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244: Redoing my Life, All About Margot
🕑 Added 2025-09-13 17:40:23 +0000 UTCDaniel stirred awake in a haze, his mind sluggish, his throat dry. The last thing he remembered was… dinner? Drinks? Everything was a blur.
He tried to move, only to feel the harsh tug of restraints digging into his wrists and ankles. His stomach dropped. His head whipped around this wasn’t his room. This wasn’t his home.
Why was he tied to a bed?
The door creaked open. Daniel’s eyes widened as he saw who stepped inside.
It was Cassie.
She stepped in, humming softly, dressed in sparse clothing. Her smile stretched wide too wide as she skipped toward him.
“You’re finally awake, sleepyhead,” she said sweetly. “You must have been so tired after last night.”
Last night? His heart pounded as he tried to piece together what she meant.
He forced the words out through his dry throat. “Cassie… where the hell am I?”
Her head tilted, her expression shifting as though his tone had wounded her. “In our home,” she said.
Our home. Daniel’s chest tightened with horror.
“You’re safe here. With me.” She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing his arm.
“Safe?” Daniel’s voice cracked. He strained against the bindings, panic surging. “Cassie, you’ve tied me to the bed. This isn’t—”
“You don’t understand.” Her voice sharpened suddenly, then softened again, like silk. “You don’t have to work anymore. You don’t have to exhaust yourself with movies and scripts and meetings. You can just write. Just be happy. And I’ll make you happy, Danny. I will.”
Daniel’s pulse raced. He tried to stay calm, to think, to reason. “Cassie, listen…just… we can pretend this didn’t happen. Just let me go. People will notice I’m gone. Margot—”
The name made Cassie’s eyes flicker with something darker.
“Margot…” Cassie spat, almost hissing the name, her sweet facade gone for a moment. “She doesn’t love you the way I do. She never could. She takes you for granted. But me? I’ve loved you forever, Daniel Adler. More than anyone ever has. I know what you need. I know how to take care of you.”
She leaned forward, her hand brushing his arm. The touch was almost tender, motherly, but the look in her eyes made Daniel’s stomach twist.
“And I will. Forever, if I have to.”
Daniel pulled against the restraints again, anger rising in his voice now. “Cassie, you’ve got to let me go. Whatever you think this is… it’s not real. You’re not helping me. You’re—”
Her smile returned, stretching wide like a mask being put back on.
“Oh, but it is real,” she whispered. She paused for a moment and then spoke again. “I’ve been reading the new stories you’ve been writing.”
Daniel froze. His eyes widened.
Cassie’s tone softened, dreamy. “They’re wonderful, Danny. Brilliant as always. I especially loved the one you’ve been working on lately.”
Daniel began hyperventilating, his mind racing as he realized what she was talking about.
“I’m doing this for you,” she continued, her voice like a lullaby, her fingers brushing along the restraints at his wrist. “So you can keep writing things you like you like percy jackson you dont have to put it off any more….you can be free of all those people who use you, drain you, keep you away from me. Here, you don’t have to worry about meetings, deadlines, critics, agents, producers… here, it’s just you and me.”
She leaned closer, her smile inches from his face now.
“So I can take care of you. Forever.”
She stood, moving to the foot of the bed, and Daniel’s breath caught when he saw what she was carrying: a heavy wooden mallet.
She lifted it, testing its weight in her hands almost casually.
Daniel panicked, his throat straining against dryness. “Cassie…no! Stop! Please, stop what you’re doing…just let me go! We can fix this, we can—”
“Danny…” she cooed, her voice maddeningly soft. “You don’t see it yet. But you will. You’ll thank me one day. I need to make sure you never leave me. And after this… you won’t.”
Daniel’s eyes widened in horror. “Cassie…wait—”
She raised the mallet high, her eyes shining with manic devotion.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “It’s for your own good.”
The mallet arced down.
The impact landed with a sickening, wet thud that vibrated through the bed frame.
“AAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHH!” The scream tore out of him the walls of the room. His entire body convulsed against the straps, thrashing wildly, but the restraints held firm.
She raised the mallet again. And again.
Each strike brought a fresh, nauseating crack, the sound of splintering bone layered with his strangled howls. His body jerked helplessly with each blow, agony flooding through him until his vision went white.
Through the haze of screaming, Cassie’s voice cut through serene, soothing, wrong.
“Shhh, shhh, Danny. It’s okay. The worst part is over now.”
