Betrayed Spotlight-Chapter 39: Unexpected meeting

After dinner, Sarah walked back to her room feeling tired but happy.

She sat on her bed and remembered then Antonio’s message. She had completely forgotten about it during all the exchange with Elena and the photo shoot.

Sarah picked up her phone and opened the text message again.

*Sarah, I need to talk to you urgently. Can you meet me tomorrow morning at Gold Restaurant? It’s important. Please come. - Antonio*

Sarah frowned. Gold Restaurant was her favorite restaurant. She used to go there all the time when she was feeling sad or stressed. The food was delicious and the owner was always kind to her.

Sarah didn’t want to go. But curiosity was eating at her. What if something serious had happened?

She stared at the message for a long time, thinking. Finally, she decided she would go tomorrow morning. She would listen to what Antonio had to say, and then she would leave quickely. She didn’t owe him anything more than that. She wasn’t giving Diamond any money as well.

She put her phone away and went to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up early and got dressed carefully. Today was occupid for two reasons. First, she had to meet Antonio. Second, Zachary was going to introduce her to an A-list artist today.

Zachary had told her it was one of the latest Grammy winner, but he wouldn’t tell her who. Sarah was so excited she could barely contain herself. She wanted to look up Grammy winners online, but she had been so busy with Mason and the photo shoot that she forgot.

Sarah chose a simple but elegant black dress and put on light makeup. She looked professional but not too fancy. She wanted to look good for meeting the famous artist later.

She went downstairs for breakfast, hoping to see Mason. But Derek was waiting for her in the dining room instead.

"Good morning, Mrs. Liu," Derek said politely. "Mr. Liu had to leave early for an important meeting. He asked me to tell you he’ll see you tonight."

Sarah felt disappointed. She had wanted to have breakfast with Mason like they did last night. But she nodded and ate quickly.

After breakfast, Sarah went outside where Eli was waiting with the car.

"Good morning, Mrs. Liu," Eli said, opening the car door for her. "Where would you like to go today?"

"Golden Restaurant, please," She smiled, getting into the car.

Eli raised his eyebrows slightly. Golden Restaurant was in a middle-class neighborhood, not the kind of place wealthy people usually went. But he didn’t ask questions.

"Of course, Mrs. Liu," he said.

The drive to the restaurant took thirty minutes. She spent the time looking out the window and thinking about what Antonio might want to tell her. She had a bad feeling about this meeting.

When they arrived at Golden Restaurant, Sarah could see the familiar red and gold decorations through the windows. The smell of dumplings and noodles made her stomach growl, even though she had just eaten breakfast.

"I’ll wait in the car," Eli said.

"Thank you," Sarah replied. "I won’t be long."

Sarah walked into the restaurant and immediately saw Antonio sitting at a corner table. He looked different than she remembered. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept in days.

He was like the only Filipino man in his forties with usually neat appearance and confident manner she’d ever seen. But today he looked broken and tired.

When he saw Sarah, he stood up quickly. His eyes immediately went to her left hand, where Mason’s expensive ring was sparkling under the restaurant lights.

"Sarah," he said quietly. "Thank you for coming."

"Hello, Antonio," Sarah said coldly, sitting down across from him. "What do you want?"

Antonio stared at her ring for a long moment. "Is it true?" he asked. "Are you really married to Mason Liu now?"

"Yes," Sarah said simply. Her voice was as cold as ice.

Antonio’s face crumpled. "I can’t believe it. You’re married to one of the most powerful men in the country."

"What do you want, Antonio?" Sarah repeated. She didn’t want to talk about her marriage with him.

Antonio looked around the restaurant nervously, then leaned forward. "Sarah, I need to tell you something. Something terrible has happened."

Sarah waited for him to continue, but she didn’t show any emotion on her face.

"I lost everything," Antonio said, his voice breaking. "Someone bought Diamond Entertainment. They fired me immediately. I have nothing left."

Sarah’s eyes widened with shock. "What? When did this happen?"

"Three days ago," Antonio said bitterly. "I came to work and security told me I was no longer employed. All my projects were canceled. All my artists were reassigned to other managers."

"Who bought the company?" Sarah asked, though she was already starting to suspect the answer.

