Chapter 142: Lifted Her Up, The Choice
"What do you think we should do now?"
A few days later, things took a turn for the worse.
Noah dropped more evidence, making it almost undeniable that Chase had plagiarized the song.
Chase barged into the studio, smashing things in a fit of rage.
His manager, watching the chaos, wasn't too thrilled either.
"Seriously? You should be blaming yourself. You were the one who swore the song was Bianca's. Now, you want her to produce evidence, but there's been no progress. What's the point of trashing the studio? You need to figure out how to get Bianca to produce evidence. Or, you could just throw all the blame on her and clear your own name!"
The manager shook his head, clearly frustrated.
He was starting to lose faith in Bianca too.
He had thought she cared about Chase and was reasonable.
But now, it seemed she was just as self-centered as anyone else.
Chase's face darkened. "No, Bianca can't handle the online backlash. She's not in good health."
In truth, he was a pretty good brother.
Even now, he was still thinking about Bianca's health.
This was probably the kind of concern Emily would never get.
Seeing that Chase was barely holding on, the manager snapped, "Really? Let's see if you can hold on till the end with that attitude."
Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang.
"Yeah, I understand... No problem, we'll wait until the time is right to release the evidence... Yes, yes..."
The manager took call after call, all from reps of brands Chase endorsed.
He could only nod and try to calm them, buying time.
After several calls, the manager looked at Chase, more serious than ever. "I can only stall them a few more times. If one brand breaks the contract, the others will follow, and you'll be facing over a hundred million dollars in breach penalties. Think about how you'll pay that back!"
Chase had made a lot of money over the years, but his expenses were high too. Most of it went on luxury gifts for Bianca.
For example, a birthday present could be a necklace worth millions of dollars.
Or a diamond from an auction worth millions, even tens of millions, to celebrate her achievements.
All in all, it was a significant amount of spending.
Chase's face turned pale, and he looked like he was falling apart.
Seeing this, the manager seized the opportunity to continue, "I'm not forcing you to make Bianca apologize. Either she produces evidence, or she apologizes. There has to be a resolution, right?
Compared to an apology that will soon be forgotten online, you're facing real money to pay back. Think about it!"
But time waits for no one. Chase had no time to think.
His assistant rushed in, shouting, "Mr. Johnson, it's bad. People online have dug up your identity. They're flooding the Johnson Group's website..."
Chase felt a wave of panic.
Soon, Eli called, berating him harshly.
"Chase, what the hell is going on? I never agreed with you going into the entertainment industry. You promised you'd perform well. Is this your idea of performing well? Now you've even dragged the Johnson Group into this mess. If I had known, I would have made you quit the industry immediately. Can you solve this or not?"
Eli seemed to forget how he praised Chase when he was popular and helped boost the Johnson Group's profile.
Chase's face grew more and more grim, but he knew he was in the wrong.
He had a natural fear of Eli and could only stay silent, not knowing how to explain.
"Speak up! What's going on?"
Eli, seeing Chase's silence, grew even angrier.
Chase hesitated, then truthfully explained the situation.
"So, you're saying this is because of Bianca? Fine, I'll talk to her. She's kind-hearted and empathetic. She must not know what's happening online, or she would have stepped up already. Once she knows, she'll apologize. Emily, that jerk, hasn't produced evidence yet. She's probably the plagiarist. Otherwise, she would have claimed credit by now. We'll have Bianca apologize and put the blame on Emily. If she doesn't produce evidence, we'll say she's doing it to get back at you. Just shift all the blame onto her."
Chase's eyes lit up. "Okay, Dad, I'll wait for your news."
"Useless. In the end, I still have to clean up your mess." Eli snorted and hung up.
He immediately called for Bianca, who was at home.
Bianca was well aware of the situation online. She was planning to leave and go on a trip to avoid Chase's manager's requests.
But before she could leave, Eli found her.
Bianca felt a bad premonition.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Bianca feigned ignorance, looking at Eli with innocent eyes.
Eli felt relieved. He was convinced Bianca didn't know about the online situation and that's why she hadn't stepped up.
"Bianca, how much do you know about Chase's situation? Why don't you take a look at the news online..."
Chase hadn't told Eli that they had already talked to Bianca about Emily's demands, so Eli was under a different impression.
Even though she was cursing Chase as an idiot and Emily as a jerk in her mind, Bianca had no choice but to pretend to read the news.
She acted as if she had just seen it, her face turning pale, and she looked like she was about to faint. "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't know it would turn out like this. I was just trying to help Chase, who didn't like Emily at the time. Emily insisted on having Chase try her song, and I... If I had known, I wouldn't have tried to help."
Bianca lied so smoothly that it came naturally to her.
She quickly found an excuse, positioning herself as the victim.
Eli's initial dissatisfaction with her softened.
He spoke gently, "It's unfair to you, but you know we need to resolve this. Apologizing is the best way to minimize the damage to Chase and the Johnson Group. Are you willing to endure this for your brother and the Johnson Group? I'll make sure to compensate you well afterward."
Bianca lowered her eyes, a flash of resentment in them.
So, in the face of interests, even compared to Chase, she was nothing.
The Johnson family was indeed selfish. Luckily, she never really cared about family bonds. Only someone as foolish as Emily would be controlled by such illusions.
But to apologize to Emily? That was impossible.
"What's wrong? Are you unwilling?" Seeing Bianca's silence, Eli's face darkened, and his voice grew stern.