Page 15 of The Pursuit of Happiness

I give him an angry glare in return and whisper, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

He meows in the way he always does when he wants to talk back before he jumps off the bed and disappears out of theroom. I check the time on my phone and realize I have to get ready to get to Selene’s office before she shows up here and actually acts on her threats of violence. I told Taz not to bite the hand that feeds him, but I’m about to take my own advice and not fuck with Selene because she is very much the hand that feeds me.

I gently move Kiko off my chest and onto the bed and the irritated look in her eyes makes me feel guilty, but I would much rather her be mad at me than Selene. I force myself out of bed even though every single cell in my body wants to be wrapped up in my charcoal colored bedding watching all of my favorite horror movies.

It takes an insane amount of force to get myself ready. I feel like shit on the inside which has totally made its way to showing on the outside because my eyes have the darkest set of circles you ever will see and it’s not even from lack of sleep because while that has been an issue, the stress is doing me much worse. I put on a pair of ripped jeans and a Blondie t-shirt before I make my way downstairs to feed Kiko and Taz their breakfast.

As always, Taz is seated right in front of his bowl waiting for me to hurry my ass up and feed him. He meows at me impatiently throughout the entire time it takes me to put their food in their bowls. I roll my eyes at him as he finally shuts his mouth and starts eating his food like he’s never been fed before. “Dramatic,” I scoff. I swear I love that cat but he is truly the most dramatic creature on the planet.

The only thing left for me to do is show up at Selene’s office for whatever meeting we’re about to have. I feel a weight on my chest knowing that the entire problem that we face starts and ends with me, which is why it feels like there’s a lump in my throat throughout the entire time it takes for me to drive to Selene’s office and take the elevator up to the fifth floor. Once I make it to her office, I realize I’m the last one to arrive eventhough I made it at noon on the dot. Ivory sits with a bagel in hand, a bagel that I notice is completely stuffed with the cream cheese she likes and Brody has a Japanese looking coffee mug with what is most likely Japanese coffee inside. I wonder where Selene had Matthew go to get Brody her fancy coffee, but my curiosity dies when I see the look on Selene’s face.

She looks stressed which is saying something because we literally pay Selene to be stressed because of us. Selene is not one to show weakness, so while she’s always stressed, she’ll never look or show it. That’s why the sight of her right now is enough to have bile rising in the back of my throat. This is so much worse than I thought. I had full trust and faith that Selene would wave her magical manager wand and fix this all, but if she’s in the state that she’s in, and letting us see it, I’m no longer feeling very hopeful about our prospects of making it out of this and still having a career.

Selene inhales, “Take a seat.” She gestures towards the empty seat in front of her desk that’s located next to Brody. I hold my breath as I make my way to the chair and sit. As I look up at Selene I notice just how exhausted she looks. I’ve never seen her this way, so unkempt. She has wrinkles forming in the corners of her eyes and I feel so much guilt becauseIcaused this.Idid this to her andIruined our shot at the Muse Award for Brody and Ivory. I feel so much self-disgust right now, it’s taking everything in me not to empty my stomach into Selene’s office garbage can.

Selene must see what I’m feeling on my face because she gives me a sympathetic look, “This is not your fault.”

I shake my head, but keep my mouth shut because I know if I open it to protest, all that’s coming out of me is a sob.

Selene shifts her attention to Brody and Ivory to give me a moment to collect myself without everyone’s eyes on me. “I have a way to fix this.” Is all she says, confidence in her tone.

This catches my full attention. It wasn’t looking like the odds were in our favor a few seconds ago, but could I have been wrong in my assumption?

Now, Selene waits until I’ve collected myself before she announces, “We’re turning this entire disaster into a PR stunt.”

Ivory stops chewing and stares blankly at Selene, most likely wondering the same thing I’m wondering, which ishow the fuck is she gonna do that?Brody raises a brow and asks the question that’s plaguing all of our minds, “And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

Selene sits down, resting her elbows on her desk with her chin in her perfectly manicured hand, “It’s simple, really. I’d tell you, but I’ve always been more of a show and not tell type.” I’m about to ask her what she means by that cryptic comment, but she speaks before I can by pressing the small intercom button on her desk that leads to her receptionist’s desk, “Melissa, please send them in.”

I sit up straighter, a sudden ominous feeling in my stomach as it drops. Who did she just call in and why does the air suddenly feel heavy in here? “Who is she sending in?” I ask, anxiousness in my voice.

Selene gives me a look as if to sayI’m sorry, which only makes this sinking feeling worse. The door opens before I can come up with who it must be walking in and the air completely vanishes from my lungs. I want to cry, throw up, and then cry again when my eyes land on Slater Nicks and a shorter, much burlier man with a combover who must be his manager, Steve Hardman. Slater’s turquoise eyes immediately find mine and look empty, broken in a way that I know so well because it’s how I’ve been feeling since I woke up in that hotel room with him. He looks like he has something to say to me, but he doesn’t want to say it infront of everyone and I’m immediately grateful that we aren’t alone because I don’t think I could handle a conversation withhim right now.

Why would Selene have them come here? Why is she not destroying them the way she promised she would? He was involved in my very public destruction and she’s looking at them with polite eyes. I’m overwhelmed by sudden anger for Selene and she must see it on my face because she frowns as she rises and walks around her desk to shake Steve’s hand, “Aria, please.”

“Why?” I fume at her and keep my eyes solely trained on her. I refuse to look Slater in the eyes again.

Selene tries to respond, but Ivory cuts her off, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Then Brody, “Selene! What the fuck! Why is he here?”

“After what he did?” I snap at her.

Selene gives us all an irritated and very impatient look as she asserts, “Shut it. You three are in no place to talk right now. Especially you,” she points at me and I’ve never wanted to slap her more than I do right now.

“Yeah, I’m in this place because ofhim,” I point in Slater’s direction but still refuse to look at him.

Selene crosses her arms, “I already told you that Slater tested positive for the same drugs that were in your system which means the two of you were drugged. Slater did not drug you, Aria.”

“What? You thought that I drugged you?” Slater speaks for the first time, betrayal in his voice.

I ignore him completely and snap back at Selene, “That doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved in the tape.”

Selene responds immediately as if she was anticipating that argument from me, “He couldn’t have been involved in the tape, Aria, because he was in full view in the tape just like you were. Someone else recorded that tape and someone else drugged both of you and orchestrated this whole thing.” She pauses before adding, “Besides, I got a call from Dallas this morningand he informed me that Slater could not have been involved in the video being recorded.”

“And how would Dallas have known that?” Ivory asks doubtfully.

Selene gives her an annoyed look, “Because, smart ass, Dallas had his team look into Slater’s messages and they were clear.”

---