Behind The Spotlight Chapter 257
She had to protect her career.
Jennifer admitted that she was a hypocrite. She could turn a blind eye to many things and chose silence when it suited her. She had witnessed many questionable things when she was still a young actress, long before Collin signed her.
Back then, she was an aspiring actress trying to find her place in Hollywood. She had been offered the casting couch many times, but she never fell for it. She was afraid of making a mistake, one that would haunt her forever.
Still, her determination had brought her nothing, as Hollywood was entirely about business. If you had nothing to give, you would receive nothing in return.
If not for Collin, Jennifer might have succumbed to the pressure and sell soul. Fortunately, she had met him.
Collin's appearance made things better because he ensured Jennifer was protected from any malicious deals.
Jennifer opened her phone and scrolled through her contacts, her fingers hesitating. She saw Collin's number... but she didn't press the call button.
Instead, she scrolled further down and called her boyfriend.
"..."
No one answered. It seemed her boyfriend was still asleep or simply ignoring her. She tried calling him twice, but he didn't pick up. Jennifer smiled bitterly and stared into the mirror. Her reflection looked unfamiliar.
'Good heavens, what am I doing with my life?'
She left the bathroom and walked out to the studio set, where the crew members were actively preparing for today's show.
"Jennifer, are you okay?"
"Huh?" She blinked.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to her. Jennifer turned around and found Collin looking at her.
"Collin, why are you here?" She was surprised. It was very early in the morning, and the sun had just risen.
"Because I want to talk to you." Collin checked her appearance and sighed when he saw the exhaustion written all over her face.
"Let's talk in your trailer." Collin walked ahead.
"O-Okay." Jennifer stuttered slightly and followed him, biting her lip and looking down.
The two went to the trailer, where Jennifer's assistant was waiting. The assistant had prepared a cup of coffee for her, Jennifer loved drinking coffee before a show.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know you were going to show up today. I'll prepare a coffee for you right away," the assistant apologized to Collin.
"It's alright, I don't need coffee. Can you please leave us be? I have something to talk to Jennifer about."
"Yes, sir."
The assistant closed the door and left them, bringing a sudden quiet to the room.
"Are you alright?" Collin asked gently, but he could see that she was not in a good mood.
Jennifer chuckled and shook her head. For some reason, her mood lightened now that Collin was here.
"For goodness' sake, do I look alright?" She forced a weak smile.
If this were the Jennifer of the past, she would have cursed using sharp words.
"I can see that you're not doing well... Why didn't you tell me that Shawn is going to be a guest on your show? If not for Paul Kim from the PR team, I wouldn't even know. This is not the first time you have done something like this." Collin frowned.
"Because I know that you'll prevent it from happening." She smiled bitterly. She didn't want to entrust everything to Collin, she wanted to make her own decisions.
She knew exactly what kind of person Collin was. He was protective.
Collin had a serious gaze, and she swallowed hard. Jennifer admitted it to herself, Collin's green-brown eyes were incredibly powerful, especially when he stared at her deeply. She was scared of his gaze because it made her feel weak and vulnerable.
She averted her eyes and grabbed her coffee.
"Last time, you interviewed a disgusting female teacher... Jennifer, is this really the path you've chosen?"
"Do I look like I have principles?"
They had known each other for a decade now. Jennifer was never truly demure, she was not a good woman. She was harsh with her words, and she hated it when someone belittled her, to the point that she would throw things.
"My position on the morning show is not that solid. I can't make a mistake, not yet."
"Then you want to interview Shawn? Can you even do it?"
"I will do it."
Collin sighed. Jennifer was a stubborn woman, and he couldn't really convince her to change her decision. It was too late anyway. If this had been yesterday or two days prior, Collin could have prevented the interview from happening altogether.
As for Salvador, Collin didn't really care about his opinion.
"Jennifer, I will ask again, are you sure about this?"
"I heard that you are friends with Shawn's talent agent. Are you sure you want me to stop? If I don't interview him, could this destroy your friendship?"
"Salvador and I were never friends. We are just on the same side because our goals align."
"What about your position in the company?"
"Are you worried about me?" Collin was surprised.
"Nah."
"You don't have to worry. No matter what decision you make, I'm always here for you. Trust me, I can fix it."
For the first time, Jennifer genuinely smiled. It was a beautiful smile.
"Collin, you're a good person."
"I don't think so." Collin shook his head.
"You're good to me."
"I'm your friend," he replied.
"I'm your client, you shouldn't really treat me like a friend."
The two stared at each other, but Jennifer avoided his gaze first, unable to handle the intensity.
"Anyway, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"If you need help, you can contact me," he assured her.
"Alright, if you say so. Anyway, are you not going to leave?"
"I decided to stay and watch your show."
"No, I'm not talking about that." She giggled. "I'm asking you to leave my trailer, I'm going to change clothes. Unless you want to see me naked, Collin, you dirty dog."
"I'm going to take my leave."
Collin excused himself.