Nayely circled her large island as she entered her kitchen. It was week 2 of her break and she was in no rush to do much of anything. Still clothed in her sweaty workout gear from earlier that morning, she searched her fridge for the premade smoothies she always started her day with. Pulling out the green pouch, she tipped it back, downing half with no problem. Leaning back on the island, she looked through her open floor plan house that was bathed in sunlight from the floor to ceiling windows in her living room.

She watched her TV mindlessly as a morning show sounded through her home.

"We welcome you back to Morning Breeze with the hottest name in the entertainment world, MJ Park!" The sudden name caused Nayely to suddenly crush the pouch, shooting the contents onto her shirt as she froze. Moving quickly, she managed to make it to the remote controller before another word could be uttered. Shutting it down, she kept her eyes from meeting the ones she refused to meet even through the screen.

Without realizing it, Nayely's chest fell and rose rapidly as she clenched her teeth. The soft sounds of her breathing helped to center herself as she took off her shirt. With most of her breakfast on the front of her clothes, she figured that this was a good enough excuse to venture out for food that would be more fulfilling.

Danny licked her lips as she threw her head back. With both feet planted on either side of MJ's body, she rode him to ecstasy.

"Fuck, baby!" She cooed as his grip tightened on her thin waist. Slipping her middle and ring finger into her mouth, Danny sucked and moaned as he filled her over and over. When she brought her hand down to his own mouth, her wrist was captured by MJ before she could. Closing his eyes, he drove himself into her until the tightness in his balls told him he had finally reached his peak. Just as Danny shrieked into the air, MJ gritted his teeth together while his own release washed over him. Slowly, he could feel Danny's body shudder as she dug her face into his chest. Falling to the side, Danny palmed her breast as the sounds of the TV came through.

"Let's just say I have not seen this many smiles in the studio before. Could you have something to do with that?"

"I hope so. I love to bring a smile to beautiful faces." MJ flirted with the older female anchor as he held her hand in his own.

"God, you know just what to do, don't you?" Danny snorted as she watched the interaction on the TV. Standing from the bed, MJ removed the condom from his body as he made his way to bathroom. The smell of a cigarette wafted through the door behind him as he began his shower.

"Danny--" He stepped across the threshold to give her a disapproving look.

"What?" She asked feigning ignorance.

With the raise of his brow, he brooked no argument as she snuffed out the smoke.

"I can't believe that of all things, cigarette smoke bothers you." Scooting to the edge of his bed, Danny's legs drifted open intentionally. Walking towards her, MJ placed her face between his hands. Her blonde brows sat above deep blue eyes that MJ had drowned himself in on more than one occasion.

"You know the rules, so why must you break them?"

"Rules are useless against me. I've already helped to break a few of them. If it wasn't for me, you'd truly be a bore." Laying her hands at his waist, tempting the loose towel there, Danny rolled her eyes when he thwarted her attempt.

She was right. MJ had lived for years on a strict path to get him to where he was.

No relationships with cast mates.

No reckless behavior.

No publicity stunts.

But most importantly?

No drugs.

Within three years he managed to fail at each turn. Looking to his dresser, MJ wasn't proud to see the metal sheet covered in fingerprints from the night before. Most of his memories with Danny were drug induced to enhance the experiences he had with her. When they had met, Danny helped to crack a part of him that he never knew existed. They were both adults, yet somehow Danny's own depravity had fed off the dissonance MJ funneled into his deepest cracks.

"What makes me a woman? Strength, power, confidence." The sound of the voice coming from the TV caused MJ to still. As his hands fell from Danny's, he could feel his heartbeat quicken as his muscles seemed to clench defensively throughout his body. Lowering his eyes, he allowed them to drift to the sound of the television, frozen by what awaited him..

He watched as the camera seemed to caress the taut skin of Nayely's body as she was donned in the latest athleisure wear she had become the face for. With the final shot of her looking over her shoulder towards the camera, MJ felt himself being jolted to the worst time in his life.

