The good news about lissa’s and Derek’s engagent—which she had expected to make her reputation skyrocket—never ca. She had even prepared an article for soone to upload about her engagent with the Lancaster family, expecting people to talk about her.
But alas...
"Who released these articles?!" Manager Kang fud, slamming his hand against the armrest of the van’s seat. His eyes shook as he skimd through the headlines talking about the "dramatic" turn of events at lissa and Derek’s engagent party.
Her na was trending—just as she’d wanted—but not for the right reasons.
"It’s a blind item, but they didn’t even try to hide it," Simon muttered casually as he scrolled through one of the articles.
Both n were on their way to the set of Angel’s Revenge, yet they were too distracted by what they’d witnessed last night. If not for Simon, Manager Kang would’ve probably stayed behind just to eavesdrop. But Simon was smart enough to leave the chaos.
In the articles, people weren’t only talking about the engagent, but about lissa herself. The haters had started bombarding every thread, calling her a gold digger and worse. Her fans tried to defend her, but they were being drowned out by the wave of backlash.
[lissa isn’t even good. All her roles are so basic, and she can’t play them properly!]
[I rember quitting a movie halfway just because she was in it. It’s not even her character that annoyed —it was her.]
[Just a pretty face? Hah. She’s not even that pretty.]
[Why does her agency keep promoting her when they have better, prettier, and more talented actresses?]
[I don’t know what’s going on, but sothing about lissa just feels off.]
Simon scrolled down lazily, barely able to keep up with how fast the comnts were moving. Even when he switched platforms, lissa’s face appeared again and again—attached to more criticism, edited clips, and s mocking her.
And just like how the internet works, the stories kept multiplying, each one adding new "details." Not all were true, but that didn’t matter. The more people talked about it, the further the narrative strayed from reality.
"Oh, god..." Manager Kang breathed heavily, making Simon glance over at him.
"What now, Manager Kang?"
Slowly, the manager turned to his artist, his face pale. He gulped, trying to form words, but nothing ca out. Simon sighed and reached over to take his phone, curious what could’ve made him look like that.
On the screen was a headline from the business news—a screenshot of the stock market with one stock circled in red.
NL Group.
"Wow," was all Simon could say as he processed the image. "NL Group’s stock dipped this much overnight?"
To confirm, he opened his own app. Sure enough, the numbers were even lower now than in the article.
"And it’s not even because Summit Partners has made a move yet," he murmured.
According to the reports, NL Group’s stocks were plumting because investors had begun pulling out en masse. Many were selling shares before the market opened too low to recover.
"They’ve lost billions in just a few hours," Simon said, torn between awe and pity. "This might be the biggest crisis the NL Group has ever faced."
Even though market fluctuations were normal, NL Group’s stock had always been one of the most stable. This was the first ti it had fallen so drastically. If it continued, the company would either go bankrupt or fall out of the Fortune 500 entirely.
"Manager Kang," Simon said, turning to him. "You and lissa share a lot of things—bad timing included. If I were you, I’d save myself while you still can. This is bigger than both of you."
The mont he said that, Manager Kang’s phone started ringing. Both glanced at the screen, only to see that the caller’s na made their stomachs drop.
CEO (Agency).
Manager Kang looked back at Simon, who only gave him a slow nod before the manager answered the call.
*****
[NL Group Headquarters]
The chairman sat at the end of the long conference table, his expression grim. The board of directors and major shareholders filled the room, all wearing the sa dark look.
The only one who didn’t share their tension was Celestine. But she wasn’t smiling either—just calm, indifferent, like soone who’d already accepted the loss.
"Celestine," the chairman said at last, giving her a pointed look. "Let’s begin the ergency eting."
Celestine rose from her chair, her poise unshaken. Travis stood beside her, visibly exhausted after working all night to prepare damage control asures.
*****
[Summit Partners Headquarters]
At the sa ti, in a different conference room, Atlas Bennet sat at the head of the table surrounded by the Summit Partners board and key investors.
Unlike the NL Group, their eting wasn’t for damage control.
It was for strategy.
"How should we deal with NL Group?" Atlas asked quietly, his voice low but firm.
"Let’s begin," he added, giving Allen a small nod.
However, Allen wasn’t the one leading today’s presentation. Standing confidently at the front of the room were two small figures—the twins, Chacha and Second—each holding a clicker and grinning from ear to ear.
"Okay, Uncles and Aunties, eyes here, please~!" the twins chid in unison, instantly lting the tension in the room. Everyone smiled except their father, who sat stone-faced.
As soon as all eyes were on them, the first slide flashed on the screen:
The Young Family Tree.
Each face was labeled in bold red letters: BAD GUYS.
"These bad guys stressed out Mommy so much~!" Second announced adorably, pointing with a tiny laser pen. "So now, we need ideas on how to deal with them~!"
"Whoever cos up with the best idea," Chacha added brightly, "wins a dinner date with our Uncle Best, one percent of Summit Partners stock, and a signed photo of and Second~!"
Allen blinked, standing near Atlas with an unreadable expression. "Sir, why are we putting people’s lives in the twins’ hands again?"
Atlas blinked slowly, leaning back in his chair. "Brain exercise," he said dryly.
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