SWNOVELS Chapter 29
Chapter 29
The staff whispered back, “Only a bit part really, not clear on the details. All I know is it might have something to do with the trending topics these past few days…”
“A bunch of losers!” Gracia retorted, delivering a resounding slap across her agent’s face, “Five million can’t fix it, then what about- ten million? Is scrubbing from the trending list that hard?!”
She had been resting for nearly two months now, not a single script had come her way. Among the rising young starlets, she was the only one with such a gaping hole in her schedule!
Rumors were swirling that Brian was done with her. With all sorts of gossip and insinuations, even whispers implying that she had a penchant for seducing directors, the Howard family looked down on her as dirty. The rumors were detailed and damaging. Finally, she had gotten her hands on a script from a high–profile director, a chance to make her mark. If this opportunity slipped through her fingers, the consequences could be dire!
“The server at Twitter is acting up or something. They couldn’t pull it off and the five million was refunded. It’s not like we didn’t communicate well enough!” Her agent stammered, clutching his reddened face. “And it’s been three days…”
For three days, the tide of public opinion had turned irreversibly negative.
Through the slightly open door, Natalie caught a glimpse of Gracia in her frenzied state, then turned away to pull out her phone and head for the elevator.
As long as she was at Global Entertainment, Gracia could kiss any lead roles goodbye. Natalie intended to keep her word. Quickly scrolling through her contacts, she was about to message King when he beat her to it, [Did you ace the audition?] [Of course.] Natalie paused, then shot back, [Was the trending topic on Gracia your doing?].
King’s disdain for the Wright family was even stronger than hers. He couldn’t bear to see Natalie slighted in the slightest. After a while, King’s profile picture dimmed, signing off. His silence was all the confirmation Natalie needed.
“Huh?” Just as she was about to step into the elevator, a child’s voice caught her attention from behind.
Turning around, Natalie locked eyes with a pair of innocent and clear orbs. She recognized him almost instantly. It was Brian’s
son.
The boy looked so much like Brian, as if cast from the same mold. His face was a perfect echo of Brian’s from the time they first met over a decade ago.
Unexpectedly, Natalie’s heart raced. She didn’t understand her reaction. As the elevator doors opened, she dashed inside, as if fleeing.
Nate wriggled free from his bodyguard’s arms and hit the ground running, his little feet carrying him toward Natalie. But it was a step too late.
“So similar!” Nate thought, “The lady I just saw and the one in Daddy’s photo album seemed to be the same person!”
Stationed in front of the closed elevator doors, Nate murmured to himself, a mix of confusion and hope on his face, “Lady…. Mommy…”
Could she be Mommy? Or just a lady Daddy liked?
The very next morning, Natalie’s phone rang with a call from her agent, inviting her to dinner with some executives from the production company that evening. Gavin was expected to attend, along with several leading actors.
Natalie immediately agreed, got herself ready ahead of time, and met up with her agent.
Her agent was a sprightly young woman in her mid–twenties with a sweet appearance and a no–nonsense attitude. Her name was Rosie, cute and fitting. It seemed Gavin had chosen Rosie with care for Natalie.
“Your room’s 1800. Here’s your keycard,” Rosie said, digging it out of her bag and slipping it into Natalie’s, detailing the itinerary with meticulous attention. “I have an emergency tonight. You’ll be okay on your own, right?”
“No problem,” Natalie replied. She wasn’t new to the game and knew how to navigate conversations with producers and fellow cast members.