Betrayed Spotlight
Chapter 20: Taking care of business

Chapter 20: Taking care of business

Sarah was in her room changing out of her clothes when her phone rang. She looked at the screen and sighed. It was Antonio.

"Hello, Antonio," she answered, sitting down on her bed.

"Sarah, darling," Antonio’s voice was sickeningly sweet. "I hope you’re having a wonderful day."

Something in his tone made Sarah’s stomach twist. Antonio only used that fake sweet voice when he wanted something or when he was about to deliver bad news.

"What do you want, Antonio?" Sarah asked directly.

"Well, I have some news from Diamond Sound Entertainment."

Sarah’s face scrunched up in anger.

"What about them?" She asked, her voice tight.

"We’ve been going through the contracts, and it seems they found something interesting in your old agreement," Antonio said. "Something about penalty fees if you breach your contract early."

"I didn’t breach anything," Sarah said. "I fulfilled my contract and left when you all gave up on me."

"Well, that’s where it gets complicated, darling," Antonio said, his voice getting nastier. "We spent a significant amount of money on your training, your photo shoots, your portfolio development. The agency is saying you owe us compensation for leaving when we left you."

Sarah felt her anger rising. "That’s ridiculous. You all made money off me too!"

"I’m afraid it’s not that simple," Antonio continued. "The agency is demanding $500,000 in penalty fees. And Sarah, darling, I think you should consider coming back to us."

"What?" Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"We’re offering you a new contract. Much better terms. And if you sign with us again, we’ll forget about the penalty fees," Antonio said smoothly. "It’s really a win-win situation."

Sarah realized what was happening. Antonio was working with Diamond of course. He was probably getting a cut of whatever deal they made.

"You’re working with them, aren’t you?" Sarah accused.

"I’m working for you, darling, but don’t forget they’re my agency." Antonio said, but his voice was getting more aggressive. "And right now, what’s best for you is to go back to Diamond. They don’t care about your little marriage publicity stunt. They just want their investment back."

Sarah’s face was burning with anger now. She was clenching her free hand into a fist.

"They can’t force me to—" she started to say.

"Oh, but they can," Antonio interrupted. "They have lawyers, Sarah. Very expensive lawyers. They’ve already spent a lot of money on you, and they’re not going to let you just walk away easily."

That’s when the door to Sarah’s room opened. Mason stepped in, his hands in his pockets, his face completely emotionless. His poker face was firmly in place as usual.

Sarah looked up at him, and their eyes met. Mason tilted his head slightly, studying her expression. He could clearly see that she was upset and angry.

Without saying a word, Sarah pulled the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker.

"—so you see, darling, you really don’t have a choice," Antonio was saying. "Diamond has invested too much in you to just let you go. If you want to break free from them, you’ll have to pay the penalty. But who has $500,000 just lying around?"

Mason’s face darkened as he listened to Antonio’s words. His jaw tightened, and Sarah could see the cold anger building in his eyes.

"So what do you say, Sarah?" Antonio continued, not knowing he was on speaker. "Ready to come back to Diamond and be a good girl?"

Sarah had heard enough. Without saying a single word, she ended the call and tossed her phone onto the bed.

Mason looked at her for a moment, then spoke in his calm, controlled voice.

"I will handle this," he said simply.

"No," Sarah said, standing up. "I will handle it myself."

Mason stepped closer to her. "When I made you my wife, I made you my responsibility. I will handle it."

Sarah looked up at him, surprised by his words. She felt a warm feeling spread through her chest.

She smiled at him, a genuine, grateful smile.

But Mason didn’t smile back. His expression remained serious and determined.

He turned around and walked toward the door. "Get ready," he said over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked.

"Dinner," Mason replied. "We’re eating out."

Sarah looked at the clock. It was already evening, and Mason had just gotten home from work. She was hungry, and the idea of going somewhere nice sounded perfect after the awful day she’d had.

"Okay," she said.

An hour later, Sarah was dressed in a simple but elegant black dress. Mason was wearing one of his perfectly tailored dark suits. Mason asked James to stay back. Granny Liu needed a photo of the two of them on a date. He would drive them himself.

They drove through the city in comfortable silence until Mason pulled up to one of the most exclusive restaurants in town.

The restaurant was on the top floor of a luxury hotel, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a stunning view of the city lights. The atmosphere was sophisticated and romantic, with soft lighting and quiet music.

