CHAPTER 118: CHAPTER 117: STRICTLY BUSINESS

Before entering, Simon Forrester took a moment to compose himself, softening his expression slightly.

Sienna Thornton and Rochelle Linwood were silently waiting. Sienna’s face was very neutral, even a bit stern, which was very different from her usual cheerful demeanor.

Although she tried her best to appear businesslike, Simon knew that this case also troubled her.

He relaxed a little, and after sitting down, he smiled and said, "The company’s external lawyer will come over in the afternoon. So, I’ll keep these materials for now, discuss them with him, and then get back to you?"

"Alright, we’ll head back then," Sienna Thornton began packing up the materials on the table, getting ready to leave.

Simon Forrester said, "Have a cup of tea before you go? We were so busy discussing the matter that I didn’t even offer you tea."

"No need," Sienna replied politely, "I have other tasks, so I’ll leave first."

He didn’t insist further and escorted them downstairs.

Just as they exited the main entrance, Harrison Rowe came after them. "Hey, Lawyer Thornton’s assistant, could you come over and take Attorney Lowe’s business card?"

Rochelle Linwood glanced at Sienna Thornton, received her approval, and went off to meet Harrison Rowe.

Simon Forrester walked Sienna to her car. As they descended the steps in silence, he asked, "Does this mean we can’t meet privately until this case is resolved?"

"Yes, we need to avoid any conflict of interest."

"Who assigned you to this case?" Simon initially didn’t realize lawyers had such constraints, and couldn’t help but wonder if someone intentionally used the case to prevent them from meeting.

Sienna Thornton said, "No one assigned it to me. I’m just a third-level junior attorney, not yet in a position to choose clients at will."

Detecting the discontent in her tone, Simon softened, explaining, "I didn’t mean it that way. I just don’t want to..."

... don’t want to put you in a difficult position.

But he didn’t say this out loud, just smiled and waved at her: "Alright, you should go now. Drive safely."

She finally looked at him.

In the sunlight, her features were sharp and filled with determination. She was always like this when working, serious to the point she disregarded everything else.

Feeling both helpless and heartbroken, Simon stood in the courtyard for a while, watching her tiny Mini disappear from view.

...

SY’s external lawyer, Attorney Lowe, was a veteran in the field of intellectual property law. After reviewing the case, he advised, "This case has little chance of winning; it’s better to settle."

Simon Forrester leaned back deeply in the sofa, casually resting one hand on the armrest while habitually touching his freshly shaved chin with the other. With an expressionless face, he pondered for a moment and then said, "Okay, two conditions. First, the case must be resolved within a week; second, a public apology is impossible, and the settlement amount should be capped at ten million US Dollars. Negotiate it down as low as possible, and the rest is yours."

Attorney Lowe shook his head repeatedly, looking troubled: "Given their settlement terms, it’s clear they’re targeting your reputation. I’m afraid no amount of money will be enough."

Simon Forrester didn’t like this comment. He was already frustrated by not being able to date Sienna Thornton because of this issue, and now his highly paid lawyer was passing the buck. He spoke with a sharp tone: "If you can’t handle it, let me know early so I can find someone else!"

Realizing the client was serious about replacing him, Attorney Lowe quickly placated: "Mr. Forrester, don’t worry. It’s already Friday; I’ll come up with a plan over the weekend and go to Vantage first thing Monday morning."

Just as he finished speaking and stood up to leave, he heard Simon’s displeased voice from behind, "Wait a moment."

Thinking the client was about to give him a hard time again, he turned around, bracing himself.

Simon Forrester: "When you go to Vantage on Monday, take me with you."

Attorney Lowe: "..."

Harrison Rowe escorted Attorney Lowe out. As they walked down the stairs, the two of them chatted briefly.

Attorney Lowe complained: "Isn’t this case straightforward? There’s indeed infringement, and it’s fortunate it happened domestically. If it had happened in the United States, the other party might have claimed over fifty million US Dollars in damages. But now, they only ask for a public apology, no financial compensation. Isn’t that quite generous?"

