Page 116 of Everything In Between
Cal waves his hand, dismissing the notion. “It won’t hold up. We’ll take you to court, Jersey. You might be successful, but you’re nowhere near as resourceful as the label.”
“There isn’t a judge that would rule in your favor, and you know it,” my lawyer says, glaring at Cal’s lawyer behind the desk. He narrows his eyes, but looks away.
Callum watches the exchange with disdain. “Are you serious? You’re not going to argue back anything?”
The lawyer exhales. “We’ve spoken about this, Callum. There is clear professional misconduct here. What did we agree on before this meeting?”
Cal clenches his jaw so tightly I’m worried he might crack his molars. Instead of addressing his lawyer, he turns back to me. “What’s your plan now, Jersey? We own your entire career up tothis point. You think you’ll be able to continue on as if nothing happened? Say goodbye to the tour, say goodbye to the album. If you walk away now, all that goes away. You would be nothing if not for me.”
The goal for me is freedom. That’s all I care about.
Sharing a look with my lawyer, we seem to communicate silently. She nods.
“I trust you’ll review and sign that. You can send it back to my office as soon as it’s complete.” There’s nothing else for me to say, so I turn to leave, but pause...
Facing him again, I narrow my eyes. “Just tell me why.”
“Jersey,” Carla says, urging me to go, but I can’t. I have to know.
“What did Ieverdo to you to earn so much contempt from you?”
Cal levels me with a blank stare, folding his hands on the table. “You were signed to Silver Shadows. Against my say. I votedno,” he says with a humorless laugh. “I said I didn’t want you, but they assigned you to me, anyway. I never planned on you turning into an overnight sensation, or for the momentum to increase. My only option then was to ride the wave, but you could be so stubborn, and I wasn’t going to allow one of your misguided opinions to wreck everythingIhad built thus far.”
“So, you hate me because I was willing to speak up for myself?”
“You needed to learn your place. You needed to be broken. I was the only one who was capable of doing that.”
And he had succeeded. The memories flood in, reminding me of all those times I let him walk all over me, make decisions I didn’t agree with all for the sake of “keeping the momentum.” Keeping the peace. He had broken me, and I had gone along with most of what he said.
“At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. I made all the decisions because I knew what was best. After all,youwork forme,” he snarls.
I straighten my spine, anger licking up the length of my entire back. Narrowing my gaze on him, I say with the utmost conviction, “Not anymore, I don’t.”
Turning on my heel, I walk right out of there, holding my head high.
The minute I step through the conference door, a weight lifts off my shoulders. The pressure in my chest dissipates and I can finally breathe again.
My team follows after me, closing the door quickly behind them and giving us privacy.
I don’t stop, and walk toward the elevator and clicking the button, once, twice. When it arrives, I step in, my team in tow and crowding around me. I press the button for the ground floor, and when the doors close, I nearly collapse. Bethany and Carla catch me, each of them bracing me under my arms.
Though I’m finally free, the realization seems too much for me to hold right now. Slowly, they lower me to the ground.
I focus on taking deep breaths, trying not to let myself succumb to the intensity and absolute nightmare of the last few days.
I barely register the elevator stopping, the doors opening, and Bethany calling for Hayes. But soon enough he’s there, crouching in front of me and cupping my face with his hands.
“I’ve got her,” he says to the women. He scoops me up into his arms and carries me to one of the seating areas in the main lobby. I rest against his chest, feeling overwhelmed but so, so free.
“I did it,” I whisper, just to him. My fingers clench in his T-shirt. Hayes sits down, placing me in his lap and pushing my hair out of my face so he can see me better. The sight of him watchingme so tenderly, pride shining in his eyes, makes my heart ache and tears burn behind my lids. “I did it.”
“I knew you would,” he whispers before pressing a kiss to my lips. “I’m so proud of you, Jersey.”
I let out a long-awaited breath, finally cleansing my lungs of the poison I’ve been breathing. I look around and find Bethany watching me with tears brimming her eyes.
My lawyer is tapping on her phone, but she looks up when she senses my gaze on her. “You did great, Jersey. Cal’s lawyer just sent me notification that Cal signed the agreement. You’re officially an independent artist.”
“Wow,” I say with a breath. “It feels a little surreal.”
