I sit back in my chair, smirking.
“As I stated earlier, we’ll allow the audience to make the final decision on whether or not I was ready for this role.”
A few reporters nod their head and jot notes down in their notebooks.
“Well, I think that’s all of the time we ha?—”
“One more question.”
My eyes narrow on Charlotte as she remains standing, microphone in her hand.
“Far be it from me to be a nuisance,” she says, shooting daggers my way. “But I wonder if you all would be so quick to defend Andreas if you saw proof that he’s a loose cannon who goes about assaulting people in restaurants?”
A gasp sounds around the room.
I level her with a look, though she’s no longer looking at me.
“I have video footage of Andreas Knight assaulting YouTuber and podcaster, Dennis James,” she claims while holding up her phone, playing a video from that day in the restaurant. “This was a result of a personal vendetta against James, who had a relationship with Andreas’ current girlfriend, Ivy Sterling.”
I spring to my feet, fists at my side. “What the hell did you just say?”
“Is that the type of person you want representing your film, Mr. Keith?” Charlotte continues.
“This is beyond inappropriate,” Michael says beside me.
“We’ll end the presser here. Thank you everyone for coming today,” the MC tells the crowd in a hurry.
All I see is red. Did that bitch just claim Ivy had a relationship with Dennis James?
My phone’s ringing before I even exit the stage.
“I want that bitch’s job and anything else she has of value,” I tell Stan. “And then I want?—”
“Andreas, calm down.”
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down. Did you hear what she said about Ivy? Ivy has never even met that motherfucker!” I insist as I barge into my room, slamming the door behind me.
“What about you? This is?—”
“That’s what I pay PR for, isn’t it?”
“We’ll handle it on our end. Expect a call from Rachel in about twenty minutes.”
“By then I expect to hear that Charlotte’s unemployed and has retracted her statement.”
I hang up the phone and toss it on the bed instead of at the wall like I want. I need to calm down before calling Ivy, I don’t want her to hear about this bullshit from anyone but me.
CHAPTER 41
Ivy
“What do you think of this one?” I hold up the off-white sparkly shirt for Lillian to inspect.
We’re in a clothing store way across town from the studio, hunting down styles for an upcoming project. While most of the costumes have been designed, Lillian and I got a special assignment to pick up a few items from the store.
Lillian takes her time, peering over the brim of her glasses to inspect the shirt. My heart sinks a little when she frowns.
“The hole would be a challenge to fix.” She points to the small hole just beneath the armpit. “Most of the time it could be hidden, but my concern is the wear and tear this project will have on the shirt. This material doesn’t hold up very well.”
