Veronica shrieked with laughter. She leaned in toward Callie like a cat who had just come across an injured mouse.“I knew this would happen. I warned him, and I tried to do you a favor by scaring you off, and you didn’t listen, and then he broke your heart anyway. If he had just listened to me, and hadn’t tried to be something he wasn’t, you’d be back in some picture perfect office where you belong. I tried to do the right thing, sweetie, but now I get to do what I want. Did you think you could win him back?”
“I don’t know, but I know he needs someone to believe in him for once.”
“Guys like Logan get second chances all the time. Hell, you can hardly call it a second chance when he’s already done this a hundred times.”
Callie glared at Veronica. She knew that she couldn’t make her see the good in him or explain to her how right it felt to be in his arms or how kind he had been to complete strangers. Veronica wasn’t going to listen to any of that. She had known it since before she had left to meet with her. Callie realized that Veronica was the one who was like all of her clients, impulsive, arrogant and respectful only of power. “I want you to know, first and foremost that this isn’t business. This is personal,” Callie said.
“Usually people say that the other way around.”
“I’m not most people,” Callie said. “This means everything to me. Please, do the right thing. If you release that tape, you’ll ruin him. It will devastate me. You have the power to fix all of this in an instant. Logan pushed me away because he thought he’d let me down. He thought I wouldn’t be able to handle the disgrace of what was about to happen, but I’d have gladly gone through all of it if it meant having him by my side, if it meant that I could spend every day of the rest of my life with him. But that’s over and done.”
“Hmm, let me think about it,” Veronica said. “Ok, I’ve made up my mind. No.”
“Fine, if you’re not going to do this for me, and you’re not going to do this for him, do it for yourself.”
“If you think I haven’t been doing everything for myself this whole time, you need your head checked, hun.”
“I’m serious. Have you ever ruined someone’s life before? Do you want to be that person? I get it. You’re trying to change your image. You’re trying to cement your new edgy reputation and sign a new contract, but ask yourself if it’s really worth it.”
Veronica looked at her and leaned back against the arm of her couch. “I never thought of it that way,” she said. “I guess you’re right.”
“Really?” Callie asked. She couldn’t believe this was working. Everything would be so much easier if Veronica just agreed to destroy the tape.
“Haha, no,” Veronica said. “Did you really think that little bleeding heart routine was going to work on me? Does it work on your politicians and businessmen?”
“It was worth a try,” Callie said.
“Sure,” Veronica said, she mocked a long yawn. “Gee, it’s been fun, Callie, but I think I have a scandal to break. Thanks for reminding me.”
Callie reached into her bag and placed her hand on a file. “Are you sure you don’t want to help?” she asked. She couldn’t wait for Veronica to say no.
Veronica didn’t reply. She just rolled her eyes and walked over to her table to pour herself a drink.
Callie cleared her throat. “Boob job,” she said.
Veronica placed her glass down and turned around. “Did you just call me a boob job?” she asked.
“I said that you had a boob job.”
“So?”
“Liposuction. Before and after photos. Pretty nasty stuff. There’s more, of course. Should we get into how you got your first contract?” Callie shook her head is disapproval. “No wonder you think it’s such a good idea to use sex for personal gain. Were you even eighteen at that point? You know what, maybe you shouldn’t answer that.” Callie pulled the papers out of her bag and started flipping through them. “I didn’t even know butt implants were a thing. There’s so much more here. I want to be clear. If you release that tape of Logan, I will make it my foremost task in life to make sure you’re miserable. I should add that Allen Griswold, the head of your label, has close ties to several of our clients, and the president of American Radio Media Corp is one of those friends. If you decide to go after anyone I care about, including Logan, I will make sure this ‘big album’ of yours is your last.”