After hanging up, Vanessa shot a look at the finance head and said, "Ernest is toast. Go figure out how much he owes for breaching the contract."
"Vanessa," Madison was shocked at how quickly Vanessa was ditching Ernest. She still had some hope, "We spent two years building him up. Are we really just gonna drop him like that?" Vanessa snapped, "If we don''t, you want the whole Queen Entertainment to sink with him? What are you all standing around for? Go minimize the damage!"
The crew exchanged nces and bolted out of the room.
The office door clicked shut, leaving just Vanessa and Madison.
Madison had grown up a lot in the past two years.
She looked at Vanessa''s back and asked, "Who''s so hell-bent on taking Ernest down? They''re really pushing him out of the industry."
"I told you from the start, Ernestcked integrity. But you didn''t listen. You threw all our resources at him, and now look, he''s been caught red-handed." Vanessa was fuming. Queen Entertainment didn''t have many stars, and with Ernest out, she needed a new male lead, fast.
Madison clenched her fists, "Ernest has that clean, handsome look girls love these days. That''s why I pushed him so hard. If I find out who ruined him, they''re gonna pay." Vanessa shot her a cold look, "You really don''t know who''s targeting him?"
Madison was taken aback.
Vanessa sneered, "You''ve been stirring up drama with Noahtely. It''s not impossible someone from Superstar Entertainment decided to strike back." "Phoebe?" Madison, being in the biz, knew all thetest gossip. Phoebe had made a big sshing back to Kedora.
Recently, Madison had been aggressively marketing with Noah to get under Phoebe''s skin.
"She just got back. Does she have the clout to cause such a mess?" Madison hadn''t suspected Phoebe because she was known to be pretty straightced. Phoebe wouldn''t stoop to collecting dirt on her rivals and then blindsiding them.
Vanessa''s eyes twitched, "I don''t get how you''ve been in this industry for three years and are still so naive. You think Phoebe set up an entertainmentpany instead of sticking to her financial ventures for no reason?" "Why?" Madison was confused.
Vanessa wished she could shake some sense into Madison. She said in a low voice, "Because she wants topete with me."
Two years ago, Theodore saved her with five hundred million dors, ditching Phoebe. Phoebe must hate her guts and came back with Superstar Entertainment for revenge.
Ernest''s downfall was Phoebe''s payback, and who knew what else she had up her sleeve.
Madison finally got it, "The one who wronged her was Theodore. Why take it out on you? That''s just messed up."
Vanessa closed her eyes, not wanting to exin to this airhead.
Phoebe was crafty. Madison''s drama with Noah would definitely make Phoebe take it all out on Ernest.
While Queen Entertainment was in chaos, Superstar Entertainment was chill. Hearing that Ernest had been taken down, two socialites took turns roasting him on Facebook, and everyone was glued to the drama. "Ernest''s year is going down the drain, huh? He was everywhere in the first half, like he was the only star left. But now? Trouble city. Heard from a buddy he''s gotta cough up a hundred mil in penalties. Has he even made that much in two years?"
"Doubt it. He only blew up this year, so his paychecks and endorsements wouldn''t be that fat. Now he''s lost it all."
"Serves him right for being such a cocky jerk."
As Phoebe walked into thepany, she overheard the receptionists gossiping. They snapped to attention and greeted her as she passed.
Phoebe gave them a nod, strolled through the open office area, and headed to her office.
Once inside, Lori came in with a tablet to go over Phoebe''s schedule for the day. After the rundown, Lori said cheerfully, "Ms. Ziegler, did you check Facebook today?"
Phoebe, with a nk expression, replied, "Yeah, I saw it."
Phoebe pulled herptop from her bag and powered it up. While waiting for it to boot, she nced at Lori and said, "Tell the restaurant to give the staff an extra meal today. They''ve been busting their buttstely." "Sure thing, I''ll thank you on behalf of everyone, Ms. Ziegler," Lori said with a smile.
Phoebe waved her hand, "No need. It''s all thanks to everyone''s hard work. Once this busy period is over, I''ll treat everyone to a meal."
"Ms. Ziegler, you''re the best boss ever," Lori ttered, clearly in a good mood.
Phoebe said, "Get back to work."
Lori smiled and left. Phoebe entered her password and stared at the standby screen, lost in thought.
In the entertainment biz, it was rare to go all out to destroy a star. Most folks left some wiggle room. Phoebe went to such lengths because Vanessa had pushed too far.
If she didn''t hit back, people would think Superstar Entertainment''s artists were easy pickings.
Queen Entertainment must be in shambles now.
At 10 AM, Ernest posted an apology on Facebook, sincerely apologizing to the fans he hurt and announcing his retirement, making a dignified exit.
Fans on Facebook were split, some cursing him out, others not ready to let go, thinking he just cheated and didn''t really hurt anyone.
Phoebe found that logic ridiculous.
The drama ended, leaving Queen Entertainment in tatters.
Phoebe sighed in relief and started prepping for Noah''s new variety show.
Time flew by, and half a monthter, Pam had gradually gained Evelyn''s trust and moved into Golden Apartment.
One evening, Pam and Evelyn took Hubert, Boris, and Noomi for a walk in the neighborhood. Pam remembered they were low on diapers, so she took Hubert to a nearby baby store.
Just outside the neighborhood, she spotted a gray-ck Maybach parked by the road. She''d seen this type of car before and thought Edward hade to see her.
Holding Hubert, Pam walked over to the Maybach and nervously knocked on the window.
The window rolled down slowly, revealing a handsome but unfamiliar face with sharp features. Pam was startled; it wasn''t Edward.
"Sorry, I thought it was someone else."
Theodore turned his head, his gazending on Hubert''s face in Pam''s arms. Strangely, Hubert''s face seemed familiar, like he''d seen it somewhere before.