It Hurts When It's True (Affaire de Coeur, #1)

Chapter 30: Claim her

"Shit!"

Damian was a minute too late in getting through Maggie's phone. She must have seen the news headline the moment she picked up the phone. And just like that, she stopped speaking and the line went dead.

He tried calling her over and over again yet it seemed that she had already turned her phone off on him. It was intentional, he was sure about that. How would he tell her the truth if she were not going to allow him to speak with her? He had never had the need to explain himself to anyone before, but there was that gnawing need in him to explain himself to Maggie.

Somehow, he knew that he would totally lose her if he did not clarify things with her as soon as possible. And the worst thing in all these was that he would lose her even before he even had her, the whole of her.

Looking at the screen of his phone, he thought of calling Terry. Just a few minutes ago, she had rang him just to say that he was going to be on various entertainment news program again. He was used to this kind of thing yet it was totally different this time. He could not really put all the blame on Terry as this was what she usually did whenever he needed publicity. 

At the moment, Damian and Catherine needed all the attention that they could get so as to promote their TV series. It had been a usual occurrence for him since the beginning of his career. But that was until he met Maggie.

"Terry?"

"Did you see the news?" Terry asked without preamble.

"Why did you not tell me this earlier? Why wait until minutes before it came out on TV?" Damian asked, rage brewing inside of him.

"Do you hear yourself right now, Damian? You know the drill." She responded nonchalantly,

"God dammit, Terry! Can you not at least inform me before making any decision? This is my career!" He could no longer hold in the feeling of enragement that he had been holding inside.

Damian thanked the heavens that Terry was not in his car with him. If he was, he might do something he would forever be doomed to regret. He had never hit a woman before, but he might as well make Terry the first and last on his list.

"I don't like the tone of your voice, Damian. Call me again when you're behaving like the civilized person that you are supposed to be."

And Terry had hung up on him just like that.

Damian slammed his fists against the stirring wheel so many times until they had become numb. He was furious at Terry for making all the decisions for him in spite of the fact that it was his career that she was steering into different directions. But he was more livid toward himself for letting Terry dictate his life for the past decade or more. And he was enraged by the fact that there was nothing that he could do about it now that he had made it to the headline again.

He had no particular destination when he started driving a couple of minutes ago. He knew that he had to talk with Terry and finally modify their manager-managed relationship. She might have been his manager and she might have been the biggest influence on his rather rough entrance in this business. But he realized that he had to put a stop to her on meddling with all of his affairs.

Maybe, they could revise their contract that would allow him to make choices of his own – seeing that it was taken off his hands when he signed his contract with Terry. How he wished he could turn back the time and cross that clause out of their agreement. But nobody had the power to turn back time.

Damian called Terry again, but the latter did not seem to have any plans of picking up. He dropped his phone on the seat next to his and drove away. He thought he needed to talk to someone, but he could not think of who. Finally, he decided to drop by Catherine's condominium to check out whether she was home or out partying again.