Jeté to Stardom

33. But I'm a National Champion

Paloma grumbles as she's awoken from her sleep. Raising off the bed slightly, she reaches her arm over and turns off Marcin's phone. With one last groan, she tears the duvet off and plods the short distance to the ensuite.

She goes through her daily routine— brushing her teeth, showering, and face care— before returning to her bedroom.

She smiles when she sees Macrin resting on the headboard awake.

Prodding over, she bends down to place a kiss on his lips. "Morning, mi Vida."

He lets out a small yawn, grinning up at her. "Morning, dragă." He pulls the duvet off his body and stretches, smirking when he sees her eyes wandering over his torso appreciatively. "Like what you see?"

She smirks back. "If I didn't, would we be married nineteen years?"

"I would hope you would love me even if I was fat and balding," standing Marcin makes his way into the ensuite. "You're in a good mood. Better than you have been the last two weeks."

A grin appears at the reminder of last week. Busing herself with making the bed, she says, "I'm just so proud of Lux and Nova. The stress and pressure of the last few weeks have not been easy for them, but they're handling everything well."

"I just want to put it on record that I've never liked the idea of them being on the show."

"Well, we're three seasons in, and the girls have given up their school life for this," she fluffs a pillow. "At least before the season started, we were able to increase the pay. I still can't believe that they really thought they could get away with paying us three dollars a day, and we wouldn't do anything about it."

He lets out a thoughtful hum. "You know? I think that's part of the reason the stakeout happened."

"What?" Paloma murmurs before walking into the bathroom and wrapping her arm around his naked torso. "Explain?"

Paloma has gone back and forth with the producers when it came to the contracts season at the end of the first season. In August, she realized that the lawyers she had before were working for the producers, so Marcin and her hired new lawyers to see if they could get out of the contract. It wasn't possible unless they shelved out thousands of dollars, and since the producers broke their contract, they're sueable.

And Marcin and Paloma were willing to do that, but the producers reached out, and they have a new contract that gives Lux and Nova more freedom while increasing their pay to a thousand dollars an episode.

Sighing, Marcin takes the toothbrush out of his mouth. "Our lawyers were able to gain Lux and Nova more freedom with their outside dance activities and more money. The other moms don't have enough money or power for that. So as much as this is to get Kelly back, it's probably a screw you to the producers too."

"It would explain Melissa joining in," Paloma murmurs. Melissa would've been the last person she thought would willing to leave the studio. "You're so smart."

"Not really. I was talking to Marc the other day, and I put two and two together."

"Did he say anything about Christi and Chloe coming back to the studio?"

"No, he didn't. Maybe you should reach out to Christi herself."

"Not happening," she pouts, making him chuckle. She misses her former relationship with Christi, but she's not willing to be Christi's pushover. 

Leaning on Marcin's toned back, she enjoys the quiet, only for it to be broken a second later by the pitter-patter of feet. "I should get started on breakfast before the full stampede starts."