. But, before I could say anything, he’d changed back to his usual sunny self.

“
I didn’t think this would be such an issue for you…”

“
She’s my best friend.”

“
I don’t want to say you can’t invite her, just that you should think hard about it. Think about…”

Of
course I’d thought about it. I’d thought about all the fun we’d have. I’d thought about how nice it’d be to go shopping with and help me get ready and to laugh with. Someone to be a buffer between me and them – my father and Tamaki’s family.

Tamaki
reached out and covered my hand with his. I pulled my hand away.

“
I just want to protect you, Hannah. I don’t want you to get hurt.”