Chapter 5

A crew member brought over a blanket, but Zara stopped him with a raised hand.

I sat by the edge of the pool, soaked from head to toe, water dripping from my hair onto the ground.

Zara motioned for someone from the legal team to hand me an agreement. "Sign this, and your role in the film will be preserved."

I opened the document.

The first clause required me to admit that the on-set altercation had occurred because I was jealous of Kyson.

The second required me to provide Kyson with ongoing acting guidance.

The third stipulated that I would unconditionally cooperate with publicity campaigns for every production Kyson appeared in from then on.

The final clause prohibited me from publicly discussing anything that had happened on set that day.

I looked up at Zara. "You want me to pave the way for him?"

"Kyson lacks experience. Guiding him for a while won't cost you anything."

"He took my notes and replaced me in my role. Now you want me to teach him personally, too?"

Zara frowned. "It's just sharing resources. Don't make it sound so ugly."

Kyson approached, wrapped in his bathrobe. "Bridger, you've already won all three major acting awards. Surely you won't mind training another award-winning actor? When I win awards in the future, I'll be sure to thank you in my interviews."

He smiled with practiced sweetness. "Then everyone will know that you're the one who made me."

I finally understood.

Zara didn't just intend to make Kyson a star. She wanted me to personally deliver him to the position I'd fought so hard to earn.

If I signed that agreement, everything Kyson had stolen from me would become something I'd willingly given him.

"What if I refuse to sign?"

Zara's expression turned cold. "You're already being condemned for bullying a newcomer, and every bit of your work is controlled by Monroe Media. Without me, you won't even get a supporting role in this industry."

She leaned down and lowered her voice. "Bridger, you have no other way out."

I looked at her for several seconds, then tore the agreement in half.

Kyson recoiled in alarm.

Zara grabbed my wrist. "Bridger!"

I endured the pain in my wrist and told her, word by word, "I don't want the role anymore. I don't want Monroe Media's resources, either. And as for you and him—I want nothing to do with either of you."

Zara's fingers tightened around my wrist. "Delete every scene he's filmed."

Garrick froze. "Zara, Bridger has already filmed quite a few important scenes. Deleting all of them will affect the production schedule."

"Rewrite the ." Zara stared at me. "From this day forward, no project funded by Monroe Media is allowed to hire Bridger.

"Notify our partner platforms and brands. Anyone who continues working with him will be going against Monroe Media."

The set fell silent.

Several crew members who had been about to offer me towels quickly looked away.

Zara thought I'd be afraid.

Instead, I asked Garrick, "Where's the original Harlem left behind?"

Garrick avoided my eyes. "The film has already been approved for production. The investors decide how the is revised."

Kyson linked his arm through Zara's again. "Bridger, you've lost your role. Why are you still worrying about the ? I'll be the one playing this story from now on. And in the end, I'll be the only one the audience remembers."

I ignored him, clutched my acting notebook to my chest, and turned to leave the studio.

Behind me, Zara's voice rang out, cold and hard. "Let him go. Once he walks out that door, he'll come crawling back to beg me sooner or later."

That evening, the production team's official account announced the termination of my contract.

[Bridger Callahan refused to follow production management, repeatedly putting on airs, and seriously disrupted the filming schedule. After review, the production team has decided to terminate its collaboration with him effective immediately. All previously filmed footage featuring him will be deleted.]

Monroe Media promptly reposted the announcement.

[We stand against artists with a history of misconduct. No one is above the rules.]

Within minutes, all seven brands I worked with announced the termination of their partnerships with me.

Three productions I'd already signed contracts with ended their agreements, while two projects still under negotiation replaced me outright.

My agent, Marvin Duncan, called. His voice was heavy. "Bridger, the company just reassigned our entire team. Zara has also arranged for word to spread throughout the industry that no production in South City is allowed to hire you."

After the call ended, Zara sent me a text.

[Come back and apologize now, and the agreement will still stand.]

I deleted the message.

A second text arrived immediately afterward.

[You have until tonight.]