#Chapter 9: A Brush with the Past

When I first entered the conference room, I saw Lionel sitting at the head of the table. My face flushed in embarrassment. I hadn't meant to just walk into one of his meetings without even knocking. After my initial embarrassment, I realized who Lionel's guest was. I recognized his brother instantly from various tabloids and interviews on TV. My embarrassment doubled. Lionel cleared his throat twice quickly, nodding to my hair. "What happened to your hair?" He repeated his question. "Oh the uh... the girls did my hair and they just wanted you to see their work." I explained awkwardly. I cleared my throat, gesturing vaguely to the braids. Lionel nodded slowly, thoughtfully. He didn't respond for a long moment. I knew my face must have been bright red in the tense silence. "It's... a nice hairstyle. You can tell them they did a good job." He responded hesitantly. "Alright, I will definitely go do that now." I swallowed, pointing back towards the door and starting to wa