Chapter 136: The Fearless Journey

[Chapter 136: The Fearless Journey]

[Is this Amber? Unbelievable, she looks so innocent! Who would have thought she was this open behind closed doors?]

[This blonde is going to make her mark in Hollywood! They should have her name etched on the Walk of Fame.]

[You might miss a 20-year-old Paris Hilton or a 21-year-old Kim Kardashian, but you definitely cannot miss 22-year-old Amber Heard!]

[The editors at Entertainment Weekly are probably losing it, having to scramble to redo this year's biggest entertainment scandals!]

[Kudos to the one who leaked this! We finally got to see her true colors!]

[Is there a video? A friend of mine wants to see it.]

Inside a house in Los Angeles, sounds of furniture being smashed echoed alongside Amber's piercing screams.

"I'm going to kill you!" Amber shouted, shoving a cabinet that toppled over, sending its contents crashing to the floor.

The room was a disaster -- a chaotic mess of shattered glass, splintered wood, and overturned furniture. She wrecked everything within reach, her hands cut by sharp objects, blood flowing freely.

Gasping for breath, she slid down the wall, feeling defeated. She thought of all the ways to retaliate, like slandering Ryan, suing him for invasion of privacy, or even more extreme measures. But one by one, those ideas fell flat -- Ryan was now a big star and she was just another struggling actress, definitely without a powerful backing.

There was nothing she could do.

With this thought, Amber's lips curled into a sneer, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Wahhhh..." She buried her face in her legs, starting off with sniffles, then sobs, eventually breaking into heart-wrenching cries.

She felt as if her entire career had been destroyed by Ryan; she had become the "blonde Texas bitch" in everyone's eyes.

Just then, her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she saw it was a text from Ryan.

The message was short: "You got the role."

Damn it!

...

Amber wiped her tears and immediately called Ryan, and this time he answered.

"Are you messing with me? Is this a joke?!" Amber said, sniffling. "If you don't want me in it, just say so! Did I do something to you? Why are you treating me like this? Go to hell, you bastard!"

The more she spoke, the more upset she became and started crying again.

"I'm not kidding; you got the role," Ryan said, his tone as calm and emotionless as ever.

But Amber only sent that picture to one person -- Ryan. Who else could have leaked it?

"I'm not acting in it! I don't want to speak to you again in my life!" she shouted.

"Okay."

Amber choked on her words. She thought Ryan would at least comfort her, apologize, or try to convince her otherwise, but instead, she got a simple "okay"? He didn't want to say another word.

"If you don't want to act, I'll let Teresa do it. It makes no difference to me," Ryan said lightly.

"It makes a difference to me! You're ruining my life! I deserve this role; it's what you owe me. If you dare not let me do it, I swear I'll..."

"What will you do?"

"I'll haunt you! You'll wish you hadn't messed with me!" Amber cursed, her face streaked with tears.

"Listen, I don't care if you're a Texas bitch or a California bitch...," Ryan's tone shifted, cold as ice. "Me offering you this role is a favor. If you cause me any more trouble, you'll find out that sometimes death is a relief. Got it?"

His voice made Amber wonder if someone else had picked up the phone.

Her heart raced with fear, as she felt Ryan truly could follow through with his threats.

"I understand," Amber replied instinctively.

"Good. Actually, this isn't a bad thing..." Ryan's tone relaxed again. "At least now everyone knows your true colors. Some small-time bitch roles are just right for you, don't you think? You can finally drop the act."

"You're right," Amber said with a forced smile while cursing Ryan inwardly. "So, next time we meet, you'd better be on time or Teresa will replace you." Ryan hung up.

So what if he had someone backing him? What was so great about that? Amber muttered to herself, her smile turning sinister.

Ryan Rivers, I'm going to make you pay! Today's grudge, I'll settle it!

...

That evening, Ryan was on the phone with Taylor, chatting casually.

"Did you see that picture online? Someone leaked a private photo of an actress." Taylor stated seriously from the other end.

In 2008, mobile internet wasn't really there yet; it wasn't a "full exposure" era, so such leaks were rare, which explained why this photo spread quickly.

Technically, Ryan hadn't violated any privacy; Amber had managed to cover what needed to be covered in that photo.

"Nothing surprising," Ryan replied, sounding mildly innocent, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"By the way, when I get back to Nashville this week, I'm seeing a therapist. It's been pretty stressful, and I just need some mental support. And I need to go to a comedy show this weekend, too. Oh! You know what? After touring so many cities, I realized how many people support me, and I want to meet them. My manager mentioned plans for a tour next year. I think this is the perfect timing. What do you think?"

"You'll be busy, huh?"

"Yeah, usually it's three to five cities a week with barely any downtime." Taylor sighed on the phone.

"So you'll definitely come to see me during breaks, right? I miss you so much," she added, sounding somewhat pleading.

"Sure thing," Ryan nodded.

Touring can be very lucrative, but the record companies usually had little say in it, with management companies taking the lead. Taylor's manager came from William Morris, making Ryan feel less involved.

"So when can you help me organize it?" Taylor suddenly asked.

"Organize what?"

"The tour!"

"William Morris..."

"They're keen to take on this business, but I thought of you. Why shouldn't you earn this money?" she said, laughing.

Ryan jumped out of bed, realizing he could contact AEG, the country's second-largest concert promoter; they could easily help him secure venues. Everything else would be much smoother from there.

If he did this well, his future tours could follow the same path, and he could eventually work on tours for other stars, too.

His mind raced with possibilities. Planning a tour involved many elements -- first the performance team, then the tech crew, and finally security and transport.

Though it was starting from scratch, as Taylor's tour wouldn't begin until next year, they still had some prep time.

"I got it. Let's start with recruiting the performance team," Ryan decided after some thought.

Recruiting the performance team was crucial -- if every show just relied on backing tracks, it would feel way too lazy. Live accompaniment was standard in the industry, so recruiting band members was essential, along with dancers and performers.

This was a long-term job -- the three main teams wouldn't just participate in a few shows; they would follow Taylor for all her performances.

"We should find a bigger venue in Nashville for recruiting and rehearsing."

"You're right. I'll have Trey check it out."

"By the way, what are we calling this tour?" Taylor asked.

"It definitely has to be called The Fearless Journey."

*****

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