“You said you didn’t want to do what he was pressuring you to do. He said awful things to you. I defended you. I fought for you.”

“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”

“Then for the love of god fight them for yourself.” Vic found some of her fire again. “How can you let a man like that degrade you?”

“Men like that have been trying to degrade me my whole life.”

“And you just take it? You would’ve let him tell you what someone else is allowed to do to your body without fighting him tooth and nail?”

“Probably.” Sophia shrugged, refusing to admit that the condemnation in Vic’s question stung.

“Why?”

“Because when you’re fighting a war, you can’t win every battle. And this little pissing contest with Brian wasn’t even a skirmish in the grand scheme of things. He’s not wrong. I’ve done much worse with much less at stake.”

“But he’s an idiot. You said so yourself.”

“Yeah, he certainly didn’t get where he is because of his merits, which should set off a big red flag for you, because it means he’s shockingly well-connected.”

“Not as well-connected as I am,” Vic shot back.

“Lovely for you, Your Ladyship.” Sophia’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Would you like me to curtsey? Genuflect? Lick your boot?”

“No.”

“I would if I had to.” Sophia bit back a seething kind of anger she hadn’t felt in ages. “Because I’m not well-connected. Even after years in this business, I struggle daily for the chance to be judged on my work ethic, on my talent, on who I am as a professional, and you took that opportunity away from me.”

Vic’s face fell. “I didn’t mean to make things harder for you.”

“But you did!” she snapped. “With one outburst, you undercut all my authority. You made me look like some damsel in distress. You gave me the reputation of a diva who stops production when she doesn’t get her way.”

“You didn’t throw him out.”

“No, my lover did, which is even worse. Do you know what a reputation like that could mean for my ability to secure future roles? I’ve always been the person who shows up early, shows up ready, shows up to work. Never in my entire career have I let my personal life affect my job. My priority has always been my career, my goals, and the films that move me closer to them. In one fell swoop, you shattered that reputation.”

Vic hung her head. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sick of hearing apologies out of you. I don’t pretend to understand what’s going on with you and your mother, who, by the way, I’ve begun to think of as the Wicked Witch of Northland.”

Vic managed a weak smile.