Chapter 4

Eleonora stared dead at the official announcement poster on Maeve's phone screen. The deep blue of her eyes ignited with pure, unadulterated fury.

She threw the heavy comforter off her body. Her bare feet hit the cold hardwood floor with a sharp slap.

She marched across the bedroom with long, aggressive strides. She shoved open the glass doors of her massive walk-in closet.

She reached out and ripped a long, black leather robe off its hanger. She threw it over her shoulders, her posture radiating absolute dominance and rage.

She spun around and snatched her own phone right out of Maeve's trembling hands. The screen was already choked with hundreds of unread messages and missed calls.

She swiped aggressively to her contacts and slammed her thumb down on Carrie's name.

The call connected after a single ring. Carrie was waiting for it.

"Who gave you the authority to forge my signature and release a public statement?" Eleonora roared into the microphone, her voice vibrating with rage.

Carrie's voice came through the speaker, chillingly calm. "Your idiotic 'slip of the thumb' caused the situation to completely spiral out of control. I did what had to be done to save your career."

Eleonora gritted her teeth, her jaw aching from the pressure. "I am logging into Twitter right now. I am posting a video telling the world that statement is a lie."

Carrie let out a short, cold laugh. "Go ahead. But before you do, I suggest you read the penalty clause on page twelve of the contract I left on your floor. It is an eight-figure breach of contract fee."

Eleonora's breath caught in her throat. Her rapid footsteps stopped dead in front of the massive, floor-to-ceiling fitting mirror.

She ran a hand through her hair in extreme frustration, pulling at the roots. She turned away from the mirror and walked over to the mini-bar in the corner of the bedroom.

She grabbed a heavy crystal bottle of bourbon. She poured a splash of the amber liquid into a glass.

She tipped her head back and swallowed it in one gulp. The alcohol burned a fiery path down her throat, a harsh physical sensation she used to try and suppress her rising panic.

She took a deep breath, forcing her voice to remain hard. "I will not go on camera and perform fake romance for a bunch of strangers."

Carrie remained silent for two agonizing seconds. Then, she dropped the ultimate leverage.

"Anderson Horne is also joining the cast this season," Carrie stated flatly.

Eleonora's fingers clamped down on the empty crystal glass. She squeezed it so hard her knuckles turned completely white.

Anderson Horne. He was the A-list leading man attached to 'Autumn Smoke', the exact movie she was desperate to secure.

Carrie sensed the hesitation and struck with lethal precision. "The studio investors are furious about your scandal. They are actively looking to recast your role. If you go on this show, interact with Anderson, and build a 'showmance'-a pre-packaged on-screen romance-it will generate massive positive PR. It is the only way to lock down the investors and keep your role."

Eleonora's brow furrowed deeply. Her brain raced, calculating the brutal mathematics of Hollywood survival.

She set the glass down on the marble counter. She walked over to the window, looking out at the neon lights of Los Angeles beginning to flicker on in the dusk.

A crushing wave of powerlessness washed over her. She realized, with sickening clarity, that she was entirely trapped by the rules of the industry and her manager's ruthless strategy.

She pressed two fingers hard against her throbbing temples. She stared at her own reflection in the glass, watching the fiery rebellion in her eyes slowly suffocate under the crushing weight of industry politics. She hated this game. She hated being maneuvered like a fragile glass pawn on a studio executive's chessboard. Her fingernails dug so deeply into her palms that they left painful, crescent-shaped indentations in her skin. She closed her eyes for a long, agonizing second, forcefully swallowing the bitter, metallic taste of defeat that burned the back of her throat.

She spoke into the phone, her voice dropping to a low, icy warning. "You win. "

A soft sigh of relief came through the receiver.

Carrie instantly switched back to her efficient, robotic mode. "Be at the studio at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. We are shooting the promotional materials."

Eleonora didn't bother to reply. She pressed the end call button and threw the phone violently onto the velvet sofa.