Antonio smiled, but it was a sad, bitter smile. "I can’t explain. I signed papers saying I wouldn’t tell anyone."

Sarah felt her heart starting to beat faster. She had a strong suspicion about who had bought Diamond Entertainment, but she needed to be sure.

"Antonio," she said carefully, "you must have some idea who did this."

Antonio looked at her ring again, then back at her face. "I think you already know, Sarah. I think you know exactly who has the power and money to buy an entire entertainment company in three days."

Sarah felt anger starting to build in her chest. Mason. It had to be Mason. But why would he do such a thing without telling her first?

"I’m sorry this happened to you," Sarah said, standing up. "But I can’t help you."

"Sarah, wait!" Antonio grabbed her wrist desperately. "I know I was terrible to you. I know I hurt you and treated you badly. But I’m begging you. I have nothing left. No job, no money, no future."

Sarah looked down at his hand on her wrist, then back at his face. "Let go of me, Antonio."

"Please," Antonio continued, not letting go. "You’re married to Mason Liu now. You have power. You could help me get another job, or maybe convince him to give me my old job back."

Sarah jerked her wrist away from his grip. "I said let go."

"I’m desperate, Sarah," Antonio said, his voice getting louder. "I lost everything because of you!"

"Because of me?" Sarah’s voice was dangerous now. "I didn’t do anything to you."

"You married Mason Liu!" Antonio said angrily. "This is revenge for how I treated you!"

Sarah stared at him with disgust. Even when he was begging for help, Antonio was still trying to blame her for his problems.

"You’re pathetic," Sarah said quietly. "You treated me like garbage for years. You made me feel worthless and small. And now you want me to help you?"

Antonio’s face went red. "I’m sorry! I already said I’m sorry!"

"Sorry doesn’t fix anything," Sarah said. "And even if I wanted to help you, I can’t. I don’t control my husband’s business decisions."

She picked up her handbag and stood up. "Goodbye, Antonio. Don’t contact me again."

"Sarah, please!" Antonio called after her, but she was already walking away.

Sarah walked out of the restaurant with her head held high. But inside, she was furious. If Mason had really bought Diamond sound Entertainment to get revenge on Antonio and them, why hadn’t he told her? It was her previous company anyways. She had a right to know about things like this.

Eli was waiting by the car when she came out. He could see the anger on her face.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Liu?" he asked with concern.

"Take me to Liu Enterprise," Sarah said firmly. "I need to see my husband."

"Of course," Eli said, opening the car door for her.

During the drive to Mason’s office building, Sarah’s anger grew stronger. She thought about Antonio’s desperate face and his bitter words. She thought about how Mason had acted so caring and protective with her, but then did something this big without telling her.

Sarah knew Antonio deserved to be fired. He was a terrible person who had treated her badly for years. Diamond also deserved what happened to them.

But Mason should have discussed it with her first. They were supposed to be partners, even if their marriage was fake. Yes he said he would handle it, but telling her how would have gone a long way.

When they arrived, Eli parked the car and walked with Sarah to the entrance.

"I need to see Mason Liu," Sarah told the new receptionist. The foolish one had been fired.

The receptionist looked at Sarah with surprise. "Do you have an appointment?"

"I’m his wife," Sarah said simply, already feeling headache coming. Didn’t Derek tell them who she was?

The receptionist’s eyes went wide. Everyone else in the building knew that she was Mrs. Liu.

"Of course, Mrs. Liu," the receptionist said quickly. "I’ll call assistant Derek right away." She knew the history of the previous receptionist. And with the look on Sarah’s face, history mustn’t repeat itself.

Within minutes, Derek appeared in the lobby. He looked surprised to see Sarah.

"Mrs. Liu," he said politely. "Is everything alright? The boss didn’t mention you were coming."

"I need to speak with him," Sarah said. "It’s important."

Derek could see the anger in Sarah’s eyes. He had worked for Mason long enough to recognize when someone was furious.

"He’s in a meeting right now," Derek said carefully. "But I can ask him to call you when he’s finished."

"No," Sarah said firmly. "I’ll wait. I’m not leaving until I talk to him."

Derek nodded. "Of course. Please come with me then."

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