Page 8 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
Her eyebrows knitted together. “I had no idea.”
“Most people don’t, and that’s okay. My parents were busy, and they thought it would be better to grow up without all the glitz and glamour. My feet firmly on the ground, so to speak.” A decision he’d hated at one point and now treasured. Yes, he had a horrible temper, but only because people continually did stupid things.
Charlotte stopped unpacking and looked at him. “Are you still close with your grandparents?”
“Actually, things have been strained between us for a while.” Saying it aloud hurt more than he expected. More than once, he’d caught himself wanting to call his grandfather for advice, but he wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. Even his parents were embarrassed by him. He hadn’t spoken to them about anything.
Malakai had embarrassed his entire family when he’d attended his grandma’s funeral while he was high. It was the last time he’d used, too. Once he realized what he’d done, he’d checked himself into a low-key facility. He knew when the headlines hit after Sunny’s death that his mom and dad would be disappointed and embarrassed again, which meant there was no reason to call them. Would they even believe he’d been clean? That she’d fought for control of the steering wheel?
Turning, Charlotte tilted her head. “Does Octavia know that?”
“Everyone knows that. The last time I saw my mom was when a reporter was pushing a mic in her face and asking her about the crash. I haven’t mustered the courage to call them since.”
Charlotte crossed the room and grabbed her other, larger suitcase, taking it to the closet before laying it down and unzipping it. “I’m surprised Octavia isn’t using that too. Usually, reconciling with family is high on the list.”
Malakai shrugged. “My sister is the one who got the meeting with Octavia set up. She said they talked for hours, so I’m sure it was mentioned.”
“Probably was,” Charlotte replied. “Octavia is very thorough. That’s for sure.”
Again, the feeling hit that there was something weird about her and Octavia’s relationship. How did someone like Charlotte work for a woman like Octavia? It took every ounce of willpower he had not to bombard her with questions. He had the feeling that if he did, she’d zip her lips closed and he’d never find out.
“She seems it.” He paused. “Um, I’m going to go so you can unpack in peace. Like I said, you’re free to wander the house.”
“Thank you.”
Taking a step back, he turned on his heels and strode out of the room. So far, he was optimistic that this wasn’t going to be horrible. Not that he wanted to lie or mislead the public, but he’d created this situation. His band shouldn’t have to suffer for his behavior.
Malakai was also interested in Charlotte’s story. Whyhadshe worked for someone like Octavia for so long? It certainly didn’t sound like the job of a lifetime. Diving deep into that might help keep his mind off his own problems. Maybe.
Chapter 4
After taking the longest bath known to mankind, Charlotte changed into some lounge pants and a t-shirt. Living at the office, she didn’t get the luxury of baths. The tiny standup shower she had barely gave her room to shave her legs.
There were times when she wanted to pack her things and let Octavia have the company, but Charlotte couldn’t do it. So, she put up with everything her stepsister threw at her. Hopefully, that wasn’t going to last much longer. Charlotte would take control of the business and return it to the company her father wanted it to be.
A light knock came from the door, and she slid off the bed to answer it, quickly pulling her hair up. She wasn’t trying to impress Malakai, but that didn’t mean she wanted to look terrible.
“Hi,” she said, looking up at him as she opened the door. She had no idea how tall he was. Truthfully, she’d never really thought much about height since she was always, always shorter than everyone else.
Goodness, he was attractive. That long bath of hers had consisted of several daydreams where she was kissing the behemoth of a man. She’d made the mistake of touching him earlier, and her nerves still felt fried. The tattoo she traced was pretty. A series of musical notes with vines growing through them.
For a moment, she’d considered asking him about the story behind them, but he didn’t know her. How many times had people asked him personal things just to pull information from him and sell it to a gossip rag? She didn’t want to be one of those people. If she was going to help him, she needed him to trust her. Anything he told her would be behind lips locked shut.
There was also the issue of tit for tat. She wasn’t keen on sharing with him either.
Malakai smiled. “Hey, are you hungry yet?”
She looked out the window and found the sun halfway below the horizon. “Wow. I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“You’re talking to a night owl,” he replied, chuckling.
“Yeah, I can be that way too sometimes.” Because that was the only time she had any freedom to find out how Octavia had managed to swindle Charlotte’s father out of his company.
Malakai’s eyebrows lifted to his hairline. “Really? You? Can’t say I pictured you staying up late.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she replied, “And why is that?”
“I don’t know. I just didn’t.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
