Chapter 316
Tearing down someone successful provided the perfect outlet for people to vent their own miserable, pent-up frustrations. It gave them a fleeting rush of power.
By the second day, Mira and Owen still hadn’t issued a single statement. They were waiting to see what Lawrence’s camp would do next.
Robert Yates, however, was pacing a hole in the floor. He rushed into Mira’s office, practically begging for a strategy.
The toxic rumors were finally starting to put a massive dent in their concert ticket sales.
“It’s fine, Robert. Just hold the line and wait,” Mira assured him calmly.
Meanwhile, over at Yield Crest Media headquarters.
Mara was practically glowing with triumph as she reported to Lawrence. “Look at them! They’re completely silent. We’ve won p>
“If we successfully crush them this time, you’ll be the MVP of this entire operation,” Lawrence praised, looking immensely satisfied. “Not only will you get a massive cut of our concert revenue, but I’ll personally ensure you’re signed as Yield Crest Media’s newest headlining artist p>
“Thank you so much, Lawrence p>
Mara didn’t necessarily need the money-the Mercer family had plenty-but proving she could build her own lucrative empire would force her brothers to finally look at her with respect, rather than pity.
“Actually, Lawrence… once this is all over, would you consider letting me stay on as your personal assistant?” she asked, lowering her voice seductively.
She figured that keeping herself in his close, daily orbit was the easiest way to make him fall for her.
If she managed to marry into the Lance family, the Mercer wealth and whatever pathetic schemes Shane Porter was brewing back home would look like absolute pocket change.
“We’ll see. As long as you continue to prove your usefulness,” Lawrence replied smoothly.
“But do not get careless p>
Lawrence didn’t know Mira well enough to predict her counterattack, but his instincts warned him that his older brother was never this easy to take down.
Right as the public vitriol against Mira reached its absolute peak, Lawrence dropped his masterstroke: Yield Crest Media proudly announced that Melvion City’s beloved rising star, Mara Mercer, would be officially joining their concert lineup.
This was the checkmate they had been building toward all along.
Back at Solflare, Mira watched the announcement drop. A cold, dangerous smile curved her lips. She tapped her headset. “Alright, PR. Burn them to the ground p>
Lawrence could never have anticipated the sheer, apocalyptic scale of the counterattack. Before the ticket sales for his concert could even register a spike, the internet was utterly carpet-bombed with damning evidence against Mara.
Solflare’s PR team systematically unloaded a massive cache of high-definition security footage showing Mara’s psychotic tantrums and abusive behavior inside the Mercer estate.
Then came the irrefutable evidence of her attempting to drug and entrap Wesley Scott at the hotel.
Next, they released the digital paper trail Mira had previously hacked, explicitly detailing Mara’s pathetic attempts to seduce Wesley and her corrupt financial transactions with Ms. Crowe to manipulate test scores.
And finally, the most gut-wrenching video of all: Mara viciously screaming at and physically abusing Rachel, the elderly family housekeeper.
Mira had originally kept these files buried out of a lingering sense of duty to protect the Mercer family’s public standing But now perfectly Spliced and released in a relentless wave, they shattered Mara’s innocent facade into a million irredeemable pieces.
Every single video was masterfully edited, pairing the horrifying footage with the exact hypocritical quotes Mara’s paid trolls had been spamming about Mira’s “cruelty p>
It was an absolute slaughter. Mara was publicly crucified, her reputation incinerated
in a matter of minutes.
The court of public opinion violently whipped in the opposite direction.
“What kind of absolute monster is this Mara girl p>
“There is literally no low she won’t stoop to. Disgusting p>
“She’s pure, unadulterated evil. Look at how she treats that poor old lady p>
“Oh my god. Mira wasn’t the abuser… she was the victim. She was bullied out of her own home p>
“Honestly, if I lived with a psychotic sociopath like that, I would have packed my bags and ran too p>
But the PR team wasn’t done. They
immediately followed up by releasing the raw audio of Mara’s catastrophic vocal performance at the school talent show, alongside the undeniable proof of her attempting to bribe the judges to steal the first-place trophy.
For contrast, they released the stunning, flawless recording of Mira’s actual first- place performance.
Now, the entire internet knew exactly how talentless Mara truly was.
“Yield Crest Media is actually putting this talentless trash on stage? I’d rather watch
Quinn Montgomery have another meltdown. At least she can carry a tune p>
“I just bought tickets to this trash fire. My luck is garbage p>
“Who cares? Just demand a refund p>
“But the venue charges a cancellation fee p>
“Screw the fee! If we all demand a refund and threaten a boycott, they won’t have
the guts to deny us full our money back p>
Watching the PR disaster spiral wildly out of control, Lawrence panicked. In a desperate bid to save his own sinking ship, he ruthlessly severed all ties with Mara.
Yield Crest Media issued a harsh,
immediate press release: *Due to severe moral failings and deceptive practices brought to light, Yield. Crest Media has officially terminated allcontracts with Mara Mercer. She is permanently banned from participating in our upcoming concert lineup p>