Chapter 285 I Will Settle Accounts with Him
The reason Anthony was at Leopold's mercy wasn't because Leopold had connections everywhere—everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
The entertainment industry was Leopold's weakness, but having a weakness doesn't mean he couldn't fight back.
Leopold once made a female model who tried to use him for fame completely disappear from the industry and ended up blacklisted.
Nothing can withstand the test of a lawsuit. He took that model to court, and it caused quite a stir at the time. She cried and begged for forgiveness in court, but Leopold instructed his lawyer to make her apologize publicly. She had to post an apology video on her own social media account, pin it for a month, and have it published in prominent positions across major media outlets. Leopold paid for all the advertising costs himself, just to discourage others with similar fantasies.
Courts can solve a lot of problems, once and for all.
Anthony knew about that incident, so naturally he feared that Leopold would repeat the same trick.
He knew Leopold already knew the truth, and the fact that he was not losing his temper was giving him a chance. If this really went to court, it wouldn't be good for him or Summer.
If the court judgment got posted on Leopold's account, internet users would tear them apart. Summer would be done for, and even his position as her boss might become unstable.
Two hours later, Anthony contacted Leopold. "I've had all the posts deleted and locked their IPs in the backend. But the person who hired them isn't from the entertainment industry. I called in a favor to get his information, I'll send it to you on WhatsApp in a bit."
Mentioning favors?
Leopold laughed dismissively. "Mr. Clark, are you saying I should thank you?"
Anthony knew he wasn't giving him any slack, so he quickly adjusted the conversation. "Mr. Wipere, don't misunderstand, I'm just saying it took some effort to find this person."
Leopold said coolly, "It must have been hard work for you, Mr. Clark."
Anthony replied with a smile, "It's what I should do, don't mention it."
Leopold said, "The posts are handled, but what about Summer? What do you plan to do?"
Anthony's heart skipped a beat—he really wasn't going to let Summer off.
"Mr. Wipere," Anthony said, taking on the tone of someone with experience, "Summer is also a victim in this. A young girl just starting out in the industry, just getting a bit of fame, and she gets set up. Mr. Wipere, for the sake of our years of acquaintance, please let her go."
Leopold lowered his eyes, turning the cigarette box in his hand. "So Mr. Clark is saying if I pursue this, I'm not respecting our relationship?"
Anthony was stuck for words, but quickly recovered and said pleasantly, "Mr. Wipere, you can't put it that way. Our relationship can't be compared to one artist."
Leopold wouldn't budge. "But I don't think I misheard what you just said, Mr. Clark."
If this continued, Summer really couldn't be saved.
"Mr. Wipere, given Summer's current trajectory, she's definitely going to be famous. You know how hard it is to cultivate an artist—it takes so many people to produce one star like this."
"Yes, it takes so many people to produce one Summer, and she can't even focus on acting."
Anthony fell silent. If he kept going, Leopold would probably spell everything out. "How about this—tomorrow I'll have her apologize to you in person. She's caused you a lot of trouble these past few days."
Leopold said, "Things have blown up this big, and she's just going to apologize to me? How does that solve anything? Mr. Clark keeps thinking about your company's interests, Summer got what she wanted, but what does any of this have to do with me? Using me to get famous—she's got some nerve."
"Mr. Wipere, for my sake, can we just let this go?" If Anthony was willing to humble himself like this, Leopold couldn't push him too hard.
Leopold said, "Since I started in this business, I've never done a losing deal. This is the first time I've taken such a big loss."
Anthony said seriously, "Tomorrow, I'll have my lawyer issue an apology statement in the name of my agency, explain everything clearly, and clear your name."
Leopold said, "Thanks for understanding, Mr. Clark. After all, my wife reads entertainment news too. When she sees news like this, it affects our family relationship. I know it's rumors, but my wife needs a proper explanation."
Anthony smiled, "I understand. Let's leave it at that then. I'll send you the other party's information right away."
Leopold replied, "Good, we'll be in touch if anything comes up."
After hanging up, Leopold's face was cold. Anthony still wanted to claim he was doing him a favor? Without him and Summer, he wouldn't have gotten caught up in this mess in the first place.
Seeing the WhatsApp message Anthony sent, Leopold's expression suddenly darkened.
At that moment, Preston was meeting with a client in the reception room. His phone rang, and seeing it was Leopold's number, he put it on silent and handed it to Erik beside him.
Erik took the phone and went outside, answering, "Mr. Wipere, this is Erik. Mr. Preston Wipere is meeting with a client and will call you back later. If it's urgent, I can pass on a message."
Leopold asked, "What has Mr. Phillips been up to lately?"
Erik was a bit confused—why was he suddenly concerned about Bodhi? "Mr. Phillips has been at the company the whole time, nothing unusual. Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
Leopold let out a very light laugh through his nose. "Nothing, just checking on him. By the way, if you see him at the company, pass on a message for me."
Erik said, "Go ahead."
Leopold said, "Tell Bodhi I'm going to settle accounts with him."
Erik paused slightly. "How did he offend you?"
Leopold said, "Don't worry about it, just pass on the message."
Erik replied, "Understood. Is there anything else you need me to tell Mr. Preston Wipere?"
Leopold said, "No, that's all."
He hung up.
The next day, after the production team finished recording the final footage, they started packing up to leave.
On the last day, the production team wanted to thank Leopold for his strong support and planned to have a meal together, since Celestial Waters Hotel was also a brand sponsor of the variety show.
Leopold had Lily set up Banquet Hall No. 2 for an evening dinner with the production team and the celebrity artists.
Summer was anxious in her room. John saw her looking so worried and brought her a glass of water. "Have some water."
Summer took the glass, holding it with both hands but not drinking. "Mr. Wainwright, do you think Mr. Wipere will tell me off in front of everyone at dinner tonight?"
John sat beside her to comfort her. "No, didn't Mr. Clark say he'd issue a statement in the company's name? It's fine, don't worry."
Summer frowned deeply. "Since this whole thing came out, I haven't gone to see Mr. Wipere once. Will he think I'm not sincere and decide to sue me?"
John patted her shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Mr. Clark is helping you, and you're an important artist for the company now. He can't just ignore you."