Page 278 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

I staked my reputation,

sold her the dream,

said everything would be okay.

She felt safe enough to trust me.

Doors started opening.

She had one foot in, and now the label’s slamming it on her fingers.

My heart’s pounding hot.

It’s all I hear above:

“We have three active brand deals tied to her rollout,” Finance slams into the silence. “Two’ve requested emergency callback calls. One’s likely gonna exit. If we retain her, we not only risk losing all three, we risk partnerships with the label, period.”

PR: “Damage control.

“We need to act now.”

Legal: “If you act wrong, it’ll come back on us twice as hard. And every word you put out without facts is discoverable in court. So no, we are not rushing a statement.”

PR: “Silence is a statement.”

Legal: “So is defamation.”

As PR and Legal fight it out across the table, her manager interjects, “She didn’t leak it. You all know that. Why are we talking about her like she’s in the wrong?”

Finance: “Because perception doesn’t stand on truth.”

Her manager: “Ah, don’t you dare reduce her to a liability.”

Raymond yanks out his chair and drops into it, steepling his fingers. “Let’s stay focused,” he growls. “We’re not in the business of reactin’ emotionally. The question is how this affects the label’s reputation. We can’t have this landin’ on our other artists or partnerships⁠—”

I try to swallow, but my throat feels tight and lined with chalk. Despite the nausea climbing up my throat, I pull up the sex tape again.

All it takes is a simple Google search.

Soon as I do, I sit taller.

“Wait. That’s the ex.”

Legal drops an exhausted arm onto the table. “We’re aware.”

I scoot the chair closer, almost crushing my plant. “No, listen. Bianca’s never hid from her past. Not from us or her fans. This guy?” I hold out the beginning of the video that only shows the side of his face. “He’s the abusive piece of shit she was scared of. The one she had to get away from.”

I click off my phone and toss it back onto the table. “This only confirms everything she’s been singing about.”

“She don’t look scared in the video, sweetheart,” a guy from PR snickers.

I ball my fist to keep it from punching his face off. “So we take her in ‘cause of her past, claimin’ her abuse is relatable, a story that’ll sell,” I say, shaking my head, mainly at myself.

'Cause I let it happen.

Didn’t matter at the time,

as long as she got signed,