Alle Kapitel von Signed In Silence: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 7

Adrian Vale almost ignored the first notification.He was sitting in the back of a chauffeured car on the way to the London premiere of Ashes Between Us, half listening to the radio while scrolling through emails he had no intention of answering until tomorrow. The evening should have been routine. Smile for the cameras. Shake hands with producers. Answer the same questions he'd answered a hundred times before. Convince the world he was living the dream.His phone vibrated.Then again.By the fifth notification, he frowned and unlocked the screen.Dozens of messages flooded across it.Have you seen this?Call me immediately.Urgent.His stomach tightened as he opened the first link.His own face stared back at him beneath a headline that made his pulse stutter.ACTOR ADRIAN VALE ACCUSED OF ON-SET ALTERCATIONHe read the article once.Then again.Anonymous sources claimed he had become aggressive during filming, forcing production to stop while crew members intervened. Grainy photograp

Adrian barely remembered the drive home after leaving the café.For the first time in weeks, his thoughts had drifted somewhere other than the scandal. They lingered instead on Suzie. On the easy conversation they'd shared. On the way she'd laughed until tears filled her eyes over the story of their disastrous treehouse. For an hour there had been no cameras, no rehearsed answers and no careful calculations. Just two old friends rediscovering each other.His phone vibrated before he reached his apartment."Lila.""Where are you?""On my way home.""Change of plan. The studio wants you here. Now. Not at 10am."Something in her voice made his stomach tighten.Twenty minutes later Adrian sat in the studio boardroom while the producers outlined the situation."The sponsors are still nervous," one of them said. "The film is too expensive to gamble on damaged publicity.""We've released statements," Adrian replied."And they've helped," Lila said, "but not enough."The senior producer leane

Suzie barely slept.Every time she closed her eyes, the same thoughts chased each other through her mind. The eviction notice she knew was coming. The hotel commission that had disappeared with a single email. Adrian sitting alone on the bench after she'd walked away.By morning, the knot in her stomach had only tightened.She arrived at the café just before eight, tied on her apron and forced herself to smile."Morning, sunshine," Emma said. "You look like you've had about three minutes' sleep.""It feels like three."Emma slid a mug of tea across the counter."Bad day yesterday?""That's one way of putting it."The breakfast rush left no time for conversation. Coffee orders piled up and the queue barely moved.For a while, work distracted her.Then her phone vibrated.Unknown Number.She ignored it.A minute later it rang again.Emma glanced across."You going to answer that?"Suzie slipped into the storeroom."Hello?""Suzie?"She recognised Adrian's voice immediately."I know you

Suzie had expected to spend the morning pretending to enjoy breakfast while photographers shouted questions from the pavement.Instead, Lila led them into another conference room."The paparazzi opportunity has been pushed back until this afternoon," she explained, placing two thick folders on the table. "Which gives us time for something considerably less exciting."Suzie eyed the folder suspiciously."What is it?""The relationship agreement.""I thought we already agreed.""You agreed to participate." Lila smiled. "This is the legal version."Adrian reached for his copy without hesitation.Suzie opened hers.The first page alone made her head ache.Relationship Representation Agreement.Confidentiality.Public Conduct.Media Obligations.Termination Clauses.She turned another page.Then another."Oh, you've got to be joking."Lila folded her hands calmly."Which part?"Suzie looked up."All of it."Adrian glanced across at her, amusement flickering across his face."You haven't ev