With every line Issac Sutton sang, James Zimmers's expression soured. By the time Issac finished the song, James's face was as black as thunder. But Jensen Morrison didn't look too happy either—he felt like he had just shot himself in the foot.
'Just think about it. I'm a titan of the music world. I finish up with the New Year's gala and instead of taking a vacation, I insist on picking up this merger with the lowest rate of return from my mother and flying out here. And for what? All because I heard from Grandpa Holden that a certain someone came here to chase after a star.'
'I worked so hard to be her Flower Protector, and what does she do? She gets on stage and sings a love song with someone else!' But the gossiping crowd's attention clearly wasn't on Jensen Morrison. The poor King Morrison, who was usually the center of attention wherever he went, was being completely ignored.
As the song ended, the atmosphere in the restaurant erupted. The crowd finally snapped out of their stupor and began to murmur amongst themselves—
"Who is that guy? Why does his voice sound so much like James Zimmers's?"
"Like hell it does! Didn't you just hear James Zimmers sing? They sound nothing alike!"
"This has to be a setup, right? Is Jensen Morrison trying to smear our James?"
"Are you an idiot? With Morrison's status, does he need to tear anyone down?"
"What the hell is going on? Am I dreaming?"
"This is such a brutal takedown... The star himself botched it, but a lowly staff member managed to sing it with the original's Taste..."
"Oof, that stings! I need a minute to recover..."
...
There were only a hundred or so people present. About half were from James Zimmers's own crew, and the fans were mostly from his official fan club. Of course, within that fan club were streamers and bloggers who specialized in gossip to generate traffic. These were the most terrifying people, because wherever they went, they live-streamed, broadcasting every detail of an incident as it happened, leaving no room for explanations.
Kira Walton's phone was blowing up. She simply turned it off, borrowed someone else's, and called the company. She ordered someone to immediately get Issac Sutton's sister, May Sutton, under control. Then she called the crisis PR department, telling them to quickly find a way to manage the online narrative and organize paid commenters to steer the conversation. After that, she called the legal department and told them to sue Issac Sutton. Once all that was arranged, she called her confidant, Ezekiel Aldrin, and told him to secretly investigate Jensen Morrison.
With things having escalated to this point, the shoot had to be suspended. James Zimmers was escorted back to the hotel by his staff. The moment he walked in the door, he grabbed a bottle of liquor from the cabinet and smashed it on the floor.
"What are you doing?!" Kira Walton's heart clenched. That bottle was worth at least ten thousand!
"This was obviously a setup!" James Zimmers screamed like a madman. "It was Jensen Morrison! He's trying to sabotage me! Ms. Walton, you can't just let this go!"
"Calm down. I've already arranged for people to handle it." Kira Walton felt her patience wearing thin.
"And Issac Sutton! That bastard was most likely bought off by Jensen Morrison!" James Zimmers spun around and kicked over a chair.
"Right, what's the deal with that fan of yours? Didn't you say she was just some obsessed fan? Is that what you call an obsessed fan?!" Kira Walton couldn't suppress her anger as she recalled what Ivy Holden was like.
Thinking of Ivy Holden, James Zimmers frowned for a long moment before saying, "I don't know much about her. Leila Lane introduced us."
"Who's Leila Lane?"
"She's a young lady from the Zimmers Group."
"The Zimmers Group? Which one?" Kira Walton was always more interested in potential patrons.
"The Zimmers Group from Faelan."
"Miles Zimmers's company? Then why is her name Leila Lane?"
"Her mother is Clara Zimmers."
"Right, Miles Zimmers doesn't have a son, only two daughters." Kira Walton raised a hand to rub the bridge of her nose. "What's this Leila Lane's cousin's name?"
James Zimmers thought for a long time before answering. "It's... Ivy Holden."
"Her surname is Holden?!" Kira Walton's eyes flew wide open.
"I think so... What's wrong?" James Zimmers felt a chill run down his spine from Kira Walton's glare.
"You idiot!" Kira Walton could no longer contain her fury. She pointed at James Zimmers and cursed, "Is your brain made of mush? Leila Lane is no 'young lady'! That Ivy Holden is the true heiress of the Zimmers Group!"
"..." James Zimmers was dumbfounded. After all, he didn't understand the intricacies of the business world. Given his status and experience, the richest people he knew were just a few widowed or separated wealthy wives.
"Miles Zimmers originally grew his business by relying on Miss Sterling. That's why the shares of the Zimmers Group were split in two from the start—half in Miles Zimmers's hands, and half belonging to Miss Sterling. And Leila Lane's mother, Clara Zimmers, is just Miles Zimmers's illegitimate daughter with an ex-girlfriend! With the Sterling Family's methods, how much of the family fortune do you think Clara Zimmers could possibly inherit from Miles Zimmers? Even though Miles Zimmers and Miss Sterling's daughter, Cynthia Zimmers, is dead, more than half of the Zimmers Group's shares would never fall into Clara Zimmers's hands! If Ivy Holden is Leila Lane's cousin, then she must be the daughter of Cynthia Zimmers and Carson Holden! And you know who Carson Holden is, don't you?!"
"..." Of course, James Zimmers knew who Carson Holden was.
Kira Walton acted decisively, immediately ordering James Zimmers, "Call that Leila Lane. Tell her you want to treat her and Ivy Holden to dinner."
"I... I don't have Leila Lane's number." James Zimmers now felt like a complete idiot. He couldn't believe he was completely oblivious to such crucial information, all while putting on the airs of a celebrity and not even giving Ivy Holden the time of day.
"You..." Kira Walton pointed a finger at James Zimmers, biting back a curse.
"I know they're also staying at this hotel. I think they booked a luxury sui—"
Kira Walton sighed, told James Zimmers to stay put in his room and not go out, then rushed out the door to put out the fire.
Leila Lane was on the verge of a breakdown. When she had gone to ask Holden Patterson for money, he had slapped her hard twice across the face. Pointing at her, he made a vicious threat, saying that anyone in this world who dared to trick him already had grass growing over their graves. From this, Leila Lane realized that Ivy Holden hadn't been with Holden Patterson last night. So whose men's shirt had she been wearing?
After returning from Holden Patterson's, Leila Lane went looking for Ivy Holden, only to find that she had disappeared. She wasn't replying to messages, her phone was off, she had checked out of her hotel room, and her two suitcases had been left in storage at the front desk!
Just as Leila Lane was stomping her feet in fury in the hotel lobby, Kira Walton found her.
"Miss Lane, I've been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing here?" Seeing Leila Lane's state, Kira Walton could guess that things weren't going well for her.
"Hah!" Leila Lane brushed the hair from her forehead and shook her head with a self-deprecating laugh. "You'll have to ask my 'dear' cousin about that! She checked out of the hotel and vanished without a word!"
Kira Walton suddenly felt that things had spiraled far beyond her imagination. She quickly took out her phone and called her assistant. "Have you found Issac Sutton?"
"Ms. Walton, I was just about to call you," the assistant said anxiously. "I've searched the entire hotel but can't find him. And his suitcase is gone."
"I..." Exasperated, Kira Walton spat out a curse.