Chapter 361
Chapter 361:
Stapled to the back was a script treatment.
The Gilded Cage. Lead Role: Female.
“You want me to be an actress?” Skye asked, looking up at him incredulously. “Julian, I run a multi-billion-dollar holding company. Dominic knows who I am. Graves knows who I am. I can’t pretend to be some starlet p>
“You’re not pretending to be anything other than what you are—a commodity,” Julian corrected, leaning his head back against the wheelchair as exhaustion washed over him. “We’ve been tracking Graves. He’s paranoid. He doesn’t do business meetings with rivals. He refuses to sit in a boardroom with anyone he doesn’t think he can own. But he has a weakness p>
He pulled a photograph from his coat pocket—a struggle that showed just how weak his arm still was—and placed it on top of the script.
It was a blurry shot taken at the Cannes Film Festival: Lucian Graves, his back to the camera, his hand resting possessively on the lower back of a famous young actress.
“Graves is a collector,” Julian explained. “He ignores CEOs, but he opens his doors for celebrities. He loves the idea of being the patron, the kingmaker. If you approach him as Skye Sterling, the CEO of Oracle, his guards will stop you at the door. But if you approach him as Skye Sterling, the controversial, beautiful new face of reality TV… he will invite you in. He won’t see a threat. He’ll see a trophy p>
Skye stared at the photo.
The way Graves held the woman… it was not romantic. It was predatory. Like a spider testing the tension of its web.
“So this isn’t a cover identity,” Skye realized. “It’s a Trojan horse. I use the fame to get into the parties where the real deals happen p>
“Exactly,” Julian said with a faint, pained smile. “The Vance Agency will represent you. We’ll fast-track you. This isn’t about making a movie. It’s about getting you the visibility that Graves finds irresistible p>
“And the cost?” Skye asked. “You don’t do favors, Julian p>
“The Vance Agency takes fifteen percent,” he said. “And having the hottest new star on my roster sends a message to Dominic. It tells him I’m back in the game, even from a wheelchair p>
Skye ran her finger over the edge of the contract.
It was a dangerous game.
“I won’t do nudity,” she said flatly. “And I pick the projects p>
𝖱еa𝘥еr 𝗰𝗈𝘮𝘮𝗎𝗻і𝗍𝘆 𝗼ո 𝖻е𝗅ո𝗈𝘷𝖾𝗅𝘀.cо𝗆
“Agreed,” Julian said. “This is just a vehicle p>
“And Liam?” Skye asked. “He’s investing heavily in media right now. If I enter this world, our paths will cross p>
“That’s inevitable,” Julian shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled on his injuries. “But Liam is a gnat compared to Graves. You can handle a gnat p>
Skye took a pen from the table.
She hesitated for a fraction of a second, thinking of Alistair.
He would hate this. He hated anything that put her on display.
But Alistair wasn’t here. And Alistair hadn’t seen the full extent of the Ledger’s implications regarding Graves. He didn’t know how deep the rot went.
She signed her name.
The ink flowed dark and permanent.
“Done,” Skye said, handing the contract back.
Julian checked the signature, satisfied. “Good. Then you should know… the first project isn’t a movie. It takes too long to film. We need instant visibility p>
He paused, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“What is it?” Skye asked, a sudden pit forming in her stomach.
“A reality show,” Julian said.