"You're the one who ruined us."

"Hello! MJ?" Drawn back to reality, MJ ignored the questioning look on Danny's face as she repeated her question.

"I said, should I join you in the shower? Maybe you need some help." Coasting her fingers over the dark hairs that trailed below his navel, MJ recoiled from her touch.

"Don't bother." Knowing that he had planned to be in and out, he escaped her offer, closing the door behind him.

Jumping in, he allowed the hot water to cascade down his body, washing away the tremors that threatened to shake him to the core.

Hopping from his G-Wagon, MJ pulled his cap closer as he watched paparazzi slink along the street, attempting to get the best shot as possible without being too obvious. Scratching at the stubble on his jaw, he crossed the street hoping to get away into the popular brunch spot. As he waited to be seated, he drowned out the sounds of the other patrons as they took notice of who he was.

MJ had foolishly assumed that he had mastered the ability to forget about Nayely. It was nearly impossible to avoid seeing or hearing about the woman who had become such a pillar in the sports world. These days, sports and entertainment crossed over in many ways, so seeing her face on the side of a building, or on TV wasn't abnormal.

Did it make his commitment of purging her that much harder? Of course. He always believed that nothing could break his resolve, but the moment it became inevitable that he would have to face and experience her just as others, he folded.

The young hostess who eyed him couldn't hide her excitement upon seeing MJ. She wasn't ashamed to admit that she quickly bypassed the names of customers who stood outside waiting in order to seat the star as soon as possible.

"Mr. Park! Right this way!" She called out. She stashed away the phone she had used to take photos of his private moment as he stood to follow. Tossing her jet-black hair across her shoulder, she couldn't hold back as she began to speak at the speed of lightning.

"I just want to say that it is so inspirational to see someone like you on TV. I never thought I'd be able to see another Korean as a superstar, yet here you are. I truly love your work. I've acted since I was a kid, and I hope one day I'll be recognized like you." She managed to give her impromptu elevator speech in the time it took to walk him to the table.

Placing his hand on her back, MJ took off his glasses.

"I'm grateful to have people like you watching and cheering me on. It lets me know that what I do means something." Pointing to the cell phone she held in her hand, he asked for permission to take it with a nod of his head.

"Oh! I'm not really allowed to take pictures."

"Don't worry, I'll take it for you." Taking the phone from her warm hands, MJ swiped up to access her camera. Snapping a few for good measure, he handed it over with a smile as he was seated at one of the more secluded spots of the restaurant.

When a fresh cup of black coffee was brought his way, he looked up to see the table across from him. On top was a polished brown hand that gripped the wooden surface as the rest of its owner's body was hidden underneath.

Absentmindedly waiting for the rest of the person to make their appearance, MJ's vision was blocked as a waiter stopped between the tables.

"Good morning! Welcome to Lono's. Is this your first time here?" With eyes drifting up to the waiter's, MJ began to place his order.

"See! I told you that was her! It's Nayely Polite!"

"Bruh, get the fuck out-hey, get your phone before she leaves."

"I knew she was thick but, damn! You think I can get at her?"

"Yeah, alright. I'm not going to save you when your ass ends up embarrassed."

MJ's attention was torn away as he heard the camera going off. Looking to his left, he missed the figure with her head down as she passed through the restaurant on his opposite side. Following their gaze to the table in front of him, he saw that it was now vacant. With his head on a swivel, MJ turned around quickly looking to catch a glimpse of the woman he swore he would never think of again.

What was going on today?

Against the pleas that came from the hidden MJ who had forced himself into living a pain filled life devoid of the person he had sworn off, the MJ who acted on impulse found himself ignoring the waiter as he stood from his seat, retracing his steps towards the door.

"Is everything ok, Mr. Park?" The hostess called out as he ran out the door. MJ's focus rested solely on finding the woman who he had turned his back on years ago. MJ thought he would be released from the hold that the devastation he had felt had on him, but he quickly discovered that he would never feel peace without being numb.

