Cage thought about that for a second. "Send the details to Stephen and we will look over it before accepting anything. Too many bogus companies are offering contracts these days. We need to keep an eye out for that."
Everyone attested to that.
"Now that we have spoken about the gross profit and brand aspects, let's talk about where you went for the last two days." Irene was a no-nonsense sort of a person and Cage usually liked her because of that.
"I went to meet my girlfriend because we had a misunderstanding." Flat out. Tell the truth. There is nothing they can do. He could see Demetri and Irene's eyes bulge.
"You knew!" Irene said, accusation clear in her voice as she pointed towards Stephen.
"Yeah, I drove him there." Demetri looked perplexed for a second.
"Cage, we never heard about this before and you are suddenly springing this on us. You know this is extremely important." Irene was the sort of person who got angry very quickly and Cage usually put up with it because she was very good at her job. Not this time.
"Yes, it's important, but knowing you... you will take advantage of my relationship in some way or the other. You have a way of putting your nose in my business." If he said it this way, Cage came off like an asshole and her as a person giving him unwanted attention. That was not fully true. But he did hold a little grudge on Irene because she had been the one who had pushed for the fake relationship with Keira. She had also shouted the loudest when he was contemplating coming out with his story. She hated every part of it.
"Well, you pay me to do that," was her counter-argument.
"I'll tell you all about it because I don't want her identity out in the public. Other than that, you won't have a say in if I stay in a relationship or not." On that, he was firm. It was his relationship. What he did professionally should never come into his private life.
"Which celebrity is it?" she asked instantly, her eyes calculative. Cage sighed.
"She is not a celebrity. She is a very ordinary person." The other two frowned.
"Then where did you meet her?" Demetri asked.
"Please don't tell me that it is a cleaning lady or some contractor you came across," Irene groaned, thinking the worst and putting her palms on her face as if a great catastrophe had occurred.
"She is a freelance graphic designer and ill.u.s.trator and we met online on a game that I play." There was a gasp in the room and Cage knew very well where it came from.
"That is worse!" she shouted. Cage looked out the glass wall and saw a couple of employees who were walking past pause at the sound and then scurry away as soon as they saw him look at them. "How long has this been going on for?"
"Over six months. I didn't think it was important at first. Later on, I let Stephen know. We didn't bother you. I just met her and it was fine." Irene was going to faint.
"You're kidding me. Give me her details and I will have a talk with her. We need to be absolutely sure that she is not talking to any publications or magazines. Do you know what a big chaos this could create? This could be a big scandal."
Cage looked at Stephen, pleading him to take control over the conversation because he, sure as hell wasn't going to defend his choices or hear someone badmouth Katherine when they hadn't met her yet.
"I've personally met her and can ensure that nothing of the sort will happen. I have undertaken thorough research of her and who she is associated with, as well. I can hand over the details if you want."
Cage felt like puking. "Like hell you are." He glared at Stephen. But then he thought about it calmly. These were the people he employed. They could make sure that Katherine's identity remained a secret. "Okay, I will give you some information. But you cannot contact her or breach her privacy. I know you have news and keyword tracking devices. I know you have excellent relationsh.i.p.s with entertainment journalists." He sucked in a deep breath. "Her name should not come out. Ever. Understood?"
Irene looked stunned. Demetri was more of a chill guy and went with the flow so he just nodded.
"For what it is worth, you look very happy and in love. Congratulations," Demetri said politely.
"Thank you," Cage muttered with a sigh of relief. "She's an amazing woman. Smart, talented, funny, and extremely perceptive. We had a great time."
Irene scoffed from the side.
"I'm sure you did." Cage didn't like the tone she had used. Cage raised an eyebrow at the woman but didn't say anything. "Don't worry, I'll try my best to keep everything under the wraps." She frowned. "I will need details of how you met and the conversations, though."
"You don't want to read those, ever," Stephen commented. He had read them. He knew she wouldn't take them lightly.
"That bad?" she asked. Stephen nodded. "With your permission, I will call the servers and delete everything." Cage shook his head.
"You don't need to do that." He wasn't even going to ask Katherine about this. It was an offensive idea even to him.
"Moving forward," Stephen began. "I received a couple of scripts that you will have to read through. We can arrange your schedule according to that." Cage nodded.
"What are my options?" he asked. With his foray into romance, he would receive more diverse roles, but he didn't know how much he wanted to experiment.
"There is no working title as of yet, but I don't think it matters what they call it. There is a high chance you will get an Oscar if you act in this." It was as simple as that.