This is the exact reason I didn’t approach him about his clients sooner. These sorts of things never end well for friends, and here we are. I’m yelling in his office.
“What’s happening, brother?” the tosser asks.
“You allowed Holly to make a deal with Bauer and take Diosa with her? How could you do that, mate? I thought you were a man with integrity.”
“What are you talking about? Holly hasn’t signed with Bauer for anything. She hasn’t even met with them. At least not that I know.”
“Then she did it behind your back. It’s been confirmed by Sergio De Rosa himself that Bauer pitched to them—with a stolen plan, no less—with her attached.”
“No fucking way. That can’t be. Holly would’ve had to come to me for contract negotiations.”
I scoff. “Holly is obviously making deals without you.”
He sighs. “Look, man, I’m sorry.”
The more I speak to Paxton, the more it becomes clear that he had no idea what Holly was up to.
“She stole my client for her own means. She never would’ve landed the Diosa ad if not for me,” I snarl.
“That is very true. I’ll get to the bottom of it, and if this checks out, I’ll drop her. Without a second thought.”
“You’d drop your biggest client?”
He places a hand on my shoulder. “Talented people come around every day. New stars rise with the moon. You’re my brother, and I don’t work with people who fuck with my family.”
I’ve never wanted to hug another man more than I want to at this moment. In a few simple sentences, Paxton has restored my faith in humanity. He’s proven I’m not a complete idiot when judging someone’s character.
“Thank you, Pax. That means the world to me.”
“Make no mention of it,” he says, taking a seat and kicking his feet up on the desk. “Out of curiosity, how did you find out?”
“Asher Anderson, Raven’s best friend. He works for Bauer, and he gave her the heads-up.”
He nods. “But you said they stole the pitch. How?”
I laugh darkly, and one eyebrow on Paxton’s face rises.
“Tabitha broke into Raven’s office with help from one of my employees and emailed it to Bauer.”
He whistles. “That bitch. Please tell me she’s behind bars.”
“Soon. Very soon, I hope.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Do you have any backup talent to replace Holly?”
He grins. “I’ve got talent for days, brother.”
48
Raven
The momentof truth is upon us.
Diosa is here and ready to hear the pitch. We’ve got one chance to nail this and convince Sergio to stay with Cavendish.
Summer Smith and her agent are running a few minutes behind. Apparently, that is nothing in the entertainment industry, but it is still rude to me.