A photographer who had been busy staking out the perfect window to capture close shots of MJ was surprised to find him racing past as he darted into the road. Taking as many pictures as he could, he watched as MJ came close to colliding with the hood of a car, it's owner laying on the horn at his disregard for safety.

MJ followed the woman whose figure was oddly familiar to him. Her tall frame was supported by muscles that had been honed over time into creating arguably one of the best athletes in the world. Nayely moved with swift ease through the parking lot, oblivious to the man who pursued her.

Nayely.

Gaining ground, MJ found himself so close, he was afraid she'd hear his labored breaths. His hand was raised ever so slightly as if he was waiting for the right chance to place it on her shoulder, turning her around so that they could be face to face.

What then? What was he searching for by following her like this?

Thinking quickly, MJ made a beeline for his own car, ducking off just as she made it to hers. In his rear-view mirror, he watched as she sat in the front seat of a simple KIA Optima. When her eyes raised to the windshield, MJ ducked down, not realizing that there was no way she could recognize him. MJ chastised himself in the same breath as he subconsciously started his engine. Reason and sanity were no longer present as he trailed behind Nayely's own vehicle.

As he realized he had merged onto the highway, MJ had a brief moment of clarity.

What the fuck am I doing?

MJ had every opportunity possible to stop where he was, before he got in way over his head. Yet, after a nearly 30-minute drive, he continued to roll behind Nayely at what he hoped was a safe distance as they made it towards what looked like a serene neighborhood. His memory was imprinted with the scenes around him, noting that this couldn't have been a community filled with millionaires. He watched as driveways were filled with people laughing and greeting each other, preparing for summer barbecues as the smell of charcoal filled the air.

Turn after turn, his curiosity only grew as he watched some people wave at the car before him. Their eyes turned suspiciously towards his own car as it stuck out like a sore thumb. Gripping the wheel tighter, MJ slowly began to ease to the side of the road once he noticed Nayely's car finally pulling into the driveway of a one-story home. From what he could tell, the home had had some modifications done to it, but nothing extravagant in nature.

As the garage door began to raise, Nayely's car suddenly stopped. MJ's suspicions told him that she must have seen him lurking nearby as he pulled back further into his seat. With baited breath, he thought of what he would do if she were to get out the car, confirming his fears of being discovered. However, the moment he watched her car move into the garage with the door closing behind, he became filled with relief and common sense as he pulled away from the house.

MJ's skin was flushed with anxiety as he sped away. While he was wrapped up in his thoughts, MJ had almost missed the phone call from his manager. Unknowingly, it was the 15th call he'd received from her in the last hour.

"Where the hell have you been? You've got to stop turning your notifications off when you're alone, MJ!" The urgency in Christina's voice was not lost on MJ. Over the years, he had become accustomed to her high-strung nature. Though he was sure others would be against having a manager who seemed to always be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, he had found that was just the way Christina worked best. The possibility of her new concern taking his attention away was welcomed as he placed his hands to his thumping temples.

"What's up, Christina?"

"A lot-MJ-a lot. If you had your phone on, then you would have known just how much. I've been freaking out trying to figure out how to get around this bullshit while you just seem to be living in bliss!"

The mild curse that came from Christina's mouth told MJ that whatever she had to say was much more serious than he thought as she had always been a straight-laced person for as long as he knew her. He prepared himself for whatever she had to say.

"Calm down, Christina. I can't understand anything when you ramble. What happened?"

"Danny happened!" The shrill volume her voice reached couldn't hide the frustration she had been feeling behind the aforementioned suspect. "Every time I think that we've reached a good point free from drama, she manages to stir something up not just for her, but for us too!"

MJ racked his brain for what could have possibly happened between the time he left Danny in his apartment to see herself out to now.

"Did something happen to her? I was just with her this morning." Picking up his phone, MJ went to his notifications, seeing that he had been flooded with updates from all over. His social media, email, and phone log had been bombarded in his brief absence.

