Chapter 5

“Mr. Thorne.”

The Legal Director, Mr. Davies, quickly assembled his team. I wasted no words, directly tossing a document I’d prepared onto the conference table.

All eyes in the room focused on me.

“Within thirty minutes, I need three things simultaneously published across all online platforms.”

“First, issue a cease and desist letter. Publicly expose Sera Hayes’ severe violation of her non-compete clause and her malicious manipulation of public opinion to attack the company during her contract period. From this moment on, freeze all commercial activities and copyright revenues associated with that stage name.”

Mr. Davies’ eyes lit up.

When I first signed Sera Hayes, she was an unknown nobody named “Sarah Miller.”

I insisted on keeping full ownership and commercial rights to the stage name “Sera Hayes” firmly with the company precisely to prevent a situation like this from ever happening.

“Second, contact all our partner music platforms and media channels. Release this audio file publicly at the same time.”

I plugged a USB drive into the conference room computer and opened a folder.

Inside were hundreds of audio files, recordings of her every studio session over the past five years.

I randomly clicked one open, and shrill, off-key vocals instantly filled the entire conference room.

It was a raw, unedited vocal track straight from the recording studio.

A young lawyer couldn’t help but frown.

“I want everyone to hear these audio files.”

My voice grew colder. “Third, contact the financial media and major gossip bloggers we work with. Release this financial report.”

From her vocal and etiquette training fees before her debut, to the production, promotion, and PR costs of every album, to the marketing expenses for every trending topic she ever had, and every haute couture gown she wore.

Over these five years, the company had invested over nine figures into her.

“Let these people see clearly who the ungrateful viper really is.”

The team swiftly mobilized. Thirty minutes later, the hashtag **#SeraHayesGetOutofEntertainment** shot to the top of the trending topics.

Immediately after, a compilation video of Sera Hayes’ hundreds of raw practice tracks spread like wildfire online.

Countless music critics and popular music influencers reposted it, decrying her lack of talent given her fame.

[WTF! This is Sera Hayes? Am I deaf or is she crazy?]

[OMG, my ears miscarried! Calling this KTV level is being too generous!]

[Now I finally understand why she only half-sings at concerts. Shout out to the million-dollar sound engineer, you earned your pay!]

[Alex Thorne is truly something else, to make *this* level of talent a star!]

Public opinion instantly flipped.

Finally, a well-known gossip blogger on Ins released the studio’s financial reports from the past few years.

The headline was bold and capitalized, clearly stating that Sera Hayes had cost the company a staggering nine hundred million dollars over five years!

[LOL, oppressed by capital? She was clearly capital’s pampered daughter!]

[Nine figures… so this is how A-listers are made. I get it now.]

[Every penny she spent was earned by Alex, right? This isn’t just ingratitude, she’s an ungrateful viper!]

The phone on my desk began to vibrate frantically, “Sera Hayes” flashing across the screen.

I didn’t answer.

All I wanted was for her and her boy toy to end up begging on the streets.