what happened in a small town

part sixteen

There is nothing in the details; the details only reveal the ugliness of the truth.

The picture from a distance is actually more beautiful; the closer you get, the more you see the small details that you wouldn’t like; the distant things are dazzling while the close ones are exposed.

She returned, wanting nothing more than to regain her former self, free, happy, and outgoing, but nothing would ever return to the way it was. With every step, she felt strange in this society that her life circumstances had brought her to. She had not chosen it and was grateful to be in it. Perhaps if her aunt had not accepted her, she would Have remained in the adoption system or been adopted by a bad family and ended up an addict or something worse.

She didn’t understand why her aunt chose to live in this city. Why would anyone choose to live in it? This city is capable of killing your passion in its cradle if you don’t adapt to it, get carried away by the routine followed in it, for your life to become a copy of your ancestors, a sequence that is only defeated by minorities that society rejects and refuses to deal with.
She loves CaydeVillage but she also hates life there.

Mixed, confused, and disturbed feelings, she cannot figure out what she feels; she tries to control her feelings and herself by immersing herself in work; perhaps she will find some kind of stability in it, or this is what she was aspiring to before Ethan asked her to go with him to a party!

She rubbed her forehead as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, for the third time she put her face under the cold water, she felt her head about to explode from thinking, her skin radiating heat, she looked at her pale reflection and puffy eyes, she sighed and tried to expel all her thoughts about everything but work, she put a layer of moisturizing cream on her face and lip gloss, she gathered her hair after wetting it to calm the heat emanating from the cells of her head in a loose bun.

She left the office with her old tablet, you could tell because everyone around her had iPhones she couldn’t afford, but she didn’t care, she hadn’t cared about these things in her entire life, she wanted them of course but if they didn’t come she wouldn’t care, she could do with the simplest things. Even though Harry gave her a version that may not have been released yet, she couldn’t bring herself to use it, so she used her old one.

She opened the door to the meeting room, there, were two employees placing cups and arranging the table, she chose the seat closest to her, placed the tablet and a blue file underneath it, pursed her lips, and started tapping the pen on the table waiting for him to come, the appointment was two weeks ago but he postponed it after missing it three times, and every time she showed nothing but welcome and understanding, he relied on provoking her and belittling the place where she works and her as well, and she accepted that to prove to him the seriousness of her offer.

After about thirty minutes the door of the room opened, she took a long breath and then slowly let it out before turning in her seat to face the producer who was supposed to be on time half an hour ago but who was intentionally late, expressing that he did not respect the meeting or the agency and that he came in the end because he gave his word.
 
There were two men and a woman, one of them was the producer, of course, he was in his mid-fifties, his athletic body made him look younger than his age, his hair was gray but he dyes it periodically, his eyes are sharp green, he wears a black suit and a white shirt, his looks are sarcastic cursing his opinion before he listens, the other was younger, maybe in his mid-thirties, young and strong, his body is not athletic but thin and tall which gives him a deceptive Athletic appearance, his eyes were black like his thick soft hair, his eyes did not hold preconceptions just wait, and the woman was old but her age could not be determined because of the surgeries and cosmetics, tight jeans, and a short sweater that highlights her flat stomach, maybe blonde or this is the color of her wig or dye but it is never possible to be sure, her eyes are gray in a color that nature cannot create except in animals, there is something strange in the features of her face that Marla tried not to focus on.

She straightened up with a smile she had mastered and cleared her throat in welcome without mentioning the delay or her waiting; they want this, so give it to them.
“Thank you very much for meeting me, Mr. Pearson.”

He met her outstretched fingers in a fleeting greeting with a determined smile, stepping aside and gesturing to the man behind him to introduce him without answering. “Peter Gregg, writer.” He glanced at her and added. “He wrote the series that this agency marketed and we lost it.”
“Hello, Mr. Gregg.”

A passing greeting that he didn’t take time to introduce to the lady. “Sandra Rios is my partner in the production company and drama actress.”

She leaned over, putting on a fake expression of excitement. “Of course, no introduction needed; I’m so happy to meet you.”

Her eyes sparkled with happiness that she couldn’t hide. This is an actress deprived of fame, an actress in telenovelas and long melodramatic series, an audience of housewives, single women, and those escaping from a boring life, an audience that disavows that it watches this type of thing. So when someone gives her a little bit of a sense of fame, of course, she will take it, and this is what Marla relied on, who doesn’t know her and doesn’t even remember seeing her before now.
“Are you a fan of soap operas and telenovelas?”

Marla balanced her answer, simply moving her eyebrows. “I’d like to say I’m not a fan of them, but these series were my only entertainment in middle and high school, and I still go back to watch them when I need company.”

Correct answer: Most fans of these works do not brag about their love for them because they are somewhat flat series, long episodes revolving around never-ending romantic relationships, and watching them makes others judge you as being trivial.

She believed her but wanted to make sure, she greeted her with a long greeting with her fingers that Jason Pearson did not interrupt, perhaps because she pays money like him and he cannot stop her from anything.
“What is your favorite TV series?”

She gave herself a chance to think, she motioned for them to sit down, he chose the three seats In front of her to face her, she liked being the only person on her team, she returned to her place and the answer flowed from her tongue.

“There was a show I watched when I was eight called Wildcat.”
She was watching her emotions, and when she noticed her pupils dilate, she added firmly. “I think you were in it. I’m sorry, I don’t remember the character’s name, but I can’t forget that show, and I have to be grateful for it because it helped me get through a bad time in my childhood even though I shouldn’t have watched it.”
She lowered her eyelashes and then lifted them in a deliberate motion. “Thank you, Mrs. Rios.”

