CHAPTER 517: CHAPTER 517: CRYSTAL PIERCE

Ellie let out a sigh, looked at Ruby Sullivan, then at Aidan Sinclair, finally lowering her head. "Actually, even if you hadn’t come to me, Mr. Sinclair, I was planning to come to you. Besides you, I really didn’t know how else to solve it. I’m just an ordinary manager, and even though I’ve been with Morningstar for a long time, I don’t have much power."

She offered a bitter smile, "I admit, when the company asked me to take on Holly, I had some resentment. I’ve seen too many artists; Holly is beautiful, a kind of pure beauty that’s rare in the entertainment industry. But that’s based on her youthful appearance. If she doesn’t make her mark before turning twenty, without the company’s support, her future path will be tough. But since the company has given me this task, I won’t let her down—I’ll give it my all to guide her."

"But Crystal Pierce looks down on her." Ellie said, gazing directly at Aidan Sinclair.

Her gaze was so piercing that aside from Holly, everyone else, including Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, turned their focus on Aidan Sinclair. Who on earth was Crystal Pierce?

Aidan Sinclair was slightly dazed and echoed the question, "Crystal Pierce looks down on her, so what? Did you ask Crystal Pierce to mentor her? Or is there some announcement tying Crystal Pierce to her? Crystal and Holly aren’t even in the same category. If she looks down on her, so be it. Isn’t it common for established stars to dismiss newcomers? Who wants to be overshadowed?"

Ellie laughed, "Mr. Sinclair, I really don’t know how to respond to that." Everyone at Morningstar knows Crystal Pierce is Aidan Sinclair’s woman. Back then, Crystal was the newcomer that Aidan personally signed and supported. Without Stellaron Group’s financial backing, there’s no way Crystal would’ve gone from completely unknown to a sensation, reaching top status within a year.

Aidan Sinclair bristled, "You’re the one leaving me speechless here!"

Ellie observed his genuine reaction, but still hesitated to fully trust him. "Mr. Sinclair, are you sure you’re not just saying this because Mr. Sterling and Mr. Sullivan are here?"

Aidan Sinclair took a deep breath, sensing his patience slipping away. "I only have a mere acquaintance with that woman!"

Ellie thought it over—that made sense.

At Mrs. Sterling’s grand birthday event, Crystal Pierce was present. If there really was something suspicious, Aidan would surely invite Crystal. Even if Holly was Ruby Sullivan’s good friend, it wouldn’t be her dancing the opening dance with him! It’s precisely because their relationship is ordinary that he invited Ruby Sullivan’s sister, casually giving the little girl more exposure!

Ellie suddenly understood, secretly blaming herself for only figuring it out now.

"The police didn’t find out who sent the dead mouse to Holly, but the private detective I hired identified the person. Later, I found that person, and tracing the lead, unexpectedly discovered the mastermind was Crystal Pierce’s assistant, Troy."

Though it was Troy who hired someone, the true instigator was obvious.

Aidan Sinclair cursed under his breath after hearing that.

"Actually, Crystal Pierce has been giving Holly trouble for some time. But being the company’s top star, it’s hard to openly talk about those things, so I avoided direct conflict. In retrospect, my concessions might have emboldened her."

"After investigating Troy’s hired act, I confronted Crystal, but she just scolded Troy in front of me, claiming ignorance, told me not to be upset, and even said it’s all between colleagues and pointed out that blowing it up wouldn’t look good for anyone. She even implied you’d be angry about it."

She said that last part while looking at Aidan Sinclair.

Aidan Sinclair frowned, trying to stay calm, and gestured for her to continue.

"I know Holly comes from a wealthy family, but she’s always said she wants to make it on her own in the entertainment industry. In this context, she’s just another newcomer without any backing. How could Holly fight against Crystal Pierce? How could she dare offend you? I was afraid Holly’s career would end, so I asked her to bear with it. Moreover, Crystal promised not to do it again. But that very night, Holly received a second one, and I knew she was warning me that she could act with impunity."

"So I got scared, and I could only do my best to protect Holly, hoping Crystal would stop targeting her." Ellie looked at Holly with guilt. "I’m sorry, it was my oversight."

"Ellie, I don’t blame you. I always knew you had your reasons."

Ruby Sullivan kicked Aidan Sinclair’s leg lightly. "What’s the deal with Crystal Pierce?"

"What’s the deal? She’s just one of the female artists I helped make famous." His character meshed well with hers, so they exchanged a few private conversations, and he gave her a bit more attention.

Of course, because of those few times he gave her more attention, he hadn’t wanted any further relationship with her over the years, though he knew she occasionally exploited their relationship for some benefits. But he didn’t mind; after all, she was a company artist, and if she made money, he still got a share.

But he hadn’t expected it to come to this, nor that she would take the rumors seriously. Others might not know what’s going on, but she should.

Aidan Sinclair suddenly remembered that Crystal Pierce had invited him for dinner tonight, supposedly for her lunar birthday or something. He’d said he had plans and couldn’t make it.

Could this be why Holly received a dead mouse tonight?

"Ellie, how many times has Crystal Pierce sabotaged Holly?" For a moment, he even forgot to change the way he addressed her.

"Since you invited Holly to open the dance at Mrs. Sterling’s birthday party, there were many commercials interested in her. But Crystal intercepted many of them. She generally looks down on these opportunities and doesn’t want them herself, passing them on to other artists instead. It’s happened about eight to ten times, though I didn’t keep an exact count."

Aidan Sinclair nodded, "You take good care of Holly from now on. If you have trouble, come directly to me. Also, don’t go spreading rumors to your boss. You get what I mean?"

"Got it, Mr. Sinclair, don’t worry."

Ruby Sullivan felt completely at ease hearing this. "I’ve been wanting Holly to endorse the latest Nirvana fragrance series. If you’re available tomorrow, I’ll ask the person in charge to arrange a meeting with you for specific collaboration talks."

Ellie handed her business card to Ruby Sullivan, "Feel free to contact me anytime."

Once everything was out in the open, Ellie took her leave first. Ruby Sullivan had initially wanted to say a lot to Holly, but she realized that Aidan Sinclair probably also had much to discuss, so she didn’t linger and left first.

After everyone had left, Holly looked seriously at Aidan Sinclair. "Uncle, I’ve thought it over, let’s just drop this matter."

Aidan Sinclair was fuming, "Are you out of your mind?"

Holly pouted, "Crystal Pierce is Morningstar’s top star. For someone insignificant like me, it’s not worth it."

"It’s not up to you to decide your worth." Aidan Sinclair scolded and left in a huff, afraid that if he said any more, his temper would get the best of him.