Page 67 of Protecting Hailey

Ingrid shrugged. “I thought people would want to know.”

“Well, I don’t want people to know.”

Sam patted Ingrid on the shoulder and I immediately regretted snapping at the girl. “I’m sorry, Ingrid. It’s just that what happened yesterday was traumatic and I don’t want to have strangers discussing it, especially people who haven’t had my back in the past.”

She pursed her lips and smiled. “I get it.” But her tone told me she didn’t, really.

“Well, there is something else we need to discuss. Now that the hashtag ‘Hailey is a cheat’ is no longer trending, we want to smooth things over with Kendra.”

“Yes, I think that’s a great idea,” I said to Sam. “I think we should meet face to face. It’s much more personal that way.”

“Mmm…” started Ingrid. “I don’t think that will work.”

“Why not?” asked Sam.

“Kendra said the next time she saw your face, she would mess it up.”

I blinked. Wow. I hadn’t realized things had gotten that bad. “Enough is enough. I’m going to message Kendra directly and explain everything to her.”

I grabbed my phone and opened one of my social media apps.

“You’re going to do that now?” asked Ingrid, disbelief plain in her voice.

“Yep.”

I tried logging into my account, but I’d forgotten my password. “Shit. What’s the password again?”

“Hailey, let us take care of this for you. I’ll speak to Kendra’s manager and publicist. It’s probably better than continuing this feud online.”

“Fine. But I want to take care of this ASAP. I want you to reach out today, and I want to meet with Kendra this week.”

Sam held up her hands. “All right, all right. You’re asking for miracles, but I’ll do it.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Sam.”

We walked out of the studio and Christian waited for me with the car parked just in front of the door. “I’d like to talk to Frankie. Can you take me there?”

Christian’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. I think that’s a great idea. Let’s pay him a visit.”

I giggled. “That gave me some ‘underworld boss’ vibes.”

Christian didn’t share my enthusiasm, and when he pulled up in front of Frankie’s office, he turned off the engine and faced me. “I don’t trust the guy, Hailey. There’s something off about him.”

“He’s been a good manager to me. Other than the Trey setup, he hasn’t guided me in the wrong direction. I owe a lot of my breakout year to him. He has good connections and ambition.”

“Yeah. It’s those connections I’m worried about. As long as his ambition includes keeping you safe.”

I nodded and got out of the car.

Frankie shared an office with other industry professionals. There were talent scouts, managers, and even some movie producers who rented space in the same building. He credited his great network to the office.

The receptionist recognized me and buzzed me through the glass doors. Frankie stood from his desk and dusted off his shirt. “Hailey, hey, I wasn’t expecting you.”

He wiped his palms along the side of his pants before ushering me to sit in a chair in front of his desk. “What brings you here?”

Frankie sucked on his front teeth and although he clasped his hands on his desk in front of him, they shook. His whole body vibrated, and I felt jittery just watching him.

Christian cleared his throat. He stood at the door, deciding to stand rather than sit next to me. “How did you get that cut on your face?” he asked.

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