Page 239 of Love Unwritten
“But Ava will remain in the public’s good graces.” Rafael frowns.
“There is another alternative.” Ms. Copper clears her throat. “We could go to trial and present our case to a judge.”
“They may believe her.”
“But they could also believe you,” Rafael challenges with an arched brow.
I scoff. “Right.”
“I don’t expect you to make a decision about the settlement today.” That’s a relief. “Although Ava’s lawyers did set a hard deadline for the end of the week.”
“Why?” Rafael asks when I remain quiet.
“They most likely want to clear this up before Ava’s next album drops.”
“God forbid America’s sweetheart gets any bad press,” I mutter under my breath, earning a deep scowl from Rafael.
Ms. Copper’s lips thin. “As it is, her PR team is working overtime after everything that happened with Darius.”
Rafael looks rather smug at that bit of news.
“Do you recommend I take the money?” I ask. If I did, I’d be set for life without ever needing to step in front of a judge, and my name would be listed in the song credits, but no one would ever know what really happened between Ava and me. What will stop her from doing this again to someone else one day?
Ms. Copper looks directly into her camera, her piercing stare pinning me in place. “I don’t like making recommendations.”
“Okay. Fine. But if you were in my position—”
Her lips twitch. “Good try.”
I sigh.
“I can tell you that I didn’t choose this line of work to hide behind settlement paperwork and NDAs.”
When I started this legal process, the idea of silently settling with Ava sounded appealing, especially if it avoided any kind of confrontation, but now that I’m presented with the opportunity to do just that, it feels…
Cowardly.
A judge could rule in her favor, and I could never see a dime for my work, but at least I stand a chance of people hearing my side of the story, even if it solidifies my place as the villain in Ava’s.
“You can give me an answer by five p.m. this Friday.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Are you sure?” Rafael asks with raised brows.
“I don’t want to wait until then.”
Ms. Copper leans forward on her elbows, making her designer tweed jacket shift with the movement. “Would you like to settle, then?”
“Actually, no. I want to go to court.”
All hell breaks loose less than twenty-four hours after my lawyer files my case with the California courts. National news outlets won’t stop talking about Ava and me, and while their facts are limited, it doesn’t stop people from speculating all about our case. The internet sleuths are actively picking apart my life, and I had to set all my social media accounts to private to stop random people from learning more about me.
If it weren’t for Rafael and Willow, I would have given up on the idea of taking Ava to court. My best friend spends hours handling my PR, reaching out to journalists to give them my side of the story, while Rafael does everything in his power to keep me calm, including limiting my internet and phone access.
His attempts at distracting me range from mind-numbing sex to watching him care for all the animals in the barn, including braiding Penelope’s hair.
Seeing him not only check on the cats but also all his other animals fills me with so much warmth. Willow accused me of having a caretaker kink, and it’s all his fault.