THE next morning, Ri-Ri went downstairs for breakfast with a frown on her face. According to Leticia, their middle-aged housekeeper, breakfast was set in the gazebo. She didn’t want to go down at all, but the housekeeper had already gone back and forth to her room several times. Her irritation toward her mother and her two bodyguards still hadn’t faded. If her father weren’t there, she really wouldn’t have come down.
When she stepped outside, her annoyance only grew when she heard her mother laughing. Her mood darkened even more, if that was even possible. But her steps suddenly halted when she noticed there were two extra people in the gazebo. It was Matteo and the nameless bodyguard.
Well, she should have known. Her mother had always been kind to her bodyguards. She even let them join their meals. She treated them warmly—like family. Everyone except her.
Annoyed, she let out a sigh. She instinctively tightened the tie of her silk kimono robe. She glanced down at what she was wearing—it only reached mid-thigh. She was about to turn back to change when her father called out to her. She had no choice but to keep walking.
“I believe you finally met your new bodyguard yesterday,” her mother began as she arrived. “He’s Zion Mendez. Zion, this is my daughter, Strawberry.” Her mother introduced them. Ri-Ri winced, feeling embarrassed to be called by her real name.
She immediately looked at Zion, who was casually sitting while eating a strawberry dipped in chocolate. Ugh, just great! she thought irritably.
“It’s Ri-Ri. Only Ri-Ri,” she corrected. She remembered what he had called her yesterday and shot him another glare. He didn’t say a word, though, and just continued eating the strawberry. So rude! she thought.
Matteo chuckled. “My brother-in-law is not much of a talker. Sorry about that,” he said, and she paused for a moment. Ah, that explained why the two of them seemed familiar with each other.
“It’s alright,” her father said. He sat beside her and began eating. Ri-Ri didn’t lift her head, just listened to the conversation between her parents and Matteo. However, she was painfully aware of Zion’s gaze on her from the opposite side of the table. Sure, the bastard even had a sexy name. That made her even more annoyed.
“By the way, you have a meeting today with the team. I think there are some changes in your album,” her mother said, catching her attention.
“What changes?” she asked. She wasn’t sad, though. Instead, she felt hopeful.
Her mother shrugged. “They didn’t say. Just be ready. And tomorrow is the first day of your music video shoot for the pre-released track. You need to make up for disappointing your fans because of your antics. You’d be lucky if you still have any loyal fans left. You’re slowly turning into a disappointment. You’re a lost cause, Strawberry.” She even tsked.
Ri-Ri froze in the middle of eating. And just like that, her mother’s words crushed her soul. The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward. No one dared to speak. She couldn’t lift her head. Even from the corner of her eye, she noticed Zion had paused while eating his fruit. She felt her father brush her back, and she gave a faint smile at his encouraging look.
No, Ri-Ri! You’re not going to cry in front of your bodyguards. Damn it! she panicked inwardly.
She stood up. “Excuse me, I’m just going to change,” she said in a soft voice. Her mother called after her, saying she hadn’t finished her meal. She ignored it and continued walking back into the house. Once she was inside her room, she finally let her tears fall.
NIBBLING on her lip, Ri-Ri waited for the right moment to suggest an idea for her new album. She just listened as the whole team discussed the album launch. She learned that two songs would no longer be included in her album, and another one would have its lyrics changed because it didn’t fit the theme of her new project.
“There’s no problem with changing the lyrics. I already have something in mind,” one record producer said. “But for the two songs, how are we supposed to replace them in such a short period of time? If that’s the case, we’ll have to postpone the album launch.” He continued, and several heads nodded in agreement.
“For the two songs,” she cut in, and all eyes turned to her. “I have many compositions. I can do a demo today if you—”
“That won’t work.”
Dang. Rejected. Again.
“Your written songs are too soft for the album.”
She felt hurt. That was always the reason they gave. Too soft. Not enough. Doesn’t fit. Not appropriate. Lacking spark. No impact. They didn’t even give her time to properly listen to the songs she had written.
“It’s just a waste of time, Ri. We don’t have time for that,” the record producer said. “Your album launch can’t be delayed too much. The fans will get impatient.” She could only nod. They continued their discussion. She felt so small as she slowly closed the notebook where she had written all her compositions.
“Why don’t we choose from the unreleased tracks and change some lyrics as well?” a music supervisor suggested, and everyone agreed.
Ri-Ri felt like she was floating out of herself. It hurt so much that she wished she weren’t there anymore. Her mother did nothing but listen quietly. She looked at her and saw that her mother didn’t even glance back. Nobody really cared about her in this company. She remembered the hurtful words they had thrown at her before.
“You’re just here to sing and look pretty.”
“The words don’t make any sense.”
“Your voice is beautiful. It’s soothing. But you have no talent for songwriting. Let’s just stick to the rules.”
Ri-Ri sighed and closed her eyes, trying to shake those hurtful words from her mind. She wanted this meeting to end already. The urge to unwind and get drunk was unbearably strong; it made her feel lightheaded. She didn’t care that she had two bodyguards. She would escape later, and no one would stop her.