His vision blurred back into focus just enough to look down. His leg lay at an impossible, sickening angle below the knee, the shape grotesque. The clean white sheet beneath him bloomed red.
Cassie set the mallet down on the bedside table with a neat clink, as if she’d simply finished a chore. She moved to his side, her expression one of deep, motherly concern. She dipped a cloth in a bowl of water he hadn’t noticed before and began to tenderly wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“See?” she murmured, her voice warm, almost loving. “I told you I’d take care of you. Now you can’t go anywhere. You can just stay here. With me. We can finally be together.”
Daniel could only sob in pain and despair.
“Now,” she said brightly, as if nothing had happened, picking up a roll of bandages. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
=====
Margot’s eyes flew open, her chest heaving. For a few moments, she didn’t move; she only lay there in her bed, her breaths coming fast and shallow, her heart still pounding from what she had just seen. Her skin was clammy with sweat.
Her gaze darted around the room in panic before settling on familiar things: the framed photos on the dresser, the half-folded blanket at the foot of the bed, the faint hum of the air conditioner.
She let out a shaky exhale, bringing a trembling hand to her forehead. “That cunt,” she whispered. She sank back into her pillow, trying to slow her breathing, grounding herself in the silence of the bedroom.
Her eyes drifted sideways to the iPad resting on the nightstand. She remembered Daniel’s new manuscript, the one he was co-writing with Gillian Flynn. She had been reading it before drifting off, and the dream had mirrored a scene almost word for word.
Margot pressed her lips together, the anger and unease twisting in her chest. She hated that the dream had dragged that bitch back into her thoughts. They had handled that already. She and Daniel had sat with Cassandra’s parents and grandfather, explained everything. They had listened, even thanked them both for handling things with understanding. They’d promised to step in, take responsibility, make sure Cassie’s fixation on Daniel would end, and that she would get her help.
It was supposed to be over.
Margot rubbed her eyes, trying to shove the lingering dread back down. Maybe it was just because the last few months had been so weighed down by the issue with Cassandra that her mind wouldn’t let go.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing slowly. “She’s gone,” she muttered to herself. She had too much to do today to keep wasting energy on that bitch.
She padded softly across the room toward the bathroom, forcing herself to focus on the busy day waiting for her. Still, as she splashed cold water on her face, she couldn’t shake the faint shiver that lingered in her bones.
She padded softly out of the bedroom and into the living room. Daniel was lounging on the couch with his laptop balanced on his knees. His eyes didn’t leave the screen as he spoke.
“Mags, we might have an issue with the pool,” he said casually. “The architect thinks the positioning might cause some drainage problems near the back terrace. We might need to shift it.”
Margot didn’t answer. She headed straight for the kitchen, poured herself some coffee, and leaned against the counter, staring into the mug.
Daniel finally looked up and noticed her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone softening.
Margot sighed. “Just had a bad dream. I should’ve known better than to read your book last night.”
Daniel chuckled, snapping the laptop shut. “What, Annie Wilkes scared you that much?”
“No,” Margot said, her voice low. “But I dreamt of that Cassandra bitch in her place… breaking your legs.”
Daniel froze, his mouth hanging open. Then he burst out laughing, doubling over as he set his laptop aside.
Margot narrowed her eyes. “It’s not that funny.”
“It kind of is,” he said, still laughing as he walked toward her. “Honestly, when I was writing it, I made Annie look like an older version of Cassandra in my head. So maybe you caught on to that.”
Margot shook her head, still unsettled. Daniel noticed and reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. His smile softened.
“Look,” he said gently, “we did the right thing. We made sure she gets the help she needs. Her parents are taking responsibility, and yesterday she requested a long leave from Midas.”
“Long leave? She should be fired,” Margot said.
Daniel shrugged. “Well, she will be in a few months. But the point is, she’s out of our lives. There’s nothing to worry about anymore.”
Margot stared at him for a moment, then finally let her shoulders relax. “You’re right.” She leaned in and kissed him softly.
Pulling back, she sighed. “Are they moving all the pre-production to New York?” She, along with her Birdman castmates, had been rehearsing the entire movie on a proxy stage at Stardust Studios. She’d gotten to work with and get to know Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and Michael Keaton. It had been a fun experience, and she’d been able to learn from these experienced actors and improve her skills.
“Yeah, I think we might be,” Daniel said, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Margot frowned playfully. “What?”
“Yesterday I was talking with Alejandro,” Daniel replied, still chuckling, “and we were going over that scene where Riggan Thomson walks through Times Square in his underwear. Alejandro’s seriously thinking of having him do it for real, just Michael Keaton strutting through Times Square in his tighty-whities and catching the real reactions from people.”
