Chapter 617
Chapter 616:
“An executive producer,” he said, his voice a low murmur. “I like the sound of that p>
The sun was setting on a very different kind of ruin.
Chelsea Vanderbilt sat alone in her empty living room. The boxes were packed. The staff was gone. Her phone lay silent on the table, its screen dark.
It rang. She scrambled to answer it, hoping it was her husband — hoping for some explanation, some reprieve.
It was Penelope.
𝖣𝘪𝘀𝖼𝘰v𝗲𝘳 𝗇е𝘸 sto𝗋𝘪𝗲𝘴 𝗈𝘯.с𝘰𝘮
“Chelsea,” Penelope said, her voice clipped and professional. “I’m calling to inform you that your contract with the show has been terminated. Effective immediately p>
“What?” Chelsea breathed, the word barely a sound. “Penelope, you can’t p>
“We can, and we have,” Penelope said, cutting her off cleanly. “Your presence is a liability. The network won’t tolerate the negative press. We wish you the best p>
The line went dead.
Chelsea stared at the phone. Then, slowly, she began to laugh — a high, brittle sound that echoed off the bare walls. She had set out to destroy Jocelyn. In doing so, she had destroyed herself.
Across town, Jocelyn sat on the penthouse terrace as the last light faded from the sky. She read the official press release on her phone. The statement was brief and brutal: “Chelsea Vanderbilt has departed the series due to personal reasons p>
She let out a quiet sigh — weariness rather than triumph. “She’s out,” she told Gaston as he walked over carrying two glasses.
He handed her a sparkling water with a slice of lime and settled into the chair beside her. “Good riddance p>
“It’s just sad,” Jocelyn said softly. “All of it p>
Gaston put his arm around her. “Some people build things,” he said. “Some people spend their lives trying to tear them down. You can’t save the ones who only want to burn p>
Jocelyn leaned into him, her hand resting gently on her stomach — a quiet, instinctive promise to the life growing inside her. He was right. It was time to stop looking back at the wreckage. It was time to focus on what she was building.
A fragile peace settled over the week that followed. The scandal faded, replaced by the city’s usual steady hum. With the immediate threat behind her, Jocelyn found her thoughts drifting toward a different, more personal kind of dread. She decided it was time to see her grandmother.
Gaston, sensing the shift in her mood, insisted on driving her himself. “You’re not going alone,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The nursing home was as quiet and sterile as she remembered. Grandma Wolfe was sitting by the window in her room, a blanket across her lap. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw them.
“Jocelyn! And Gaston! What a wonderful surprise p>
They spent an hour with her, talking about the future, about the babies, about everything and nothing at all. Jocelyn felt the knot in her chest begin, slowly, to loosen.