Prima

“We didn’t come all the way to Chicago to be insulted,” Maxwell said, pushing back his chair.

“Then, why did you come?” I asked. “A simple phone call stating there was no way you’d ever allow Clara to step a foot onto your stage would have been enough to keep her in Chicago,” I said, suddenly realizing the truth of my words.

Slapping the copies of the spreadsheet down onto the surface of the conference room table, I watched them slide across the polished surface.

“Since you doled out a few grand for plane tickets, I have to think despite your obvious spite, you have at least a tiny bit of interest. Now, we can either continue this little spat, which is a total waste of all of our time, or you can quit with the predetermined judgmental bullshit you’ve been spoon-fed and listen to the truth of what happened.” I crossed my arms over my chest, leaving the choice up to them. It was a long few moments of dead silence before Jason pulled his chair back up to the table and reached for one of the copies closest to him. Several others followed his lead. I waited until everyone had a chance to go over the columns of cold hard statistics.

“These are impressive, but it could be a fluke,” Adam Jefferson said.

“Exactly, you know, people wanting to see for themselves the dancer who fell from grace,” Justine added, her silver head bobbing.

“Scandals might garner attention for a bit, but the world has forgotten about Clara,” Andrea Housmann offered helpfully.

“And they’ll remember every detail if she shows up again. Not to mention there is the matter of her simply disappearing. What makes you think she won’t run away again if things get rough?” Maxwell snapped, evidently none too happy with even a modicum of support being thrown my way.

“She won’t,” said a voice before I could respond.

I looked over my shoulder to see Yuri, unable to believe that he was actually sticking up for Clara. Sure, he’d let her dance, but he’d been the one who had been dead set against the idea of Clara joining in the first place, and I thought he would love the chance to say I told you so.

“She’s no longer the person she used to be… the person you thought she was. She was good years ago… she’s even better now.”

“But there is so much bad press surrounding her,” Jason interjected. “How are we supposed to ignore that? She could turn Broadway into a damn circus—”

“Tell us the truth, Maxwell,” Yuri said, cutting him off and moving up to stand beside me. “Is that how you really feel or are you just acting as the mouthpiece for a bunch of rich investors who got their panties in a wad when their little ballerina stumbled a bit?”

Fuck! I wasn’t only shocked, I was proud as hell at how Yuri was cutting the feet out from under them. It made me feel like I was not on my own here. These old school men and women would respect my brother’s opinion more than mine as he truly lived in their world — as much as that pissed me off — so having his support was paramount.

“That media coverage could actually bring in more revenue, and you all know it,” I shot back, sending Yuri a self-satisfied smile. “Let me be honest in return. There will be shit talk, people arguing over our decision to allow Clara to join our company and yours in allowing her to perform on such a prestigious stage, but at least they’re talking about the ballet. Her supporters will be there. People who want to see her succeed and those who want to watch her fail will be buying tickets. Whether that’s to hurl abuse at her or to support her, it really doesn’t matter. The money will be lining your investors’ pockets.”

Of course, I didn’t really feel that way. I didn’t want people to say nasty things about Clara, but I needed to speak the language of this group. Even though I truly believed this wasn’t about money to those seated around this table, I knew that money was what kept the rich happy.

“But what if it becomes too much for her? What if she can’t take the pressure. What then?” Jason asked, staring intimidatingly at me. It was as though he thought he’d be able to get me to back down just by looking at me.

“She’s not going to cave no matter how much pressure is put on her,” I said confidently, staring right back at him. “She’s made her mistakes, but this second chance means the world to her. She has more people relying on her than the public realizes. She’ll earn back everyone’s trust over time. I can be sure of that. And while she’s dancing, we will all be benefiting from every step she makes on the stage.” I shifted my eyes from Maxwell to give everyone a long look. “No matter which stage she appears on.”