Page 112 of Guarded Love

"Will Leo be informed that we've told you these things?" Lilly asks.

"That's part of our confidential process," he says. "We handle all matters with appropriate discretion."

"That's not really an answer," I press. "Are you saying he will be told, or he won't be told? Because if he finds out we reported him, there could be retaliation."

"I understand your concern, but I can't discuss the specifics of how we handle these situations. What I can tell you is that we follow all proper protocols."

“Willow’s point is valid. Transparency around outcomes does help prevent further harm. Even if names can’t be shared, patterns can be addressed,” Talia chimes in.

Dorian stops, but he doesn’t acknowledge what she said. Lilly and I exchange a look. This is going nowhere fast and I feel like we are getting stonewalled in real time.

"Can you at least tell us what kind of consequences he might face if you determine our reports are valid?" Lilly asks.

"I can't speculate on potential outcomes. Each situation is handled on a case-by-case basis. We will review this thoroughly, I can promise you that."

There it is again. "We will review this." Like we're filing a complaint about a defective product instead of reporting predatory behavior.

"What does thoroughly mean?" I push. "Days? Weeks? Months? And will we be updated on the progress?"

"The timeline varies depending on the complexity of the situation. As for updates..." He pauses. "Yes, we’ll be back in touch to let you know how this turns out."

I press the mute button and lean back in my chair, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. While it was slightly better than the rest of the bullshit he’s been saying, the "We’ll be back in touch" sounds like corporate speak for "we'll call you, don't call us." This guy could teach a masterclass in saying nothing while sounding official.

"Let me be more direct," I continue after unmuting my microphone. "Are you planning to take any immediate action to prevent Leo from potentially harming other women while you conduct this review?"

"That's...that's a complex question that would depend on the findings of our review process."

"So the answer is no," Lilly says flatly. "You're not going to do anything to protect other women while you take your time deciding whether or not we're telling the truth."

Another pause before Talia speaks up. “In some cases, we’ve recommended temporary suspensions or removed talentfrom brand-facing opportunities during active reviews,” she says carefully. “That’s not a guarantee, but... ithashappened before.”

Dorian doesn’t respond immediately. I can’t tell if he’s annoyed or caught off guard. Maybe both.

“That context is helpful,” I say. Because it is. It’s the first real thing anyone on this call has said that sounds remotely like accountability. And it didn’t come from him.

Talia glances sideways on her camera like she’s bracing for Dorian to shut her down. When he doesn’t, she sits back, but I can tell she’s not as comfortable as she was when she got on the call.

“That’s slightly misleading?—”

I interrupt whatever Dorian is about to say. “How is it misleading? Because from where I’m sitting, that sounds like a move in the right direction to prevent business as usual for creators like Leo who clearly have no issue harming women.”

There's a longer pause this time while he mutes his mic. It makes me wonder if he’s consulting his notes or getting advice from someone else. When he unmutes his microphone, I do my best to keep my expression neutral, but what he says makes me want to throw something across the room. "I want to assure you both that we take these things very seriously.”

The repetition of that sentence makes my skin crawl. I try to keep a professional tone to my voice, but the struggle is real. "You keep saying you’re taking this seriously, but you haven't asked for any evidence. You haven't asked for dates, names of witnesses, screenshots or like anything that would actually help you investigate."

"Well, we appreciate you sharing your experiences with us today," he says, completely sidestepping my point. "This information will be very helpful as we move forward."

"Helpful how?" Lilly jumps in. "You haven't told us anything about what moving forward actually means."

"As I mentioned, we will review this thoroughly through our internal channels?—"

"Stop," I cut him off. "Just stop with the corporate speak for a minute. We're talking about a man who has used his platform to manipulate and harass women. Are you going to do anything concrete about it, or are you just going to shuffle this into a file somewhere and hope we go away? Because there are other avenues we can take, including going the legal route."

There's a pause, and when he speaks again, there's a slight shift in his tone. Less polished, more careful. "I'd like to keep lawyers out of this if possible. We prefer to handle these matters internally when we can."

The threat is subtle, but unmistakable. He's essentially warning us not to escalate this legally while giving us nothing in return. "You prefer to handle things internally," I repeat slowly, but then something clicks, and I decide to push on it. "And how has that worked out for the other women who've reported him?"

Talia sighs but she doesn’t look away. She also doesn’t back Dorian up so he continues talking.

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