Dance For Me

Chapter 38

"Ma'am" spoke a tall muscular member of Lauren's security as he entered gently through the woman's office door "Miss Emma is here to see you, Mrs Nikki has requested I stand in to make sure things go smoothly"

Lauren sucked in a deep breath before readjusting her posture with a nod "Thank you Reuben, bring her in"

Nikki took the time to speak some sense into the dance teacher after being exposed to an angry Lauren and furious Camila. She'd come to her senses and had agreed to speak to Lauren in order to sign some contracts, whatever Intel Nikki had over the woman, it was enough for her to return to the conflict

Lauren was anxious about the visit, she hated the sensation of conflict in her stomach and despised that Emma was the cause. She sat straight within her chair and side glanced an unopened bottle of vodka before twitching at the sound of the opening door

Soon enough, Emma appeared behind the frame, her freshly bruised eyes and tight brown ponytail forcing Lauren to remember the night prior. She sat down silently, almost refusing to look the woman in the eye while adjusting her oversized black sweater

Lauren however was confident, she lifted her chin and grabbed a pen between her fingertips before swallowing a short breath. She used her other hand to slide a document onto the woman's side of the desk, slamming the pen down beside "Take as long as you need to read, sign at the bottom and hand it back"

Emma lifted her eyes beneath her lashes to look on at Lauren's unbothered gaze now glued into her phone. She took a long breath and set down to read the lengthy document in front, confirming that she wouldn't press charges against Camila nor Lauren for her injury

When scanning through half of the document, she paused, feeling a drain of agony in the centre of her chest "Lauren, you don't need to do this?" She spoke quietly "I get it, I'm not stupid? I know I deserve this"

"You changed your tune" Lauren scoffed calmly, continuing to text whoever laid within her silky palms "The other night you seemed pretty adamant Camila was a criminal beside your innocent actions" Emma swallowed when a pair of striking emerald orbs lifted to settle with a questioning stare "I'm correct, no?"

"Well, yes" she stumbled, twisting the pen between her fingertips "But I've had time to think, the hit sobered me up and made me realise that all of this was wrong" Lauren rolled her eyes and sank back into her chair with folded arms "I was hurt, broken and confused LJ? We fell apart over someone we've known for a few months?"

Lauren laughed under her breath "You must think I was born yesterday" she hummed before leaning forwards once again, placing herself in a position of power over the woman admittedly anxious in posture "This entire operation you were driving had the potential to ruin my life, you could have brought this academy to its knees!" The woman pressed "The academy you helped build Emma! You're a weak minded woman, I will not allow you to walk out of here with any ammunition that could be used against me!"

"I don't want to use anything against you Lauren!" Emma retaliated, moving forwards in her seat before feeling a hand on the back of her shoulder, warning her not to get any closer "I want to fix this!"

"We're beyond that" Lauren chuckled "I'd never condone violence, but the pretty bruises on your cheeks have me proud of my girl, defending not just her empire, but herself!"

Emma felt her cheeks darken in colour, the words from Lauren's mouth no less stressful than those spoken in the hall "This isn't us Lauren" she pressed "Your father is persuasive at his worst, what did you expect?"

"Loyalty!" Lauren hissed, raising her voice above its level of strength "The same loyalty I gave you when the board was in my office demanding you be removed from the fucking academy!" Emma swallowed and straightened her spine "I lied for you Emma! I made enemies for you! All I expected in return was loyalty!"