Margot let out a laugh of her own. “That’s insane! Isn’t that dangerous?”
Daniel shrugged with a grin. “We’ll see. Alejandro really wants that second Oscar.”
Margot smirked. “He should get one, after what we’re doing.” Then her tone shifted. “Anyway, I need to call my dialect coach again.”
“I think your New Yorker’s good.”
“Not good enough,” she shot back, already heading toward the bedroom.
Daniel called after her, “When are you leaving?”
She paused in the doorway, one hand on the frame. “Now. Are you coming by today?”
“Yes.”
She smiled softly; she liked it when Daniel was around while she was on the job. She closed the door and walked into the bathroom. She needed a long, relaxing shower.
========
“So that’s the plan then?” Margot asked, tilting her head slightly, her voice curious and amused. She was speaking to Michael Keaton, the man playing her father in the movie.
Keaton cracked a grin, shrugging casually. “Yeah, I think it’ll be fun. Who doesn’t want to run through Times Square in their underwear?”
Margot chuckled. “Can’t wait to see it happen.”
She caught movement behind him and her face lit up. Daniel was walking toward them, and Keaton turned as well, offering his hand.
“Mr. Adler,” Keaton said warmly. They shook hands, and Daniel leaned in to give Margot a quick kiss before joining the conversation.
“So, how are things?” Daniel asked.
“Great,” Keaton replied. “We were just talking about my little romp through Times Square.”
“I’ll be there no matter what,” Daniel assured him with a grin.
The three of them laughed together before Keaton added, “So, Daniel, I heard that you and Christopher Nolan are doing a third Batman movie…more than what I did.”
“Yes…It’s going very well. Jensen has been great.”
“Not as great as me,” Keaton joked.
“In my mind, both of you are under Adam West.”
They both laughed. Margot remembered when Daniel made her watch those goofy old Batman series from the sixties; they were so bad they became good, in her opinion.
Daniel smirked, half-joking, half-serious. “You know, you could put on the cowl again.”
Keaton blinked, surprised. “Really?”
Daniel nodded. “I mean… the possibilities are endless when it comes to these movies.”
Alejandro’s sharp voice cut across the set, signaling that rehearsals were about to begin.
Daniel clapped Keaton lightly on the shoulder and looked to Margot. “All right, I’ll let you do your thing. I’ve got some Norton issues to deal with anyway.”
“Not surprised,” Keaton said with a knowing nod.
Margot knew exactly what he meant. Edward Norton could be… difficult, and Daniel had his hands full managing those flare-ups. She watched him walk off toward Alejandro.
She was already in full costume, as was Keaton. The two of them were about to dive into one of the most explosive moments between Sam and Riggan, the father and daughter they played in the movie.
They took their marks. Margot inhaled, steadying herself. This was where she had to deliver to show the volatility of Sam, to prove her worth in this movie; she was eyeing that Academy Award, after all.
Keaton slipped into character seamlessly, his posture sagging with exhaustion, his voice gravelly with desperation.
“You can’t do this to me!” he snapped, his voice cracking with fury.
Margot didn’t flinch. She narrowed her eyes, every fiber of her defiance radiating outward. When she answered, her voice was sharp, sarcastic, biting.
“‘To you?’” she spat, her tone dripping with contempt. “Always to you.”
The dialogue spilled out like venom—sharp and merciless. Michael Keaton raged back, veins straining in his neck, the desperation of Riggan Thomson vibrating in every syllable. But Margot no, Sam dismantled him piece by piece, her contempt like fire scorching the space between them.
“Means something to who? You had a career before the third comic-book movie, before people began to forget who was inside the bird costume. You’re doing a play based on a book that was written sixty years ago, for a thousand rich, old white people whose only real concern is gonna be where they go to have their cake and coffee when it’s over. Nobody gives a shit but you. And let’s face it, Dad, it’s not for the sake of art. It’s because you just want to feel relevant again. Well, there’s a whole world out there where people fight to be relevant every day. And you act like it doesn’t even exist! Things are happening in a place that you willfully ignore, a place that has already forgotten you. I mean, who are you? You hate bloggers. You make fun of Twitter. You don’t even have a Facebook page. You’re the one who doesn’t exist. You’re doing this because you’re scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don’t matter. And you know what? You’re right. You don’t. It’s not important. You’re not important. Get used to it.”
