欧美专区小说区

She could already see that her so-called friends would run in the other direction, disassociating themselves from her and her scandalous case. She still hoped that her situation would not reach that point.

“We still want this to stay out of the public’s eyes.” She heard Nora say as she tapped her on the shoulder. “Serena, are you listening?” She realized she was talking to her as she tried to catch her attention.

A few minutes earlier, her manager was busy talking on her phone, dealing with her other work. She did not mind since she knew that Nora also had other obligations to attend to, and besides, she was not just her talent.

Nora had numerous artists under her care. She could not expect her manager to ignore their needs so she could be her priority. That would not be fair to the other stars who also worked hard to get good jobs.

“Yes,” Serena quickly responded, but she did not understand the question. “I am sorry, but what again are we talking about?” She had been staring at the street outside with her mind floating in the wind that she did not hear a word Nora said.

They were on their way to meet with Adam and her ex-boyfriend to discuss the settlement. And she could not help but dread the moment of seeing him again.

.....

Since the last two encounters with Elliot, she had developed a fear she had never experienced before with him. In addition to that, she had been having nightmares lately. Thankfully, Adam came to comfort her, accompanying her until she fell asleep.

During their relationship, Elliot had never slapped or punched her, but he loved to shout and demean her privately. Then, he would humiliate her in front of the crowd with his insensitive sense of humor. Physically, he would grab her hard, but he never left a mark.

He only turned violent when she threatened to leave him. That was the point that she decided to go through with her plan. She knew then that there was no future in their toxic relationship.

“I said, do you still intend to keep this case away from the press.” Nora clarified since they were about to go on negotiation with her ex and his group of lawyers.

Although, she doubted that he would attend the meeting. She believed he would skip this meeting and let his experts handle this. He would not waste his time dealing with her, just like the last time.

She would prefer it that way, anyway. The less contact she had with him, the better she would feel. The sooner she could forget about this nightmare, the more favorable. Then, she could go on with her life.

“Of course, that is still what I want.” She quickly responded, concentrating on what her manager was discussing with her.

She believed that once this came out to the media, the masses would have hysteria and crucify her. Sadly, the network would side with their golden boy and protect him while she would become the sacrificial lamb, who would carry the blame.

Then, she could say goodbye to her career. She could expect her name in the list of the stars that had shone for a moment but quickly lost their glitter. Her name would have a permanent mark, and no one would want to hire her.

“But it is not a guarantee that this shit would not leak to the public,” Nora warned her since many things could happen. One source could be the end of their secret. With modern technology, one rumor could spread like wildfire, and nothing could extinguish it.

“I know the risk, but I still want to try. You know that I will not win with media on his side.” Serena was not delusional. She might be famous and had a great fan base, but that was because of her teaming up with him.

She would lose all her fans. The fans instantly would side with her leading man, thinking he was the victim, once this case reached the social media platforms.

Soon, they were sitting in the large conference room, waiting for the other team to join them. “Are you ok?” Adam asked as he sat beside her while on the other side, her manager.

He tapped her on the arm, assuring her that he would be there every step of the way. He had her back in this case. It was reassuring and somehow eased her worries.

Then, not a minute later, the opposing lawyers arrived, but there were only two this time. The other time they met with them, it was four compared to Adam, who was alone.

“We are sorry for making you wait, but we have a last-minute meeting with our client.” The leading litigator said as he placed his folders on the table.

“Are we still negotiating the terms of the settlement?” Adam asked, not wanting to waste their time if they had changed their mind.

“Yes, we still intend to proceed with the talk, but first, there is one condition that our client wishes to express.” The other lawyer spoke up, but he remained standing.

“What is the condition?” Adam asked while the two women waited anxiously for the answer.

“Our client wishes to talk to Ms. Anderson alone for a few minutes.” The man announced in the room. “He is waiting in my office if you will agree.” He addressed the last part to her.

She could feel cold sweats travel all over her body. Her heart seemed to tremble just thinking of being confined in the room with that man, with no one else around. Could she do it?

Suddenly, she wondered if her family was right about her making a mistake entering the entertainment business. His father said that she would regret it. Her brother said that he was afraid that she would only get hurt.

Was she wrong to hate them because they never wanted to support her chosen career? Or was it their fault that her life went downhill because they were never there for her?

But honestly, if she should blame someone for her misfortune, she could only point the finger at the real culprit, herself and no one else.