“So you’re Valentina Salazar? The plaintiff for the lawsuit that the CEO has us ?” a cold-looking man dressed in a plain gray suit asked calmly. His sharp eyes were hidden behind square glasses and seemed to be able to look through her eyes and into her soul.

“Yes, that’s me.” Valentina calmly took a seat on the opposite side of the elaborate desk without breaking eye contact with the lawyer. As she removed her mask while continuing to stare at him, the two of them were locked in a stare off and the tension filling the room got more and more oppressive. Just as she was about to look away, a person to the side cleared their throat.

“Ehem. Enough Hall. Let’s get down to business.” A strict but quiet voice spoke out.

The man seemed to freeze for a moment before sighing and pushing up his glasses, and the tension was suddenly broken.

“My name is Eric Hall. I am one of the attorneys that represents the legal arm of the Grayson Conglomerate. I’ll be the one attorney in the lead for your case. This here is Megan Woods. She’s in charge of cases regarding Platinum Entertainment and will be your formal point of contact and who will be coaching you on how to behave, what to say, and who to talk to. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Valentina replied politely as she glanced at the woman wearing a gray pantsuit sitting beside him. Her hair was cut into a no-nonsense bob, and her blue eyes were even more piercing than the man beside her.

As she caught Valentina’s eyes, she gave her a sharp smile before speaking.

“No, I don’t think you do. We’ve been given a nigh-impossible mission by the CEO to force a settlement within three months. You will have to cooperate in everything we instruct you to do, or you’ll be at fault if the lawsuit drags on longer than that. Not only will the cost start to become astronomical, but public opinion will also begin to shift and forget. I’m asking you if you understand and are ready to do what it takes, Miss. Salazar. Are you ready to wear what I tell you, walk when I tell you, or even piss when I tell you? Hmmm?”

“Yes, ma’am. I completely understand, and I’m willing to cooperate in any way possible.” Valentina responded while sitting up straight. Seeing the serious expressions of the two in front of her, she couldn’t help but become serious as well.

“Good. Let’s begin. You can start by handing over any contract you’ve signed as well as any forms of communication you’ve ever had with a Black Rock entertainment artist or executive. Text is preferred, but you can recount any verbal experiences as well. We’ll also need access to your social media accounts to dig into past messages and public posts to find any incriminating details to remove them.”

“I can pull it u- oh wait, my phone is broken.” As she pulled out the shattered device, she saw the two attorneys look at each other before they rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"IT Department?" Eric asked.

"Yep. I'll call them up. It's not their first rodeo." Megan replied.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. it literally just happened." Valentina tried to explain.

“Miss Salazar please. If you want to destroy any incriminating evidence, leave it to the professionals. This here is just an annoyance at best.” Eric Hall gave her a knowing look as if he understood the situation.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Sir. No. What do you understand????

“I didn’t break it on purpose. Promise.” She immediately denied it while holding her hand to her heart.

“Please, you think I haven’t seen these tactics before? You actors think you’re so smart. On the day you’re to meet the lawyer, the phone ‘accidentally’ broke? Rubbish. There’s nothing you are trying to hide that I haven’t seen before, and we still need access to your phone. We need the it department to remove anything that could tarnish your reputation before it comes out in court.“ Megan added while snorting in disgust.

Valentina: “……”

It seems that no matter what I tell both of you, you won’t believe that I didn’t break the phone on purpose.

“Uhhh.. I apologize, I guess?” she could only lower her head and say.

“It’s fine. Just keep it here with us and hand over your social media passwords. And remember, leave the disposal of evidence to the professionals. Moving onto the questioning, have you met any Black Rock Entertainment executives, and have they made any inappropriate advances toward you?”

***

Feeling completely drained from answering increasingly detailed questions from the lawyers, Valentina staggered into Kaiser’s office without knocking. Seeing him typing at his desk with Luca sitting off to the side while on his tablet, she trudged over to the small sitting area, carelessly dropped her body on one of the leather sofas, and closed her eyes.

She heard light footsteps before they stopped right by her, then the sound of this rustling.

“Tired?” his soft voice sounded out in her ears as she felt cold fingers massaging her head in a circular manner.

“Mmmm.” She groaned in agreement before cracking one eye open to stare at him.

“Want to go home? We don’t have to go out to eat. I’ll have the chef start prepping some food. That way, you can eat and rest.”

“Can’t. I have to get a new phone, call cleaners, call Roman to organize flight details, prep to visit Black Rock with your attorneys, visit Lina for clothes, talk to Luca’s psychiatrist, etc. Plus, it will be a shame for Luca not to get a treat since he came out, especially since I’m leaving soon. Uhhhhh.”

As she spoke, neither of them noticed Luca looking up with a shocked expression on his little face as he almost dropped his tablet.

He jumped down, wanting to say something, before climbing back on his seat. He would ask his dad later.

Seeing Valentina lying exhausted, a wide yawn coming out of her mouth, Kaiser rubbed her head in sympathy.

“We have extra phones at the house, and the rest can be dealt with slowly. Are you sure you don’t want to head home?”

“Mhmmm. Let’s go eat now if you’re available. Or if you can’t, I’ll head home, and you and Luca can go.” Dragging her tired body up, she tiredly pushed her hair out of the way before grumbling, “I need to cut this stupid hair. It’s annoying.”

“I’m sure you’ll look good either way, but if you cut it, make sure you leave enough.”

“Enough for what?” Valentina asked him blankly as she yawned again.

Bringing his face close to hers, he smirked at her before whispering, “Enough for me to pull later. Like so.” Twirling a long strand around his fingers and wrist, he gently tugged it.

It took a moment for her tired brain to understand his words, but when she did, her face immediately turned red, and she pushed his head away.

“You sure talk a lot of nonsense. Go away.”

“Okay, okay. Don’t be mad. I’ll get my assistant to prep the car. We’ll eat at a restaurant and then head home after. Okay? What kind of food do you want? Something spicy?”

“No, I’m craving some meat…and not in that way, you dirty-minded man.” At his sly smile, she rolled her eyes. “Naturally, you’re paying, so pick a good spot.”

“Of course. Only the best for you.” Still smiling, he patted her head and stood up.

Yawning again, Valentina stood up and walked over to Luca, who was sitting in a daze.

“Luca. Are you okay? Are you ready to go eat some food?”

Luca silently nodded at her before putting his tablet away and wearing his backpack, just staring blankly in the air.

Even when Kaiser carried him down the elevator into the car and they drove to the restaurant, Luca just kept staring forward in a blank daze.

As they walked into one of the premier steakhouses in the city, Luca just stared ahead while being carried in Kaiser’s arms. Thinking he was hungry, Valentina patted his head in sympathy while telling him.

“Don’t worry, my little nugget. The food will be out soon.”

As they stood, waiting for the host to come to seat them in a private waiting area separate area from the main entrance of the restaurant, a gorgeous woman with fiery red hair pulled up in a high ponytail with two curly pieces framing her face approached them. She was dressed in a fitted silk white blouse, a short A-line black skirt, and black Louis Vuitton pumps. Her gray peacoat fit her body perfectly, and as she walked, the pearl earrings on her ears swayed with the movement.

“Kai Grayson? Is that you? It’s so nice to see you. It’s been so long.” She smiled happily, her face flushing, before walking closer and standing in front of Kaiser.

Kaiser looked her up and down before smiling coldly, his gray eyes glinting

“Oh. If it isn’t the brat of the McCrary family. What do you want, Alexandria?”