Chapter 54 Let’s Settle This between Us
"What's with the screaming for, you maniac?" Amelia, red-eyed with fury, was lashing out and slapping, quickly turning the girl into a sorry figure.
Amelia moved too fast and was frenzied; Ashley couldn't hold her back in time. By now, they were surrounded by onlookers, countless phones capturing the scene. A thought flashed through Ashley's mind: they had been set up.
The trio was taken to the police station to give statements. The beaten girl sat there crying, her face barely recognizable.
Amelia, with no visible injuries and having thrown the first punch, seemed to be in a worse situation. Even though Ashley testified that the girl had verbally insulted them first, mere insults weren't admissible as solid evidence in court.
The girl, cradling her scratched face, hissed, "I'll make sure you end up behind bars!"
Unwilling to be outdone, Amelia retorted, "You wanna a piece of me?"
Under normal circumstances, a simple fight might be let off with a warning, but they were public figures, and somehow linked to Christian Brin; the police were in no hurry to process them.
The Police Chief came back from a call and told Amelia, "Young lady, anger can be your worst enemy."
Ashley, steadying Amelia, stood up and said, "I'm her attorney. Speak to me."
The Chief seemed amused, "A lawyer who gets into brawls right along with her client isn’t much of one. I've got nothing to say to you, just wait for the legal notice."
"For what reason?" Ashley asked.
"Fighting, physical injury, verbal abuse; with such nasty circumstances, what more reason do you need?"
Confident in the law's fairness, Ashley retorted, "My client has been maliciously slandered and suffered immense emotional distress; I request a full medical examination for her."
"Seeking bail?"
Amelia clenched her teeth, "What? Are you planning on detaining me?"
The chief was blunt. A call had instructed him to "take good care" of Amelia. Leaving wasn't going to be easy, "Stay here until your trial; the judge will determine your fate."
Ashley asserted, "I'm applying for her bail." Something was off about the situation; what happened did not warrant Amelia to be detained at the station.
The girl was relentless, "You can't let her walk! Are you letting her go so she can assault more people?"
Eventually, Ashley called Harold. He arrived, negotiated with the station, and got them out.
Fuming in the car, Amelia raged, "Is Christian Brin out of his mind? When did I ever get involved with him?"
Ashley understood all too well. It was she whom Christian Brin was targeting, and Amelia was merely caught in the crossfire. "Harold, you take Amelia home. I'll be her defense attorney; I won't let anyone bully her."
Harold couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and annoyance as he looked at Amelia, "Quite the firecracker, grabbing your purse and giving someone a whack. Lucky for us, you didn't cause a concussion. And, do you know Christian Brin?"
Ashley chimed in, "they've met once at Blue Star. Christian was the one looking for trouble, it wasn't Amelia's fault."
Harold knew a thing or two about Christian Brin's notorious reputation, "Ashley, stay out of this for now. I'll handle it. Christian Brin is not someone to be taken lightly."
But Ashley wasn't one to hide. If she steered off the case, Christian Brin wouldn't back down, "I witnessed the whole incident. I'm the most qualified to speak on it."
"Are you going to play a lawyer or witness here? Ever heard of conflict of interest?"
Despite Harold's strong objections, Ashley reluctantly stepped back, and the law firm assigned Lynn Lloyd, an expert in civil disputes, to take over.
Before the case even started, videos and photos of Amelia's scuffle with the internet celebrity were blowing up everywhere!
They shot up to the fifth spot on the trending searches list.
#AmeliaJonesStreetFightWithEllieZane #
#Amelia'sPublicBrawlWithInternetCelebrity#
#ActressInAssault#
Amelia, who had never tasted the spotlight despite many years in the industry, was now the center of attention.
Sitting on her apartment's couch, hugging a pillow, she let out a sardonic laugh, "Years of hard work filming, and no one bats an eye. Throw one punch, and now I'm famous. Where's the justice in that?"
