The Perfect Duo

Chapter 1

The next 4 weeks flew by without a moment to spare. I was pulled out of my isolation and thrown into the madness of preparing for the upcoming tour. I was loving it. I thrived on the hectic work load and welcomed the distraction.

"This is a great opportunity Riri." My mother said through bites. "I hope you let the young man know how grateful you are."

We were enjoying a nice lunch together in her hospital suite consisting of salads and fruit. I would've preferred a huge slice of pizza but she couldn't stomach something so filling and I was supposed to be eating healthy to get a decent figure back, so I denied the temptation.

Stuffing a huge apple slice in my mouth I chewed slowly before letting the lie slip through my lips. "I will."

Although my schedule was filled during the week with rehearsing and meeting with costume designers and make-up artists I made it a priority to fly to New York every weekend to spend with my mom.

She was doing great. Her body was strong and recovering from the blood clot quickly. I was so relieved to know that when I left for the tour next week she wouldn't be in any immediate danger. She had made the decision to start chemotherapy and I wanted to stay with her at least in the beginning. The doctors informed me that it would be a difficult transition but they were optimistic that she would respond well. My mother talked me out of staying behind with her knowing that the effects of the treatment will act quickly and she didn't want me to see her like that. 'There are some things a parent never wants their child to witness', I remembered her saying.

I watched her place the half eaten salad on the small table next to her bed. "I'm so proud of you. You've come so far since Frankie died."

Ignoring the sudden pang of sadness that always came at the mention of my brother, I forced a smile. "Thanks to you."

"Oh honey, I had nothing to do with it. You grew up so quickly and became this unstoppable woman. I envy you."

I didn't know what to say. The way she was looking at me broke my heart, she had no idea how my strength and success was merely a result of how she raised me. I could tell her a million times and she'd never believe me.

"So this Justin Beaver..."

"Bieber." I corrected her.

"Oh right, Bieber." She softly laughed at her mistake. "You never told me what brought on your sudden interest in him."

Surely she could have worded that differently.

"It's strictly business mom. He needed an opening act and I needed a partner for NewGEN, it just sort of happened."

It was the truth, well part of it anyway. She didn't need to know any of the twisted details. Technically I didn't really know much of the details myself. I hadn't spoken to Justin since that phone conversation over 4 weeks ago. After I agreed to help him, the call ended abruptly and our managers took over. They spent days drawing up a contract everyone was satisfied with. I would be legally obligated to perform on his 10 month long tour for 6 months which covered the duration of North America. His camp tried to push for the entire 10 months but I didn't want to go out of the country with my mom sick. Thankfully they finally agreed. I heard he was able to book Corey Harper and Moxie Raia to fill the void when they went overseas.

Once everything was put into place I received a document from his lawyer with the Terms of Agreement for Justin's involvement with NewGEN. Pretty much everything we discussed was included. He would be a partner of the clothing line and promote the men's attire. After my lawyer reviewed it another contract was written up and we both signed. The very next day his funds were transferred and NewGEN was sprung to life. I was ecstatic.