They were seated at a private table by the window. Sarah looked around in amazement. She had heard about this place but had never been here before.

"This is beautiful," she said softly.

Mason nodded but didn’t comment. He was studying the menu with his usual serious concentration.

Sarah watched him for a moment. Mason rarely smiled, rarely laughed, rarely showed any emotion at all. His poker face was constant, and sometimes Sarah wondered what he was really thinking.

But tonight, she was determined to lighten the mood. She had always been a bubbly, cheerful person. She loved to laugh and make others laugh. Meeting someone with such a serious demeanor felt odd and weird to her.

"So," Sarah said, trying to start a conversation, "do you come here often?"

"Sometimes," Mason replied without looking up from his menu. "For business dinners."

"But not for fun?" Sarah asked with a small smile.

Mason glanced at her. "I don’t usually eat for fun."

Sarah laughed. "Everyone eats for fun sometimes. What’s your favorite food?"

Mason was quiet for a moment. "I don’t have preferences. I eat what’s efficient."

"Efficient?" Sarah giggled. "Food isn’t supposed to be efficient. It’s supposed to be enjoyable."

Mason looked at her like she had said something strange. "Food is fuel."

"Food is pleasure," Sarah corrected, still smiling. "Food is comfort. Food is... joy."

When their meals arrived, Sarah watched Mason eat. He was methodical, precise, cutting everything into perfect pieces. It was like watching a machine.

Sarah, on the other hand, was enjoying every bite. She made little sounds of appreciation when something tasted particularly good.

"This is amazing," she said, taking another bite of her pasta. "Try some."

Before Mason could protest, Sarah had reached across the table with her fork and offered him a bite of her food.

Mason stared at her, then at the fork. Sarah thought he might refuse, but after a moment, he leaned forward and took the bite.

"Good?" Sarah asked hopefully.

Mason chewed thoughtfully, then nodded slightly. "Acceptable."

Sarah grinned. "That’s the closest thing to a compliment I’ve ever heard from you."

Throughout dinner, Sarah continued trying to break through Mason’s serious exterior. She told him funny stories from her photo shoots, made jokes about the pretentious couple at the next table, and even did a silly impression of Antonio’s fake sweet voice.

Mason didn’t laugh, but Sarah noticed he was listening carefully to everything she said. And when she did her Antonio impression, she could swear she saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.

"You know," Sarah said, cutting a piece of her dessert, "you’re allowed to smile sometimes. It won’t hurt your reputation."

Mason gave her one of his signature glares, but Sarah wasn’t intimidated anymore.

"There you go again with that glare," she said cheerfully. "Do you practice that in the mirror?"

Mason’s glare intensified, but he continued eating his dessert.

"I’m serious," Sarah continued, still smiling. "Do you wake up every morning and practice looking intimidating? Because you’re really good at it."

Mason set down his fork and stared at her. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Maybe a little," Sarah admitted. "But only because you’re so serious all the time. It’s like you’re afraid to be human."

"I am human," Mason said quietly.

"Are you?" Sarah asked, leaning forward. "Because humans smile. They laugh. They enjoy good food and beautiful views and silly conversations."

Mason was quiet for a long moment, looking out at the city lights.

"I’m not good at those things," he finally said.

Sarah felt her heart soften. "You don’t have to be good at them. You just have to try."

They finished dinner in comfortable silence. As they prepared to leave, Mason looked at Sarah seriously.

"About Antonio and Diamond," he said.

"Mason, I told you—"

"I will handle it," Mason said firmly. "That’s final."

Sarah looked at him and realized he wasn’t going to change his mind. And honestly, she was grateful. Fighting Diamond and Antonio alone would have been exhausting and expensive.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Mason nodded. "Tomorrow morning, come to my office."

"Your office?" Sarah asked, surprised.

"Yes. There are some things we need to discuss about this situation."

Sarah felt a flutter of nervousness. She had never been to any business office that wasn’t Diamond before. Although she visited Zachary’s.

But she knew it was the headquarters of Mason’s business empire, but she had no idea what to expect.

"Okay," she agreed.

As they drove home, Sarah thought about how much her life had changed. The whole country was already talking about their marriage and how she was vindicated.

Tomorrow, she would be visiting her husband’s office for the first time.

She glanced at Mason, who was focused on driving. His poker face was back in place, but Sarah thought she could see something different in his eyes. Something protective and determined.

Whatever happened with Antonio and Diamond, Sarah knew Mason would handle it.

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