Diamonds are Forever
Page 1
It’s cold outside, but the drama is hot!
The Diamond sisters jet to the mountains for spring break, and Savannah’s flirt-mance with an international pop star heats up as her pursuit of stardom succeeds. But is this romance meant to be, or has the right guy been in front of her all along? Meanwhile, Courtney takes the next step with her secret boyfriend—and future stepbrother—and as their parents’ wedding approaches, the pressure’s on to reveal their relationship.
Peyton’s figuring out a plan for her future, but she still feels guilty about getting her former bodyguard fired and wonders if she can get over him in the arms of someone else. But the biggest bombshell will change everything once again, because Madison’s ready to tell the huge secret she’s uncovered. And with the boy who betrayed her but who could be the love of her life fighting for his own life, she might need the Diamond sisters more than ever.
“There’s no easy way to say this.”
Adrian looked closely at each of them, as though searching for the right words. He took a deep breath and said, “When Courtney found out about Britney, I promised there would be no more secrets. I wanted to have relationships with you, something that I think has been going well, with the Sundays we’ve spent together and our vacation over winter break.”
“Okay...” Courtney’s stomach twisted, feeling as if she wasn’t going to like where he was headed with this.
“The Sundays have been going really well,” Savannah added.
Adrian managed a tight-lipped smile. “There’s something else you need to know. I didn’t tell you originally because it involves other people. Now they’re ready for you to know—they were actually ready weeks ago—but it was around the same time you found out about Britney.” He directed that last part to Courtney. “I knew how hard that was on you—on all three of you—and I didn’t want to drop anything else on you while you were grieving for your sister. But I’m not perfect. I’ve made mistakes, and keeping this from you is one of them.”
“You mean there’s something else you’ve been hiding?” Peyton rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”
“This is the last secret,” he said. “I promise.”
Praise for Michelle Madow
and The Secret Diamond Sisters
“The exciting—and often terrifying—exploration of the Vegas strip is tempered by the more relatable plotline of the sisters trying to figure out their past.... Gossip Girl meets The Princess Diaries in a city that never sleeps.”
—Booklist
“This quick and entertaining read is filled with glitz and glamour. The Vegas setting fascinates. The Diamond sisters are so different that at least one sibling will be completely relatable to readers, making the novel even more fun. Get ready for one crazy and fabulous ride.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Highly addictive! Hold on tight, because The Secret Diamond Sisters throws you headfirst into the Vegas fast lane. A fun ride not to be missed!”
—Rachel Harris, author of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century
Books by Michelle Madow
available from Harlequin TEEN
The Secret Diamond Sisters series
(in reading order)
The Secret Diamond Sisters
Diamonds in the Rough
Diamonds Are Forever
MICHELLE
MADOW
To Natashya Wilson, for helping me make this series better than I’d ever imagined it could be. I’ve learned so much from you—thank you for your belief in me and the Diamond sisters from the very beginning!
Contents
Chapter 1: Savannah
Chapter 2: Courtney
Chapter 3: Peyton
Chapter 4: Madison
Chapter 5: Savannah
Chapter 6: Courtney
Chapter 7: Peyton
Chapter 8: Madison
Chapter 9: Savannah
Chapter 10: Courtney
Chapter 11: Peyton
Chapter 12: Madison
Chapter 13: Savannah
Chapter 14: Courtney
Chapter 15: Peyton
Chapter 16: Madison
Chapter 17: Savannah
Chapter 18: Courtney
Chapter 19: Peyton
Chapter 20: Madison
Chapter 21: Savannah
Chapter 22: Courtney
Chapter 23: Peyton
Chapter 24: Madison
Chapter 25: Savannah
Chapter 26: Courtney
Chapter 27: Peyton
Chapter 28: Madison
Chapter 29: Savannah
Chapter 30: Courtney
Chapter 31: Peyton
Chapter 32: Madison
Epilogue: Brianna
Acknowledgments
www.campusbuzz.com
High Schools > Nevada > Las Vegas > The Goodman School
Happy New Year!
Posted on Thursday 1/1 at 1:19 PM
Why does the year always feel like it goes by so fast? It seems like just yesterday that we were all starting the fall semester! And I don’t know about you all, but winter break has been amazing, and I’m so not ready for school to start up again. But who would be, after spending Christmas and New Years partying in an exotic location? (Not telling you where, because this IS anonymous! ;) I’m so not ready to get back into school mode. Waking up early, studying...who needs that? At least we have a few days of break left...
1: Posted on Thursday 1/1 at 1:56 PM
Been seeing everyone’s pictures from winter break and it’s so not fair you all are doing such fun things while I’ve been stuck here!! Super jealous.
2: Posted on Thursday 1/1 at 2:09 PM
don’t spend too much time being jealous—it could be worse! like oliver, who’s been in the hospital for the entire break. I heard he’s all messed up from the car crash and won’t be back at school when it starts up.
3: Posted on Thursday 1/1 at 2:49 PM
Apparently Madison’s been at the hospital every minute she can...