Glancing from the road to his phone, MJ quickly found a place to pull over as the small glimpses he had made through his messages became worse by the minute.

‘Danny Rose Exposes Her Thorns!'

‘Asshole Of The Year Award Goes to Danny Rose!'

The links he had been mentioned in burned with excitement at the latest scandal his girlfriend had managed to find herself in.

"Where are these from? I'm not reading anything from a gossip site, Christina, you know better than that."

"Don't worry about where the articles are coming from, worried about why they were made. Apparently, this morning a bereaved former assistant released a video of Danny. She was even on a radio show hyping it's release up and now it's everywhere." Christina recounted.

"A video? What kind of video could have made this much noise?"

"The kind of video that the current face of Asian actors wouldn't want his lily white girlfriend caught in! I can't say anything more but to see it for yourself." Almost instantly, a new message appeared from Christina of a video with Danny's face clearly in the thumbnail.

"Shit." MJ whispered as the video began to play.

"How many times do I have to fucking tell you to do it right?"

"Ma'am, I'm not sure what you want-"

"I want you to fix what you fucked up! Look at it!" Danny stood from the rolling chair to shove her hand into the face of the older nail technician. The worker inspected the nail that had caused the scene. Shaking her head from side to side, the woman had no idea what she was supposed to discover on the 5th inspection of the nail.

"Nothing's wrong! I've done like you asked many times now!"

"No you haven't, you lying bitch. Open those fucking eyes of yours and look! You think I'm wasting my time here because I want to?" Slapping the woman against the cheek, Danny roughly pushed her to the ground. Just then, a younger man rushed to the side of the technician.

"You've got to go, or we'll call the police!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"You just assaulted her!"

Scoffing in towards the camera person, Danny seemed to almost make eye contact with the camera as she spoke into it.

"They're going to call the police on me? Let's see how that works out when they find a bunch of illegals in the back. Let's see!" She turned shouting towards the workers. Everyone who fell in the range of the camera appeared to be distressed and disturbed by what was going on.

"Go ahead, where's your phone?" Stomping towards the main counter, Danny picked up the wireless phone throwing it at the young man's head. "Call the police right now and I'll tell them that you're running a shitty business! Who do you think they're going to believe, me or a bunch of chin-"

"God, that's like the thousandth time I've had to sit through that. I swear if I could just get my hands on her--!"

"I've got to go." MJ interrupted her as his eyes narrowed at the phone he gripped in his hand.

"Wait, wait, wait! Where are you going? You need to lay low right now because right now they're dragging you right alongside her online. We don't need anything getting out before an official address is made. They've put a gag on Danny for the time being, and I frankly think you should do the same just to be safe. We can't get in front of this so now we have to play it smart. MJ?"

With no response, Christina was surprised by the sudden dial tone as MJ raced home.

When Nayely had pulled into her driveway, the small content she had felt from the fullness in her belly turned into an ache as she laid eyes on the red sports car that sat inside her garage. Her body froze with confusion and anger as she tried to figure out where Terrence seemed to pull his disrespect from. Pulling out her phone, she had been sure that she had locked her home.

To her dismay not only did she see the notification showing that she had armed her home before leaving, she also saw that soon after an unwelcomed visitor had undone the system. Easing into the garage, Nayely grabbed her belongings hurriedly as she was overwhelmed with the need to throttle the man inside. She had intentionally changed her security information just before the London trip, as she had been plagued with unwanted visits by Terrence before. This time, she would be sure to speak with the company so that she could get to the bottom of how he managed to slip by this time.

As she made her presence known, Nayely used the short time she had in the hallway to steel herself before facing off with Terrence. He had a knack for drawing whatever reaction he wanted from her, and no matter what, he would smile and laugh things off with amusement. Nayely wasn't sure how she hadn't dropped dead from the stress he had caused her by now.

Rounding the corner into her living room, she clenched her teeth when she saw his feet propped comfortably against her ottoman, flipping through the channels on TV.

