I watched as Blake's eyes grew wide with anger and rage pulsed through every single vein inside his body, turning his cheeks red.
"What the fuck did you just say?!" He sneered as his sharp voice pierced through the air and the tension continued to thicken between us. "Did you just call me trash?"
I remained unfazed and seemingly unbothered by his loud voice and angry expression that masked his features. Instead, I simply kept my gaze steady, never breaking eye contact as I let the word roll off the tip of my tongue.
"Yes," I uttered a single word which only riled him up even further.
He couldn't control his anger and impulse clouded his judgement as he left Stella's side and rushed towards me. He raised his hand once again but before he could even come close to me, Xavier had grabbed him by his wrist and twisted his arm behind him.
A loud gasp erupted from Stella's mouth as she watched with wide eyes, horror evident in her eyes.
Meanwhile, a yelp escaped Blake's parted lips as he grimaced with a pained expression that was etched onto his face. "What do you think you are doing?!" He spat the words out of his mouth as his voice shook with anger. "Let go of me!" He demanded through gritted teeth as he winced in pain.
Xavier leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low whisper as he murmured beside his ear. "Don't even think about laying a finger on her," he warned, his tone laced with threat as his dark eyes glared daggers into the side of his head before he finally released his tight hold on him.
Blake let out a breath, a disgruntled look was plastered across his face as his eyes darted between the two of us. Stella rushed over to his side, her fingers curling around his arm as she gently caressed his arm and her eyes were busy examining for signs of any bruises and injuries.
"Blake, are you okay?" Her soft voice left her lips as she looked up at him with wide doe eyes, concern and worry swimming in the depths of her eyes. She then turned back to fix her attention on me this time, a tiny frown crept onto her face as we locked eyes. "Aurelia, how could you say that about Blake? No matter what happened between you two, you should have never stooped so low as to call him trash. And also, don't you think your husband should apologise for hurting Blake?"
A cold chuckle left my lips as I listened to how ridiculous everything sounded. "I can say anything I want about my ex-husband," I started, my tone stressing on the last two words that left my lips. "And Xavier will not be apologising to anyone. Don't you think that your little boyfriend there should learn how to control his anger and not attempt to assault people?" I retorted as my eyes flashed with determination.
Stella's eyes grew wide. "Why are you acting this way? Have you always been this stubborn? It's only just an apology and there's no harm at all. It won't kill you two right? You and your husband were the ones who provoked Blake first, he was only defending himself!"
Blake reached out to grab Stella by her wrist, pulling her back despite her protests.
"Forget it. There's no use trying to talk logic with a woman like her," he snarled with a disdainful scorn as his eyes glanced over to stare me down. "She is nothing but unreasonable and emotional," he spat, each word that left his lips were coated with a thick layer of venom.
"No, we can't let them bully you like this, Blake," Stella urged as her brows were knitted together to form a tiny frown. "If they could do this once, they wouldn't hesitate to do it another time. They will continuously try to belittle you and mess with your career and I wouldn't stand for that!"
I couldn't help but to let out a laugh upon hearing the insults he was hurling at me and witnessing the scene that was unravelling right before my eyes.
"Me? Unreasonable? Emotional?" I questioned with a raised brow as I tossed his words right back at him with an incredulous look that masked my features. "That's funny because the last I knew was that I wasn't the one who lost my temper and assaulted others then ended up losing my job," I said curtly, my words dripping with sarcasm and malice as I looked him dead into his eyes.
"You!"
Within the next second, Xavier quickly stood in front of me, his hand grabbing mine in a protective manner as he kept his intense gaze on Blake, while Stella held Blake back before he could do anything rash.
A flustered look was stretched across her face as she turned to fix her attention on him. "Blake, don't do it. It's not worth it," she pleaded, her sweet and soft voice was laced with a hint of desperation as she continued to play the good guy. "I don't want to see you getting hurt…" Her voice faltered towards the end as her eyes glistened with concern.
His gaze softened almost immediately, it was almost as if her voice, her words had some sort of magic effect on him. He held her by her hands and their fingers interlocked with one another, putting a smile on her face. The corners of his lips also curled upwards into a slight smile.
"You are right," he agreed in a soft voice then whipped his head around to glare at us with contempt swimming in his eyes. "It is not worth it to argue with these people," he hissed, his tone carrying a sharp edge to it.
His grip around her hands tightened and their eyes met. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm done talking to these people." He looked up and we locked eyes from a distance. "You are lucky that Stella is reasonable and she chose not to pursue this matter."
I smiled at him. "No, you are lucky that my husband is not impulsive like you are, otherwise, you wouldn't be walking away right now."
"Is that supposed to be a threat, huh?" He challenged, tilting his chin up slightly in defiance. "I'm not scared of you and your husband," he declared, even though I could hear the way his voice was trembling ever so slightly, not out of anger but certainly out of fear.
Xavier stepped forward, his body looming above his as he looked down to match his gaze. The corners of his lips curved upwards into a slight smirk as a mocking chuckle left his lips. He taunted, "Right, if you say so big man."
***
"Are you sure that you still want to help him get the job back after what he did to you?" Xavier questioned with a small frown etched between his brows.
I paused for a brief moment before I looked up to meet his eyes and gave him a firm nod. "I'm sure. Like I told you, this is all just part of a bigger plan." A smirk morphed itself onto my lips as my eyes danced with amusement and excitement. "Do you see my vision?" I asked as I gestured with my hands in an animated manner.
He let out a breath. "Yeah, I do but… I just don't think he even deserves to experience the feeling of being successful. He's not worthy of it," he spat the words out of his mouth and his eyes were filled with disdain for Blake. "Why put yourself through all that trouble? Just thinking about what he did to you makes my blood boil."
I smiled, reaching out to grab his hands in mine. "I guess he doesn't. But I mean… go big or go home, am I right?" I said as the smirk that was already etched onto my face grew even wider this time.
He returned the smile, unable to argue over me. "Yes, of course."
That was how I found myself standing at the back of the studio hoping to catch Sam once again. This time Sarah wasn't able to help me anymore, ever since that incident that unfolded yesterday, causing all that commotion on set. And of course, I didn't want to make things difficult for her either by asking her for another favour, so I did what I had to.
Just as I thought all hope was lost, and the sun was starting to set, Sam finally walked out from the backdoor, and lucky for me, he was alone.
My eyes lit up with hope and anticipation as my gaze fell on him. My hurried footsteps must have caught his attention as he turned to look at me with his brows furrowed together. We locked eyes from a distance and I watched as a hint of recognition twinkled in his eyes.
"Aurelia?" My name left his lips as his voice was laced with a hint of surprise. "What are you doing here?"