Chapter 317
Solflare Entertainment Tower.
Owen glanced at the glowing screen of his tablet, reading the rival company’s frantic press release. “My brother. Completely devoid of loyalty, as always p>
Lawrence had been the one to invite Mara into their ranks, and she had genuinely done everything in her power to help him destroy Mira.
Yet the absolute second her reputation became a liability, Lawrence didn’t just throw her to the wolves-he actively stepped on her throat to save himself.
The accusation of “deceptive practices” was entirely laughable. Mara hadn’t deceived Lawrence about anything.
Lawrence’s intelligence team had investigated her thoroughly. They knew exactly how vile and talentless she was from day one. They had only brought her in to use her toxic hatred against Mira.
Mira leaned back in her chair, skimming the same statement. “He didn’t have a choice. If he hadn’t thrown her under the bus, the masses would have initiated a catastrophic, full-scale refund. His concert would be dead in the water p>
Across town, the single happiest person on earth was Quinn Montgomery. “Hmph. I knew the moment I laid eyes on her that she was nothing but a manipulative, social- climbing snake p>
She could finally breathe again.
For the past few days, Quinn had been pacing her room, sick with anxiety watching Mara get closer and closer to Lawrence. She was terrified she was about to be permanently replaced.
But because of her humiliating arrest outside the hotel, she had been too scared of Lawrence’s wrath to intervene.
She had even desperately considered calling Mira to form a truce and take Mara down together, but the fear of Lawrence finding out had paralyzed her.
The moment the press release dropped, Quinn rushed straight to Lawrence’s private villa.
As she strutted into the foyer, she immediately heard the pathetic sound of Mara sobbing in the living room. “Lawrence, please! Just give me one more chance. Just let me do one song. Just one appearance p>
But her theatrical tears were completely useless here.
“Impossible,” Lawrence snapped, his voice like cracking ice.
He didn’t even bother to look up from his tablet, his expression dark and murderous. He refused to waste another syllable on her.
Just yesterday, they had been laughing together like close friends, intimately plotting their mutual destruction of Mira and Solflare Entertainment.
“You… you can’t just do this to me!” Mara wailed. “How am I supposed to show my face back home after this p>
She had been so unbearably arrogant when she left Melvion City. Her family had literally begged not to go, but she had sworn she
was destined for greatnes shore
NowW
she was being kicked to the curb in Aethelgard, her reputation completely obliterated. She was a national laughingstock.
“That sounds like a *you* problem,” Lawrence replied coldly.
Hearing that, a wave of profound relief washed over Quinn. She straightened her
posture and sashayed into the room with elegant, clicking steps.
“Oh, stop dreaming, you pathetic little nobody, Quinn mocked. “Anyone stupid enough to hire you? deserves the bad luck you bring. Lawrence is being merciful by Rot blacklisting you across the entire industry. If you have a shred of, dignity left, you’ll pack your bags and crawl back to whatever swamp you came from p>
Quinn had only slapped a guard, and even she was temporarily suspended. Did Mara seriously think a scandal of *this* magnitude would just blow over?
“Keep your mouth shut! This has nothing to do with you!” Mara snarled, glaring at Quinn with bloodshot eyes.
“I’m just giving you some friendly advice, honey. But suit yourself,” Quinn smirked, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
Lawrence finally looked up. He let out an irritated sigh and waved a dismissive hand at Mara.
When she stubbornly refused to move, his voice dropped to a lethal octave. “Security p>
Panicking, Mara had no choice but to turn and flee.
When she finally dragged herself out the heavy iron gates of the villa, Norman and the two bodyguards were standing by the car waiting for her.
“You had absolutely no idea how things worked in Aethelgard. I warned you not to come, but you just had to be stubborn. Look where that got you,” Norman remarked dryly, opening the car door for her.
He slid into the driver’s seat of the rental car. The second Mara lost her strategic value, Lawrence had viciously cut all their funding. He wasn’t even willing to cover their hotel bill for another night.
Mara had actually believed she
could use her looks to seduce Lawrence. But a billionaire like him had supermodels throwing
themselves at his feet daily He wasn’t about to risk his empire for a disgraced, talentless girl reeking of
scandal.
As they merged onto the highway, Norman glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Call the Quinns p>
The Quinn family was one of the four most powerful lineages in Aethelgard. Perhaps they could leverage their massive influence to salvage whatever was left of her shattered reputation.
He had advised her to visit them the moment they arrived in the city, but she had been entirely too obsessed with helping Lawrence destroy Mira. She had brushed off the Quinns as unnecessary.
Trembling, Mara pulled out her phone and dialed the private number Lacey had given her.
The call connected almost instantly. But the moment the voice on the other end heard the name “Mara,” the line went dead.
“Why… why would they just hang up on me?” Mara asked, staring at the screen in pure bewilderment.