93
Continued from previous page…
CHARLOTTE
No, you’re not.
MYLES
Yes.. I am…
She doesn’t need this
anymore, okay? She doesn’t. Your
sitcom has been cancelled. You don’t
need this anymore. None of you do.
You’re all grown women now. It’s
time you start acting like it. You don’t
need to be in a gang anymore.
CHARLOTTE
Please don’t tell
me what I need.
MYLES
I’m serious, Charlotte.
The music world is moving
in a different direction.
You’re all financially set now.
It’s time to move on.
I might take Belinda
out of the country.
CHARLOTTE
She’ll never go with you.
She’ll never leave California.
This is her home.
MYLES
Don’t be so sure about that…
And another thing—
I’m also going to convince
her to pull out of that
partnership you roped her into.
There’s no need for
that anymore, either.
CHARLOTTE
That partnership is
a sound investment.
She needs that security.
MYLES
No, she doesn’t. You are
WAY over-estimating what
she needs… She’s more
than capable of making
her own money… And in case
you haven’t noticed,
I do pretty well for myself.
We’ll be just fine financially,
I can assure you…
Besides, I’m not so sure
how much I trust your
little partnership.
CHARLOTTE
It’s a five-way split, Myles.
It’s all legally drawn out.
There’s nothing
underhanded about it.
MYLES
Uh-huh… You think so, huh?
Let me get this straight—
They openly give their money
to you… You deposit the
money into the partnership…
Then you invest the money
as you see fit—
Am I right?
CHARLOTTE
Essentially, yes.
MYLES
So, you’re kind of like
your own, self-made,
little, Mutual Fund,
correct?
CHARLOTTE
Something like that.
MYLES
There’s plenty of Mutual Funds
out there, Charlotte.
CHARLOTTE
Yeah, but I don’t charge
a commission.
MYLES
Don’t try and bullshit me, Charlotte.
I’ve been around the block a few
times. You put yourself in charge of
the day-to-day operations and they
agreed to it. They have no idea what
you do with that money once they give
it to you. At least a registered Mutual
Fund is monitored by an overseeing
body and the SEC. You could be
siphoning off that money anywhere
you please. The girls don’t know.
CHARLOTTE
You think you’re pretty smart,
don’t you?
MYLES
It’s not hard to figure out, Char.
It’s pretty basic stuff.
CHARLOTTE
Everything I do is on
the up-and-up, Myles…
And the girls seem pretty
happy with our arrangement.
Why would you
want to mess with that?
MYLES
Can I see your books?
CHARLOTTE
(surprised)
Why… do you want
to see my books?
MYLES
I just want to look
them over, that’s
all. To make sure
everything is on the
up-and-up, as you say.
CHARLOTTE
(smiling)
Myles, darling, you know my records
are confidential. Why on earth would
I let you see them? You’re not a part of
this band. Unless, of course, you have
plans to start popping up at the recording
studio like a certain, little Troll we’ve
all heard of.
MYLES
(amused)
That’s good… I like that… A certain
little Troll… No, no, I’m just interested
in seeing all your transactions, that’s
all. I have no intentions of trying to
write songs.
CHARLOTTE
Myles, your constant request is futile.
You know there’s no way I’m going to
let you see them. Now… let’s change
the subject, shall we?
MYLES
Then I’m afraid I’ll have
to go ahead with my
original plan.
CHARLOTTE
Which is?
MYLES
I’ll have to take
Belinda away
from all of this.
CHARLOTTE
(contemplating)
Hmm, if I didn’t know
better, I’d say that sounds
like an outright threat.
MYLES
Call it what you will, Charlotte. I’m
just looking out for my better half.
Hey, if your records are squeaky
clean, then you have nothing to
worry about, right? Hell, I might
even let you invest some of my money
if everything looks kosher…
Otherwise, I’d say you better start
searching for a new lead singer.
CHARLOTTE
You’re starting
to annoy me.