the baseball player [l.p.]

chapter four

(recap of last chapter)

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Excuse me, I'm trying to help you here."

It was my turn to roll my eyes, "Uhm, no, you're not. You just want your paycheck to grow."

She smirked. "Yep, and if you don't do what I say, your management will double my pay and release me from publicizing you."

I clenched my jaw, deciding in this instant, to go against management and my dumb-ass publicity manager.

I was going to have to fake being a druggie and alcoholic.

mia

We were currently walking down a long hallway, leading to a huge door at the end, when Bart decided to break the silence.

"I'm really glad he's decided to put these awful rumors to rest." Bart smiles, looking up at me a bit. I glanced down at him, seeing the wrinkles around his eyes expose more, his smile lines coming back out

I smiled, looking at the ground, "I am also, just more confused on why he specifically chose me." I mumbled, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

He hummed in response, "Not sure, might have to ask him about that.

I nodded, looking up at the walls in the hallway. I stopped walking, causing Bart to stop right behind me, leaving the hallway silent from our feet moving. I looked at the huge painting, seeing a boy, no older than 7, standing in front of a woman and man. The boy was wearing a suit, looking right at the viewer, a blank expression covering his face. The man had his hand on the boy's shoulder, while the woman had her hands together in front of her, a smile threatening to spill over her face. The man looked...proud.

"That's Mr. Payne when he was 6." Bart said, as if answering my thoughts.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. This painting looked really expensive, and didn't the family become rich from Liam's baseball career?

I turned around to see Bart inspecting the painting with me, glancing at me when I turned around. I took the chance to ask the question swirling around in my brain, "Was the Payne family rich before Li- Mr.Payne's baseball career?" I asked, correcting myself of saying his first name.

He nodded, "It was their grandmother's will. She died when Mr. Payne was only 5, she had quite some money saved up." He responded, walking over a bit to stand in front of another picture, "This was when he was four, when they were just a regular family, in a regular house, and in a regular neighborhood."

I walked over, looking at the picture, a smile creeping on my face. This picture looked like something a perfect little family would take. Liam was holding onto his mother and father's hands, in the air, the biggest smile I've ever seen stretched on his face. His mother was in the midst of laughing while his father had a huge smile on his face and a glint in his eyes that wasn't in the painting. It was so much smaller in scale compared to the painting, and hidden in the corner as if people weren't supposed to pay attention to it.

I look at Bart, seeing him smiling at the photo, as I asked another question, "How long have you been a butler?"

The smile on his face faltered a bit, " Well, it's a bit complicated. I was their grandmother's butler for a good 30 years, but when she passed, the Payne family moved in and I became their butler. Mr. Payne had a liking in baseball, but his father didn't. He preferred for Liam to become a doctor or lawyer. He fired me and I was jobless for about a year, but then they hired me back. I've been the butler since, and I've seen every up and down in this family." He finished, taking a deep breath and waving at me to keep walking with him. 

I rushed over to his side, holding my bag in my two hands, resting in front of me. The only sound heard was the clicking of my heels and Bart's deep breathing.

We were almost at the end of the hallway, when I stopped, turning to Bart. He turned to me, as if waiting to see why I stopped.

"You did good, I mean, he became a world-known baseball player. Good job, well, I guess I shouldn't be telling you that, I guess his father should but I just wanted to let you know that I bet Li- Mr.Payne appreciates everything you've done for him and how basically you-" 

Bart cut me off, laughing, "You ramble when you're nervous, don't you?" I nodded, letting him continue, "He's the one that got me my job back, he said it was a 'thank you' for starting off his career. But thank you love, that means a lot." He finished off, smiling.

I went to say something before I was interrupted by a door slamming open. I looked back in front of me, taking a sharp breath.

"Mr.Payne."

He looked back in front of him, his eyes meeting mine, widening.

"M-Mia."

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check out my harry fanfic if you'd like, it's called fragile(:

much love

~shelby.x