Hollywood: Behind The SpotLight Chapter 98

Behind The Spotlight Chapter 98

"Fuck you, Axel! I hope you fucking die! How can you do this to !?" Cynthia's voice cracked with rage and despair.

She scread in court as the police handcuffed her. The woman was painfully thin, clearly addicted to drugs. Her cheeks were hollow, and her arms were dotted with needle marks. Almost every part of her body was covered in tattoos, even her face bore crude symbols and nas.

"Haha! You think you won!? No! John is not your son! He is not your son!" Her voice had beco manic.

"Cynthia, you should try a better lie. I did a DNA test when John was still young. He is my son."

"...Fuck you! Go to hell!"

The courtroom fell silent as Cynthia was dragged away by the officers, her curses growing distant until they faded completely.

Zaul Greatman had proven to be everything they had hoped for in a lawyer. The money Axel paid him was worth every cent, all to ensure that justice was finally served.

The actor sat down and sighed deeply, overwheld by the emotional toll of the trial. At last, the ordeal was over. Zaul had completely dismantled Cynthia's case in front of everyone. He didn't even give her room to breathe.

They had taken advantage of the fact that John never ntioned eting Axel. That gave the private detective more ti to gather critical evidence behind the scenes.

By the ti Cynthia received the court summons, Zaul Greatman had already prepared everything, witnesses, photos, a full record of abuse, and a well-organized tiline that painted the truth.

Cynthia tried to weaponize Axel's rising fa against him, but Collin's PR team had already anticipated that. They launched a strategic campaign that portrayed Axel as a responsible father. Wash Dismay Studio also stepped in, using its dia connections to help protect Axel's reputation.

Because of this, even though the dia covered the case, it didn't gain enough traction to significantly harm Axel's image. In fact, the narrative that erged was clear: Axel was the caring father, while Cynthia was the abuser, the addict, the liar, which was the truth.

Coincidentally, a much bigger scandal took over the dia at the sa ti.

Jackson Mike had been accused of sexually harassing children.

The news exploded across headlines and talk shows, dominating the public discourse for weeks. Everyone was in shock. No one had expected sothing like this from the King of Pop. Jackson Mike had always been seen as a kind and gentle soul. Now, there were rumors that he liked children inappropriately.

Was it true?

There was no hard evidence, though so family mbers testified against him. Eventually, the dia storm died down, but Jackson Mike's once-legendary reputation was permanently stained by the accusations.

Collin, a fan of Jackson Mike, believed the man was innocent. He thought Jackson was being targeted for becoming too powerful, too influential in both music and business. So people couldn't control him anymore. And perhaps his race played a part in it. Jackson was Black, and that might have made so powerful elites uncomfortable with his growing influence.

It was true that racism no longer held the sa power it once did. It couldn't stop soone from achieving their dreams the way it used to. But it still existed, in many forms.

Despite his feelings about the injustice Jackson Mike faced, Collin was relieved. The scandal had overshadowed Axel's custody battle. As a result, Axel's case stayed under the radar, his reputation remaining largely intact. In fact, public sympathy started to grow for him. The abuse evidence against Cynthia was irrefutable.

Axel didn't want to share the custody case with anyone, especially not the public. He wanted to protect John as much as possible. But he had no choice. He had to defend himself against Cynthia's lies and the dangerous narrative she tried to create.

So ca October 1997, the date of the court trial. Zaul Greatman destroyed Cynthia in court, and the judge sentenced her to two years in prison without parole.

After the trial, Axel rushed to see his son. In the next room, he found John sitting quietly, looking confused, timid, and fidgety. The little boy stared at Axel, unsure how to process everything that had happened.

Axel had written a letter to John, hoping the boy would understand his feelings... but John couldn't read. At five years old, he hadn't even been enrolled in school. Thankfully, a kind officer volunteered to read the letter to him.

That was when John realized the truth, that everything he believed about his father was a lie.

"You didn't leave ?"

"No, John, I searched for you."

"Then, I..." The child looked away, uncertain.

From a young age, he had been told by his mother that his father had abandoned them. That Axel never paid child support and never wanted to be part of his life. Cynthia had always said Axel was a piece of shit.

John had blad Axel for everything: his loneliness, his hunger, the bullies, every birthday spent alone. He knew his mother was cruel, but he held more resentnt toward Axel for never being there.

Now, he was confused. John knew Cynthia had lied. She was a liar. Deep down, he always knew.

But he couldn't just accept Axel as a good person, not yet. Not right away. Axel was still a stranger to him.

"I know we didn't have a chance to form a bond. But I promise you this: from now on, I will protect you. You will have a father you can trust and depend on."

Axel knelt in front of the confused child, holding back tears as he looked up at John's expression.

John didn't know how to respond. After a mont, he reached out his hand.

"Okay... You'll be my Dad."

Axel chuckled and sniffled, quickly wiping away a tear before it fell. Father and son shook hands.

That day, Axel asked John where he wanted to eat. The little boy said he had always dread of eating at McDonaldo after seeing a comrcial. The fast-food chain was currently offering Pocket Monsters kiddie als.

Axel bought every version of the al, just to see his son smile.

...

...

...

Now that Axel's situation had been resolved, Collin turned his attention to another matter that required just as much focus.

"It's nice to et you, Collin. Honestly, I didn't expect you to be Axel's agent too. I thought you only represented Lawrence and Wyatt. Those two are your main money-makers, so they're the only ones I knew about. I just recently heard about Axel."

Jeremiah Sullivan extended his hand, and the two shook hands before sitting across from each other at a sleek, upscale restaurant in Los Angeles where major business talks often took place.

"I'll take that as a complint," Collin replied calmly, his voice polite but his eyes sharp.

This ti, Collin had to negotiate with Jeremiah Sullivan, the producer of Bride Runaway.

"First of all, shouldn't you thank Wash Dismay Studio for helping protect your client's reputation?"

"I believe it was a mutually beneficial arrangent. So, I don't think a thank-you is necessary," Collin said, still smiling.

"As expected... agents really are shaless."