“I heard that the Cherish vice president immediately went to Orion Entertainment when Madison’s accident happened. It’s clear Madison must have done some dirty work while she was in charge.”
“Bianca only got her position because she’s a ‘nepo baby’. Bianca will fail, too, now that her mom’s in trouble.”
One tweet especially caught Bianca’s eye. She turned to Diana and asked, “Natalie’s joining Orion Entertainment?”
“Didn’t you know? That’s old news,” Diana said, looking surprised.
Bianca shook her head. She’d been too busy dealing with Stacey to catch up on the news.
Seeing Bianca didn’t know, Diana continued, “People are saying Orion Entertainment paid a huge amount to poach Natalie and are even covering any damages.”
Bianca pursed her lips. Even though Natalie was still a top star, her popularity had dipped since losing to Sophia in the audition. It was surprising that Orion Entertainment would spend so much to bring her on board.
It made sense now why there was so much online hate towards Bianca and her mother. Natalie’s fans were likely using this situation to attack them.
If Cherish really did partner with Orion Entertainment, Natalie could end up as their spokesperson.
“She won’t hesitate, will she?” Bianca asked after thinking it over.
Diana shook her head. “It’s hard to say.”
“Why?”
“Well, even though this has been going on for a few days, Natalie hasn’t said anything. My guess is that Phoenix Entertainment is doing everything it can to keep her. They might have offered her some really tempting resources, which is why she’s still hesitating.”
Bianca nodded, feeling it made sense. She smiled at Diana and said, “Diana, you’ve really grown up.”
Diana straightened up with a proud smile and replied, “I had to! Who else would back you up?”
Bianca felt a warm touch of appreciation but quickly shifted her focus. “How’s the deal between Orion Entertainment and Cherish coming along?”
Diana chuckled and said, “Not very well.”
“Why? What happened?” Bianca asked.
Bianca figured that Orion Entertainment would jump at the chance to partner with Cherish, especially with Madison, who is out of the picture. It made sense that the two companies would be in talks, and with Cherish needing a strong partner, Orion seemed like the obvious choice.
Given the benefits for both sides, they should have signed the contract quickly.
“Check the top searches again,” Diana said with a wink, pointing to Bianca’s phone.
Bianca looked at the top of the webpage.
As she suspected, the second headline revealed the issue: “Luxury brand Cherish has lost its backbone, and the stock price of LMH Group has plummeted.”
Bianca clicked on the article and saw that Cherish was in turmoil after her mother’s accident. The socialite clientele had loved the brand mainly because of Madison’s designs, so they were returning their purchases now that Madison was out of the picture.
This led to a significant drop in Cherish’s popularity.
Then, Bianca noticed a breaking news headline that made her eyes widen in shock.
“Phoenix Alliance Group eyes Cherish: Will they buy the luxury brand despite its high price?” It looked like LMH Group was willing to sell Cherish quickly, and recently, the two major companies had been in negotiations.
Once Cherish was bought by another company, Madison would become irrelevant.
Cherish represented all of Bianca’s mother’s hard work. Bianca couldn’t just stand by and watch it get sold off so easily.
Seeing Bianca’s worried expression, Diana hesitated but then decided to speak up.
Noticing Diana’s hesitation, Bianca took a deep breath and said firmly, “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”
Diana finally said, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t shake the feeling that Orion Entertainment is targeting our company.”
“Why do you think that?” Bianca asked, frowning.
Diana sat up straight and explained, “I had arranged a deal with an advertiser, but on the day we were supposed to sign, they suddenly said they wanted a different spokesperson. When I looked into it, I found out that Orion Entertainment had fought hard for that ad. It was just a regular brand, but they used one of their top artists, so our less well-known artists weren’t even considered.”
Bianca’s frown deepened. “So you’re saying they’re taking opportunities away from us?”
“At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but it keeps happening. Every time we have a good opportunity, Orion Entertainment swoops in and grabs it. Our artists end up with only poor job offers. If this keeps happening, people will start laughing at our artists!”
Bianca clenched her fists, wondering if this had anything to do with Ashley.
Back then, Orion Entertainment covered Ashley’s wrongdoings, signed her up, and gave her unlimited resources. It was clear they held Ashley in high regard and weren’t shy about showing it.
Bianca wondered if Ashley could have pulled off such a complex scheme on her own.
But if a senior executive at Orion Entertainment had been supporting Ashley, it would explain these sneaky attacks. Since Ashley had been jailed because of Bianca, Orion Entertainment might be retaliating through this executive.
“I think I understand what’s happening now,” Bianca said with a serious look as she gathered her things. “I’m going to Phoenix Alliance Group first. I’ll figure out what to do about Orion Entertainment afterward.”
“Why are you going to Phoenix Alliance Group?” Diana asked, surprised as she stood up.
Bianca met Diana’s curious look and replied firmly, “I can’t let them buy Cherish.”
Soon, Bianca arrived at Phoenix Alliance Group’s headquarters by taxi. Looking at the grand building, she couldn’t help but feel impressed.
It was no surprise that Phoenix Alliance Group was the top conglomerate in Edenfield; the building alone was awe-inspiring.
This was Bianca’s first visit to their headquarters, so it was natural for her to feel a bit nervous.
There were rumors that the CEO of Phoenix Alliance Group had significant power in Edenfield, and those who crossed him often vanished mysteriously.
On this day, Bianca had to be extra careful with her words and actions. A single mistake with someone so influential could damage the small agency she had just started.
Bianca took a deep breath to steady herself and walked into the grand building.
As she entered, she almost gasped. The lobby was enormous, easily three times the size of her entire company. It was luxurious, with marble floors and walls so polished that her reflection stared back at her. At the center of the lobby was a stunning crystal tree showcasing Phoenix Alliance Group’s impeccable taste. If Bianca had to describe the place in one word, it would be “spectacular.”