Chapter 51
NOT WORTH THE PENALTY
Nate
“The penalty for hurting her? Me.”
Nate could hear Lars all the way down the hall when he arrived.
They’d tucked him into one of the smaller offices, the kind no one ever claimed for long, where the air always smelled faintly of hairspray and burned coffee.
A place meant for quiet conversations and temporary damage control, not reckoning.
Two security guards stood just outside the open door, arms folded, faces deliberately blank.
Inside, Lars paced in tight, angry lines, gym bag open on the table, costume half-folded like he’d been interrupted mid-performance and expected to resume at any second.
“This is fucking insane,” Lars snapped, voice sharp with disbelief. “You don’t get to end my contract over an accident. Do you know how this looks?”
Martin stood near the wall, hands clasped in front of him, all the sparkle and false cheer drained away. There was nothing sycophantic left now, just a thin, pale man trying to contain a situation that had gone nuclear.
“It looks like intent, Lars,” he said evenly. “And the footage is very clear.”
Nate stepped into the doorway and the air inside the room shifted to make room for him.
Lars froze mid-stride, his body reacting before his pride could catch up. For a fraction of a second, a flicker of pure hatred crossed his face before he smoothed it over with a crooked smile and squared his shoulders like bravado might still save him.
“Well,” Lars said lightly, forcing a laugh. “If it isn’t the hero of the hour. Should’ve known. Come to finish the job?”
Nate didn’t bother stepping fully into the room. He didn’t crowd in on Lars, or raise his voice. He just stood there, broad and immovable, his ice-blue eyes steady in a way that made it clear the outcome had already been decided.
“You’re not worth the paperwork,” Nate said calmly.
The smile on Lars’ face twitched. “You think this makes you better than me?” He scoffed. “You think you’ve won something?”
Nate’s gaze hardened with glacial certainty. “Nah,” he said with a casual shrug. “I think you lost something.”
The words landed heavily, sucking the air from the room.
“She didn’t trip by accident,” Nate went on, voice low and even. “You saw a woman running toward a lift and decided your ego mattered more than her safety. More than her career.”
Lars let out a short, brittle laugh. “You don’t own her.”
“No,” Nate agreed without hesitation. “I don’t. No one has that right. Especially you.”
Nate took a single step forward, enough to make the tension between them strain. He didn’t look away from the other Dane, not once.
“But I love her,” he said without hesitation. Without having to wonder if it was real. “And I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure no one like you ever gets that close to hurting her again.”
That was when Lars cracked. The smirk vanished completely, leaving something small and furious behind it. He snatched up his bag with sharp, jerky movements, jaw tight.
“Show biz has a short memory,” he snarled. “You’ll slip. She’ll see who you really are.”
Nate didn’t rise to the bait, but that didn’t stop the knowing smile from taking up residence where his cocky grin used to have pride of place.
“She already has.”
Lars was escorted out moments later, past the crew who suddenly found the floor fascinating and the stage where lights were already being reset like he’d never existed at all.
Nate watched until the door shut behind him.
Nate didn’t feel triumphant. He didn’t feel lighter, but for the first time since Holly hit the floor and the music died, he felt finished with Lars.
He felt like she was finally safe. And that was enough.
STRICTLY SCANDAL
TTF Shock Exit: Lars Holm Escorted Off Set
The ballroom just got bloodier.
A reliable production source has confirmed longtime Take the Floor professional has been terminated from the hit series following ‘deliberate sabotage’ during last week’s live broadcast.
According to our source, Holm was escorted off the studio lot by security shortly after internal footage surfaced appearing to show him interfering with a prop moments before co-star Holly Martinez suffered a severe ankle injury mid-performance.
His partner for the season, former Miss USA Jorja Ray, was disqualified from the competition.
Once the footage was reviewed, the network moved fast. There was no debate,” the source claims.
Representatives for both Holm and Take the Floor declined to comment.
@dancebarbiebitch via Tiktok:
when the villain arc wasn’t an edit
Audio: Dark orchestral remix of ‘Toxic’
Clips flash:
Lars smirking during Season 6 judging panel backlash
Slow-mo
of him whispering something to a rival pro
Clip of him saying: “It’s not personal. It’s strategic.”
Him adjusting his cufflinks while another couple gets criticized
A freeze frame of his face after the pearl sabotage moment (zoomed in 300%)
Overlay text: this man has been rehearsing villain energy since 2019
Lars
What the hell is going on, Soph? I need you to fix this. NOW.
Sophie
You were caught sabotaging a cast member resulting in bodily injury. The network has legal involved. Security walked you out. There is no version of this where you get to keep your job. As far as I’m concerned, we’re done.
Lars
Are you serious right now? You literally told me to do it! WTF, are you going to just pin this whole thing on me?
Sophie
Be very careful Lars. If you imply I instructed you to injure someone, I will have my attorneys file a libel claim.