4: Posted on Thursday 1/1 at 2:55 PM
She must feel guilty, since she got in that huge fight with him at Savannah’s party before he left!!!
5: Posted on Thursday 1/1 at 3:24 PM
The accident wasn’t Madison’s fault, and even though I was never friends with Oliver, I do feel bad for him. But the winner for the best new years has gotta be the Diamonds. Have you all seen their pics from rome? Fireworks at the coliseum, popping champagne on the streets . . I’ve gotta get there someday!
chapter 1:
If someone had told Savannah Diamond eight months ago that she would be in a private jet, flying from Las Vegas to LA to meet with a talent agent who wanted to manage her career as a YouTube singer, she wouldn’t have believed them. Because eight months ago, she was living in a tiny apartment in a run-down neighborhood in Fairfield, California, with her two older sisters, Courtney and Peyton, and her mom, whose drinking had spiraled out of control. Then her father (whom she’d never met) had sent Mom to rehab, and Savannah and her sisters had discovered that their father was Adrian Diamond. Yes, that Adrian Diamond—the billionaire who owned multiple hotels in Las Vegas.
She and her sisters had been whisked away to live in the penthouse of their father’s newest building on the Las Vegas Strip: The Diamond Hotel and Residences.
Their father had been quick to tell them about how Courtney had been kidnapped as a
n infant, and how their connection to him put them in danger. What he hadn’t told them (and what Courtney had discovered a few weeks ago), was that Courtney had once had a twin sister, Britney, who’d been kidnapped along with Courtney. When their father took too long to pay the ransom, the kidnappers had taken Britney’s life. Adrian had never forgiven himself.
Savannah hated that she’d been lied to for so long, but with so many opportunities in front of her, she believed that everything could only get better from here. Mom was out of rehab and was doing better than ever. Her father was finally part of her life, and she was enjoying getting to know him. She loved her new private school—the Goodman School—and for the first time, she fit in with a big group of friends. On top of all that, her YouTube channel was doing better than ever, thanks to the guys in One Connection Tweeting about it during her Sweet Sixteen party. And the hottest of the five of them, Perry Myles, frequently replied to her Tweets and had sent her a few text messages.
But while it might sound like something from a fairy tale, everything was still far from perfect. Her best friend from home, Evie, had become jealous of her new life, and they hadn’t spoken since their fight during her Sweet Sixteen. And she still had feelings for Damien Sanders, who was making up for breaking her heart over the summer by helping her develop her YouTube channel. Also, Courtney and Peyton had made Savannah promise that the three of them wouldn’t speak to Mom and Grandma until Courtney was ready, but giving them the silent treatment made Savannah feel so guilty, and she’d only lasted a week before she’d started talking to Mom and Grandma behind her sisters’ backs.
Savannah had never broken a promise to her sisters. She hoped they wouldn’t find out, but she feared it would happen eventually, and she’d barely been able to eat since that first phone call to Mom. Mom and Grandma had told Savannah that everything would be all right, and that if Courtney and Peyton found out, they would forgive her. Savannah wasn’t so sure.
But right now, she had to relax and mentally prepare for her meeting with the talent agent. She also had to pay attention to Rebecca’s chattering about her upcoming wedding to Adrian. Because while Savannah had been given a lot of freedom since moving to Las Vegas, she was still only sixteen, and Adrian didn’t want her traveling alone (even though she had a personal bodyguard). So he’d sent her future stepmother, Rebecca, along. Which, of course, meant wedding talk. The wedding was already being dubbed “The Upcoming Wedding of the Year: A Romance to Rival William and Kate’s,” and Adrian and Rebecca were being called “The Duke and Duchess of Vegas” in tabloids everywhere.
“What do you think—matching bridesmaid dresses, or each of you picking a color and style that suits you?” Rebecca played with her huge heart-shaped engagement ring, which was apparently worth over a million dollars.
“Courtney, Peyton and I have such different styles. But don’t bridesmaids wear matching dresses?”
“Most of the time,” Rebecca said. “But I’m grateful that you and your sisters agreed to be bridesmaids, so I want to consider your opinions.”
“I would pick blue,” Savannah said, smoothing out her blue silk top. “It’s my favorite because it matches my eyes. But watch out if you give Peyton a choice. The only color she wears is black—if that even counts as a color.”
“Since it’s going to be a bright spring wedding, I certainly don’t plan on having my bridesmaids wear black.” Rebecca smiled and checked her watch. “Anyway, we’re almost there. Are you excited?”
“I’m nervous.” Savannah bounced her knees and looked out the window. They were no longer flying over desert, but dense clusters of houses—they must be getting closer to the city. “What if I mess up while talking to her, or she doesn’t like me?”
“Just relax and be yourself,” Rebecca said. “She’s going to love you.”
“It sounds easy when you say it like that.” Savannah sighed. “But this is Lynda Caine—agent to some of the top YouTube stars all over the country. My mind will go blank the second I walk into her office.”
“She wouldn’t have invited you to meet with her if she wasn’t serious about taking you on as a client,” Rebecca reminded her. “This meeting is a formality. You’ve got this, Savannah.”
