Chapter 197
Chapter 197
Edward quickened his pace, but no man could outrun a car. By the time he reached the entrance, the taxi had already disappeared down the street.
"Mr. Mellon, might you have been mistaken?" his assistant asked breathlessly.
Edward turned coldly toward the CEO. "Who has visited your company recently? I want to know everyone."
---
Back at the studio, Bella shared the good news with Hatty, who was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! Now we don't have to worry about releasing the album."
Simon, who hadn't eaten all day, was so excited when he heard that he fainted. After a brief panic, they determined he was just slightly anemic.
Later, Hatty approached Bella with a proposition. "Would you be interested in joining our PR department?"
Seeing Bella's surprise, she quickly explained, "Simon can't compose that many songs in a month—he's exhausted and needs rest. Since you're free anyway and have good communication skills, PR might be a good fit for you."
"I'll need to think about it," Bella replied hesitantly, having no experience in public relations.
Hatty didn't pressure her, simply asking Bella to let her know once she'd decided.
Several peaceful days passed until the album's release day, when someone from the music company approached Hatty.
"Is Ms. Obelon, who visited our company last time, still working at your studio?" the man asked.
Though instantly wary, Hatty kept her expression neutral. "Why are you looking for her?"
After some hesitation, the man replied, "Since you chose our company, I'll be honest. It's not us—there's a big shot searching for someone, and Ms. Obelon might resemble the person he's seeking." Edward had practically moved into their company in his search.
"She resigned," Hatty said, her eyes flickering. "But if I hear anything, I'll let you know."
Upon returning, Hatty immediately found Bella and explained everything. "Try not to go out much for a while, to avoid trouble finding you."
"I'm sorry, Hatty..." Bella began, feeling she shouldn't keep secrets, but Hatty interrupted, "No need to explain. You're part of our studio now, and we'll definitely protect you."
Deeply touched and not wanting to bring problems to the fledgling studio, Bella reduced her visits to the workplace. With Hatty's help covering for her, she remained undiscovered.
---
Days later, the song went viral. Everyone at the studio breathed a sigh of relief and immediately sought opportunities for Simon to gain exposure.
Hatty brought over a contract. "Bella, take a look at this long-term variety show."
"This show doesn't seem very popular," Bella noted after reviewing it.
Hatty sighed. Being targeted by their former agency meant they couldn't access the more popular shows. For exposure, they could only try smaller programs like this one.
Simon signed the contract that day, with filming scheduled to begin the next day. But that afternoon, the show's associate director suddenly appeared.
"I'm sorry, but this contract can't be fulfilled. It's our fault, and we'll compensate you accordingly."
"But this was agreed upon." Bella frowned, her tone becoming more assertive. "How can your production team just back out? What does this say about your credibility?"
The associate director's smile froze as Hatty arrived, unaware of what had happened. "What's going on, Director?"
Seeing Hatty, he regained his confidence and accused Bella, "You have the nerve to ask! How do you train your employees to speak this way? Keeping such staff is an insult to us. Don't expect to be on our show ever again!"
After Bella explained they wanted to breach the contract, Hatty immediately understood. She gave a cold laugh, dropping her polite demeanor. "Fine. The breach penalty was set at two million dollars. Pay up!"
"Two million dollars? Why don't you just rob us?" the associate director's eyes widened in shock.
"You seem to have forgotten," Bella reminded him calmly. "This amount was originally proposed by your production team. How can you now claim we're robbing you?"
His expression darkened. They had set this amount to restrict Bella's team, never imagining it would come back to haunt them. His plan to pay them off with a small sum was now impossible.
"What made the production team change their minds?" Bella asked coldly.
The associate director looked between Hatty and Bella before reluctantly explaining, "Someone doesn't want you to succeed. We're just a small show. We don't want trouble, so we'd rather pay compensation and be done with it."
Bella laughed coldly. Two million dollars wasn't a small amount, and while they understood the situation, they weren't going to be taken advantage of.
After Hatty sent him away with a threat of legal action if they didn't pay, Bella's brows furrowed. "We need to resolve this problem."
Hatty nodded and sighed. "It's my fault for leaving so many loose ends."
"Hatty, contact someone from that agency," Bella said, her eyes clear and determined. "We need to talk with them."
---
The former agency, perhaps thinking Hatty regretted leaving, agreed to meet. They sent a female director who immediately tried to intimidate Bella.
"Had you known leaving us would lead to this, you wouldn't have terminated the contract, would you?" her smirk conveyed contempt, as if certain Bella would back down.
"I have a different perspective," Bella smiled slightly.
The director frowned as Bella pushed documents across the table. "Take a look at this."
After reading, the director's expression changed, her hands trembling as she gripped the corner of the file. "W-where did you get this?"
The documents detailed how their company had exploited and mentally abused a female artist, ultimately leading to her mental breakdown and suicide—essentially, evidence of a crime.