Page 124 of Chasing Lyric
She needs to knoweverything.
“I didn’t share a house with him in LA. We weren’t roommates.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
CHASE
Lyric glares at me.
And it’s only going to get worse.
“You lied about that, too?”
“Just listen, Lyric…” Stylo encourages as she stares at him.
Her breathing is shallow as I continue, “I was in jail for a Class B felony for embezzlement and grand theft against Ego Star Recordings.”
Her head snaps around so fast it reminds me of something fromThe Exorcist.She stares at me like she’s trying to see me as someone different, like she has no idea who I am right now, and that thought fucking kills me.
“You were in…jail?” she asks me directly this time, but her tone is laced with bitterness.
My chest squeezes. “Yes,” I reply simply, because there’s no way to lessen the blow.
Her entire body slumps as she places her head in her hands. “Oh my God… for how long?”
I hesitate, but then she looks at me like she’s dying inside, and I can’t hold anything else back from her. “Five years.”
“Holy fuck! Who the hellareyou, Chase?” she blurts out as I begin to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.
“Baby girl, listen to thewholestory,” Stylo offers, placing his hand on her thigh to ease her discomfort.
She sits taller, her watering eyes now focused right on me.She’s ready to hear me talk.That’s got to count for something, so I reach out, grabbing her hand, and by some miracle of grace, she lets me.
I stare right in her big, beautiful doe eyes. “Lyri, the thing about my family is we’re close. Mom, Dad, and I. We’re all we’ve got. I don’t have siblings, and Ego Star Promotions is what defines the Covingtons.”
She narrows her eyes on me. “That doesn’t explain anything, Chase.”
I roll my shoulders, forcing myself to breathe as the weight of what I’m about to say settles deep in my gut. This isn’t easy to talk about. Hell, I’ve never said it out loud to anyone outside my circle, but Lyric deserves the truth.All of it.
My jaw flexes as I look at her. “A while back, Ego Star wasn’t just my father’s company. He ran it alongside another man, Howie Rockmann. Howie was the showman, the guy with flair. He knew how to work a room, charm a client, and keep the party going. My father? He was the hammer. Cold, controlled, all about structure and power. They were a hell of a team. Artists loved them. Labels respected them. That partnership brought in bands from every corner of the world, includingSavage Riot.”
Lyric’s brows draw in slightly, suspicion curling in the crease between them. “Okaaay?” she says, dragging the word like she’s waiting for the catch.
I nod, eyes locking onto hers. “One day, Howie figured out someone was stealing from the company. Embezzling. Not just a couple of bucks here and there, serious cash. He swore he’d find out who it was and make them pay. He wasn’t the kind of guy who let shit slide, especially when it came to loyalty and trust.”
The pressure in my chest builds as the memory resurfaces. My throat tightens, but I push forward. “I didn’t know anything was going on until I stayed late one night. Walked into the office and found my old man hunched over his desk, sweating bullets while placing bets on an underground gambling site.”
Lyric stills.
My fists clench at my sides. “That’s when it clicked. The missing money. The secrets. The lies. My father… he was the one bleeding the company dry. The same man who always preached control and discipline was fucking everything up behind the scenes to feed his addiction.”
Lyric’s lips part, but no sound comes out. Her hand drifts up to press against her mouth like she’s trying to process what she’s hearing. Her eyes glisten, wide and unblinking. The sharp edges of her anger dull for a moment, replaced by something I can’t quite name, shock, maybe even a sliver of sympathy.
I swallow hard, the bitter taste of old shame sitting heavy on my tongue. “I wanted to believe it was a mistake. A one-off… but it wasn’t.”
Her eyes flick to her father, wide with disbelief. “So, he took from the bands? For gambling?”
Stylo lifts a steady hand, urging her to keep listening.
