“Now I’m even more glad you asked me to tag along. I would’ve lost my shit if they did anything to you.”
I walk closer to him and lean against his side. He leans over and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “They probably wouldn’t have reached for me, but I am glad you were here.”
He inhales deeply and wraps his arms around me, holding me tightly to him for a few minutes.
When I let go, he gives me a forlorn look. “Are you ready?”
Shrugging a shoulder, I aim for being nonchalant, but really my intestines are coiling in my belly. “As ready as I’ll ever be. My team is up there already waiting for me.”
“We should get up there then,” he says.
As we pass the front desk, I wave at Louisa, the typical weekday receptionist. “Here to see Cal?”
“Yeah, is he in his office?”
“He told me to tell you to meet him in the bronze conference room on the eighth floor,” Louisa says, reading off a notepad.
“Eighth floor, bronze conference room. Thanks, Louisa.”
“Of course. And Jersey?” I turn to her before heading to the elevator. She gives me a sympathetic smile as she pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry this is happening to you. No one deserves this. Especially you.”
“Thanks, Lou. That means a lot to me.”
“Good luck with everything,” she says. And I nod, reaching for Hayes hand.
Before we get on the elevator, I pull him back. He turns to me with questioning eyes. “Actually... I think I need to do this myself. I’m sorry.”
His eyes soften, and he shakes his head. “Don’t be sorry about that. You’re more than capable of going in there and telling them what’s what.” He reaches for me again, hugging me to his chest. “I’m so proud of you, Jersey. Don’t let them push you around. You’re stronger than you think, so give them hell.”
With one last kiss on the top of my head, he releases me and steps back. I feel silly, but I wave at him before I get on the elevator. He winks at me and then goes to sit on a comfy chair in the lobby. The doors close, and I’m on my way.
I stop at the floor where Callum’s office is and meet up with Bethany, Kelsey, Carla, and a few of her colleagues. All of us ride up to the eighth floor, which seems to be the longest three-floor ride I’ve ever taken. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what’s about to transpire. As soon as I’m off the elevator, I’m walking down the hallway to the bronze conference room. I garner a few looks and a few whispers from other staff members, but I don’t let anyone get to me.
Standing outside the conference room door, I look from Bethany to the others. With a dip of my chin, I say, “Ready for this?”
They acknowledge me and Carla comes to stand next to me. “We don’t back down,” she says, leaning toward me. “Theystolefrom you. Don’t let them forget that. After today, you’ll be a free woman.”
“Free,” I whisper.
Bethany puts her hand on my shoulder from her position behind me. I cover her hand with mine and nod. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Callum waits for us inside the conference room, arms crossed as he leans back in his chair at the long oak table. A man I can only assume is his lawyer is sitting next to him, a laptop screen illuminating his face.
Callum glares down his nose at me. “Was wondering when you’d show up. We set this meeting for ten minutes ago.”
I raise my chin, not letting him get to me. “I was ambushed by paparazzi outside the building. What happened to your airtight security, Cal? Awfully convenient you let that slack on the day we’re supposed to meet.”
“Let’s get this over with,” he mutters, not taking the bait.
“We’re done, Callum,” I say, hoping my voice sounds as firm as I want it to. “I’m pulling out of Silver Shadows once and for all. There’s nothing you can do about it. Your days of controlling me and my career are officially over.”
Carla steps forward and pulls something out of her briefcase, setting it on the table in front of Cal’s lawyer. “Obviously, wecan all be in agreement that there was a breach of contract. There’s not much else to say other than the fact that your client stole from my client, violating the terms. As of today, my client will no longer be under contract with Silver Shadows Records. This is an agreement of termination of the contract effective immediately and acknowledgment that my client will get proper compensation and credit for her intellectual property. In return, we will not take this to court. I believe we have outlined fair terms that we can all come to agreement on.”
Callum rolls his eyes and scoffs. His lawyer shoots him an annoyed glance. Callum doesn’t heed the silent admonishment, choosing to let his ego get the best of him.
“This is ridiculous. You have no grounds for termination. The contract specifically states that anything Jersey Matthews creates while under contract is property of the label.”
“You coerced Kelsey and had her steal from my personal belongings,” I say incredulously. “That’s the definition of invasion of privacy and theft, not to mention a blatant abuse of power.”
