With someone this wealthy why has Stellar Media Group ended up like this
"Miss Hayes, please come this way."
The elevator doors slid shut. Veronica Warner was already waiting, offering a polite smile as she led Avery Hayes toward the meeting room.
Avery followed, her eyes taking in her surroundings. With every step, her confusion mounted, eclipsed only by her awe. The penthouse level of The Olympian Tower Hotel was beyond anything she could have imagined.
The moment they walked into the meeting room, her eyes locked on a massive, ancient painting in a heavy, ornate frame, its colors faded with age.
She'd seen it before, back when she was a lawyer. Her mentor at the time, Elias Thorne, had handled the ownership transfer for an antique painting bought overseas, and she'd tagged along for the experience. Rumor had it the piece sold for two hundred million dollars.
Back then, she'd only caught a glimpse from a distance, but the image was seared into her memory. She couldn't believe that, over a year later, she was staring at that very painting on the top floor of The Olympian.
She wasn't sure if this level was open to the public or if it was Julian Shaw's personal suite.
If this was his private residence, she was going to have to seriously rethink her opinion of him.
But if he was this loaded, why was Stellar Media struggling so badly this year? Couldn't he just bankroll a few projects to launch some new stars? The sheer luxury of the place made her proposal, the one about fixing Stellar Media Group's public image, feel like a complete joke.
It didn't matter. She was already here, and she wasn't about to be intimidated.
If Julian Shaw was willing to sign her, it meant he saw something valuable in her. And getting the most out of her own value was what she did best.
"Miss Hayes is here." A deep, smooth voice cut through the room.
Julian Shaw was sitting on a leather sofa, his long legs crossed. He wore a simple white linen shirt that made him look effortlessly elegant, yet somehow unapproachable. His sleeves were casually rolled up, giving him an air of relaxed confidence.
He didn't get up. Instead, he set a financial report on the coffee table and gestured for Avery to take a seat.
Avery gave a polite nod and sat across from him, her back straight, her expression unreadable.
Veronica went to the bar, prepared two cups of coffee, and brought them over before taking her place behind Julian.
"We've agreed to your terms, Miss Hayes," Julian began, his sharp gaze a little softer than it had been at The Empyrean Club.
"But our standard A-list contract is quite generous. I thought you might want to look it over first."
No matter how relaxed he seemed, he still radiated the intimidating presence of a man used to being in charge.
He handed the contract to her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Avery didn't hesitate. She returned a small smile of her own, took the contract, and began to read it carefully.
She had to admit, Stellar Media was being incredibly generous. The profit-sharing ratio alone was on par with what many established A-list stars received.
They were offering a fifty-fifty split.
For a total newcomer, that was unheard of.
Even with her obvious potential, no company would offer such a huge cut right out of the gate.
Forget giving up profits, most agencies would have clung to her like leeches and bled her dry.
In this business, getting even a twenty percent cut would be considered a gift.
But Stellar Media had put it right there in writing.
When she saw the numbers, she had to read the line twice. A flicker of genuine surprise broke through her composure. She looked up at Julian Shaw.
Seeing her reaction, Julian's lips curled into a slight smile. "You're worth it," he said calmly. "I'm not just looking for an artist who can make money. I want someone who can be the face of Stellar Media and crush the other big three entertainment companies."
Avery took a moment before asking, "I heard from Mr. Reed that Stellar Media has incredible resources. If you wanted to, Mr. Shaw, couldn't you just throw money at a few good artists to compete with the other companies?"
Julian shook his head. "Right now, the company doesn't have a single artist who could get to the level I'm aiming for, no matter how much we promote them."
He could easily groom artists to compete for a slice of the pie, sure. But he didn't want to just compete. He wanted to crush them, so completely they'd disappear from the industry for good.
Julian paused, then added, "You're different, Miss Hayes. You used to be a doctor, saving lives. And from what I understand, during your three years of grad school, you were part of countless surgeries and even worked in an artificial heart laboratory.
You're starting from a place no one else in this industry can touch."
At his assessment, Avery's gaze dropped to the table, her long lashes hiding the sudden shadow that crossed her face.
All those accomplishments belonged to Dr. Avery Hayes.
Dr. Avery Hayes had been a brilliant doctor. Her plan had been to get her PhD after residency, but that all went down the drain after the incident with Bryce Sterling and that stool.
And now, here she was, living in her place.
Even though she had all of Dr. Avery Hayes's medical knowledge in her head, she hadn't learned it herself. She had the memories, but she knew her hands-on skills weren't the same as the real Dr. Hayes.
That was the real reason she'd quit her job right after waking up.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Avery said, her voice even.
"I'm still curious why you're no longer practicing medicine, Miss Hayes," Julian pressed, his dark eyes fixed on her. He was asking the same question he hadn't gotten an answer to at the club. "You were so brilliant in your field. Why give it all up?"
Avery didn't dodge this time. "Getting into the entertainment industry was a coincidence."
It really was. If Dexter Reed hadn't handed her a business card at that ramen shop, she'd probably still be trying to figure out what to do for a living. After a few days on set, she'd discovered she actually enjoyed acting and wanted to see where it could lead.
But when it came down to it, the main reason was the money. This industry paid well, and it paid fast.
Avery's expression was serene. "As for why I'm not a doctor anymore... let's just say a near-death experience at work tends to make you rethink your career path."
She didn't explain any further, but it was the honest truth. For instance, she could sit here and negotiate a contract with anyone, but she couldn't bring herself to even step inside a courthouse. What happened on those courthouse steps had left a deep scar.
If that was the case, why force it?
With that, Avery fell silent and focused on the contract.
It was an excellent offer, almost perfect.
But she still had her own demands. First, she wanted full control over her personal social media accounts.
Second, her contract with Stellar Media could not be transferred to anyone else without her explicit permission.
Then there was the breach of contract penalty and the length of the deal.
They both agreed on a forty-million-dollar penalty, standard for an A-lister. The only thing left to discuss was the contract term.
Ten years. It was the same as every other artist at Stellar Media, and on this point, the company wouldn't budge. It seemed to have something to do with the artists who had broken their contracts a year ago.
Avery and Veronica went back and forth on the clause for a long time before they finally reached a compromise.
The term would remain ten years. However, if Avery became an A-list star within five years, the contract would be upgraded.
The profit-sharing split would change to seventy-thirty, with Avery taking the larger share.
Of course, details like company resource allocation and the industry practice of "freezing" talent were all spelled out clearly.
After nearly two hours, they finally had a finalized contract.
"It's a shame Miss Hayes didn't become a lawyer," Julian commented, holding his coffee cup as Avery signed her name on the dotted line.
Veronica nodded, her eyes full of admiration. "Her skills are on par with a senior partner," she added, giving Avery a genuine compliment.
As she said the words "senior partner," Veronica's eyes lingered on Avery's face for a second too long.
If it weren't for the different name and life story, she could have sworn she was looking at her old colleague, the one who'd been killed on the courthouse steps.
Her former colleague had specialized in divorce law, but she was brilliant in other areas of practice, too.
Especially the way she handled herself in a negotiation. It was almost exactly like watching her now.