Everything Arranged Clearly
The contract was signed. Avery Hayes was officially part of Stellar Media Group.
Next up: career planning.
It was immediately obvious that when it came to strategy, Julian Shaw and Veronica Warner were just as new to this as Avery was. But Julian had people for that. A video call was patched through to Dexter Reed at the Stellar Media headquarters in New York City, and he laid out a plan.
"So, Avery, what's your game plan?" Dexter's voice came through the speaker, crisp and clear despite the distance.
"I was thinking I'd start as an extra for a while," Avery said. "You know, to learn the ropes."
Julian, however, cut in before she could finish. "Starting as an extra is thinking too small. Dexter, get in touch with some crews in Hollywood and get her on set. Let's start her as a featured actor."
Dexter nodded from the screen. "I was thinking the same thing. Since she's just starting out, we should skip the big, named roles for now. We can start her with some solid featured parts, a few lines, some screen time, but nothing too heavy. Let her get comfortable in front of the camera,
and we'll figure out the rest from there."
As he spoke, Dexter stood and walked out of the camera's view for a moment. He returned holding a second phone, his fingers already flying across the screen.
"Avery, I'm going to find you a coach for some professional acting lessons," he said, not looking up.
"At the end of the day, an actor's career lives or dies by their talent. Your education and your looks get your foot in the door, but if you want to last in this industry, it all comes down to skill."
Just like that, he was already lining up a coach for her. This, Avery thought, was what it felt like to have real connections. If she were trying to do this on her own, just finding a professional acting coach would've taken ages.
A few moments later, Dexter set his phone down. "It's all set. Alden Pierce, the award-winning character actor, will be in California to meet you in four days."
Avery nodded, impressed. She didn't really follow trending celebrities, but she knew the veterans.
Alden Pierce had only slowed down in recent years because of his age; before that, he was in everything from TV shows to movies, with at least a hundred supporting roles to his name.
The man had never been a leading man, but his talent was so undeniable that audiences always remembered him.
He'd won Best Supporting Actor multiple times.
"Julian," Dexter continued, "Leo Foster is heading to California tomorrow. I've already put a team together for him for the short-form content division, it's registered and greenlit. Have him find a place for Avery to stay in Hollywood. It needs to be spacious; besides studying with Mr. Pierce,
she'll need to work on her physical presence and line delivery. As for a manager, I'll have the department figure out who to assign her when everyone's back at work tomorrow."
Dexter paused, his eyes finding Avery's on the screen. "My personal advice? Hold off on any big marketing campaigns for now. Let's wait until that short series you shot gets some buzz, then we can roll out publicity, piece by piece."
A true professional. In just a few minutes, he had laid out her entire future. It wasn't that different from the plan she'd sketched out for herself, but his was real, already in motion. She had been planning to wait until she got her law license before making any big moves anyway.
"Avery, do you have anyone in mind for an assistant?" Dexter asked, changing gears.
The company could assign one, of course, but an assistant was a personal role. They were with you all the time, so getting along was more important than a resume. A lot of actors preferred to hire people they already knew and trusted, and the company was flexible on that point.
"I have someone," Avery replied confidently. "You don't need to worry about it."
She didn't just have an assistant in mind; she had a bodyguard and a driver, too.
Wyatt Riggs, the guy Cole Hayes had introduced her to, had gotten back to her.
He'd said that as soon as he wrapped his current job, he would head to California.
She'd spoken to him two days ago and asked if he could handle her security while also learning the duties of a personal assistant.
Wyatt had agreed without hesitation, saying he'd start learning the ropes as soon as he arrived.
He was even bringing a friend from back home to be her driver.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now," Dexter said. "Once the manager is confirmed tomorrow, I'll have them fly out to meet you and get things started."
With that settled, Dexter's attention shifted to Julian, bringing up a new talent show Mercury TV was developing.
He wanted to get a few of the company's newer artists on the program for exposure, but the show was being co-produced by three other entertainment companies.
Getting a foot in the door would be tough.
Julian didn't even blink. "Just get our people ready," he said calmly. "I'll have someone from the Atlas Group contact Mercury TV."
"Okay, I'll get on it," Dexter said.
Avery's focus sharpened at the name. *The Atlas Group.
* The question that had been nagging at her ever since she'd stepped onto the penthouse floor of The Olympian Tower Hotel suddenly felt like it was close to an answer.
Still, she couldn't be sure. She needed to do some more digging to find out if this Julian Shaw was really who she suspected he was.
Once the call ended, Avery said her goodbyes, ready to head back to the cheap motel she was staying in.
"I'll give you a ride," Julian said, apparently heading out as well. "It's on the way."
Avery didn't refuse. They took the private elevator down from the penthouse, Veronica already absorbed in her phone.
By the time the three of them walked out of the hotel, a small motorcade was waiting in the private driveway: a black Maybach at the head, flanked by two black Mercedes-Benzes.
The Mercedes were filled with men in dark suits, their shapes just visible through the windshields.
Julian's assistant, Trevor Sterling, stepped out of the Maybach and opened the rear door for him before gesturing to Avery. "Miss Hayes."
She slid into the plush leather interior without a second thought. Veronica got into one of the Mercedes behind them.
The car was silent. As soon as Julian was inside, Trevor handed him a folder, and he began to read.
Avery sat beside him, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught two words on the document: *Cormorant Capital*.
She quickly looked away, her mind racing.
She knew that name. It was a major overseas venture capital firm.
Was it possible the document in his hands was related to them?
She tried to piece together who Julian really was.
About ten minutes later, the car pulled up in front of her motel.
"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Shaw," Avery said as she pushed the door open. Just before it closed, she added a polite farewell.
Julian looked up from the folder. "It was a pleasure, Miss Hayes. See you next time."
Avery gave him a small smile and turned, walking into the hotel.
Through the car window, Julian's eyes followed her until she disappeared into the elevator.
Then he looked away and casually tossed the folder onto the seat she had just vacated.
He leaned his head back against the seat, his eyes half-closed as he took a slow breath.
A subtle, crisp scent of white tea and something like sunshine on dry grass, her scent, lingered in the air, calming the throb that had been pounding at his temples for the last two days.
He rubbed his forehead and spoke to the front of the car. "Trevor, have someone get that mansion in the residential area cleaned up. I'll be spending more time in California from now on."
The sudden instruction made Trevor pause for a beat before he replied, "Right away, sir."
A good assistant didn't need to know the boss's reasons; he just needed to get the job done.
But still, Trevor wondered. Stellar Media was headquartered in New York.
Living in LA wasn't exactly convenient. They were already frequent flyers, but living on the West Coast would complicate things even more.
For some trips, they'd probably have to connect through New York, adding hours to their travel.
Why would the boss suddenly want to spend more time in California?