"Where have you been this morning? I've been waiting for the last hour."As if nothing was wrong, Terrence tossed his lack of a greeting over his shoulder as Nayely charged forth. With a swift kick, she tossed his legs from her ottoman as she stood in the way of the TV.

"Hello, are you the owner of this house?" Looking around, Nayely narrowed her eyes. "Car in the garage, feet on the furniture... did I miss something?" Placing her hands on her hips, Nayely waited as he dragged his eyes down her form unabashedly. "Terrence!"

"Come on, Nayely. This ain't nothing new!"

"How did you get into my house?"

Reaching around her to turn off the TV, Terrence took his time as he stood to his feet. Standing nearly eye to eye with Nayely, his aura made him seem like a giant. For just a moment, Nayely nearly shrank back, but she stood her ground. She had ignored so much due to the moral guilt that she had been plagued with for nearly 8 years, but this-this was crossing the line.

"You already know the deal. What's yours is mine." The low tone he had taken made Nayely ball her fists together.

"What's mine, is mine." Walking around to the backside of the couch, Nayely waved her hand towards Terrence. "If you lasted two weeks without bothering me, then I'm sure you can take just one more." As she tried to encourage him down the hallway towards the garage, Terrence rooted himself where he was.

"You know, I was going to give you your little time away, but when you ignored my calls, texts, and emails, I had to come through and see what's up."

"When I said no contact, I meant it. Now, please go. Save whatever you have for when it's time." Nayely couldn't deny that she ignored Terrence during her break-it was nothing new. She had no problem disconnecting when she had personal time. Everyone who had gotten to know her knew what it meant to her and adjusted accordingly. Everyone except for Terrence.

"It's always time for money, Nayely. Money can't stop and wait for you to come back to reality."

"I'm not exactly hurting for much, I'll take my time when I want it. That's the way it is." Nayely turned her head when she heard the soft chuckling coming from Terrence.

"See, this is why you need me around. You get a couple mil here and there and then get comfortable. Don't worry though. I got you. I always will." The smile on his face led Nayely to believe that whatever he had to talk about needed little input from her.

"What have you gotten me into?" Since blurring the lines of coach and manager, Terrence's greed born from Nayely's fame had only grown and placed her in complicated situations. Oftentimes it was nearly impossible to find her way out of obligations, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try.

"Opportunity. Exposure. Wealth. That's what I've gotten you into. Don't act brand new." The playful demeanor Terrence had slipped away as business came forth. "Remember the shoe deal I told you about? I'm sure if you had seen my messages you'd know that I've entered us into the contract."

"Us?" Terrence's habit of including them both into situations as if they carried an equal weight was clear.

"You're doing this campaign, Nayely. I'm not trying to hear anything from you about it other than excitement. You're about to have so many people across the country-across the world-thinking they can be as good as you when they lace these sneakers up. Next week, you'll be meeting with designers to brainstorm on the image. They want you apart of this and-"

"Stop right there. If I didn't hear from Maya about this, then-"

"Maya doesn't have anything to do with this. Maya doesn't make the moves. I do." At the raising of Nayely's brow, Terrence corrected himself. "For you, Nayely. All of this is for you."

"I did not ask for this..."

"I owed a favor to my boy. There's nothing wrong with dropping a shoe real quick, making some money, and giving kids dreams. You have a problem with that?"

"I have a problem with you using me as a bargaining chip for you and your boys. You don't make decisions like this for me without me!" Losing her cool, Nayely screamed in frustration.

"When have I ever let an opportunity slip away? If you eat, I eat. That's how it's always been. Don't act like I've done you wrong." With quick steps, Terrence stood before Nayely, gripping her by the arms before she knew it. "If you didn't want this then why are you still here?"

"Stop playing with me, Nayely. If you didn't want to be here, you'd leave."

"I-I can't. Why can't I move?"

