It was a contaversial announcement, when Lissa and I finished school and she told her parents that she didn't want to rely on their money. A lot of people didn't understand, especially since the Dragomirs don't exactly have a shortage of funds. And then Eric Dragomir's daughter who could have joined the family business and made millions from the second she left school, beame a small time model working crappy gigs to get her name out there.

Everyone else whispered behind their hands and smiled to her face. Full of fake compliments while mocking her choice behind the scenes. But I knew she was pursuing her dream, and because she's Lissa, I also knew it would only be a matter of time before she'd start kicking ass.

She climbed up the ranks, using the money she made from her modelling gigs to put herself through a degree in politics. And then, when she graduated with honours, she opened what is now one of the most prestigious modelling agencies in the country. With a list of influential clients longer than all the heels in her collection put together, she makes sure to partner with numerous charities every year, including more than a few she started herself.

So I hope that with all of her connections, she might know someone who knows someone, who can help me answer my questions.

"Remember when we went to Dimitri Belikov's show?" I ask, once we've caught up a little.

Lissa laughs. "God, of course I do. And how I decided to wear two different belts over a plaid skirt."

I dimly remember that, and also that my outfit of choice wasn't much better.

"Well, I worked on one of his shows last week."

"Wow, Rose! That's huge!"

"Yeah, it was kind of a last minute thing."

"With Mason?"

I can hear the hint behind her question and I wince.

"I really don't want to talk about Mason right now."

"Okay," she says slowly. "We'll come back to that later. What do you need me for?"

I take a breath. "I kind of made a fool of myself, to Dimitri. It wasn't very professional. And I thought I could just forget about it. But..."

Her interest is definitely piqued.

"Tell me he didn't make a move on you."

"He didn't," I assure her. "It's not like that. I just want to clear the air. You know. Closure?"

"Hmmm." She sounds unsure. "This sounds like you've been thinking about it a lot. And either something happened that you're not telling me, or you're blowing it way out of proportion."

She knows me way too well, but I'm completely confused here. I don't know how to figure out this situation myself, let alone explain it to someone else. But there is something I can give her.

"He was kind of an asshole."

She makes a sympathetic noise. "I've worked with a lot of people like that."

And now the hard part. "He pissed me off, I wasn't thinking. I gave him some advice that may have been a little harsh."

"Go Rose!" Lissa laughs. "That tracks. I bet he didn't like that."

"See, that's the thing. I thought he didn't. But apparently, on stage-"

"-Wait what do you mean, apparently?" she interjects. "You weren't there?"

"I kind of left after the altercation. I didn't really want to see him again. I have a lot to apologize for."

She's quiet as she mulls this over. "No offence Rose, but what makes you think he even cares? I've worked with enough people like this to know how focused they can be on themselves, he probably doesn't even remember your name. This doesn't sound like you. I'm a little worried."

I close my eyes, summoning my strength. "He played Flowers Fall at the show. And he changed the words."

"Wait what? Why would he play one of his old songs? As far as I know, it wasn't even that popular."

"Exactly. I was playing it for soundcheck before the show and he heard me," I explain. "Then after I'd said those things, he changed his setlist to include it. And he sang different the lyrics. It sounds like...like I need to talk to him."

She sighs. "Okay. I'll see what I can do. But I still don't understand why this seems to mean so much to you. There's definitely something you're still not telling me."

I smile. "Thanks Liss! I owe you."

"You do. And I'm here, whenever you want to talk. It's good to hear your voice."

"God, Liss. Yours too. It's been a weird week. I actually went to dinner with Mason..."

And just like that, she's sold on the new topic. I give her the rundown, including a somewhat downplayed summary of the ending, because I know she'll want to kill him otherwise.

After that, I find out all about her latest efforts recruiting underrepresented groups of people for a huge campaign she's doing, which includes late nights with her secretary in order to get all the right forms to all the right people.

This has me raising an eyebrow. "Does there happen to be wine present at these admin meetings?"

"Rose!" she admonishes."Christian works for me, and he's really been proving himself. Besides, he only brought the bottle because it was a gift and he didn't want it to go to waste."

"Mmhmm."

It seems I'm not the only one who needs time to work things out.

After the call, my mind is buzzing. As wonderful as it was to talk to Lissa, I'm anxious about Mason all over again. Was I too harsh?

He hasn't texted, but I decide to bite the bullet and text him first.

I really did have a great time tonight. Thank you

Leaving my phone on my nightstand, I head to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. And when I return, there's a notification.

For one strange second, I think that it's Lissa coming back with a phone number. But that would be too quick even for her. It's a text from Mason.

Me too, and I'm sorry for the end. We should have done this ages ago, but you're worth waiting for. I'm happy to take it at your pace.

Another message pops up while I'm reading.

I really am sorry. Lunch tomorrow?

A smile spreads across my face.

Sure, I text back.

After that, it's much easier to fall asleep.


Author's Note


Thank you for reading, and for all your wonderful support so far. I can't quite believe how long this fic is getting, with no end in sight as far as I can tell. I find myself immensely enjoying this dynamic, so I really hope you do too. I'd love to hear what you think, so if you have some time, please leave a review! And if you'd like to follow and favourite, please feel free. It's a good way to stay up to date when I post.

The VA universe and the characters therein are the sole intellectual property of Richelle Mead.