Savannah took a deep breath. When Rebecca put it that way, it didn’t sound as intimidating. But that didn’t stop her nerves from feeling like they might burst.
This was Savannah’s one chance, and she refused to mess it up.
* * *
“So that’s the basics,” Lynda Caine said from behind her desk. She looked so pristine in her beige suit, her hair pulled into a delicate top bun, and she looked Savannah straight in the eyes. “I’ll want your cover songs up on iTunes, and for you to make joint videos with my other clients. Emily Nicole’s told me how much she loves your videos, and that you chat on Twitter, so the two of you could make a great team. I’ll also find brands to pitch you to for possible sponsorships—we’ll get an idea of the demographics following you online to figure out where to book live shows, and I’m going to push for you to perform at VidCon this summer. How does all that sound?”
“It sounds amazing,” Savannah said, breathless. “I love Emily Nicole’s channel, so doing a video with her would be awesome. And I’ve always wanted to perform at VidCon.” She tapped her fingers against her legs, glancing at Rebecca for confirmation. Rebecca had to say yes. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. How could she turn it down?
“And eventually Savannah will work with a cowriter and record original songs?” Rebecca asked.
Savannah clenched her fists, wishing Rebecca hadn’t brought that up. Yes, it had always been her dream to record an album of her own. But that would never happen if Lynda decided her family was too pushy and didn’t sign her because of it.
“That will come in time.” Lynda smiled brightly. “But as I said earlier, first we need to get Savannah a secure enough following through her YouTube cover songs. She already has a healthy number of fans on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, but those fans need to develop trust in her brand, and feel like they know her as a person. Once we see a bigger boost in Savannah’s social media following, we’ll record original songs.”
“Perfect,” Savannah jumped in, not wanting Rebecca to have another chance to mess this up. “I’ve been trying my best on Twitter and Instagram and everything—thanks to a good friend who helped me. But let me know anything else you want me to do on social media, and I will.”
“Are you referring to Perry Myles from One Connection?” Lynda leaned forward, her eyes hungry.
“Perry helped me a lot when he Tweeted about my channel,” she said, since it was the truth. “But it was a guy from my school—Damien—who helped me at first. Way before anyone heard about my channel, Damien had all these great ideas for me to spread word online. My YouTube channel would be nowhere without him.”
Lynda raised an eyebrow. “Is Damien your boyfriend?”
“No.” Savannah swallowed and looked down at her hands. “He’s just a friend.”
“And Perry...?” she asked. “In your segment on My Fabulous Sweet Sixteen, it looked like there might be something between you two.”
“Seriously?” Savannah laughed. “No way. I mean, we Tweet and text sometimes, but he’s one of the most famous people in the world. He could have any girl he wanted.”
“And if that girl were you?” Lynda asked. “Being seen with Perry would be excellent publicity. You know how much his appearance at your party helped your channel—now imagine that tenfold.” She paused, which gave Savannah just enough time to imagine Perry getting out of a limo at the Grammys—with her by his side. “That’s what would happen if you pursued this opportunity.”
Savannah’s eyes widened. It was beyond cool whenever she saw a Tweet or text from Perry, since he was so famous that she’d never imagined he would know she existed. But he wasn’t tr
uly interested in her. Was he?
“Perry’s cool and all,” Savannah said. “But it would never work between us.”
Lynda smiled, as if she knew something Savannah didn’t. “Why do you say that?”
“Because...” She pressed her lips together, not wanting to say the first thought she had—that pursuing something with Perry would wreck the chance of anything happening between her and Damien. “He lives in a different country. And he’s on a world tour, so we can’t even see each other. Not that it matters, since we barely know each other.”
“I thought the two of you Tweeted and texted?”
“It’s just chitchat,” Savannah said. “He’s not interested in me. And even if he was, I follow gossip sites, so I know his reputation. He never dates anyone for longer than a few weeks, if that.”
“You can’t give those sites too much credit,” Lynda said. “Yes, Perry’s an international superstar, but he’s only seventeen. You can’t fault him for not having had a long-term relationship yet. And the two of you looked like you really clicked on your segment of My Fabulous Sweet Sixteen.”
“It was my party, and he was paid to be there,” she said. “Of course he was nice to me.”
“You said yourself that he’s stayed in contact with you since the party,” Lynda said. “Was he paid to do that, too?”
“No,” Savannah admitted. “But he’s just being friendly. He has his choice of every girl in the world. Why would he pick me?”
“You’re not giving yourself enough credit,” Lynda said. “You keep coming up with reasons why it wouldn’t work, but how do you know if you don’t give it a try?”
“I guess I don’t.” Savannah shrugged.
“Exactly,” Lynda said. “The One Connection world tour breaks in March. You could try seeing Perry again during that break, and in the meantime, get to know him better over the phone. The exposure could really help your career.”
Savannah froze, not sure what to say. Because Perry wasn’t the guy she was interested in—he wasn’t the one she thought about all the time, wondering what it would be like if they ever dated. That guy was Damien.