Chapter 4: Terms of Revenge

I picked a day to visit Derek’s agency. The boss greeted me like family.

“Thank goodness you’re back, my lifesaver!”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, curious at his long face.

“Don’t even get me started. Ever since you quit, I haven’t had a single good night’s sleep.”

He slapped a thick envelope of invoices on the table. “After Derek got famous, his spending went through the roof. I can’t afford to keep him!”

“With his current popularity, he should be making enough to cover it,” I frowned.

“No way!” the boss shot back. “You know as well as I do, Derek Ford is a walking disaster.”

He laid out the breach-of-contract paperwork.

“He’s ruined all our best deals. Not only are we not making money, we’re losing it. Why did I ever sign this guy?”

He wasn’t wrong. Derek’s fame went to his head—he’d turn down reasonable requests from brands, so the company paid more in penalties than he brought in.

I used to clean up his messes, but after our breakup, I quit the agency too. The boss just couldn’t handle it anymore.

“Autumn, we’ve been through so much together. Just do me a favor—come back and manage him for a while? I can’t find a decent agent for him.”

He looked at me like I was his last hope.

When I was his agent, I handled everything—made life easier for the company, the boss, and Derek.

“I’ll come back on one condition,” I said, a plan forming in my mind.

“No problem! You want a raise or a promotion? Done!”

“I don’t need either. I just want full control over Derek’s arrangements—no interference.”

The boss was puzzled but agreed. He was desperate.

Back at the company, the first thing I did was tally up every cent I’d spent on Derek over the years. It was a hefty sum.

“Can’t let me go, can you?”

Suddenly, Derek appeared in my office, smirking like he’d expected this all along.

I glanced at him, then looked back at my work. “Where do you get this confidence?”

“You quit so decisively when we broke up, and now you’re back. Must be because of me!”

He raised his head, full of himself. “I’m just too irresistible.”

I nearly laughed out loud. He wasn’t wrong—I was back because of him.

But not to help him. I was here for payback.

Time to knock him down a peg!

“I just did the math. The company’s investment in you over the years—it’s time you paid it back.”

I placed the calculator in front of him. The number made his eyes widen.

“Autumn, what’s this supposed to mean?”

“The contract you signed clearly spells it out. Didn’t you read it?”

He froze, then tried to blame me. “I signed it, but you looked at the terms, didn’t you?”

His gaze turned sinister. “You set me up!”

“Me? Please, have some common sense.”

I almost laughed at his stupidity. “Most agencies are ruthless these days. The contract I got you was as fair as it gets.”

I showed him the terms.

“It says once you’re profitable, you have to repay the company’s investment, and the company gets a thirty percent cut of all future earnings.”

He’d agreed to all this. Apparently, he never even read it.

“Just tell me how much I owe.”

He tried to act rich, pushing the calculator away and calling his wealthy girlfriend right in front of me.

“I’ll pay it off right now!”

He switched to a sweet tone as soon as she answered. “Babe, it’s me!”

But I could hear Savannah’s annoyed voice. He pretended not to notice, pouring on the flattery.

Watching this, I felt a pang. After all those years together, I’d done everything for him, but never heard such sweet words from him.

After everything, he accused me of being with him for his money.

So yeah, I was going to get my revenge!

But his only goal with all that sweet talk was to get money from Savannah.

She wasn’t stupid. Carter had already looked into her—she’d dated plenty of influencers before Derek. She was just in it for the novelty, so she’d never give him that kind of money.

Sure enough, the call ended with her yelling and swearing at him. He turned the volume down and stepped away, desperate for me not to hear.

Soon, she hung up.

“It’s just a little money—nothing to me. My girlfriend even wanted to help pay, but I’m a man, I’ll handle it myself.”

He tried to act tough, but his voice was shaking. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay it all back in three months.”

I believed he could do it. He was a viral influencer and planning to break into showbiz. With all the offers he was getting, it wouldn’t be hard to pay it back in three months.

But it would cost him a lot—like his reputation.

Maybe he didn’t want to look weak in front of me, because after that, he started working nonstop.

The boss couldn’t believe it—Derek was actually working for once.

But he’d made big promises, so he had to deliver.