The superstar

Chapter 9: The plan

Dante turned his head as he watched the young lady take a seat beside him. The smell of rose petals drifted into mid-air as she flipped her dark brown straightened hair to behind her shoulder, she pulled the front of her black blazer; beginning to clear her throat. He faced his eyes back onto Layla and noticed that she started to giggle a little with her palms against her face. "How did you find me and what do you want from me because I know you didn't just come here to order something". 

"I would like to introduce myself first". 

"Kendall, I know who you are", she interrupted as a fake smirk stretched across her face. Dante felt a bad vibe coming on, letting the silence pass by for a minute. "Um, I'm Dante"? 

"Nice to meet you Dante, are you a boyfriend at any sort"? "Sadly-". "What the hell do you want"! 

"Layla calm down". "Until she explains to me why she is here". 

Kendall sighed but surprisingly wasn't feeling angry which she should be. "Look, I know you and your sister had some ups and downs but you have to get past that". She crossed her arms together as one of the eyebrows lifted, waiting for her to continue. "She's letting her husband take control of her but this time I think it's getting worse". "Are you her sister neighbors cousin or something"? He asked. "No, I'm her manager". "Her manager for what"? 

Kendall avoided the questions and continued; "I'm worried about her safety". "Doesn't she have a bodyguard or some shit"? "She does but every time I order him to protect her she ends up telling him something different". 

"Woah, she has a bodyguard too"? 

"Dante can you just go check on Journey and make sure the cook is not letting her mess up the kitchen"? 

He lifted himself from out of the seat and slowly walked towards the kitchen the door but suddenly stopped, turning towards Layla. "Is your sister the one that was on-".

"Go"! The girls shouted. 

"Ok, ok". 

Layla rubbed her forehead in frustration but also she was exhausted from working overtime for 5 days in a row. "I honestly can't do anything about it, you're her manager you're supposed to know what to do when she's unsafe." "She actually fired me this morning".

"Sounds like something she does". "I was just trying to make sure she was fine after the question she was asked on the show". "Yeah well, you obviously don't know Amya well". "I need your help to talk some sense into her". 

"No, no, no". "Layla you're my only hope right now, I need my job back for one and two, Amaya might listen to you more than me". "We haven't spoken since her vocals started bringing some money in which was 4 years ago so, no". 

Kendall let out a low sigh, putting her arms on top of the bar as they stacked on top of each other; "I really thought you were going to fight for your own blood for once". "Amaya is a grown woman who makes grown sometimes childish decisions but you must've forgotten how she treated her family ever since she became a fiance".  "Layla, that was years ago-"! Layla quickly bawled one of her hands and suddenly slammed it against the bar in frustration. The two elderly ladies turned their heads in fear, watching Layla's eyes stare right into Kendall's. "I think it's time to go Martha", One of them spoke. 

Kendall's eyes slowly rose upwards to meet with Layla's, not feeling afraid at all. 

"I don't care how long it was, she stopped caring about her own family and her own mother ever since she found a new way to make some money". Her tone stayed in anger as she started to shutter some of her words as if she was starting to cry. "Our mother that is sitting in an elder's home is struggling with cancer, she called Amaya and told her that she had to get her out of there and place her in a hospital because those people in there just bring a nurse that doesn't know shit about cancer". Her eyes began to water more and more tears as she continued; "Amaya told her that she was going to get her out of there, the crazy part is that my mother is still sitting there thinking that Amaya is going to show up and get her out. My sister said that to her last year and this is why I'm here, working overtime at an old diner that was built way before I was even thought of to save up my money and tips to pay for my mother's hospital bills when I take her there". A tear fell from her eyes as she tried to hold back the puddle of water. "She had enough money to save our mother". 

"I-I didn't know that". 

The palm of her hand wiped her tears away leaving her cheeks to dry the rest of the water away that was left. "I guess I should go ahead and get going". "What time should we meet up tomorrow, I don't mind helping but do not stop me from hurting her myself".