Chapter 48

L ance got the promo reel over to me less than an hour before my meeting with the network. Now I need to pitch it to MNSports and have them agree to it. Walking into that conference room feels like walking into the lion's den. The tension is palpable. It's awkward. They're disappointed in what happened, but deep down, I feel zero shame. I love Kendra. I'm happy I met her. Vault Productions on the other hand? Fuck 'em.

"I understand you want to get Kendra's job back, but it seems your motives are personal. There's a zero-tolerance policy for fraternization. We aren't going to be airing a scandal."

"Why… Because you think that will make people watch less ?" I respond. One of the network reps clears their throat and passes a glance with another. I didn't major in marketing, but after being in the spotlight for most of my life, I know for damn sure a love child scandal is more exciting than any run-of-the-mill dating show. My lawyer's gaze burns into my temple. He tucks his phone away and places a relaxed palm on the black marble conference table. It's a signal for me to stand down. I take a deep breath, then continue.

"You've already paid for the footage, you can't pull your sponsorship until next season, so why not do something with what you have. It's better than whatever dating thing you're currently working with. The coach that fell for the producer of his own dating show? You want a story, this is a fucking story. Better than anything you're going to get with Vault."

The MNSports creative director waves a hand and shrugs. "Yeah, 'kay. Let's see the demo. Is it ready to play?" They're writing it off before they even see it. Fuck, this will be a hard win.

The room is quiet as the A/V assistant loads the media file that Lance put together. I only saw a snippet of it, so I'm counting on Lance and the editor he brought on to make it something the network will want.

My hands sweat when it begins. I don't know what these things are supposed to look like, but it seems solid. The guys did a good job from what I can tell.

One of the execs whispers to another while it plays. On the screen, there are small clips of me and Kendra. Little snippets of our hidden relationship. Snapshots of our affection that we've had to hide: the discreet touches, making her laugh at my jokes, moments I'm caught staring at her from across the room. It's like watching us fall in love from a distance. I can't wait to show this to her, hopefully soon.

There's a long-distance shot of me with her in the hallway when I've got her pinned against the wall. Shit, I didn't know that was going to be in here. I didn't even know that was captured. Three people at the conference table exchange glances. I don't know what it means. There's a lot of judgment coming down on me. They must have hired a voice actor to narrate the premise, which they nailed. The end of the reel features my mic'd up audio telling Jeremy I'm taking Kendra to the hospital. I never was good at working those mics, and this time, I'm glad for it. They had a lot more material than I thought. I would watch this.

The trailer ends, and the lights turn on again. It's quiet.

One of the ad execs rubs his chin. "This is… something. Who put this together?"

I've got them. That's all I needed. I school my expression to not give away my excitement.

"A couple of contractors from the show." I'm not snitching.

"They've signed NDAs," my lawyer adds.

"And this is all real?" another woman asks.

I nod. " Scoring with Sully was about me finding love. I found it, but it wasn't orchestrated with a dating show."

"Why isn't Kendra here?"

I clear my throat. "She, uh, she doesn't know."

"What the fuck? You can't just offer a show featuring her as a main character and not get permission."

Shaking my head, I respond, "I will get permission. I just need to know that you would consider running this instead. It's a little different, but it's real. It's the true story."

The ad exec. from before chuckles. "It's scandalous, but damn, it's kinda wholesome too." The guy is wearing a big smile on his face; he's seeing dollar signs. "I say we run it up the ladder. I think it's got legs."

"It's worth a shot," another one agrees. "Dating show love affair between the producer and hero?"

It may have been hidden, but it wasn't an affair. It's always been Kendra. She's the one who insisted on it being secret, not me. "There's enough footage to make viewers fall in love with her. We're not letting her be the villain to the public. She's adorable. She's funny. Relatable and kind. People will fall in love with her, but I need to know that Kendra gets the final say on everything. This is still her show. She'll be the one to construct and control the narrative."

One of their lawyers speaks up. "If we take the show, we aren't paying extra. We already paid Vault. We have the footage, we're not footing the bill for a show we already paid for."

"We know you've already cut ties with Vault. We ask that you allocate the editing fees to cover final production," my lawyer cuts in. I'll fund this shit myself if I have to. "And if the show meets or exceeds the profit margins you anticipated for Scoring with Sully , you stay on as the Rogues sponsor and honor the contract previously in place."

"That's going to be another discussion," their lawyer responds.

"How long is it?" one of the executives asks.

"I'm told there's enough to fill the season," I answer. My knee bounces under the table. "We can start it like the dating show and transition into what really happened by adding more and more of Kendra."

The creative director smiles at another exec. "Almost like a behind-the-scenes…"

"We can market it as real reality tv, not manufactured like other networks."My lawyer and I watch carefully as they discuss pros and cons in front of us. It's sounding positive, so I keep my lips sealed.

One of the women nods and turns to me. "Get her to agree, and then let's talk more… Who else knows about this?"

"A couple of cameramen and the editor. I think an assistant was involved too."

"We'll want whoever had part in making this demo."

"I'll get them," I assure. They're contractors. I'll do whatever it takes.

Off to the side, one of the network liaisons mutters to the creative director, "Jeremy is gonna throw a fucking fit."

They scoff and reply with "Any way we can get tickets to that show?"

"So, what are the next steps?" I ask.

"Next steps are getting Kendra on board. We can't do anything until we get her to sign off on it."