radicalducati Chapter 607: I’ll Always Have Your Back
Chapter 607: I’ll Always Have Your Back
In front of everyone, Bianca bowed deeply. “Thank you for saving us.”
Zane looked a little embarrassed. “I was just doing a good deed. It’s nothing, really.”
Bianca wasn’t putting on an act; she truly meant it. If Zane hadn’t been there, both Dave and Reese’s reputations would have been destroyed.
Zane, still a bit awkward, felt he’d only done what anyone should. He stole a glance at Dave and quietly sighed in relief when he saw that Dave’s expression hadn’t changed.
Reese jumped to her feet, relief in her voice. “Thank you. Yesterday, I was so scared I thought you were someone dangerous. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Of course not! You’re my favorite actress. I’ll always have your back!” Zane grinned and scratched his head before looking at Bianca. “I accept your apology, and I’ll keep quiet. But I’m worried someone might try to make trouble for me.”
As he spoke, he shot Blake a pointed look, making his meaning clear.
“Don’t worry,” Bianca said calmly. “I’ve got it handled. I’ll give you my number. If anything happens, call me. And when Reese has events, I’ll make sure you get VIP tickets and front-row seats.”
It was an offer no true fan could refuse and Zane, in his obsessive way, wasn’t about to turn it down.
“Really?” Zane’s voice rose with excitement.
“Of course,” Bianca replied with a confident grin. “I’m the boss of Emerald Artists Agency. I can make it happen.” She let her eyes linger on the check before turning to Reese.
Reese understood and added, “I’d be happy if you could be there to support me. Blake’s my friend, so could you…”
“I’m not that bad,” Zane said with a low chuckle. “I was just irritated with him earlier. He can give me whatever he wants, or nothing at all, it doesn’t matter. But don’t forget, we agreed on extra tickets. Let me treat the fan club members and save face. And most importantly, how could I refuse when you’re the one asking?”
Then he turned to Blake, his eyes filled with contempt.
The look made Blake’s blood boil. His jaw tightened, and his hand trembled slightly as he wrote out a check for a million dollars. “This is Lawson Group business. Compensation is necessary. Please, take it.”
Blake’s voice stayed calm, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable. Zane’s mood brightened the moment he grabbed the check, his grin stretching with satisfaction.
Seeing how quickly Bianca and Reese had stepped in, any lingering doubts Blake had were gone. Exactly as Bianca had planned. To her and Dave, the money was nothing. Her help to Blake was just a calculated move to make him drop his guard.
Dave’s eyes softened briefly as he looked at Bianca. A faint smile tugged at his lips, but it vanished just as quickly, replaced by his usual cold, distant expression. “Alright. The next step is to hold a press conference.”
Once the confidentiality agreement was signed, Dave led Zane out.
“Boss, about this one million…” Zane lifted the check, a questioning look in his eyes.
Dave replied evenly, “Take it. You earned it.”
Zane broke into a satisfied smile. Not only had he put Blake in his place, but he’d also walked away with a cool million. Seeing Blake flustered and embarrassed made it even better.
To Zane, Blake wasn’t even worth Dave’s time. If Blake had to rely on such cheap tricks, how impressive could he really be?
Before long, Blake held a press conference, streamed live across the internet.
Reese’s popularity was unmatched, and the strange nature of the incident only drew more attention. The stream pulled in over a million viewers in no time, and the number kept climbing until it passed ten million.
The moment Blake, Reese, and Bianca appeared together, the rumors lost all momentum.
“Dear viewers, this was all a misunderstanding,” Reese began. “Blake was once an outstanding artist and is a good friend of mine in the industry. I hope you’ll continue to support his company. And for our loyal fans, I’ve prepared some special benefits.”
When she finished, Blake, sitting beside her with a strained smile, added, “Today, during this live stream, we’ll be giving away ten thousand discount vouchers, plus one thousand vouchers worth 1,888 dollars each. They can be used across all Lawson Group brands.”
He kept smiling, but inside, the loss hit him hard.
The online comments were as lively as ever.
“I knew it! Some people just can’t resist making up nonsense for attention, dragging Reese’s name through the mud just to get clicks. Absolutely shameless!”
“I said from the start this had to be a misunderstanding. And now look, these so-called bloggers twisted the truth just to pull in traffic, acting like they were cracking some big mystery case.”
“This is hilarious. Reese had a few drinks, fell asleep, and suddenly you all turned it into a blockbuster drama, ‘kidnapping’ and ‘taking advantage of her’? You might as well switch to writing fiction!”
“Rumors die where wisdom thrives. People need to start thinking for themselves instead of getting played. And for those who actually want the facts, Bianca, Reese’s agent, is engaged to the mysterious big boss of Phoenix Entertainment. As for Blake, CEO of Lawson Group, he used to be one of Bianca’s artists. Now put the pieces together.”
“Ah, now it all makes sense! Those morning rumors were nothing but smoke and mirrors. Clearly, someone jealous of Reese’s friendship with Blake decided to cause trouble.”
Ashley set her phone down, her face dark as a storm.
“Bianca, Dave… don’t celebrate just yet.”
To the public, it might look like a lucky turn of events, but to Ashley, Blake had still taken a hard fall.
She turned toward the mirror, looking into the reflection that stared back at her, one that looked exactly like Brenda.
“It looks like I’ll have to take the wheel myself this time.”
The past few days had been anything but idle for Ashley. Between preparing to inspect the agencies and carefully studying every gesture and mannerism of Brenda from the videos Rupert sent, she was completely focused. If she was going to pull off this disguise, it had to be flawless.
This time, Universal Pictures had decided to select its partners through a high-stakes competition, a concept Brenda had personally come up with and announced on the company’s official website.
Ashley was tasked with overseeing the entire event and had full control over the details of how it would run.
The judging criteria went beyond evaluating an agency’s overall capabilities. It placed special emphasis on the skill of its artists, especially their acting ability. Ashley named the event the Universal Selection Competition Actor.