Page 6 of Don’t Forget Me

“It is Lysandra Guerrera we are considering. An old friend of Ezra’s,” Zack commented. He put an elbow on the table, his eyes mocking me. How the hell did Cami ever fall for this jerk?

I don’t think he agreed with the offer Ezra had to give. Greer turned toward me, eyebrows raised. I nodded in confirmation.

“If I may interrupt.” Camille raised a hand.

“Go ahead, miss,” Ezra said.

“When do you and your team plan to release this project to the public?”

“Our hope is to have it through post-production by next autumn.”

“Very well. How is the author going to benefit from this contract?” Greer asked.

“We’d give her twenty percent of royalties.”

That is an exaggeratedly high number of royalties. Most authors were offered one to five percent. What was Ezra planning?

“What about casting? Do you have any actors in mind?” Greer asked.

“I do. And I already have an estimated casting call timeline and a location to hold auditions,” Ezra replied. He pressed on the remote and showed a picture of a calendar with circled areas. My eyes widened. It seemed like he wanted to start on this project almost immediately because the dates were set for two weeks from now. “I know it’s soon. But if I may, I know we will find actors pretty soon based on the vast number of readers for this book.”

“Will Lysandra have a say on the script?” Greer managed.

“She can be part of the screenwriting team that we have assembled. Here is a list of names of people who have shown interest in working on this movie.” He pointed to the new slide on the TV.

My suspicions had to be true.

“What are your plans for marketing?”

“We have a couple of people waiting for our call. Legends who have worked on blockbuster romance films,” Ezra said. “I was thinking of contacting November Walsh, since she’s known for her marketing in top-grossing movies like Rebels on Ninth and Love in Color Film.”

He matched perfectly with the view behind him. It was like looking at a character in a vintage painting. The glass window allowed us a clear view of the streets of Edinburgh. Lamplights were lined across the cobblestone pathways, strollers passed by, while the structures were tall and dark. I could hear the buzzing of conversation, along with the clicking of boots, and the honking of cabs.

He had an answer for every question, and it bugged me tremendously. He knew exactly how I would want a movie deal for my book. But he didn’t know me. I left before he could know more about me.

Greer turned toward me, her hazel eyes digging into me. I glanced at Camille, who shrugged.

“It sounds like a good deal to me,” Greer said.

“What do you think?” Cami questioned me. She must’ve seen the look of horror on my expression because then she said, “This is the deal of your dreams.”

She wasn’t wrong. This was the movie deal that I had always dreamed of for my work. But the book… the script… he had inspired everything. Just by being my greatest heartbreak.

“You deserve it, Lysandra. After all the hard work you’ve put into this,” Elena noted.

All three of the women inside of the conference room stared back at me with wide smiles on their faces. Zack rolled his eyes and sighed softly, almost like he was forced to be here, bored out of his mind. And Ezra… he wouldn’t stop looking at me with hopeful eyes. Anticipation, anxiety, and longing were digging holes into me.

I knew I’d have to fortify my barriers and avoid the same mistake that I made years ago. He would not know who I was now, I wouldn’t give him that privilege. Ezra took me for granted, but I would take advantage of his proposition. I would do this. For myself. For everything I’d suffered in my long life.

I looked over to my editor, then to Camille. I could hear their silent thoughts questioning whether I truly wanted this. I didn’t want to be here in this room with Ezra and Zack, but I knew I wanted my book to be made into a movie.

“It’s a deal.” I forced a smile.

“That’s wonderful. Thank you, Miss Guerrera. I truly think this will be one of our best projects yet.”

I gulped at the sound of my last name leaving his lips.

Camille, Elena, Greer, and Ezra clapped. All of them hooting and congratulating me.