Chapter 320
Eleanor had absolutely no idea that the missing child had miraculously been found months ago. In all their brief phone calls, Lacey had stubbornly refused to share the news with her mother.
If it hadn’t been for the massive, unavoidable PR scandal practically detonating across Aethelgard’s elite social circles, the Quinn family would still be entirely in the dark.
*You actually drove your own biological flesh and blood out of your home? Do you have sawdust for brains?* Eleanor thought, a surge of fresh fury rolling through her chest.
Eleanor truly suspected that Adrian Mercer had somehow brainwashed or poisoned her daughter’s mind.
*Your actual daughter arrived in Aethelgard, and you couldn’t even be bothered to call and ask me to watch over her p>
*And now you have the audacity to demand that the Quinn family mobilize our resources to save that fraudulent little bastard? Dream on p>
Having slammed headfirst into her mother’s impenetrable wall of hostility, Lacey was forced to call Norman.
“Just pack everything up and bring Mara back to Melvion City,” she ordered tightly. “Whatever happened… we’ll deal with it when she’s safely home p>
This was exactly what Norman had been waiting for. The highly anticipated bidding war for the Melvion City subway construction project was fast approaching.
He had meticulously cultivated his position in the Mercer household for this exact moment.
Shane Porter desperately needed Mara to be physically present in Melvion City to execute the final, critical stage of his sabotage against Ethan.
Armed with Lacey’s explicit authorization, Norman and the two bodyguards physically grabbed a thrashing, bitterly resistant Mara, dragging her all the way to the airport and throwing her onto the first flight home.
Back in Aethelgard, Mira, Gavin Hale, and the rest of the Solflare crew were working around the clock to finalize the preparations for tomorrow night’s massive concert.
Even Owen and Kieran Holt had temporarily abandoned their executive duties at the tech firm to roll up their sleeves and help manage the logistics.
Felix Grant had also dispatched Chloe, one of the top vice presidents from headquarters, to assist on the ground.
Orchestrating a large-scale, arena-level concert was a grueling logistical nightmare. Millions of dollars and immeasurable resources were on the line, and they were determined to ensure every single detail was executed flawlessly.
With Yield Crest Media’s lineup collapsing under the weight of back-to-back catastrophic scandals, Solflare Entertainment’s concert suddenly became the hottest, most fiercely demanded ticket in the entire country.
Outside the arena, scalpers were gouging prices to astronomical heights. Robert Yates practically sprinted into Mira’s dressing room to pitch a new strategy.
“The demand is absolutely unprecedented right now. What if we add more shows to the run p>
After a quick, intense huddle with Owen, Mira gave the green light. It was going to be physically and mentally exhausting, but capturing this kind of cultural lightning in a bottle was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Adding extra dates meant they couldn’t just recycle the exact same setlist night after night. They had to preserve the exclusivity of the premium performances while keeping the crowds electrified.
Kieran Holt offered a brilliant solution. “If we’re expanding the run, why don’t we fly
in the rest of Solflare’s top-tier artists to make guest appearances p>
Riding this massive wave of viral
momentum was the perfect, cost-free way to aggressively
establish Solflare’s brand
dominance in Aethelgard, laying thể groundwork for a future, permanent headquarters in the capital.
Furthermore, rotating a larger roster of performers would give Mira and Gavin the crucial breathing room they needed to rest their vocal cords between sets.
The second the additional concert dates were announced online, they sold out in a matter of seconds.
The deafening cultural hype surrounding Solflare was impossible to ignore. It didn’t take long for the news to breach the walls of the Lance family estate, finally reaching the ears of Leonard Lance.
After ordering his intelligence team to compile a full brief on the situation, Leonard immediately summoned Lawrence to his study for a brutal dressing-down.
“The disparity in ticket sales and public sentiment is absolutely humiliating. If you have any intention of preserving this family’s dignity, you will cancel your pathetic little concert immediately p>
“But Grandpa, we’ve been preparing for this for months!” Lawrence argued, his face flushed with indignation. “The marketing budget alone was astronomical! If we pull the plug now the Lance family will look like cowards!
“You dragged us into a PR nightmare because you failed to do basic due diligence before hiring a complete liability,” Leonard barked, slamming his cane against the floor.
“That Mara girl possesses less than zero talent, and she was already decisively humiliated by Mira Mercer back in Melvion City p>
“A true leader knows when to cut his losses and fold a losing hand. The Lance family empire spans the globe. Do you honestly think one canceled concert is going to bankrupt us p>
“Your blind, ego-driven stubbornness is going to drive this branch of the family into the ground! You lack the vision and the intellect to see the wider board. Frankly, you are lightyears behind your brother p>
“I understand, Grandfather,” Lawrence forced out through gritted teeth.
On the surface, he looked compliant. But beneath his tailored suit, a venomous, all- consuming hatred for Owen boiled in his blood.
*Always Owen. It always comes back to Owen.* Would the old man only stop comparing them when Owen was finally six feet under?
Lawrence Lance was a proud, dangerous man. He absolutely refused to accept this humiliating defeat.
*Owen. Solflare Entertainment. And that insufferable bitch, Mira Mercer.* He gripped his fists until his knuckles turned white. *Just wait. I’ll make you all pay p>