- 3.
“Then I quit!” I wasn’t the one speaking. It was
the AD. She ripped off her ID badge and threw
it in Chloe’s face. “Vivian Ray is a three–time
Oscar winner, a legend! You’re nothing! You’re
lucky Ethan even looks at you!” “And don’t
think I didn’t notice you buying trolls to smear
Ms. Ray online! It’s pathetic!” “This job sucks
anyway! Might as well quit!”
Well, well, well. At least someone had some
sense. And she was free to be my new
manager.
Chloe wasn’t going to let her go that easily. She
went crying to the showrunner, Charles,
threatening to pull her sponsors if she didn’t
get her way. Charles practically groveled at her
feet. He came to me, looking defeated. “Ms.
Ray, perhaps you could…”
<
“How much?”
Charles looked confused. “How much is what?”
“The sponsorship. How much is it worth?” | stood up. Charles stammered, “One million.”
The number clearly pleased Chloe. She smirked at me, triumphant. Her smugness vanished in an
instant.
“Get her out of here. I’ll give you two million.” Before Charles could question if I was serious, I wrote a check and slipped it into his shirt
pocket. All eyes were on me. Chloe had lost
control of the narrative.
She flew into a rage, her nails outstretched.
“You washed–up hag! You think you can
seduce Ethan with your old lady tricks? Dream
on!” “You think your money impresses me? This
is Stellar Entertainment, Ethan’s territory! Cross
me and I’ll
Her assistants tried to restrain her, but she
charged forward like a bull. She didn’t reach
- me. I sidestepped, and she crashed into the
vanity table. The mirror shattered, Chloe’s
screams echoing through the room.
“What’s going on?” A cool, detached voice cut
through the chaos. I didn’t need to look up to
know it was Ethan. Perfect timing.
“Ethan! Ethan! Help me!” Chloe instantly
switched to a pitiful whine. Unfortunately for
her, blood is thicker than water, or in this case,
a fleeting infatuation. Ethan’s eyes barely
grazed her before flicking to me. “What are you
doing here?”
In public, he always kept his distance, afraid of
the “nepotism baby” label. Fine. I let him have
his independence. And look what he’d done
with it! He had the nerve to ask me what I was
<
8:07
844
My hand moved before my brain could process.
I slapped him upside the head. He flinched, his
face darkening. He took in the scene, figuring
out why I was there. “Ms. Ray, this isn’t the
place for you. Please leave.”
Ethan’s words fed the gossip mill. The crew
rushed to Chloe’s side, fussing over her. Things
were different now. Ethan was a star, a
shareholder, a force to be reckoned with.
Crossing Chloe wouldn’t end well for them.
Chloe, clinging to Ethan’s arm, gloated. “Ethan,
don’t be so mean. Even if Ms. Ray doesn’t like
me, she’s still a senior actress. You shouldn’t
be so disrespectful.”
Her smug look screamed victory. I didn’t bother
responding. I was only interested in Ethan’s
reaction. He remained silent, neither confirming
nor denying anything. He kept pulling away
from Chloe’s grasp, his eyes flashing with
annoyance. Twenty–plus years of motherhood
told me something was off. What was going on?
<
8:08
844
Did he actually like Chloe? Or was he putting on a show for me? But if he didn’t like her, why leave his agency and join Stellar? Why back her up?
My curiosity was piqued. I had to stay and find out what was really going on. Charles’s phone rang. “Mr. Davis… Ms. Ray? Yes, yes, of course. We’ll take good care of her. We’ll make sure the show is a success!”
Simon worked fast. I’d just sent him a few
constructive suggestions for the show, and he’d already acted. In business, profit trumped sentiment. The industry was in a slump,
audiences were demanding. A mindless pretty boy with a fading reputation wasn’t as valuable as a seasoned actress like me. Plus, the “mother–son romance” scandal was still simmering, and Chloe’s public declaration
added fuel to the fire. A little manufactured
drama would generate tons of buzz.
Charles returned my check, then whispered something to Ethan. He gave me a long look. and walked away. Chloe’s protests were ignored.
Then I heard the news: I would be a contestant, in the same group as Chloe. She turned on me, spitting fire. “So, Mr. Davis pulled some strings, huh? Fine, I’ll play along. But she’s not going to be a mentor!”