Harrison Rowe replied helplessly, "Do you think Mr. Forrester would ever agree to film that kind of apology video? Having known him for years, I’ve never seen him say ’I’m sorry’ to anyone. Getting him to record an apology video and put it online is simply..."

Harrison couldn’t even imagine it.

Attorney Lowe pondered for a moment and said, "Isn’t Partner Reed at Vantage Mr. Forrester’s cousin? Maybe he can figure something out?"

His words were subtle, but Harrison understood what he was hinting at.

...

Sienna Thornton feared Simon Forrester might go to the guesthouse again, so she spent the weekend working from home.

Just after lunch, Harrison Rowe sent her an audio message, wanting to report on the guesthouse’s smart shower issue, asking her to come downstairs.

Worried that Simon Forrester might also be there, Sienna ran to the balcony to check and confirmed that only Harrison was present before heading down.

By the early afternoon, the sun was scorching. After going downstairs, Sienna stood in a shadowy spot near the stairwell and called out to Harrison, "Why did you come in person? Couldn’t you just give me a call?"

Harrison approached with a smile: "I was just passing by."

He briefly explained the reason for the smart shower glitch and mentioned the supplier had replaced the shower and re-checked all the bathroom equipment, confirming everything was now in order.

Sienna nodded, "Alright, I got it. If there’s nothing else, you should head back early."

She turned to go upstairs, then heard Harrison call her name, so she faced him again.

Harrison walked closer and lowered his voice: "Regarding the guesthouse issue, Director Forrester has put a lot of effort into it, and about the DK situation, can you make some exceptions?"

The smile on Sienna’s face faded halfway: "I thought you could differentiate between the two matters."

Harrison hesitated for a moment before saying, "This is considered the most severe public relations crisis SY has faced since its founding. Director Forrester is also feeling overwhelmed. You know his status; it’s impossible for him to appear in an apology video. Things spread far and wide on the internet, and once a video is uploaded, it remains forever on the internet, impossible to erase. Foreigners value intellectual property, and if this apology video is made, it will inevitably affect Director Forrester’s work abroad."

At this moment, Sienna’s face was devoid of any smile, her tone icy and cold: "Did Director Forrester send you to say this?"

Harrison didn’t answer, which was an admission.

Sienna gave a knowing smile and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Harrison stepped forward, gritting his teeth as he spoke: "You once said that when Director Forrester helped you design the guesthouse, you would assist him with any case he couldn’t resolve..."

The underlying message was that Simon Forrester wanted to use his favor in this case.

Sienna didn’t hear what else Harrison said because she was already storming upstairs in anger.

Recalling Simon’s hesitant expression that morning, it became clear that he was contemplating asking her to repay the favor but was embarrassed to bring it up!

She understood the case’s nature well.

Before entering the Chinese creative market, DK and their group wanted to leverage Simon Forrester’s reputation for some publicity. However, it wasn’t just about gaining fame; they also wanted to tarnish SY’s name. If Simon didn’t agree to their harsh and unreasonable settlement terms, they would sue SY, demanding the closure of SY’s members-only discussion area online and holding SY accountable for some members’ inappropriate remarks regarding the infringing images.

They had even prepared evidence of SY’s website’s infringements on other images, and even if SY removed all infringing content, the evidence they collected would still enable them to jointly hold SY accountable with other copyright holders.

Ultimately, Simon Forrester himself would have to step in to address the matter and meet DK’s group’s unreasonable demands. Otherwise, they would leave SY in a bind. Americans have a strong sense of copyright protection and enough patience and financial resources to deal with infringements in various ways.

Sienna knew much more about the situation, but what could she do about it? Could she warn Simon Forrester? Even if he knew DK’s plan, it wouldn’t change the fact that he had no chance of winning this case. The infringement was evident, and a settlement was inevitable.

However, she didn’t expect Simon Forrester to hope she would overlook the case rules, without considering whether it would violate legal ethics or risk her license being revoked.