Chapter 30

CHAPTER

THIRTY

Cillian pulled out the leather chair and sat opposite Dahlia Edwards. He hadn’t seen his agent face to face in about six months, and that had been at a restaurant. However, her office was exactly as he remembered, white and metal, with not a page out of place. There was no clue about the kind of work that she did.

As always, Dahlia was smartly dressed in a suit, with her hair perfectly done, and she had welcomed him in like an old friend. They usually dealt with everything via email or phone calls.

This problem , however, was a touch more serious and required more privacy than a lunch date. Cillian thought he might throw up.

Dahlia rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “You look very serious for someone who just signed a rather nice contract.”

At least the movie contract was signed, though there were ways to break it. “I have a small issue that I thought better discussed in person.” Then there would be nothing on paper, and he could gauge her reaction.

“Well, if you were engaged, I’m sure I’d have heard about him before now.” She narrowed her eyes. “And I doubt you want to quit and return to the farm…”

He resisted the urge to fidget under her stare, but only just. “I’m being blackmailed.” The words fell bluntly off his tongue and hung in the air like an off-keynote. He swallowed. “It’s been going on a while, but it’s getting worse.”

“Um…” She blinked and stared at him. “That is the last thing I expected from you.”

Cillian smiled thinly at the compliment. He wasn’t crawling out of gutters or creating embarrassing stories. He played, he taught. He didn’t make her life difficult by being a diva—though sometimes he was bloody tempted. “Do you remember how we met?”

“Of course… It’s been going since then?”

“No! But it relates to the win.” He gave her a brief run-down of the affair, including the timeline and then how everything had been fine until a couple of years ago. Around the time Bianca mentioned she’d argued with Hayden—he didn’t want her traveling so much, even though that was her career. “And now the divorce proceeding must be getting close because he wants me to be a character reference and say she was cheating. Which, to the best of my knowledge, she didn’t.”

Dahlia leaned back and considered him. “There were three other judges, Cillian. Unless you blew them all…”

But his mentor might’ve somehow swayed them, and it created doubts about his talent and work ethic that he didn’t like. “But it looks like I slept my way here.”

“And? Plenty have.”

He closed his eyes. “You think I’m worrying about nothing?”

“I didn’t say that, either. Perhaps earlier in your career the accusation may have been damning, but since then you’ve proven yourself.”

“And everyone will wonder who I’ve slept with. That’s all anyone will talk about.”

“Have you slept with anyone interesting or of note?”

“Hayden’s brother.”

She laughed. “That is juicy.”

“I thought he might help since he hates his brother, but I made the mistake of falling for him.”

“Are you worried about his reaction?”

“No. He was the one who suggested speaking to you.” He licked his bottom lip. “I didn’t before because I expected you might drop me.” A part of him still did and was bracing for their business break up.

“Firstly, do not lie in your character reference. Secondly, if Hayden calls you, or texts, about any more performances, your only response is that he needs to talk to your agent. It sounds as though he owes you quite a bit.” She got that glint in her eye as she steepled her fingers. “And none of his behavior is flattering for a lawyer. I find it ethically troubling.”

One of the initial reasons Cillian had liked Dahlia—and still did—was because she was a lawyer. He trusted her to pick through his contracts and find him the good jobs. So far, she’d been worth every penny. If she could squeeze payment out of Hayden, it would be a miracle that should qualify her for sainthood.

“Are you saying he could be investigated?” How deep was the shit Hayden was swimming in? Would he drown in it? Cillian wasn’t sure which would be better: getting paid or watching Hayden’s fall from grace?

Getting paid. He’d enjoy it for far longer.

“It’s a possibility. I’ll need all the dates and times. And all the text messages. And I will need to share them with a colleague of mine.”

“Okay. The dates will all be in my calendar.” He pulled out his phone.

“Email me the screenshots. I need to have a little chat and a think with my colleague about the best way forward. You don’t need to worry. If anything, it’s a good thing that teacher is dead because when one person comes out, the rest do.”

All the blood drained from Cillian’s face. He’d heard the phrase many times, but he’d never actually felt it. An icy wash of bitter cold hit the top of his head and rushed through his body, leaving him dizzy and fighting to breathe. “You’re going to make it public?”

Fuck. He didn’t want his sex life discussed and pulled apart for examination.

“No, but you should be prepared in case Hayden starts gossiping before I can do anything.”

“Fuck.”

“You did nothing wrong. An older man with influence over your career asked for favors, and you couldn’t say no.”

“Please, don’t.” He swallowed and stared at the desk, but there was nothing to distract him. He’d said the same to Anthony. It hadn’t been like that, had it? It hadn’t felt that way at the time, but he was young and hungry and would’ve done anything…

Had done anything.

No, he could’ve said no. He’d been flattered…

He hadn’t wanted to lose the connections and opportunities…

He didn’t want to examine those three months because he knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to keep his head firmly buried in the sand.

Dahlia wrote something on a piece of paper and pushed it toward him. “In case you need to talk to someone.”

“I have a therapist.”

“Mmm, and how’s that going?”

He looked up. “I’ve never discussed what happened.”

“You should.”

He didn’t want to. He folded up the paper and slipped it into his shirt pocket, desperate to change the topic. “I think there may be others Hayden is also blackmailing. More of Bianca’s friends…”

“Are you friends with them?”

“Some of them. I feel as though I should reach out… ask if Hayden wanted them to be character references, too.”

“And if he is threatening them, give them my email. If I have more evidence, I’ll be able to make a much better case.”

Cillian nodded.

“And Bianca? Have you been able to contact her?”

“No. She’s still performing… Do you think Hayden told her he’d ruin her friends?”

“It’s possible, but without evidence, it’s hard to say. Why don’t you give me her email and I’ll reach out.”

“Okay. He’s going to lose his shit when I don’t lie.”

“Possibly. If he turns up at your place, call the cops. And stop pouring oil on the fire—stay away from the brother for a bit.”

Cillian gave her a weak smile. “I’ll try.”

She lifted both eyebrows and fixed him with a glare. “You’ll do better than try.”

“Fine. No physical contact.”

“Good. I’ll let you know when I have enough to take action. Go and sound out your friends. And send me those dates and texts.”

He exhaled. She wasn’t dropping him, and she would help him fix the mess he’d landed in. “Thank you.”

Dahlia grinned wickedly. “It’s what I’m here for.”