Her voice cracked at the edges, but the fury behind it only made it stronger.
Keaton didn’t move. He stood there, his mouth slightly open, his face hollowed out, devastated. His eyes glistened.
This was the hard part, Margot thought.
“You’re scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don’t matter. And you know what? You’re right. You don’t. You’re not important. Get used to it.”
Her breath hitched. For a moment, Margot forgot she was Margot Robbie. She was Sam staring at her father, realizing she’d just gone too far. The bitter edge slipped, and in its place bloomed regret. Her lips parted as if she wanted to take it all back. Her eyes shimmered with guilt, her face softening into that unbearable mix of love and hurt.
I think I got it, she thought as she finished the scene.
She hoped she’d gotten it right.
The day continued with Margot pouring herself into scene after scene alongside Michael, Edward, and Naomi. The rehearsal-style staging meant there were no breaks; it was like running a marathon onstage. Alejandro’s intent was clear: when the cameras rolled, they would already have the muscle memory of theatre actors, carrying the energy without interruption.
When the break was finally called, Margot exhaled deeply, her body light with exhaustion. She barely had time to catch her breath before Alejandro appeared, his eyes lit with a kind of giddy pride.
“Bravo,” he exclaimed, his Spanish accent heavy, the word filled with warmth. “You did very well.”
Margot managed a small smile, still catching her breath. “Thanks.”
“Do you know how rare that is? Almost any actor can deliver a convincing rant. But the regret the hurt—” he tapped his chest, right over his heart, his eyes burning into hers. “That moment when you realize you’ve gone too far, but it’s too late? That look you gave in those fourteen seconds…” He shook his head, almost disbelieving. “That is something very few actors in the world can do without words.”
Her cheeks flushed pink with warmth. She tried to wave it off, muttering another thanks, but Alejandro leaned forward, insistent.
“No. Don’t downplay it. That was extraordinary.”
She smiled wide from the praise as Alejandro moved on to talk to Keaton.
She scanned the room, and her eyes caught Daniel across the way, locked in conversation with Norton. When he glanced up, their gazes met. She gave him a small motion with her hand “I’m heading to my trailer,” she mouthed. He nodded back in acknowledgment before turning to Edward.
She began walking through the narrow corridor lined with cables and crew. Two of her assistants trailed close behind.
“Do you want lunch sent in?” one of them asked.
Margot shook her head without slowing her pace. “No, I’m not hungry. Just bring me something to drink tea, maybe sparkling water.”
The other assistant made a note. “Do you want Alejandro’s notes from this morning sorted?”
“Later,” Margot said, her voice clipped but not unkind. “Right now I just need a few minutes to myself.”
By the time they reached her trailer, she turned back, softening her tone. “Thanks, both of you. No interruptions until I come out, all right?”
They nodded and left, and Margot finally pushed open the door. The noise of the set faded instantly, replaced by a cocoon of stillness.
Inside, she let out a long sigh and dropped onto the couch, her body sinking into the cushions. Her hands trembled slightly from the strain of the performance. Today had taken something out of her. But it was worth it.
She tilted her head back, closing her eyes. Maybe tonight she and Daniel could grab dinner somewhere quiet. Or better yet, go somewhere this weekend before she left for New York. The thought made her lips curl into a small, tired smile.
She stood and walked to the mirror, fussing with her hair. The door creaked open; she didn’t bother to turn only Daniel would enter without knocking.
“So how did it go with Norton? Hope he wasn’t causing—” Her words froze as she turned and saw who stood before her.
It was Cassandra.
Her expression was eerily calm, almost blank, but Margot felt the breath drain from her throat. She instinctively stepped back.
“What are you doing here?” Margot demanded, her voice sharp, her body stiff with dread.
Cassandra’s lips curled, her voice trembling between fury and desperation. “You ruined my life. Everything was going so well. I almost had Daniel. I was so happy with him…I was close…but you…” Her tone turned venomous. “You ruined everything. Now my family thinks I’m crazy. They think I need help…they want to lock me away in some institution. You did this.”
Her words blurred into a rant, but Margot wasn’t listening. Her eyes were fixed on Cassandra’s right hand, half-hidden at her side. The faint glint of metal confirmed her worst fear.
Knife. She’s going to kill me.
Adrenaline surged through her. She knew she needed to do something. There was no one outside; she was alone. She couldn’t reason with this murderous bitch.
She had one chance.
