Page 84 of A Simple Love

“She has to admit to it. Privately. Signed, sealed. We take that to the owners of the rag, and they’re toast. They’ll have no choice but to fire Flynn. Hang him out to dry when they realize it’s that or court and millions.” She inhaled again with an evil smile. “Lots and lots of millions.”

“He’ll be furious,” I said with a frown.

“He’ll be finished. This was desperation on his part. A chance to get his name back on the byline and get even with you, finally. If these lowlifes won’t touch him, no one will.”

“If Sheri agrees,” Davis mused. “If, in fact, it was her.”

“It was,” Annie stated firmly and slid her phone across the table.

Davis picked it up and looked at the screen with a low whistle. He handed it to me. It held a picture of Sheri and Flynn, heads together, taken recently. She was in one of her on-screen costumes that I recognized.

“Well, well,” I muttered.

For a moment, the room was silent then Davis turned to me. “Can you do it? Would you do it? Keep working with her? Walk the red carpet and act like none of this had anything to do with her?”

The thought of even seeing her made me cringe, but I didn’t want Davis to pay for her actions. Or for my own ego. I despised the article and the lies. Even more, I loathed that it breached Kassie’s private life. Made her vulnerable.

“I need this shut down ASAP,” I replied. “Not for me. For Kassie. She doesn’t deserve this. I’m angrier about that than anything.”

Davis nodded. “I understand.”

“I want to face Sheri. I want to know why. Then, yes, if you decide to go ahead, I’ll finish the film.”

“With full payment,” Annie added. “Maybe a bonus for danger pay.”

“Will you press charges for the incident?”

“No. That will only perpetuate the animosity and cause another scandal. But she needs to take responsibility.” I sat back. “And apologize—especially to Kassie. Plus, make amends.”

“How?”

I shook my head, suddenly tired. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe she needs a salary cut. Or lesser billing,” Annie stated dryly. “Put Oliver’s name over hers.”

Davis winced. “That’s harsh, even for you. Deserving, but harsh.”

“We can figure out something. But I don’t want the cops involved, the lawyers bickering between us. I want the article retracted and him fired. I want it buried. Over.” I stood. “I’m going to my trailer.”

Sheri walked into Davis’s office looking displeased and bored. She didn’t like being ordered to go anywhere, and Davis had made it clear she had no choice but to show up.

Her demeanor changed when she saw Annie beside Davis, me sitting there, and her agent on the screen via Zoom.

“What’s going on?” she demanded, sitting down and crossing her legs, swinging one foot in agitation.

Annie slid her phone across the table, and Sheri stared at the screen, the image of her and Flynn doing exactly what Annie expected it to do.

She crumpled like a stack of cards. “I didn’t know it would be like this!”

“Why Flynn?” Annie asked.

“I knew he and Oliver had history. He’s always been okay with me. It was his idea about the burrs and the pictures. I thought it would be funny to watch Oliver squirm,” Sheri admitted, looking less amused and more upset by the moment. I sat back, surprisingly not enjoying this the way I’d thought I would.

“Did you stop to think your idea could have resulted in serious injury to Oliver?” Davis asked. “He could bring you up on legal charges of intent to harm—or something even worse.”

Her eyes widened. Fear flickered over her features, and she pressed her hands to her sides. I noticed the trembling and decided this was real, not a good acting job.

She began to look uncomfortable. “It wasn’t supposed to go this far,” she admitted. “I just wanted him to piss Oliver off a little.”