“So you’re finally owning up to it?”
Did Jake not fill her in on the AI excuse? Or did she just not care?
“I’m not…” Stella faltered, realizing her slip up. “I’m not owning up to anything. I’m just saying that in that video we were just fooling around. As friends.”
“Friends…” Emily mumbled with a shake of her head. “Friends that kiss? I didn’t know it was customary to kiss your friends like that, Stella. Enlighten me.”
“I’m not trying to pick a fight here.”
“Oh, but that’s exactly what you’re doing.” Emily gave a sweet smile. “Keep this up and it won’t be a good ending for you either. I heard that some brands have rescinded their deals and that your latest movie flopped so badly all the top directors have reconsidered your roles. Imagine how much worse this could get if you continue crossing lines you shouldn’t.”
“Emily…” Her jaw locked, a muscle twitching. “Are you threatening me?”
“I’mworriedabout you,” Emily stressed sweetly. “As your senior, I want you to keep working in this field for a bit longer, but I think you’re making it hard for yourself.”
Stella shrugged off the hand Emily placed on her shoulder.
“But you know what’s funny, Stella?” Emily asked, her tone carrying an eerie wisp. “Jake doesn’t hold as much power at Starz as you think he does. He’s only a tool with a title. Steven is the actual CEO and runs this show. And when the day comes that you realize this and see that what you’ve done isn’t a golden ticket, but a gilded cage, you’ll understand the difference between winning and beingtrapped. You’ll sit in the mess of his promises, wondering how everything has gone wrong. And when that moment comes, I’ll have a front row seat, watching the karma that you’ve brought upon yourself.”
Emily walked away, her red-bottom heels clicking on the tiled floor.
“What did you say?”
Stella had caught her by the arm.
“Get your hands off me!”
“I asked what the fuck did you just say! Do you think being rich gives you the right to talk to people however you want? You’ve looked down on me since the day we met, since I was your understudy. Everyone flocks to you like sheep, but I see through you. I know who you really are. You’re just as desperate for love as I am. An attention seeker. Jake told me you were popping Adderall faster than he could blink just to keep up. Should I add drug addict to the list?”
Emily’s hand twitched to collide with her face, but blinked away the impulse.
Tears burned her eyes.
Jake had told Stella that? That had been one of Emily’s lowest points. Her most disgraceful act.
It’d taken Emily a month to taper off and she never looked back because of how much more it messed with her brain than pre-indulgence.
Jake walked out the meeting room amid her thoughts. Stella saw him and scrambled onto the floor. His eyes flashed in concern at seeing her there.
He ran to her.
Can they be any more obvious? They aren’t even trying to hide it!
Stella held her stomach as she started bawling. “Jake...” she gasped. “I was only talking to her and s-she...”
“What the fuck did you do?!” Jake shouted, shooting up to confront Emily.
“You told her about the Adderall thing?”
He swore. “It slipped during a function when I was drunk.”
“Like hell it did.” Emily’s composure remained unnervingly intact. “Do you think I’m a fool, Jake?” Rage trembled through her entire being, but she reined it in. “What topic could have possibly brought you there? You know what, I don’t care.”
She turned to Stella. “Did he also tell you he has access to a blackmail file on every talent here, ready to use the moment they step out of line? Did he mention that yours is when Director Nathan referred you after you’d gone on your knees for him during audition taping? That the tape was kept, and has been passed around among?—"
He grabbed her harshly. “How could you be so evil? After doing something like this you won’t even apologize? Instead, you’re making up stories?”
Making up stories? Ha! He really was set on keeping Stella in the dark.
