Find a new agent.
Get Sarah back.
The list was on my fridge and I stared at it, content with my decision. A thrill went through me—firing Charles had been weighing on me for a while. I didn’t appreciate the way he talked about Sarah or women in general, and while it would be hard to find an agent who wanted to rep me right now, it wouldn’t be impossible. I took a deep breath and was about to hit dial, when the familiar sound of a dog collar’s bell jingling caught my attention.Sarah.She was letting the dogs out.
Without thinking, I bolted to the hallway to see her approach the elevator. She turned and made eye contact with me for a second before shaking her head. “Blue Bell.”
She flatted her lips and looked at me with so much sadness, I knew I had to fix it. “Don’t call me that anymore. We aren’t friends.”
“I’m firing Charles,” I said, leaning against my doorframe and enjoying her struggle to ask why. She wanted to know. I could see the curiosity on her face.
But she shrugged and put her head down, walking into the elevator with the pups. When she looked up and met my gaze, she spoke softly. “I don’t care what you do anymore.”
The disappointed look on her face would keep me up at night, and my chest tightened.What if it’s too late?
No. I will not think that. I have my plan.
Each breath felt like ice in my lungs as I waited for Charles to answer. “Go for Charles,” he answered.
“We need to talk,” I said, ready to stand up for myself for the first time in a long time. “Today.”
“Can it wait?”
“You know what, fuck it. We’re done. We have different visions for how we work and I’m done with your bullshit. Prepare the papers to end this and send them to me.”
“Brigham, don’t be an idiot. No one will fucking sign on to your shitshow right now. I get you’re pissed about Blue. I’m sorry. There, better?”
“Nope. Send the papers to end our contract. I’m not fucking around.”
He laughed, and the sound unsettled me. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“Yes, it does. You’re fired. I have our original contract here and I quote,either party can end agreement if they are displeased. I’m displeased. Have been for a while.”
“Look, let’s figure it out.”
“No. We are done.” I hung up, smiling. If I could have lost weight from pressure and anxiety alone, I just had. I felt freer. Myself. Ready to start anew.
Lawyer.
“Hello?
“Hey, Wynona, it’s Brigham.”
“How you holding up?”
“I’m sick of waiting and playing defense. I did nothing wrong. Call whoever you need to and let’s go to court. I want a fucking jury there and witnesses who were at the club. All of it.”
“Woah, why the sudden change of heart?”
“Because I’m sick of waiting for someone else to make decisions about my life.”And if I want a future with Los Soles and Sarah, I have to close this Chapter for good.“I need to move on, and I can’t until this shit is done.”
“I’ll make the calls. Damn, Brigham. I’m glad you’re going this route. They’ve been intimidating you from the start.”
“Yup. And I’m going to do a video release. Explaining how I fired my agent and want my life back. I know you said no interviews but this is me telling my story now.”
“Go for it. I’ll call you in a few days with next steps.”
“Thank you. Can’t wait to end this shit.”