Ashley was there, trying to console her, "Isn't exposure what you entertainers aim for? Good or bad, you got your wish. Are you happy now?"
That's easy to say, but Amelia's clout alone wouldn't have landed her on the trending page without someone stirring the pot.
Amelia pouted, "A street fight with a cheesy love triangle? This is just annoying."
Ashley suggested coolly, "Keep a low profile for now, don't make a fuss. Wait for the case to be closed. Or...," she eyed her shrewdly, "spin this to your advantage. Post something on social media, play the sympathy card."
Amelia grimaced, "No way I'm doing that."
"If this keeps brewing, your agency might force you to issue an apology. Think about how to handle it."
Amelia ran her fingers through her hair, feeling uncomfortable.
Whether she liked it or not, her phone rang insistently with her agent on the other end. "Amelia! You think you're something special, huh? You’ve always been so sensible and steady, not one to cause drama. But now, look what you've done!"
Wincing from the earful, Amelia held the phone away, her heart racing, "Ms. Henderson, I..."
"Cut it off! Ellie has sent a lawyer's letter to the firm; she's suing you. She blasted it all over social media, declaring you a disgrace of an entertainer and calling for blackballing you!"
Amelia froze, her eyes glazing over for a few seconds before she chuckled and said, "Blackball? She's got guts, I'll give her that."
Ms. Henderson was a seasoned talent agent overseeing several A-listers and hardly had time for small fish like Amelia. She tolerated her only because Amelia was unobtrusive and a quick study; although not famous, she was obedient and had some chops.
Who knew the quiet ones could pull off such stunts?!
"Feeling scared? I've got connections, and word is Ellie's backer is none other than Christian Brin. Hate to break it to you harshly, but the company will throw you under the bus in a heartbeat. Even that show you just wrapped up production on is likely to cut your scenes, return your salary, and stick you with the bill for the technical costs."
A mix of vague fear and determination stirred in Amelia, but she didn't show any signs of defeat, "Ms. Henderson, nothing's set in stone yet. I won't stand down, and I certainly won't give up."
Ms. Henderson laughed at her naive defiance, "Darling, that series has contracts with several networks. Do you think you can settle this legal mess before it airs? Unless Christian Brin backs down, they'll drag this out until it buries you, causing trouble for the producers, studios, and buyers. Who among them can you afford to offend?"
With that grim advice, Ms. Henderson hung up.
Leaning back on her couch, Amelia tossed a chip into her mouth, chewing without tasting as she muttered, "Ashley, am I done for?"
Ashley agreed with Ms. Henderson's assessment; Christian Brin might not care about winning or losing the lawsuit. As long as the case dragged on unresolved, Amelia would have to be labeled as an aggressor, giving the studio every right to ditch her and seek damages.
"No, I'll handle this. Christian Brin's after me, trying to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys."
Indignant yet helpless, Amelia asked, "You crossed him? Why's he after you?"
"It's a long story, something from the past," Ashley replied, concerned Amelia was under too much stress alone at home, "I'll ask Harold to come over and keep you company. Hold tight for my update."
Simultaneously, Harold used his connections to come to a similar conclusion as Ms. Henderson, "Amelia, Ashley and I have got your back, no worries. Worst case, we find you a new gig. It's not like you're earning the big bucks with those guys anyways."
Amelia threw a pillow at him, "Don’t jinx it, say something positive."
Harold teased, "Why’s Christian Brin after you? He's got a thing for you or what?"
"Stay away from me!!!"
After leaving Amelia's, Ashley hailed a cab to the law firm. Upon entering, she was met with the curious and gossipy stares of her colleagues, but she didn't respond and headed straight to her office to dial Christian Brin.
The phone rang for near a minute before he answered languidly, "Well, this is rare, a call from Ashley herself. Never thought I'd see the day."
"It's me you have a problem with, not her. Drop the charges against her and let's settle this between us."
