Louis’s expression turned cold at the words, a faint trace of mockery lifting the corners of his mouth, “Manager Li, thinking of minimizing big issues now? Why didn’t you think twice before taking action? Let me give you some inside information, it wasn’t Elisa who seduced me, it was me who seduced her, and I haven’t succeeded yet.”
The phone suddenly went silent.
Jack, standing behind him, was stunned, his mouth gaping as if he could swallow a whole egg. Reacting quickly, he hurried to Louis’s side, raising his eyebrows and silently mouthing, “What are you saying?”
Louis showed no sign of remorse. “Do you dare to expose the truth if I give you evidence?”
Aster was stunned for a long moment, trying to speak but unable to, until finally managing to utter, “You…”. She now realized that Filippa hadn’t just stumbled upon trouble; she had collided with a diamond.
What she never could have anticipated was that Elisa and Louis’s relationship was actually instigated by Louis, the one being appeased. Aster managed to force out a “No.”
Jack, seeing Louis’s expression darken noticeably from the previous second, slumped directly, a hint of regret still evident in his eyes.
“If we’re talking about daring to seduce me, there aren’t many who have the courage. However, conveniently, your artist Filippa just happens to be one. A year ago on set, she sneaked outside my room. Although it didn’t come to light back then, I can still find the video now. To confirm what I’m saying, I’ve decided to post it on Twitter for everyone to see.”
Aster’s face paled, her words becoming stuttered, “Louis, she’s just a young girl who acted hastily, she means no harm. Give us a chance, we’ll come and apologize, and we’ll compensate you for any losses…”
Louis chuckled, “Compensate? Can you afford it? It’s the first time I’ve heard of a twenty-five-year-old girl, an adult, taking responsibility for her words and actions. If she can’t control her mouth, then she shouldn’t blame others for the consequences.”
Aster grew anxious, “Louis, you can’t be so unreasonable. Yes, Filippa was outside your hotel room, but that’s in the past, and she didn’t do anything.”
“You’re mistaken again. I didn’t call today to reason with you. I’m here to support my future girlfriend.” The phrase “future girlfriend” solidified his position.
Why give in when you’re right, especially when they’re in the wrong? These people won’t shed a tear until they see the coffin.
Louis hung up and tossed the phone to Jack.
Taking the phone in a fluster, Jack asked, “Why did you tell everything to Aster? What if she records and threatens you?”
“Whether she threatens or not depends on whether she has the capability to do so. If she dares to make a move, I’ll bring down her company too.”
Though Jack had been responsible for some of Louis’s schedules over the years, he was unaware of Louis’s power. He knew Louis was wealthy and influential, but he hadn’t expected it to reach such astonishing levels, to easily dismantle an entire economic company.
“Are you really going to release the information about Filippa waiting outside your hotel?” Jack asked quietly.
“I’ve already had it posted.”
Jack felt his vision darken. Fortunately, he was already accustomed to Louis’s duplicitous nature. He tremblingly opened Twitter on his phone, only to find it lagging. After a moment, he managed to enter, and the top trending topic had already changed to Filippa’s name, with an added “explosion” at the end.
Clicking on it, he saw that the posts were all from several marketing accounts, with millions of likes within minutes. Louis had simultaneously called Aster while having someone expose the year-old video.
Filippa couldn’t possibly yield such a massive impact, even with Louis’s involvement. The only explanation was that Louis not only contacted these marketing accounts but also paid them to propel Filippa to the top of the trending list, an impressive display of influence.
Jack knew about this incident but at the time, no one else did, and Louis hadn’t faced any repercussions, so it had been forgotten. But now, after all this time, it had resurfaced, all because of Elisa being pushed to the forefront.
Jack’s gaze shifted from his phone to Louis, observing him cautiously.
Louis sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, the faint sunlight adorning him softly, his profile gentle, a hint of a smile playing at his lips, revealing his fangs. It should have been a beautiful scene, yet for some reason, Jack shuddered.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing, a smiling tiger – that’s Louis in a nutshell.
His appearance wasundoubtedly top-notch, and while the entertainment industry wasn’t lacking in good-looking individuals, Louis was one of a kind.
Returning his attention to the trending page, he scrolled down. Louis not only revealed the year-old video but also exposed the fact that the account posting was Filippa’s.
