“Okay.” Theo sighed, but he seemed willing to work with her on everything.
Angelica sat with him, breaking the news of letting employees go for the next three hours. She poured as much compassion as she had into those conversations, and by the time they reached the end, she was done. She wrapped the scene and did one more with Theo to give him the plan going forward, and then all she wanted was to escape.
And luckily, she had an hour before Hope would be back to film the introduction and exit they had planned, since Angelica had missed the first full day of filming. Angelica snagged her iPad and went toward the elevator to escape into her room and the silence she needed to find there. She ran into Lyric as soon as the doors opened and stopped short.
Lyric’s eyes were wet and red, as if she’d been crying. Angelica’s lips parted as concern rushed through her. She’dnever seen this woman cry. Not once in all the time that they’d worked together.
“Lyric—”
“Ange! I need to speak with you!” Florence’s voice echoed through the lobby.
Angelica refused to look over her shoulder, keeping her gaze on Lyric.
“I’m fine,” Lyric said quickly. “I promise. Just that time of the month.” She rolled her eyes as if she didn’t believe it either.
“You know I think that’s a piss-poor excuse, so why are you even attempting?—”
“Ms. Shields.” Lyric sighed heavily. “I’m fine. I promise.”
Angelica hummed her disagreement.
“Ange!” Florence shouted again.
“I can take that if you were putting it upstairs.” Lyric pointed to Angelica’s iPad.
Handing it over, Angelica planned on using that later to figure out exactly what had upset Lyric so much. Because whatever had crossed Lyric’s face in the last few seconds made Angelica more uncomfortable that she should have been. Something had happened, and Lyric was avoiding sharing. She’d give her the grace of avoiding—at least for now.
“Ange, I need to speak with you.” Florence was only a few steps away now.
Lyric gripped the iPad and ducked her chin. “I’ll catch you later, Ms. Shields.”
“I have an hour break before?—”
“This can’t wait.” Florence walked away, back the way she’d come, and Angelica closed her eyes briefly before following.
No matter what, a bomb was about to drop on her. She had no doubt of that. Something had happened, and she wasn’t going to like it. And she was about to face the next battle—as if all the ones she was facing right now weren’t enough.
“Care to tell me what this is about?” Angelica asked as she stepped into the staging office. It was nearly cleared out already, most of their things packed away—at least what could be.
Florence pointed toward one of the chairs and then sat down next to her. She dragged over an iPad and called Logan. Which was only confirmation of what Angelica had already known. This was going to be yet another bomb—either something she’d done wrong, some threat from Josef, or something she was now going to be charged with fixing. Assuming they’d even give her that power and control back after the interrogation she’d endured the last weekend.
“Thanks for meeting with us, Ange,” Logan said from the video call. He was seated at his desk in Los Angeles, clearly having already set up the time and place for this meeting—it wasn’t an emergency call. Yet, once again, Angelica hadn’t been told about it.
“Care to fill me in on what I’m missing?” Angelica asked, raising an eyebrow first at Logan and then at Florence. “You know how much I don’t care for being jerked around.”
Logan looked away from her and focused on Florence. “You didn’t tell her?”
“I haven’t had a chance, and she’s been avoiding me.”
Well, that much was true at least. Angelica would avoid her each and every time she had a chance. Florence was just someone that she’d never be able to fully get along with—that much was clear after filming nearly half this season already.
“We need to talk about press. Hope’s interview isn’t dying down. In fact, it’s ramping up, and not in a good way. We need to find a way to counteract it.” Logan didn’t look pleased, and Angelica could understand why.
“You shouldn’t have let her interview on her own. Not with something like that.” Angelica wasn’t going to let him off thehook for that one. It had been a stupid decision, and she’d stand by that. “But I don’t know what you expect to happen to fix it.”
“Production feels the audience needs to see the two of you together—outside of the show.”
“Outside of the show?” Angelica repeated, more confused than ever.
