Andrzej was not expecting any guests and he was sure that Dominik was not expecting anyone either, so the doorphone bell surprised him. Since the actor was upstairs, Nowicki stopped washing the dishes and went to check who had come.
There was a young, sexy woman in front of the gate, dressed almost like a clerk. She was wearing a navy blue suit and her blonde hair was pinned up in a high bun.
Dominik was just going down the stairs, so Andrzej decided to verify the information with him.
"Are you expecting a visit from some clerk?"
"No. What, someone came?" He was concerned. "What office?"
"I have no idea. She looks like a tax office."
"Tax office? After all, the settlements were made until the end of April. I've already got my tax refund."
"Did you have a return?"
"I had" Dominik went to the door to see the guest. "She's not a clerk. This is a girl from my agency."
"So you know her?"
"Quite well," the actor opened the door. "Mrs. Shmidt, what a surprise. What brings you here?"
"Mr. Śliwiński, we need to talk seriously."
Andrzej did not miss the fact that he did not say "nice" with the word surprise, or that Dominik was looking at her with a stony expression on his face. It is true that he decided to invite her inside, but Nowicki was not able to read what their professional relationships might have been.
The woman silently passed Andrzej not giving him a single look. This irritated him, but he tried not to show it.
"Mr. Śliwiński, the issues that I want to discuss with you are professional and… quite delicate. I think it would be better if we spoke without third parties.
"There is no such need," the actor smiled gently. "Andrzej knows all the nuances of my relations with my manager. Allow me to introduce: Andrzej Nowicki, photographer and friend, and this is Mrs. Anita Shmidt, Marek Marczak's assistant."
That would explain her hostility, Andrzej thought, aloud saying how nice it is for him to meet her. The woman appraised him.
"All of them?" she made sure.
Dominik turned a blush.
"All of them," he admitted quietly.
"I don't think so. I don't think you know about all of them either, Mr. Śliwiński. That's why I came here. Please." She pulled some documents out of her briefcase and handed them to him.
"My contract? I do not understand…"
"It is impossible not to notice that there is a misunderstanding between you and my boss. I don't know what happened, but Mr. Marczak is furious with your article. The agency is called by journalists and you don't answer the phone yourself. Your speech, which was not consulted with the manager, caused a lot of confusion. Our press office is unable to confirm or deny rumors, which weakens our credibility and makes us a laughing stock. Mr. Marczak is threatening that if you do not behave professionally, he will have to admit that you are not complying with the terms of the contract. Mr. Śliwiński, your contract says that if the cooperation is broken because of your fault, you will have to pay Mr. Marczak one million.
"Million…?"
Dominik sat down heavily on the couch. Even Andrzej felt overwhelmed by the amount of the compensation. But when the meaning of all the assistant's words struck him, he felt an indescribable anger.
"Whose fault ...?" He growled furiously.
How could Marczak, even for a moment, hold Dominik responsible for the fact that their cooperation was no longer going well?
"Andrzej ... Andrzej, come on" Śliwiński tried to stop him. "Private matters are different from professional matters ..."
"And this party was private or professional ?!" He exploded.
Dominik paled at the mere mention. The hand he reached out to grasp the sleeve of Andrzej's shirt dropped.
The assistant did not take her eyes off Śliwiński and she probably started to guess something.
"Has… my boss done something… wicked?"
Nowicki cleared his throat uncertainly. He did not know how much the girl knew about the private relations between the actor and his manager, just like Dominik himself. On the other hand, if she knew about the romance between them, she couldn't be sure what Andrzej knew, so she couldn't ask freely either. The situation was in a sense a stalemate.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Dominik was having a hard time dealing with the situation. Either the weight of the memories was too heavy, or the new blow inflicted by Marczak made the actor hug his arms.
"I won't let him," he said softly but firmly. His body began to tremble, but it looked more from anger than pain. "I won't let him destroy me. If he blackmailed me with this contract, I will prove whose fault I'm breaking him on. Andrzej, you still have these photos, right?"
"Yes," he admitted.
"Good. You can tell him if he doesn't let me go," he turned to Marczak's assistant. "I'll put him in jail. And if he doesn't believe that I will be able to sacrifice my career, you can tell him I don't care. I'll never let him use me again. Never!"
"I see," the assistant gritted her teeth and sighed. "And ... I'm so sorry. Whatever my boss did ... I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Sorry for the trouble I caused the agency, but I'm not going to work with you any more. As an official reason for terminating our cooperation we can say it was... a change in the perception of my future professional career. This is actually true."
"But it's not just that, is it?"
"Unofficial?" Dominik smiled sadly. "It seems that we have different points of view not only in terms of my work. He just… went one step to far."
"I'm sorry," she repeated, sympathetic. Andrzej was surprised to find that Shmidt was looking at him with the eyes of a stern teacher. "Please take care of Mr. Śliwiński. I am a fan of his talent and would not like to see him disappear from the scene. Please take care of yourself" she returned to Dominik. "I'll pass your decision on to the president."
"Thank you."
When Andrzej closed the door behind her, he approached Śliwiński and stood in front of him.
"Are you sure?"
"No," Dominik admitted without looking up. "But the only alternative I see is to go back to him, and I can't take it."
"Marczak is dangerous. He may have ties to the criminal world."
"I know. For seven years he treated me like his mascot and guys talk in bed."
"Aren't you afraid he might want to silence you?"
"Probably there is a possibility that he will try, but ... He knows I won't make a move against him unless I'm desperate." He should have left me alone, I'm harmless after all, but…" He suddenly looked up. There was real terror in his eyes.
"What is it?" Andrzej was influenced by his anxiety.
"You should move out. You come too close to me…"
"What? I should leave you alone? Now, when you declared war to Marczak?"
"He won't do anything to me, but you are an uncomfortable witness. If you continue to get involved, Marek may try to do something ..."
"Something other than a little search in my apartment?" Andrzej snorted contemptuously. "Maybe he thought I was a naive, but I will not be intimidated."
"A little search in you apartment?" Dominik asked softly, anxiously. "What are you talking about?"