The intrusive memory paralyzed Nayely as she felt surrounded by Terrence. With eyes darting around, she looked for something-anything that could help her. When a strong hand was placed on her chin, tearing her away from the terror that lurked behind her eyes, she was finally able to notice where she was.

With a strong shove, she sent Terrence's solid form flying back into the couch. Startled by her sudden move, Terrence caught himself, not wanting to show just how shocked he was.

"Don't ever-ever-touch me. Now, get out. I won't tell you again." The timidity Nayely usually had around him disappeared, causing Terrence to lose interest in the back and forth. Pushing his hands into his pants, he stared at her unwavering eyes before walking away.

"See you next week, Nayely." He said as he made his way to the garage. Moving to the panel by her front door, Nayely watched the camera as it showed his red car backing away before leaving out of view.

Finding her phone, Nayely dialed her security company without missing a beat. When she finally got a hold of a representative, Nayely's anger didn't die down as she had hoped when she heard some of the answers to her questions.

"What do you mean someone made an update to the account?"

"Yes, Ms. Polite. It appears that a request was made this morning to update the passcode to your system."

"By who, exactly? I didn't authorize any changes."

"We have records showing that a Terrence Thompson who is listed as a member of the household requested the change."

"I'm the only member of my household." As the gravity of the situation dawned on the employee. Nayely knew that it was time to cancel her service as soon as possible. No amount of apologies could change her mind as she hit the internet in search of a new way to protect her space.

Riding the elevator to the floor of his apartment, MJ punched in the code to his door before storming in. Just as he expected, his apartment had been trashed. If he knew anything about Danny, her fits of rage tended to take out anything within her vicinity.

At the moment, his material things paled in comparison to the disrespect he had felt having to watch her racist rant on video. On the ride home, he tried to think of any possible incidents he was too blind to see. MJ had written off her most questionable behavior as having come from an affluent family where her riches were the center of her concern rather than the lives that everyday people had to live.

When he heard a crash in his bedroom, he ran in to find Danny stamping out a pillow as smoke rose from it. The smell of cigarette smoke filled the room and had been the cause of the slight mishap she had made. If only this was the extent of her issues today.

"MJ!" When she laid eyes on him she quickly rushed to his side, wrapping him in her thin arms as she cried on his shoulder. "It's not what you think. I promise you. I don't know how something like this could have happened. If I'd known that bitch was recording me I would have never said anything like that!"

"So, what happens when there isn't a camera around, Danny?" Tossing her backwards, MJ dared for her to touch him again.

"I've been violated, MJ! She illegally taped me and-"

"You're really going to try and talk your way out of this?" MJ asked in disbelief.

"What do you expect? The entire world hates me now. I'm not a bad guy! I didn't do anything to deserve this."

"Smacking an old woman and calling her a chink is deserving of a lot, Danny!" As she attempted to reach out to him again, MJ stepped away.

"It's just a word! I was angry-she wouldn't listen to me and-"

"You've got me fucked up if you think I'm going to sit here and hear you plead your case. You do realize I'm Asian, right? You realize you practically spit in my face when you called her that?"

"No! MJ, that's not how I think about you."

"Just because you fuck me, I'm some exception?"

"I love you, MJ and I would never say anything to hurt you. You know that! I've always treated you normal."

MJ couldn't believe it took something like this for him to see what lied within the woman before him.

"Normal? There's nothing that separates me from that woman you assaulted. You don't pick and choose which Asian is a chink and which isn't. It doesn't work that way, Danny."

"MJ!" Picking up her belongings, MJ began to gather anything that belonged to Danny, piling them in the middle of his floor. Flopping to the floor, she threw herself at his feet, clawing at his ankles as he tried to shake her off.

"You can't do this to me right now! I need you and you're trying to bail out on me. Let's just talk about this, why do we have to ruin everything because of something like this? It was a mistake. I'll apologize-I'll apologize 100 times if it means you'll just stop and talk to me."

