“Hey, Ben. You’re still here? Has everyone else given up and gone home?” Rebecca sat up with slow, deliberate movements and looked at her agent. “Hey, ho. Wait, a sec. Take it slow. You can lie down if you want. Rebecca, you need rest. As for going home, nope. We secured your door with a security guard hired by the Studio. Everett, I mean Jake, has gone to your place to get your bag. Nunzio is working with the Studio’s handler to keep things quiet. I’m here to keep you company and keep Nunzio in line with your interests.” “Wow, how long have I been asleep?” “A few hours. Jake should return soon. Nunzio and I have gone to bat for you and Jake. Avoid agreeing to similar things in the future. You shouldn’t have signed that contract without letting me look at it in full. I can’t believe you signed it before I’d finished making edits.” “Ben, you were listening in. If I didn’t agree, then they wouldn’t renew the show for another se
Everett returned to the hospital to find Ben and Josalyn speaking to each other. Without Nunzio there, he worried about how Ben would react to him. In the past few hours, his opinion of Ben had shifted. He’d the man had a backbone and advocated for Josalyn. It meant he was still maintaining his integrity. Uncertainty loomed with increasing tenure in this industry. He needed only to look at himself for proof. He recognized his failures and desired change. “Hey, I think I found everything. Are you certain that I found everything?” “Jake, you went over there, and you’re back already? You’re smiling. Did you send someone instead of going yourself? Why are you still smiling?” Josalyn looked confused and guilty. “Yes, I went myself. I hired a car since I’ve slept little in the last few days. I entered alone, and I had a look around. What I found we can discuss later once you’re out of the hospital and comfortable.” Jake set the b
The next morning creeped by. Jake never left her side. He even had someone bring him a phone charger so he could continue preparing everything for her to stay with him. “Oh, interesting note, love. You will need to stay with me while the repairs are happening. Some construction materials contain gluten. If you breathe in the dust, it could harm you.” Jake said as he raised his head from his phone. “Jake, what are you doing there? What are you talking about?” Josalyn didn’t know what he meant as she finished packing her things. She went to lift the bag off the bed. “Oh, hey, no you don’t. I’m here to lift that. We don’t want you damaging your stitches.” “Jake, they’re staples, and I’m fine. This isn’t heavy or the first time I’ve lifted this… Thank you. Just put it by the door.” It felt so odd to have Jake snatch the bag from her. Josalyn noticed his panicked expression and felt uneasy, as though she had inconvenienced him by
Everett found himself surprised by the Studio. He’d received a call from the Studio’s handler after he’d left the hospital with Rebecca. They made it home before he opened the voicemail message. They apologized for the accident. He couldn’t believe that spin. The fan attacked Rebecca out of anger, spite, jealousy, and a twisted form of protective possessiveness. He found Ben and Nunzio at their door soon after, with several documents for them both. All discussed marriage and its prospects. But what surprised them all, were the checks attached to them. The Studio decided they’d keep them on the show and paid them for their silence. “She’s resting right now. I’ll go get her once you’re ready.” Everett avoided disturbing Rebecca, as it required all her efforts to arrive. She wasn’t happy with this arrangement, but the doctor wouldn’t release her to go live alone. Rebecca still had staples on her side. However, visitors searching for her were disrupting others at t
The Studio sent over changes to the stunt, a day after clearing away paperwork. Josalyn didn’t want to deal with the rumor mill or Gena. It exhausted her to no end. She refused to accept Gena as a mother, especially not Everett’s child’s mother. She still struggled with whether she should believe Everett when he said he couldn’t be the father. Gena, of course, had to pull her into it by calling her a home wrecker and a horrible person. How fragile Gena’s pregnancy was and how Josalyn lied about her health being bad. She’d never said a bloody thing about her health to anyone. Gena hadn’t stopped there. She pulled out the drugs or alcohol rumors about Josalyn. Of course, she only called her Rebecca in the public realm. Josalyn even had to deal with Gena, ignoring the fact she’d been the one to steal Jake from her initially. Heaven forgive her, because Josalyn didn’t speak up and tell the world Gena broke up their quiet marriage
“I’m so happy to be having his baby. He must come home soon.” Gena said. Her voice gushed with happiness, but anyone could see and hear how insincere her feelings and words were. Her actions were as over the top as her words, but they rang fake. “Ms. D’Ore, are you aware that people witnessed and took photographs of you outside a restaurant, kissing your agent?” The host of the podcast shifted in his seat. He seemed uneasy with the interviews progress. But he’d given her the chance to tell her tale and leave him enough rope to hang her with. “Oh, someone edited that. Rebecca Jones made the photo to steal Everett from me. She stole him from me and is doing everything she can to ruin me.” Gena hadn’t known they Rebecca Jones had the photo made so she could swoop in and steal Everett away from me. She stole him from me and is doing everything she can to ruin me.” Gena hadn’t known they would discuss the photos. Photos she’d told a paparazzo to take. She wanted to
Yuri watched as Leo brought Gena back to him. He’d seen her latest interview and heard her claims. If he had a say, she wouldn’t have Everett’s baby. Yuri preferred sharing with a select few. He didn’t share his women with just anyone. “You’re pregnant and lying about who the father is, Gena. Why?” “Yuri, you’re fun in the sack, so is Leo. I love what you do. Really, I do. You lack the business influence that Everett possesses. Also, I need to keep Rebecca from winning. She’s always had an effortless life.” “Is the child his Gena?” At first, Gena said nothing. Yuri stood inches from her, towering over her. His face could scare a storm cloud from the sun’s light. When she swallowed, it was noticeable, and Leo smirked. With enormous eyes, she let her lower lip slip into a quivering pout. “It’s okay Yuri, I know what I’m doing.” “You’re not keeping the brat, Gena. Get rid of it. He’s not coming back.”
Rebecca sat there staring at the screen after they sat down to watch the podcast on replay as they missed the original airing of it. “I can’t believe her. She’s ruined me, Jake. I can’t show my face after that. I look like a monster. How did I steal you from her? She used her lover to take you away from me if push comes to shove.” “I don’t get it either. Those two are sick and twisted. We were right to acknowledge our marriage before Gena appeared. It makes her claims look questionable at best and foolish at worst. People aren’t stupid, Josalyn. They’ll see there’s more to it. Without it, Baldwin hinted at something deeper. Jake concentrated on their recent conversation. He couldn’t believe how she lied and looked like she believed it. But the crying at the end, was bad acting from start to finish. It belonged in a ‘B,’ movie. Gena needed to grow up and get a hobby other than harassing Josalyn. “Which is what scares me. I can’t have people digging ar