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Chapter Nine:

Ashly examined herself in the mirror one last time before leaving. Nobody dressed up in LA, but she settled for kitten heels, a dark skirt, a purple silk blouse and dark blazer. She put her brown hair down instead of the ponytail she wore for work. It was her hope that she looked professional for what might be the most important meeting of her writing career.

She was meeting Leo and the one and only Cory Wyatt at Mel's. It usually took months to even get lunch reservations there. Wyatt could pull strings anywhere with his reputation. Nominated for best director four years ago, he was known for action flicks on a budget. His films also contained meaningful character development between action sequences, which appealed to A-listers. Ashly had ten directors she dreamed of having screenplays directed by and Cory Wyatt was one of them in her top five.

Leo greeted her warmly when she arrived.

"Ashly," he said. "I'd like you to meet Cory Wyatt. As you can see the legend is shorter in real life."

Wyatt smiled.

"Only he can get away with saying stuff like that, Ashly. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," she said, trying to keep her nerves at bay. "I understand my screenplay kept you up last night."

"That is the best kind of screenplay," he said. "Let's sit down and order. I'm starving."

They gave their orders and Wyatt pulled out her script. She could see it had been dog-eared and attacked with a pen.

"So, Ashly," he said. "Leo tells me your father was imprisoned with this agent you wrote about. Would you care to tell me more?"

"I went to DC to watch my brother's kids while he vacationed in Ireland with his wife and he begged me to visit our father in prison," she said. "I did and all he could do was brag about killing a guy to send a message to some skinny guy who turned out be a fed."

"That is interesting," Wyatt said. "Leo also said your father died. I'm sorry for your loss. Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"There was a power shift supposedly after the fed was released from prison and my father was beaten to death during the melee."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Thank you," she quietly.

"Did you ever see the fed?" he asked.

"I think so once," she said.

"What did he look like?"

"Scared," she said thinking back. "And tormented, this was closest thing to Hell he had ever been in."

She noticed Wyatt was taking notes.

"Okay," he said. "I want to make this into a movie. I plan on meeting with studio executives tomorrow to discuss it. After they greenlight it, we'll start moving fast with casting and pre-production."

Ashly suppressed a gasp. This was beginning to feel very real.

"Are you part of the writer's guild?" Wyatt asked.

"Yes," she said. "I expect fair market price for my script."

"And not a penny less," Wyatt said. "We'll get legal to draw up on a contract and send it to you."

Their meals arrived, and they began to dig in.

"So, fantasy casting," Leo said. "Who do you like for your male and female lead, Ash?"

"I like Lila Archer and Derek Storm."

Wyatt clapped his hands. "I love Lila! I hadn't thought of her recently, but she has been stepping up her game in terms of starring in more mainstream flicks. Derek Storm is okay, but I prefer John Cole."

"What about the villain?" Leo asked. "Cory and I liked the idea of switching it to female. Any objections?"

"No," she said. "I like the idea of a female villain. Maybe a Charlize Theron."

"I think Charlize would love the role," Wyatt said.

"Thank you," she said.

Wyatt suddenly raised his glass.

"Cheers to Imprisoned Passion!"

"To Imprisoned Passion," Leo said.

"To Imprison Passion," Ashly said happily.

They clinked glasses. Ashly felt like this was the beginning of something special.

Two days later, Ashly pulled out a bottle of expensive champagne she had bought several years ago for when she sold her first screenplay to a major studio. It doesn't get bigger than Summit Hill Studio. She poured herself a glass and toasted to her father. He didn't leave her without anything. Ashly would never forgive him for what he did, but at least some good would come out of it.

As usual in the morning, Garcia checked out the gossip websites before she went to work. A housewife had been arrested. Another actor checked into rehab, and Cory Wyatt had settled on a film project about an FBI agent falsely imprisoned while his girlfriend worked to get him free. Lila Archer had already expressed interest in the role.

Garcia nearly spat out her coffee.

Who would write about Reid's life like this? She thought.