𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐎𝐧 | 𝐌𝐉 ❦

06.

"Rodney that's enough-"

"Oh no Jane," I said while raising my hand to cease her speaking. "Let the little ungrateful white bastard speak. This isn't even grazing the surface of what he said to me before we left London. You think that just because I wanna know the truth about you being blacklisted, I'm tellin' you to worship the floor I walk on? How self-centered can you be? I'm trying to help your dumb ass-"

"I don't need your help," he gruffly voiced.

"And I don't need your fuckin' attitude," I said while standing up and walking toward him. Our height difference was laughable in this situation. I was only five foot three and his staggering height of six foot two forced my head to look up at him. "Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

"OKAY ENOUGH!" Jane shouted while walking up to us. "You," she pointed at me. "You have to go to this damn meeting. No matter what happens, it's mandatory and I'll be damned if I have you damage your career by doing something as stupid as skipping it. "And you," she pointed at Rodney. "Leilani's right, you need to start being honest with the both of us."

There was a eerie silence between the three of us, my eyes not daring to look away from Rodney's gaze. I could feel my blood boiling at the sight of an a imperious smirk creeping upon his lips. The way he knew just how to get me riled up bothered the living hell out of me and it always worked in his favor.

"I'm outta here," I mumbled before purposefully bumping Rodney's arm as I passed by him.

"The meeting is tonight at seven, you can't miss this Leilani!" Jane shouted as she followed me to the entrance of the penthouse. "And hey—you better have Theo escort you anywhere you decide to go!"

Without saying a word I slammed the door behind me and angrily stomped toward my car. My hands were shaky as I tried to insert my key into the ignition.

"Shit," I whispered while the keys on my keychain fumbled against one another. After a few seconds of frustration, I had successfully put the key into the ignition and started the car.

I didn't have a destination. In truth, I had nothing planned but the displeasure of staying within the same vicinity of Rodney increased by the millisecond. It was obvious; he was spiraling. The man that always seemed to have a firm grip on reality was slowly but surely fading and turning into someone more... dejected.

He made it seem as if everything was fine by going through the motions but it was his heart that snitched on him. Never being one to wear his heart on his sleeve, he did exactly that today. I had seen him this upset once before and it was just before returning to the Americas. Something triggered him, something that was beyond his control.

Much like his status at Death Valley.

With it being midday in Los Angeles, there weren't many places that a celebrity could go without being hounded by fans. My only option was to go to a secluded area, one that I knew would be off-limits to the public.

I turned in the direction to my new destination, arriving shortly after. I placed an old baseball cap on top of my straight black tresses and put on a pair of black aviators before opening my car door. The fresh scent of sea salt immediately made contact with my nostrils. With each step I took toward the secluded area of Venice Beach, my mind kept replaying the argument I had just had with Rodney.