Changes

Rome walked into the sound stage building, dreading every step he took closer to another day of pretending to chase around unicorns and annihilate them. Drew’s acting was almost as atrocious as the script. The little girl wasn’t bad to work with, but she could only be there for a few hours each day. He spent most of his time listening to Guy argue with the set construction team, hating his life, and praying that the lawyers would hurry up and process the sale of his contract from Henry to Lloyd. It had been two weeks since the Montage show, and so far, nothing had changed, even though he’d only given Lloyd one week to get it done initially. Every day, he walked past the Vinune, wrapped and stored in his living room so that if and when the sale went through, he could trade the artwork for the contract. Seeing it was a constant reminder that he was so close, yet so far, from achieving his goals.
Shouts in French hit his ears as he walked across the dark sound stage toward the set. Guy was on a rant again, clearly hating his life and wishing he’d never taken this job. Glancing around, Rome saw the wardrobe and makeup people in the corner cringing, but no one else. Where was Drew? Wasn’t Flora supposed to be there as well?
It wasn’t until Rome neared the director’s chair the cast occupied much of the day that he realized Guy was speaking to Henry. He had no idea what the problem was since his French was practically non-existent, but it was clear he was livid about something.
Henry, on the other hand, looked jovial, a grin on his face the likes of which Rome had never seen before. He stood by his chair, hands in his pockets, wondering what was going on. Henry saw him, his dark eyes flickering from Rome’s face, back to Guy, and then to Rome again. Something important was happening, and he needed to know what it was. The impulse to head over to where the pair stood and ask them to let him know what was going on was hard to squash, but he managed.
After a few minutes, Henry held up a hand and stopped Guy. The director yelled a few more times before he threw up his hands and walked away. Henry walked briskly toward Rome, the smile on his lips not fading. “Hello, Rome,” he said, his accent a little thicker than usual, probably because he’d just been speaking his native tongue with Guy.
Brushing off the niceties, Rome demanded, “What’s going on?”
With a twinkle in his eye, Henry said, “Well, I’ve made a business decision Guy is not so happy about.”
“What’s that?” Rome asked, praying that he would finally get the news he’d been longing to hear for months.
“I am certain you won’t want to hear this, but I’ve sold your contract. To Lloyd Sinders.”
Rome’s eyes bulged. It wasn’t the fact that Sinders had bought the contract that had him so surprised, it was the fact that Henry seemed to think he’d pulled one over on him. “What’s that now?” he asked.
Practically giggling with glee, Henry nodded. “That’s right. The lawyers finalized it yesterday. I know that your parents went to great extremes to make sure the production company never fell into Sinders’s hands. Technically, it’s not the company I have sold to him--it’s just your remaining nine movies, including this one. He has agreed to take that on, to pay to produce the remaining movies. So… if you thought your life was hell working for me, get ready, Verona. It’s about to become a living nightmare.”
Rome was glad he was the actor here. Rather than going with straight anger, he mixed rage with shock and betrayal. “And what does this mean for the movie we’re making right now?”
“Well, that’s just the thing. Guy is upset because I’ve told him Sinders wants to halt production for a few weeks while he determines what to do with the movie. I’ve given him permission to use this sound stage to finish the filming, if he’d like, but he may just scrap the entire shoot and start over. I have no idea--and I don’t care.”
“And what of the existing cast and crew?” Rome asked, as if he believed there was a possibility Sinders intended to keep filming.
Henry shrugged. “I have no idea. That’ll be up to Sinders. I told Guy I’d pay him for the work he’s already done. That’s all I can do.”
“And the rest of the crew? Do you plan to pay them?”
“No,” Henry said emphatically. “That’ll be up to Sinders.”
Rome narrowed his eyes at Henry. “If Sinders decides not to make this movie, then they’ll come after you for their wages. Do you really want to go against the unions? That’s not a good idea.”
Again, Henry acted like it was no big deal. “We’ll leave that to Sinders,” he said, taking a few steps backward. “At any rate, you can go home. I’m sure Sinders will have someone contact you as soon as he’s ready to start working again.”
“Well, as much as I hate Lloyd Sinders, at least I don’t have to ever see you again.”
Henry smirked at him. “Believe me, Verona, I feel the same way.” He turned and walked away without saying another word, and Rome shook his head. Henry had started this war. He’d been the one to interject himself into Rome’s life, in the name of revenge, and now, Rome had extricated himself. It seemed Henry still had no idea that Sinders, someone he trusted, had just demolished his dream of torturing Rome with bad movies. It was too bad Rome wouldn’t be there when Henry found out.
Ella wouldn’t be either. Juliet had stopped taking Henry’s calls a few days ago after he’d demanded that they go out again because she “owed” him. Knowing that her father was about to get control of the contract had given her the courage to back off. Now that the legal transaction was complete, she could tell him where he could go.
The sound of Guy ranting and raving across the large space echoed in Rome’s ear. Shaking his head, he started to walk away, until he realized the rest of the crew had no idea what was going on. With a deep breath, he walked over to the heads of the makeup and costume departments and said, “Henry sold my contract to Lloyd Sinders. So… filming is on hold, at least until Sinders decides what he wants to do.”
“What?” Callie, the woman who’d been doing his makeup every day since filming started, practically squealed. “What does that mean for the work we’ve already done?”
“Henry said you’d have to take that up with Sinders, but I’m pretty sure, legally speaking, he’s the one who owes you for the work you’ve already done.”
“What if it’s months before we start filming again?” Margot, the costumer, wanted to know.
“Or if we never start filming again?” her assistant, Ken, asked.
Rome shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’d definitely be in touch with your union reps. Let them know what’s going on.”
“Does that mean you think we won’t finish the movie?” Margot asked.
Rome nodded. “Lloyd Sinders isn’t a fool. I can’t imagine he’d want to finish a movie about zombie unicorns.”
“Why does he want the movie anyway?” Margot asked.
“He doesn’t want the movie. He just bought my contract. Whatever Henry thinks that means as far as the footage that’s already been filmed, I have no idea. I don’t believe Sinders purchased this movie--only me.”
Confused expressions passed over the faces of all of the people who had assembled to listen to what Rome had to say. He couldn’t do any more for these people at the moment, though he would certainly mention it to Sinders as soon as he got a chance to. For now, he was done here.
Rome pulled out his phone and sent a text to The Tank, who usually waited around outside unless Rome needed him for something. He asked him to bring the car around and then let Ella know he was on his way home. He’d wait a few days to see if Sinders contacted him, but if he didn’t, he’d be giving Ella’s father a call. The quicker he had that contract in his hands, the better.