“So this all comes down to contracts and equal pay?” Ren asks Cynthia.
“Oh, you bet your Cooper’s cute little butt it is. Twenty million doesn’t sound like a lot in terms of Hollywood money, but baby, you and Rosie set off a firestorm. He’s seen every single contract you’ve turned down from his studio or studios linked to it. It made agents shy away from anything with his name anywhere near it. Last year, he had to shelve ten movies because no one with a name wanted to sign on.”
“Wait, he still sends me contacts?”
“Yep, and I’ve rejected every one of them, like we agreed.” With a heavy sigh, Cyn tosses two stacks of paper over to me. One stack has Cynthia’s name, and the other, mine. “He has one of these fucked up contracts for each of us.”
“Still blackmail!” Ren yells and Cyn nods.
“He’ll try to use each of us to take out the other. He’s an old man with idiotic grudges and more money than God. Except, he’s not.”
“Huh?”
“He’s financially fucked six ways to Sunday, Chase. Has been for years. Lives well above his means and makes promises he can’t keep. He has a string of lawyers he owes money to, and backers that have never seen a finished product or a dime in return. He also owes money for harassment cases he settled out of court. Hell, I’d be surprised if he could even get the money together to pay Ren off if she did sign this. It’s a sinking ship, and he’s decided you two are going down with him.”
“Do you always use so many idioms?” Ren says, chuckling. Cyn laughs and responds with a shrug. “There’s a lot of that—what do you call it—when it’s all stories from other people and not the source?”
“Hearsay?”
“Yeah! He’s coming after us with a lying, drugged up son of a bitch and a stalker obsessed with Chase as his ammunition? That’s the best he’s got?” Cynthia nods in agreement and shrugs. “He’s scraping the bottom of the barrel and he’s using shit that won’t stick to Chase. At least not for long.”
“You ever thought about going into politics?” Cyn asks with a laugh.
“No. I can’t even get myself a raise and a promotion to department head,” Ren cackles.
“We still need to stay on our toes with what he does next. It doesn’t take much of a controversy to bury an A-lister, because people don’t care about the truth.” She takes a deep breath. “Before we do this, I need to know you’re both on board. If one of you needs to back out, do it now, before this shit hits the public eye.”
“Oh, I’m all in. Let’s fuck this guy up!” Ren shouts.
“You could lose your job in this, Sunshine. Are you sure?”
Ren thinks for a minute before nodding. “Someone needs to stand up to that dickhead. Plus it means I’m fighting alongside Rosie. Lawson and the principal of the school know each other, which puts my job in jeopardy, anyhow. If I help take down Lawson, there’s a better chance I still have my job at the end of all this.”
“God, I love you.”
“Alright, I’ll put together team Screw This Guy,” Cyn says, staring at me. “Also, we’re at the ‘I love you’ stage? Congrats. I’ve got to go meet with Mills and Dr. Clay. It’s easier to clean up after a sex scandal than all this shit. Good thing I like you, Cooper.”
CHAPTER35
THE CHAIN
FLEETWOOD MAC
One more day.
I haven’t taken a vacation in years, and when I did, I spent them recovering from something Luis did. This isn’t any vacation, either. Chase booked our flights the second I got the approval. I’m going to France! He’s taking me as his guest to Cannes! I’m certain I died and whichever god rules over Heaven, she gave me her sweetest angel, Chase.
So, as soon as class lets out tomorrow, a driver is picking me up and taking me to the airport. I’ll meet Chase in New York before we fly to Paris together. I loaded my tablet with books and packed all my bags last night so Dani can drop me off at work in the morning.
Sleep won’t be a thing tonight.
For now, I’m getting a bit of a break, watching over the class as they take a test. My phone buzzes on the desk, and I grab for it so it doesn’t distract anyone.
Snuggle Puppy
I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.
I wish I could fly you here tonight…I mean, I could.
