Page 88 of Honest With You

Mason stiffens as he falls back in his seat, his hand flying to his phone, where I assume he is pulling up said contract. We email each and every contract to our talents to ensure they are aware that a single breach is subject to termination.

Our lawyer rubs the bridge of his nose, hiding the small smile on his face but I see it. I almost grin, knowing I’d never have to see Mason again, nor will he ever work in this industry again, if I can help it.

“Client is required to notifyTEGmanagement of any and all staffing concerns such as hiring and dismissing, as the client has no authority to make these decisions. This responsibility solely falls on the company and its management.”

I hold my hand out and Figgs hands me another contract. This time, I make a show of ripping it down the middle while I quietly continue.

“Mr. Figgs, can you read the very last line ofeverycontract we have, please?”

“If a party finds the other to be in violation of the terms in the contract, they reserve the right to termination without legal justification. The non-breaching party reserves the right to pursue a claim for damages caused by the breach.”

Mickayla jumps to her feet, circling the desk landing on her knees in front of me.

“Miss Torres, please–”

“Come on, Mickayla! Don’t let these knobheads jerk you around!” Mason once again shoves off his seat, but I’m already one step ahead of him, pinging Ben on my phone. Within seconds Ben and two of our other security guards walk in. Ben makes a show of standing in between us and Mason, while the two men with him position themselves behind thearsehole.

Jesse rushes to me and with his help, I manage to pull Mickayla back to her feet without letting my eyes wander from this staredown with Mason.

I shake my head in disgust as I pull my phone up and recite verbatim what Chuck sent me.

“As of this email, I regret to inform you that Miss Sandoval’s beau has attempted to release me from my obligations. As such, it is a direct violation of our contract. I will be seeking legal representation.”

My eyes meet his once again and I raise an eyebrow. “I believe you’ve gotten yourself reacquainted with the contractyouhave with my company and you now understand why I had to rip it up.”

Stepping away from Mickayla and Jesse, I lean on the desk and regard him with my best professional mask on. “Mason Moore. Given you had absolutely no authority to fire anyone on my staff or were legally allowed to abandon your contractually-binding schedule, much less fly across an ocean to do so without doing proper diligence in notifying your superiors…” I shoot him a smile, my first one since stepping into this room. “It is my honor and privilege to let you know that you are released from your contract with Torres Entertainment Group.” I gesture behind me. “I suggest you find legal representation as soon as possible, as Mr. Figgs will be in contact with you soon.”

Smoothing out my suit jacket, I stand once again and nod at security. “You’re dismissed.”

Given the pissing contest he just attempted to have with me, I assume he would put up more of a fight but it takes my guys less than a few minutes to haul his ass out. He’s too frozen in shock to do much more than sputter out bursts of shock, and I don’t even feel the least bit sorry that he just lost both his career and his only source of income. We pay handsomely, especially to our in-house musicians. They are as fundamental to our artists’ success as we are to theirs, so we make sure they are well compensated for their time and talent.

“Miss Torres, am I needed here or may I go take care of this?”

“By all means, Lonnie please do. I expect to be CC’d in all correspondence and keep me in the loop with the Chuck thing. I need him compensated for his inconvenience and on a private plane by the end of day. No expense spared.”

“Understood, Miss Torres.”

With a tip of his head, Mr. Figgs follows them out the door, no doubt to remind him of the NDA he signed with his contract. Either way, he’s fucked because our legal team is going to make damn sure he never pulls this stunt again, and Ben will make sure he’s on the next flight back to London.

“Ava?” Mickayla whispers from behind me. I’m staring at the door, completely lost in thought on how to proceed.

I hear chairs scraping and I know Jesse is helping her take a seat. Poor girl is probably in shock at how fast everything happened.

Running a hand through my hair, I let my mask slip a bit, hoping she can hear the genuine concern in my voice.

Adrenaline fueled me earlier and now that it’s over, exhaustion and jetlag are setting in. I’m running on fumes, having had to jump on a plane after work and then straight back to work afterward.

I almost forgot the guy who broke my very being is sitting in a chair across from me, but those eyes remind me of the storms he caused.

He shifts in his seat, noticing the swift change in me.

I attempt to clear my head to address the most important thing at the moment.

My artist.

“Explain how this happened to me, Mickayla.”

She breaks down at the sound of her name, repeating over and over how sorry she is and that it will never happen again.

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