With a burst of raw instinct, she lunged forward, closing the gap between them. Cassandra’s eyes widened in shock, mid-rant, as Margot’s fist connected hard with her face. The blow made Cassandra stumble, the knife slipping from her grip and clattering onto the floor.
Margot didn’t stop. They grappled, arms flailing, bodies slamming against the wall of the trailer. Cassandra snarled, trying to claw her way back to the knife, but Margot’s desperation gave her strength.
“You cunt, you fucking cunt!” Margot screamed as she shoved Cassandra down, straddling her, and unleashed a flurry of punches.
Cassandra shrieked, “Aah…ahh! Stop! AHH! Get off me…ahhh!”
Her knuckles burned as they struck Cassandra’s face again and again, until the younger woman finally went limp knocked out cold.
Margot sat there trembling, chest heaving, her fists bloodied and her heart thundering in her ears.
The door burst open. Daniel stepped in, his eyes going wide at the sight: Cassandra unconscious on the floor, Margot straddling her, tears streaming down her face.
“Fuck,” Daniel breathed, slamming the door shut behind him.
Margot’s eyes met his, wide and wet, her body shaking as the adrenaline drained away. She began to sob, her voice catching in her throat.
Daniel rushed to her, pulling her up and into his arms. She clung to him, her sobs muffled against his chest.
“It’s okay,” he whispered, holding her tight. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Margot’s chest still rose and fell unevenly, but Daniel’s arms around her calmed her. She pressed herself closer, her forehead against his collarbone, trying to steady her breathing.
Her voice came out hoarse, trembling. “What… what do we do now?” Her words cracked as her thoughts spiraled.
Daniel gently cupped the back of her head, pulling her in tighter. His tone was calm, like stone in a storm. “Shh… don’t. I’ll handle it. Just… don’t worry about it.”
Margot let out a shuddering breath, slowly beginning to calm, the tears on her cheeks drying as she melted deeper into the hug.
======
Pre-production was paused from that day. It was decided that it would resume in New York. Everyone had been shaken by what had happened.
Daniel did what he had promised her he would do: he handled it. And in her opinion, he handled it very well.
Margot scrolled through the draft of the article scheduled to go live in a few hours.
“Margot Robbie Attacked by Crazed Fan in What Could Only Be Called an ‘All About Eve’ Situation”
She smiled. The piece described how an unnamed aspiring actress someone who had been working for Midas had let her obsession with Margot Robbie spiral. What began as idolization twisted into something darker, culminating in an attack on the actress she claimed to admire. The article painted a picture of a dangerous fixation, even hinting that the assailant may have wanted to be her to take her place.
That was true in a way, Margot thought as she read.
Cassandra’s name was withheld. The woman remained “an unnamed fan,”. She remembered how Daniel had her removed from the trailer by his most trusted people, making sure no one saw her face, then taken to a hospital; he also contacted her parents, and they had taken care of everything after that.
She had agreed wholeheartedly to this spin. It scrubbed Daniel’s name from any connection to Cassandra, shielding him from involvement if this became an issue again later. Better that the world saw this as the misfortune of an actress targeted by obsession, rather than the truth that Cassandra’s dangerous obsession was with Daniel. Her PR team, Daniel’s, and Midas’s had all aligned: this narrative would be good for Daniel and it was also good exposure for her career and for the movie.
Yes, she was traumatized. But she was also a public figure who planned to stay one for the foreseeable future, so they had to do what they had to do. She braced herself to become the “victim” the press would rally behind.
“So, what do you think?” Daniel asked as he walked over and sat beside her.
Margot’s lips curved into a humorless smile. “I was hoping to be older when I got All About Eve’d.”
Daniel chuckled under his breath. “I spoke with Lester. They’re taking her to some fancy facility in Switzerland. He assured me we won’t see her again.”
Margot’s eyes hardened. “They said that last time.”
“This time,” Daniel said firmly, “they know how serious it is. And they’re very indebted—to both of us for keeping this private… again.”
Margot leaned into him, the tension in her shoulders finally easing as his words sank in. “Good,” she whispered. She tilted her head, pressing against hAis shoulder, relieved that it was finally behind them.
.
.
I was struggling with how to end this plotline so I decided to have Margot beat the shit out of Cassie.
There will be some public reactions to this incident in the next chapter, which I’ll post as soon as I’m done with it.
Also, credit to @JoshMuggs, who gave me the inspiration to write the nightmare scene at the beginning.
Comments
June Soriano
thank you for the chapter
JL
Edward Norton can be as big of an asshole to people as he wants, all his roles are great
