Chapter Twelve:
Mateo.
“This is fake,” he said, clattering his cell phone against the table and baring the screen to us. The tinge of frustration in his tone was like one who’d just been swindled. Well technically, he was no different. We’d made him believe he was all over the media for aligning with a renowned fraud in the industry – Sebastian. I wouldn’t know how, but I let Waylyn play with the computer earlier to compel him to reach out to us.
And he did.
“Took you long enough,” I scoffed out, rolling my eyes snidely away from the screen. A few moments ago tabloids were flooding the internet concerning him and Sebastian, but right now it was a blank search page with the search bar bearing: ‘Sebastian’s corruption scandal.’
“What is it that you want from me?” he asked somewhat nervously.
“The role,” I put it simply. I thought I made that clear before.
“What role?” he returned, feigning ignorance.
“The same role you sold off to Sebastian. The same role you’re planning to use to rip him off. Not like I care but yeah, that same role. We want it.”
“And why do you think I sold it to Sebastian?” Was he being serious, playing with my intelligence?
“Oh, you didn’t?” I asked, barely managing to unleash the venom squirming to my tongue. I wanted to be as civil as I could about this and not attract unnecessary eyes. “If that’s the case, why have you come here, even going as far as calling us out?”
“Ever thought that it’d be unruly to be seen by people with one of the ladies auditioning for a role in the same movie I’d be directing?” he asked.
“No, I haven’t. But I have thought of the consequences of getting busted by Sebastian after collecting whatever chump change you think you’ve acquired and entangling yourself with us,” I retorted sharply. “But guess what? Letting the details of your meeting to the press would be much worse. Choose your battles wisely.”
“You’re now threatening me?” he almost snapped.
“Of course not,” I waved off with a strained sarcastic smile. “Only giving you a piece of advice.”
“And Sebastian? What happens when he finds out about this?”
‘’’ WHEN’?” Orla cut in. “You plan to snitch?”
“It’s Sebastian we’re discussing here,” he emphasized, making hand gestures. “He will definitely catch wind of this.”
“Regardless. It’s ‘IF’ and not ‘WHEN,’” she dismissed. “Don’t tell me you made us drive over forty miles and still do not have your security covered. And besides, he’s asked you to choose your battles wisely, Mr. Mackey. The press or Sebastian,” she said, the last part coming off solemnly.
“But – ”
“How much did he pay you?” I asked, cutting him off. He may have been lagging and wasting our time because we were yet to speak his language.
About to give us a reply, he paused, squinting and darting his eyes between us in scrutiny. “Are you any different from him? What if he finds out, busts you, and sends all of us to jail?”
“Kaia missed the audition,” Orla blurted, earning her an awed look. “Isn’t that enough reason to select the best from those present?”
He was now staring with furrowed brows, confusion whirling in those dark brown orbs of his. “Kaia missed the audition?” he finally asked. I knew that was the question breeding in his heart. She paid an enormous amount for a role and then went ahead to miss the audition. Comical.
Was he going to see her as cocky, or …
“Did she miss the audition because she felt her role was assured?” he asked like we were good acquaintances chatting over a drink. It had to be rhetorical.
“Who knows?” Orla replied, rubbing that in. “You gave her the ticket to act cocky. Now everyone’s definitely going to know what shady deeds transpired between their backs. Unless you have a good enough reason for letting someone who wasn’t in the audition take that role, think again,” she finished and her manipulative choice of words began doing the magic. It seemed like we finally got through to him, seeing how thoughtful his eyes became. He was perhaps finally weighing the pros and cons and must have known by now that woe would betie him if he held hands with the wrong people.
He got past the thinking phase, on to contemplation with his eyes darting between me and Orla. “What’s in it for me if I give you the role?”
“Money,” I blurted, earning a ‘huh?’ expression from him. “Billions running into trillions of U.S. dollars when Orla takes the role and makes people fall in love with the movie. That kind of money is what you will get.” I finished my statement and what was left in its wake was a disappointed look slapped onto his features. The whacko was expecting me to cut a deal with him. Too bad I was no thug, unlike some people I knew.
“Miss Orla isn’t even known in the industry yet. How solid can her acting skills be?”
“Your assistant sure has a different opinion. Give him a call and see.”
He heaved a sigh, darting his doubtful eyes beneath our eye levels.
“Why?” Orla asked, hushing the silence over our table. “Is our offer not as juicy as Sebastian’s?” His eyes focused on her. “Were you expecting we’d offer you fifty percent shares of my revenue?”
His eyes drifted to mine quickly before re-colliding with Orla’s.
“Well if that’s what you think, I suggest you have a rethink,” proceeded to say. “It’s either this or your freedom. Because the moment you side with Sebastian, you get thrown behind bars,” she added, a threatening note biting into her words. She was learning fast.
A satisfied smirk clamored to escape but I steeled my lips as I didn’t want to taint the solemn atmosphere she was building. Anything to make sure he understood we weren’t here for jokes.
“In case Sebastian sneaks up on you at night, you can just tell him that you couldn’t give the role to someone who didn’t even attend the audition,” I added to hasten things up. “The foul play will be blaring if that happens.”
“I don’t have the contract papers with me,” he said after falling silent for a little while. The man was still trying to weasel his way out of this one. CRUDE methods, I must say.
“Not to worry,” I started and my voice was mixed with the ruffles from beside me as Orla was trying to bring something out from her bag. “We have something here,” I completed when she undipped an envelope and glided it across the table to him.
‘And this is?’ was boldly spelled across his features, looking down at the envelope like something would crawl out of it.
“It’s an assurance that you’ll be sealing with your signature.”
“An assurance?”
“That you’ll never be going back on your word,” I clarified, icing my gaze.
Heaving a deep sigh, he took out the sheet of paper in the envelope skeptically and began reading through it.
“It’s the right bottom part of the page,” I said, telling him where was meant for his signature while holding out a pen to him.
Raising his eyelids, he stared through them and I just winked at him. He must have realized by now that there was no escaping this one, judging from the look on his face. The look of defeat.
Reluctantly, he took the pen from me, never ripping his gaze off before lowering it to the pen as he signed.
‘The job is done.’
He slid the paper back into the envelope and handed it over to Orla.
“I guess it’s a signed deal then,” Orla said, fitting the parcel back into her bag.
“Waiter!” I hailed the middle-aged woman in an apron. It was time to celebrate and I wouldn’t mind complimenting our table with a few drinks. “Won’t you run along?” I asked him, tipping my head to the side as I gestured toward the exit. “I believe you have some documentation to make.” He wasn’t going to be a part of the ‘celebration,’ so it was best he got moving. Besides, he was too stiff to blend in with anything or anyone here. Absolutely no reasons to stay back.
‘Finally taught him some manners. Feels good.’
“I’ll get to it immediately,” he squeezed out awkwardly, arranging his things to leave.
Finally on his way, I paused him midway by saying, “Switch off your phone.” Tilting his head over his shoulder, he shot me a questioning glare. “Sebastian might try to reach you,” I added with a wry smirk on, and he flinched with pinched brows.
“On your way,” I whispered, unfreezing him. He adjusted. Stiffly. Before facing the exit and walking out thereafter.