"A mistake is forgetting your phone at home. A mistake is not remembering when your call time is. Running around hiding your racism and then crying when you expose yourself is no mistake." Lowering himself so that he was face to face with Danny, MJ's eyes burned into hers.

"I'm the only one who made the mistake of falling so deep into fucking and coke that I missed everything along the way. If you thought I was just some desperate Asian guy who would do anything to keep you, you were dead wrong." Kicking his leg free, MJ was unphased by the death glare Danny held on him as her red eyes no longer produced any tears. Wiping at her cheeks, Danny bared her teeth as she screamed.

"You can't stand there and act like you don't have any shit on you! How many times have I helped whenever you freak out at night? What about when you daze out and ignore me for days? Huh? Do you think your perfect?" Tilting her head to the side drawer, Danny alluded to the drug habit he had picked up along the way.

Disappearing from the room, MJ left Danny to snivel as he searched for a trash bag. When he returned to the room, he packed her things without a word.

"Don't ignore me, MJ! We work together! We have too much riding for us to drop it because of a stupid video! Just give it time to pass. Please, baby." MJ was sure that in Danny's eyes, she saw their relationship as her doing him a favor, helping him gain exposure as an actor. Audiences had already known MJ even prior to their relationship for his skills and resume. With Danny most of her appeal came from being a socialite and having connections in the business catapulted her into stardom. Her name drew more crowds than her skills.

MJ could make do without Danny.

The vibration of an incoming call pulled MJ's attention to his phone. Seeing Christina's name, he answered immediately.

"Have you seen or heard from Danny? She's blowing off her team, and the execs are about to decide whether or not she'll be filming for the talk show next week. This is big, this is supposed to help the box office numbers next weekend but who knows what's going to happen now."

Looking to Danny, MJ pulled the phone away from his mouth.

"Wasting your time crying here isn't going to help you. I suggest you get out and figure out how to save your own ass."

Standing to her feet, Danny jerked away the trash bag from his hands as she shot daggers his way. Not one to leave without incident, she knocked over whatever she had forgotten in her earlier fit on her way out.

"Oh my God, was that her?"

"Never mind that, she's gone now."

"Did she like break into your place or something? Why was she there?"

Kicking his fallen things out of his way, MJ plopped down on his bed, not wanting to divulge information on the last and final night he had spent with Danny.

"There's a lot waiting for us this week, Christina. Let's focus on that and making our next move."

"I wish it was going to be that easy. Do you know how many think pieces they've already written calling you a complacent partner in white supremacy? I mean, how do they get these things up so fast? It makes no sense-"

"Christina. Don't read into any of that. The more you feed into what's said online, the more upsetting it's going to be." Silence filled the line as the inevitable question came MJ's way.

"I hate to ask this-but I have to-just to know."

"Yes, Christina?" MJ gave her time to form her thoughts.

"You and Danny were together for three years. That's a long time to be with someone who you hate because of their race. Who knows what's going to come out of all this-I just have to know." Taking a breath, Christina let it out. " Did you know?"

"Of course not. Being who I am has always been important to me and what I do. Not once have I ever been ashamed of it. If I'd known that this was something Danny would have brought into this relationship, I never would have agreed to be with her. This-this is something I missed." His honesty spoke to Christina who was able to breath a sigh of relief.

Being the child of Filipino immigrants, she too had fought tooth and nail to get to the level of talent management that she had. Oftentimes, potential clients would reject her, thinking that there was no way she could cultivate an image or path through the entertainment world for them. Knowing the traction that MJ had caught early on in his career, she put herself before him, offering the best that she could and promising she wouldn't allow for either of them to fail.

"Okay, okay. I believe you. You know I had to ask because if I have to get out there and defend you I didn't want to be surprised by something damning. I just had to make sure you were still with me on this."

When their call came to an end MJ felt like he had lived an entire year in just one day. When he saw an incoming text from Khalil, MJ tossed the phone.

Well...

He'd had enough drama for now. Opting to entertain his best friend later, MJ began to bring order back to his space.