Chapter 7

I did the math. Henry's total earnings over the past five years were at least 300 million dollars. Thirty percent of it came out to over 100 million dollars.

"He can't pay that," I said.

"So, he has two options." Victor closed the file. "Either he works out a deal with you to end the contract, or he keeps working under it."

"What if he ignores it?"

"Then you can send a legal notice to all his business partners, letting them know Henry's current commercial activities aren't legally authorized.

"The brands and platforms he's working with will likely suspend their collaborations to avoid any legal risks."

I leaned back in my chair, thinking it over. "Let's hold off for now. I'll tell you when to send it."

Victor nodded. "Got it. I'll get everything ready, so we can move at a moment's notice."

By the time I left the law firm, it was already dark outside.

As I stood by the curb waiting for a cab, my phone rang.

It was an unknown number.

I picked up.

"Winnie." Henry's voice came through. He'd called from a new number.

"Nancy said you turned down the variety show?" His tone was sharp. "I'm giving you a chance, but you won't take it. Are you really forcing me to go all out and make things ugly?"

"How ugly do you want to make it?" I shot back.

"Don't think I don't know you went to see Josef today." Henry sneered. "You think you can make a comeback? After five years off the screen, nobody remembers you.

"So, what if Josef throws you a few resources? With one word from me, no director will consider casting you."

"Go ahead and try."

There was a brief silence on the other end. "Winnie, you've changed." Henry's voice dropped, tinged with a hint of emotion I couldn't tell was real or fake. "You never used to talk to me like this."

"The old Winnie is dead."

I hung up and blocked the number.

The cab pulled up, and I got in, giving the driver Kelly's address.

I didn't want to be alone tonight. It wasn't because I was sad. I needed someone with a clear head to help me sort things out and figure out my next move.

When Kelly opened the door, she was holding a hair dryer, her hair half-dry. "What brings you here? Have you eaten yet?"

"No," I replied.

"Come on in, I'll make you some pancakes."

I sat on a barstool in her kitchen, watching her scramble around the microwave oven. "Kelly."

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that award I won five years ago?"

The microwave dinged. She grabbed the pancakes and plopped them down in front of me. "Of course I remember. You won Best New Actress, and the judges all voted for you.

"I was bawling my eyes out in the audience that night, more than you were."

I picked up a piece of pancake with my fork but didn't eat it. "After I won that award, three directors reached out to me. One of them was Leo Ford."

Kelly froze. "Leo? The one who directed four films and won three international awards?"

"He was working on an indie film back then, and I was supposed to be the lead. But I turned it down, and the role went to someone else. She ended up winning Best Actress for that movie."

Kelly slammed the hair dryer down on the table. "Winnie, you really turned down a role in Leo's movie five years ago to be Henry's agent?"

"Yeah."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"I didn't think so at the time. But now? Yeah, I must've been."

Kelly took a deep breath and sat down across from me. "So, you went to see Josef today because of Leo?"

"Leo has got a new film lined up for next year, and Josef told me he still hasn't decided on the female lead."

Kelly stared at me for a long moment, then reached out and pinched my cheek. "Winnie, listen up. If you ever give up on yourself for a guy again, I'm cutting you off for good."

I finally cracked a smile. "I won't."

A week later, I officially signed with Josef's agency.

The news stayed under wraps. Josef said the timing wasn't right yet, so we'd keep things low-key and prepare quietly in the background.