She had filled her to the neck; although this role was secondary, it could be deleted, and the work would be lighter, but she swallowed every drop and slumped in her seat, gesturing to her with her hands. “So you really like telenovelas.”

She had already watched the show but hadn’t watched these shows since she was a kid, but she nodded in agreement as she caught Jason’s sarcastic comment on the dialogue. 
“Did we come here because you are a telenovela fan and want to share that with us?”

“No, you’re here because I want to work with you.”
A direct response made her sarcastically increase. “Why would I want to repeat the failed experience with your agency again?”

She took a deep breath, lifted her tablet, and selected a few things, which she displayed in turn on the projector attached to her device.
“I know your previous work experience was bad in every way.”
“Good thing you realize that.”

He interrupted her sarcastically, she closed her eyes without losing her composure and calm tone. “But if you give me five minutes to listen to me, I will make you change your mind.”

He only gave her a sarcastic look, which she ignored as she showed pictures of the entire deal before asking to meet him. “I’ve already contacted four platforms, three major channels, ad pages, and apps to stream the work; I’ve got them all treating it as a new exclusive series.”

The mocking look on his face changed to a serious look, a look towards her, and then back to looking at the screen in his hands as she continued with the hard part. “All we need to do is film fifteen episodes to make it seventy, and change the name.”

“You’re crazy if you think I’d do something like this based on this agency’s advice.” He gave her a dismissive look. “Do you know how much it costs to film 15 more episodes?”

He scoffed at her suggestion, while Sandra commented. “And the show is on some satellite channel now.”

“It’s completely anonymous, and I’ve spoken to them before and they’ve stopped airing it and relinquished all rights to it, and I’ve deleted all trace of the episodes online.” Before either of them could speak again, she said. “And even if someone posts about it before, people will comment and ask why, bloggers will talk about it and it’s all good for the business.”
Jason’s eyebrows rose in hidden admiration, while Peter chimed in with a confident, neutral tone. “Do you know all the effort and time it would take to write and shoot fifteen episodes?”

Her eyebrows rose as she pursed her lips. “I don’t think it would take much since you have the original work to write from.” She leaned towards the table with a smile. “And let me tell you, three full-length series could be made from it.”

He moved his body closer to the table, his gaze steady and his tone even more steady. “What are you saying?”

“I say the series is a modern version of a series from the early nineties, so it won’t take you long to write because the series is 225 episodes, you only have 55 episodes and even if you combine the events of two episodes into one, you still have more than a hundred episodes that can be used.”

She played with the pen between her fingers as she answered him; a short silence prevailed between the other two while Peter shook his head incomprehensibly. “How did you know? There’s no way you watched the show; it only aired once on American channels, and at the time, your mother was probably still in her early teens.”

“I didn’t see it.” She shook her head in amusement.
“So how did you know?”

He asked her and she leaned back in her seat, controlling the meeting. “From you now, I was just suspicious.”
She enjoyed her triumph of intelligence for a moment, then continued. “Also, most telenovelas are remakes of shows from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.” She cleared her throat with fake embarrassment. “And Mr. Greg’s resume really seemed like a 2000s TV series with a smartphone and a tablet.”

She moved her finger over her tablet, then looked back at the three of them. “But we’ll use this too, I contacted the company that produced the original work that had a lot of problems so it disappeared after only one airing despite its relative success at the time, and it was closed down but I reached out to the channel that holds the rights and convinced them to sell it for a low price because no one remembers it anymore and they can’t air it again, and the problems are old but it’s good marketing material, so we’ll throw it back into your company, and it will air on another channel and we’ll have the audience compare like they’re the ones who discovered it, look at the numbers in the contracts, you’ll make four times the amount you paid for the production, that’s the minimum profit.”

Jason gave her a long, mysterious look, then asked her calmly, abandoning his sarcasm and loneliness. “And what will you take in return?”

She relaxed into her seat, reaching out to grip the edge of the table. “After I brought your show back from the dead? Nothing Mr. Pearson, this is just an apology for the previous unintended bad experience, and all I want is a small refund of the compensation money.”

Sandra sighed, a smile spreading across her wrinkled features. “Someone else was asking for an exclusive marketing contract for the production company’s work.”

She gathered her papers and lifted her tablet from the table, without looking at them. “After the presentation is over and you see the results, you will ask me what the next step is and demand that I take this contract without me even having to ask.”
“Arrogance!”
Jason said, she shrugged nonchalantly. “No, I’m just good at my job.”

Within fifteen minutes, a new contract was signed; Ethan couldn’t believe how quickly it was done, the first success in his agency without the interference of Ann or his father; he left his office and headed to her office; he met her in the middle of the lobby.

“I can’t believe they gave us that compensation.”
“Ethan, believe me, if I had been here when they first came, we would have taken 30% of the profit, but there is a lot more to come.”

He chuckled at her honest comment and muttered, “I know.”
She motioned for him to leave but he stopped her with a question. “So what did you say about accompanying me?”

She sighed in embarrassment and tried to evade the invitation by postponing her response. “I will answer you tomorrow.”
“I will wait.”

She gave him a fake smile and a greeting and then left the agency, she choked on everything as soon as she left, her conflicting thoughts and mixed feelings, she walked slowly outside the building, called a car, and started walking to the beginning of the road until she came, a speeding shadow interrupted her.

She looked up in panic to find him completely different than he had been in days, his shaved beard had grown, his honey eyes were covered in red as if he hadn’t slept in months, and anger radiated from him to the point that it stung her, she had never seen him look at her with such anger before.

She felt something bad was going to happen. She felt like this was the confrontation that had late been for years, It’s like she’s about to leave today, and he’s coming to face her, and it’s going to be bad. and it’s gonna be bad; her voice came out weak and feeble with his name.
“Harry!”