The victory from the plagiarism scandal was sweet, but the peace that followed was even sweeter. The past few days had been a blissful haze of slow mornings, stolen kisses, and the rumbling purr that had indeed become my favorite sound in the world. For the first time, I felt like I could breathe, the constant, gnawing anxiety that had been my companion for years finally gone, replaced by a quiet, profound sense of security.
We were in the middle of one of those perfect moments, having a late breakfast on the terrace overlooking the vast forest, when my phone rang. It was David, my editor, and I could hear the barely-contained hysteria in his voice before he even finished saying my name.
“Claire! You are not going to believe this!” he practically shrieked. “Starstream Pictures! Their new CEO, a Mr. Sterling! He’s been blowing up my phone all morning! They want the script back, Claire. They’re offering triple the original price!”
