Page 56 of So This Is Love

“So let’s not waste any more time and get right to the chase. I’ve followed you since the beginning of your career and you’re extremely talented, which is why I want you to join us here at Silver Spoon.”

Langston leans forward placing his elbows on his desk and interlocks his fingers before he continues speaking.

“I know why you didn't resign with that other label and I want to do things differently.”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise at his statement because I never publicly said why I didn’t renew my contract, instead deciding to separate as amicably as possible by not airing out all of my grievances and frustrations.

“Really?” I say slowly. “And why is that?”

“Because they were holding you back from your full potential.”

Langston speaks as if he knows me, as if less than an hour ago I wouldn’t have walked past him on the street without a single clue who he was. To him, he’s saying all the right things about wanting to make me more successful and more famous but in reality it’s all wrong.

“You have the raw talent of someone that should be the face of the industry. Billboards, commercials, tours, you name it, it can all be yours. Women love your voice and persona. You’re still in good shape. We can play up the sex appeal and they won’t be able to get enough of you.”

Langston continues on, outlining his plan for me with his label, pitching me all the ways I can be more successful and have more money and more opportunities.

More. More. More.

“But what if that isn’t what I want?,” I ask, cutting him off. “The fame and the fortune and the women. What if I want to do something different?”

I pose the question as a hypothetical, but it's more accurate than anything Langston has said this entire meeting. I don’t want to be the Sonny that I was before, placed in the box and forced to portray myself in the way the label thought would benefit themselves the most regardless of whatIwanted.

“Of course you want it,” he says chuckling. “You made it. You got yourself and your family out the hood which was always the goal, right? You’ve done well but it's time to aim higher, bigger. It’s what everyone wants and with my help you can have it.”

And there it is.

Men like Langston think that they know best and prey on young aspiring artists claiming that they can give them the world and everything they’ve ever dreamed of. But in reality they just want to serve their own best interests and everything else is secondary.

“Listen Langston,” I say. “I appreciate the interest, but this isn’t going to work between us.”

His surprise from my words is evident by the expression on his face. I stand from my seat, done with the conversation. My hand is on the doorknob poised to leave this room when Langston’s voice stops me.

“What would your father want of you?”

I pause and turn back to him “The fuck did you say?”

He’s standing, facing me while he leans back against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest.

“From what I hear you were close with your father, and it was truly tragic how you lost him.”

Langston pauses to give what is supposed to be a sympathetic smile and nod.

“He wouldn’t want his only son to do something so stupid as to walk away from a deal as good as this one would he?”

I wiggle my fingers and take a deep breath using every last shred of my willpower to stop myself from punching him straight in the nose for having the audacity to bring up my father.

Langston must take my pause as contemplation because he continues speaking, unaware of the rage coursing through me.

“Sonny, be smart about this. You’ve been on hiatus for years now, offers aren’t going to keep coming in. This is the best deal you’re going to receive and if you walk out that door, it’s off the table.”

“You really think you have me all figured out huh,” I scoff. “But see if I really needed you, you wouldn’t have been begging my manager to even have the ability to have a meeting with me. I don’t need a partnership with a lowlife like you who just wants to exploit me.”

I yank the door open but stop and turn back to Langston. “ Oh, and since you know my father so well, you should thank him for being the only reason you aren’t laid out on the floor right now. He taught me to pick my battles and you’re not worth the fight.”

I walk out the door and don’t even say a word to Xavier. He just follows my lead walking a few steps behind me as we walk back to the car.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and when I pull it out and look at it I see it's a message from Morgan asking for an update on the meeting when it's finished. I start to type out an angry message telling her that I knew this meeting would be a waste of time. I hit backspace and delete it all in favor of echoing Morgan’s words from a few days ago back to her.

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