I walked across Soundstage 4, the vast space feeling emptier and colder than usual. The overhead lights cast long, distorted shadows, making the set pieces look like monsters.
Julian materialized from behind a stack of prop crates, blocking my path near a tangle of high-voltage light rigs. He smiled, but his eyes were hard.
“Heard you locked yourself in the bathroom, Leo,” he said, his voice dripping with mock concern. “Feeling stressed, are we?”
I stopped, my fists clenching at my sides. “What do you want, Julian?”
“Just checking in on my best friend,” he purred, stepping closer. “Wouldn’t want you to have a public meltdown. Not with all this money on the table.”
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a cruel whisper. “Your dad certainly had his issues with pressure. Guess it runs in the family, huh? Too bad he’s not here to bail you out this time.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. A red haze swam before my eyes. My father. Julian knew exactly what he was doing.
Without thinking, I shoved him. Hard. Julian staggered back, tripping over a coiled cable, and landed with a theatrical thud against a scaffolding pole.
“Whoa! Get off me!” he yelled, rubbing his arm, eyes wide with feigned shock.
Just then, a camera operator, hidden behind a tall prop backdrop, lowered his camera. He had clearly been waiting. The red recording light was on.
“Get that camera out of my face!” I shouted, my voice cracking.
Julian scrambled to his feet, composing himself quickly. “See, Marcus? I told you he was unstable.”
Twenty minutes later, my phone vibrated with a frantic call from Maya. A nine-second clip of me “attacking” Julian, pulled completely out of context, was already trending on ‘Celebrity Buzz’.
“Leo, you have to get control of this,” Maya pleaded, her voice strained. “Marcus Oakridge just called. He’s threatening to invoke the contract’s public conduct morality clause. They’re saying you’re a liability.”
I stared at the phone, my breath caught in my throat. Julian hadn’t just sabotaged my finances; he was coming for my reputation, for my entire career.
+ There are no comments
Add yours