“Open the door for me!”
Alayah, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, came to the door. The smell of alcohol hinted that she had been drinking heavily the previous night.
She poured water for her agent. “Want some?”
“Are you kidding me?” The agent’s temples throbbed with anger as he threw a phone into Alayah’s lap. “The outside world is in chaos, and you still have the nerve to drink!”
Alayah was momentarily stunned. She opened her social media app, and without much searching, she found her name trending at the top. Her fingers trembled as she anxiously clicked through the headlines-
Alayah was accused of tax evasion.
Oconnor Group denounces Alayah for publicity stunts.
Alayah’s scheming nature was exposed.
…
The list went on.
-Wow, I remember when Alayah and Nelson’s scandal first broke, didn’t Oconnor Group issue a statement? Does no one remember?
-So it really was a publicity stunt. Unfollowing her, I’m so disappointed.
-Shameless. Am I the only one who thought Alayah was scheming from the start? Don’t forget her past scandals.
…
Suddenly, Alayah threw the phone to the ground with a sharp crash, covering her mouth as she screamed, “Where’s our PR team? Do we still have money? Spend whatever it takes to get this taken down!”
The agent shouted back, “You think I don’t know about PR? The whole company is in a frenzy. If it could be taken down, do you think I’d still be standing here?”
“…”
Alayah broke down in tears. She was a greedy woman who had only wanted to make some quick money but ended up ruining her career.
The agent leaned in close, his voice menacing. “Tell me honestly, are you hiding something from me? Otherwise, why did Nelson suddenly turn on us after we stopped the publicity stunts following that incident in the parking lot?”
Nelson’s move was ruthless, leaving no room for mercy. After today, the company would be a laughingstock in the industry, and Alayah would be erased from the entertainment world.
Publicity stunts were common in showbiz, but what was unusual was Nelson’s personal involvement in exposing it.
If it were anyone else, it might have been manageable. But this was Nelson! What could they do but watch helplessly as the situation spiraled out of control?
For months, they had tried everything to prevent official statements from being released, but they couldn’t hold it off.
Just like today, when she spent a fortune trying to remove the trending topic, only to be told that someone had paid even more to keep it there.
Who else could it be…
In this industry, fame could come quickly, but so could disgrace.
Alayah slid down the wall, her gaze growing vacant. “Sis, we were wrong from the start.”
Maybe they shouldn’t have targeted that man from the beginning.
Shouldn’t have tried to ride Nelson’s coattails at the red carpet event.
Shouldn’t have attempted to tie him into their publicity stunts.
And definitely shouldn’t have hired an army of fake fans to create a couple image for them.
The more perfect their initial plan seemed, the more painful the backlash now.
Where did it all start to go wrong?
Alayah thought hard and then a name popped into her mind…
Callie?
It seemed like everything changed after that. Nelson’s previously indifferent attitude towards their stunts shifted, and he started demanding they stop.
But instead of stopping, they escalated their efforts.
Was it because of that woman? Callie covered her face with her hands, realizing too late.
The agent pulled her hands away. “Stop crying! We’ve been through worse. Get up!”
“There are a bunch of reporters downstairs. We can’t just sit here and do nothing. The longer you wait to clarify these scandals, the more they’ll be taken as fact!”