Ethan went to go at him again. Security held him back.
One guard said, “If you don’t calm down, we’ll escort you out of the studio.”
Ethan dragged in ragged breaths. His racing heart dropped to a slower rate.
After a few moments of Ethan and Shaun glowering at each other, he stopped making moves to attack.
“If we let you go, will you leave Shaun alone?” the other guard asked.
Ethan spotted his mother near the director’s chair wringing her hands together with a panicked expression. As much as he wanted to plant his fist in Shaun’s face, he was just calm enough to know he didn’t want to upset her.
When he nodded, the security guards let go.
Just as Ethan was about to turn and leave, a smug smile spread over Shaun’s face. “Holly’s feisty, she must go off like a firecracker in bed. You’re a lucky man.”
A red haze obscured Ethan’s vision and before anyone could stop him, his fist flew and connected with Shaun’s nose. Blood sprayed over the timber floor.
Security dragged him away and out of the building. Fuck what might happen to him. Seeing the damage to Shaun’s face was worth the repercussions of his actions.
* * *
An hour later, Ethan found Holly in her hostel room with bloodshot eyes and a red nose. It wasn’t hard to miss she’d been crying. What had him frozen for a beat was the open luggage bag on her bed and Holly tossing clothes inside.
“You going somewhere?” he was almost too scared to ask. He’d hate for Holly to go running back to Melbourne, especially now he’d opened himself up to the possibility of a relationship with her.
“Can’t afford to stay here anymore,” she said while throwing a pair of shoes not so gently inside the bag.
“You don’t have to leave. I’ve gotten your job back,” he said.
She turned to look at him, eyes round with surprise. “What? How?”
“I spoke with Duncan, explained there was a misunderstanding, and he changed his mind.”
That and the threat of a lawsuit if he didn’t re-hire her. “You can come back tomorrow.”
She went to a small dresser, opened the draw and pulled out a few items of clothing. They too got dumped into the bag. “I’m not going back.”
“You can’t let an arsehole like Shaun stop you. Unfortunately, you’ll meet a lot of them in this industry.”
“Shaun’s not the reason I’m not going back,” she said, moving to the wardrobe and taking out a couple of dresses.
He was confused. “Then what is?”
“You.” The dresses were thrown in without being folded.
“What the hell did I do?” He threw up his hands.
“You convinced Duncan to give me back my job.”
“I didn’t convince—”
“Oh, please. I’m a nobody. Replaceable with the snap of his fingers. I mean nothing to him. But you…” She waved a hand up and down his body. “Are the star. He’d listen to you. What did you say to get him to change his mind? Threaten to sue?”
He tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers and glanced away.
She gave a mirthless laugh, “Unbelievable.”
“I was trying to help.” Shouldn’t she be grateful?