Filippa was now being denounced by everyone. The video was disgraceful; it depicted her in her nightclothes, knocking on Louis’s door late at night, clearly intending to visit another man’s room. Louis hadn’t opened the door but instead had security escort her out. The video had been enhanced, with her panicked face clearly visible.
Jack didn’t need to think about the comments; he knew that crossing Louis meant trouble for Filippa.
This woman just doesn’t learn. She hadn’t even resolved the previous incident and had Sebastian take the blame for her, and now, instead of staying quiet, she had vented using a secondary account. Now she had been exposed.
Jack could already picture Aster’s devastated expression upon seeing the trending page. She had brought in many people, but Filippa was the only one earning her money. Now that Filippa had caused such a huge scandal, the losses were devastating.
The trending topic wouldn’t die down, and even the most formidable public relations team couldn’t handle such a mess.
…
Just a moment ago, Filippa had been cursing Elisa, and then, like a bolt of lightning, she watched her name soar to the top of the trending list, rising to the number one spot.
She felt paralyzed, like a malfunctioning machine, her reactions dulled. Under extreme stress, the human mind often triggers a protective mode, retreating into a shell, as if stuck in an unending nightmare.
Filippa pinched her own forearm, feeling the pain, yet she continued, trying to jolt herself awake. But this was reality.
Reality often proved more terrifying than nightmares. She trembled as she clutched her phone, scrolling through the trending page, seeing her secondary account exposed and bombarded with private messages and millions of comments.
She didn’t dare to open them, but she scrolled further down, encountering the video of her trying to seduce Louis from years ago. After being taken away by security, she had gone silent for over a decade, but now, she was exposed in such a humiliating manner.
She had spent over a week in fear and had seen no online activity, so she had gradually forgotten about it. But now, it had resurfaced in the most humiliating way possible.
Just a few hours earlier, she had used her secondary account to insult Elisa, accusing her of shamelessly seducing Louis. She hadn’t expected the tables to turn on her so quickly.
Not only had the video surfaced, but now everyone knew her secondary account.
Was it Elisa’s doing? No… she didn’t have that kind of power. It could only have been Louis.
Filippa broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, her phone rang, and she clung to it, as if grasping a lifeline.
The caller ID displayed her manager’s name, Aster. She trembled as she answered the call, “Aster, please help me. I didn’t mean to do it. I just used a fake account to vent my frustrations. Please, help me talk to Louis and ask him to let me off the hook.”
A mocking laugh came through the phone, “Looks like you’re not as naive as I thought. You even know who did it.”
“I…” Filippa was speechless.
“It’s over. Five minutes ago, I got his call. I’ve said what needs to be said. Filippa, you’re on your own with this mess you’ve made. No one is going to help you. I’ve been summoned back to the company for an emergency meeting. I don’t have time to deal with you. You’re on your own.”
Beep… Beep… Beep…
“Aster!” The line had gone dead. Filippa felt herself go weak with fear, her mind a ticking time bomb. She was thrown into disarray, drenched in cold sweat.
Refusing to give up, she called Aster again.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy…”
Aster, already pale, turned even whiter upon hearing the busy signal. She knew Aster wasn’t just playing games. How could she rush back for an emergency meeting at the company at this hour?
There was no doubt, she had been abandoned.
Unwilling to accept this, Filippa called Sebastian, but his phone was off.
She knew Sebastian liked her. He had set a special ringtone for her calls, so he always answered no matter what. His phone had never been off before. But now it was off… which meant Sebastian had also given up on her.
She had severed the last lifeline with her own hands.
She had always recklessly taken advantage of Sebastian’s kindness, letting him take the blame for her actions. His abandonment was only natural, but she couldn’t accept it.
Regret. She regretted it so much.
If she could go back a week, she would never have tried to sabotage Elisa by joining that variety show, never have tampered with the script. She would have waited at home for her work assignments and followed her schedule for the month as usual.
If only her jealousy hadn’t been so strong, if she hadn’t tried to frame Elisa, hadn’t used a fake account to insult her, spread rumors about her and Louis, she wouldn’t be in this irreparable situation now.
But in this world, there are no “ifs,” no remedy for regret… no remedy for regret.
How could she have been so foolish as to be defeated by a notorious female artist?