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vii. guest list

i

Two weeks have passed since the encounter with Jeff Vaughn and things have been moving fast in Camila's life. Maybe a little too fast. Lots of things happening all around her. Between fully finishing recording the song with Lauren and lots of plans coming together for the not too distant future with many contracts signed for the next three to five years, it's quite too much. So much yet Camila is adoring every single second of it. Finally feeling like she has a purpose. Like she's doing something for her life. Like she finally has something to make her father feel incredibly proud of her.

So now she is sitting in the middle of a meeting at the Capitol Records building, surrounded by businesswomen and businessmen, along with her brand new manager and publicist, all discussing several topics, amongst them; her signing party.

"As you know this is more of a symbolic thing because obviously, you've already signed the contract. But we believe it will be great publicity to have a big party with other artists from the label," Camila's new publicist, Jill, says as she leads the meeting, "I've even put together a list of guests who also work for Capitol Records." She places a white piece of paper with the list in the middle of the long table, right in front of the Latina. "I assume you also have some people you want to invite so you have until the end of the day to send us that list."

"Just till the end of the day?" Camila questions.

"Yes, honey. We need to send out the invitations as soon as possible so we can have the party preferably next Saturday." She just nods, sighing as she leans back in her seat. "Okay great. So that's all for today. We have a party to plan so everyone, get to work."

Along with everyone else, Camila stands up from her seat and heads for the exit of the meeting room. "Bye Jill," she waves to her publicist as she exits, quickly disappearing into the halls of the large building. Once she is completely alone, Camila takes her cell phone out of her expensive purse and dials a certain blonde.

"What's up Mila?"

"I need your help. Meet me at my house in thirty?"

"Sure. But you'd better buy me lunch," Dinah says before hanging up just as the Latina gets into the elevator.

ii

Camila pulls into the driveway of the massive house, where she meets Mr. Antonio, one of the many workers of the family, who quickly opens the door of the car and helps her out. "Thank you, Antonio," Camila mutters giving him the keys to the vehicle, before heading inside.

"Señorita Camila," the maid, Lidia, calls out as she catches the young Latina coming into the house. "La señorita Dinah is waiting outside by the pool."

"Okay, thank you Lidia!" she exclaims as she heads out to the pool area, only to find the blonde lying on one of the lounge chairs; a tiny bikini barely covering her naked body as the hot Californian sun hits her already tanned skin. "Where you already here when I called?"

"Oh, hey!" Dinah says moving up her sunglasses from her face up to her head. "Of course not. I was tanning at my house so I just came to tan here," she explains. "Oh and I told the chef to make us sushi." She lays back down as Camila sits on the lounge chair next to her. "So what did you need help with."

"The label is throwing me a party and I need to send them the guest list today," she explains as she pulls the paper Jill had given her in the meeting.