CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 85: VERA HANSEN FORCED INTO A PREDICAMENT

Vera thought Secretary Chaucer would agree right away, but unexpectedly, he hesitated.

"Miss Vera, I can’t promise you this. You might need to consult President Lawson. Without his instructions, I can’t act on my own," Secretary Chaucer’s voice came through.

Secretary Chaucer hadn’t reached this position by being foolish.

"I see, alright, sorry about that." Vera apologized, but inside, she was dissatisfied.

Once she became Mrs. Lawson, she was definitely going to fire Secretary Chaucer.

Vera was facing so many setbacks for the first time in a long time.

There was nothing she could do.

Vera walked toward Julian Lawson’s seat.

"Brother Julian." Vera looked at Julian Lawson hesitantly, wanting to speak but holding back.

Julian Lawson glanced at Vera, indicating she should speak directly.

Vera leaned toward Julian Lawson’s ear and whispered her request.

"Please, Brother Julian," Vera added eagerly, "Actually, this is about the Ford Family’s internal conflict. Alexander and his brother are clashing, and I just saw Alexander backstage. It seems the brothers got into a fight."

"But the audience doesn’t know, so they’re all suspecting me."

Vera’s eyes reddened slightly, saying, "I’m not afraid of these rumors myself, after all, I don’t have long to live. But I still hope to pass on my goodwill. If I take the blame, everything I’ve done will change in nature."

"Brother Julian, I don’t want this. You know this wasn’t my original intention."

Vera directly shifted the blame onto Alexander Ford.

Julian Lawson quietly looked at Vera.

Julian Lawson felt conflicted.

He was aware of the Ford Family’s internal strife.

Vera had also told him her reasons for participating in the program.

But...

In Julian Lawson’s mind, an image of Serena Sterling flashed by.

The Lawson Corporation initially had no entertainment division. It was because of Serena that this department existed.

One could say that everything in that department was tailor-made for Serena.

Even though Serena first signed with Ford Entertainment, later the department also trained other artists, but still, the most preparation was done for Serena.

Serena herself was aware, but she said she had to uphold the spirit of the contract, so she didn’t terminate with Ford Entertainment.

Later, she temporarily put aside her music career and didn’t bring up the matter again.

Vera felt a chill down her spine from Julian Lawson’s gaze but still wore a pitiful look.

"If Brother Julian isn’t willing... then forget it," she finally forced a smile and said.

Julian Lawson withdrew his gaze.

Forget it.

Serena had changed beyond recognition.

She didn’t need it anymore.

Finally, he said, "Go to Secretary Chaucer and say it’s on my word."

"Really? Thank you, Brother Julian!" Vera immediately smiled and contacted Secretary Chaucer.

But Julian Lawson didn’t want to look at her.

Sensing something, Julian Lawson looked up, glancing toward another hallway.

There he saw an unknown masked woman standing silently.

The woman was quietly watching him.

Jasper Ford emerged from the depths of the hallway, taking a coat and draping it over the masked woman.

Jasper Ford said something to her, and eventually, she averted her gaze and left with Jasper Ford.

Rumors abounded, various mysteries, then public opinion began to clear Vera’s name.

"Our Vera is consistent in word and deed. Whether attending ’Heavenly Sound’ or the charity gala before, it’s all to give strength to others who are ill, to make her death somewhat meaningful."

"Yeah, Vera is almost at the end of her life. Why would she suppress Irene?"

"I heard from a reliable source that it’s Ford Family’s internal strife, the second and third sons fighting. It’s Alexander Ford’s doing, nothing to do with Vera."

"So pitiful, Vera doesn’t have six months left and still has to take the blame."

"Right..."

Serena saw this and smiled.

As expected, with the ’she’s on the verge of death’ card out, Vera once again gained the public’s sympathy.

Jasper Ford sat beside Serena, infuriated.

"What is he doing!" Jasper Ford knew who he was referring to, as did they both, "Let’s use that plan of ours."

But Serena shook her head.

They had left traces during the pre-heat phase, but this wave involved different people.

They were people from the Lawson Corporation’s side.

So, the previously prepared evidence was of little use against these people.

"Just let her get away with it?" Jasper Ford gritted his teeth.

Serena smiled, "How could that be?"

"But she..." Jasper Ford glanced at the camera beside him, not daring to say too much.

"Do you know the phrase ’drinking poison to quench thirst’?" Serena smiled as she spoke.

"You mean..." Jasper Ford’s eyes flickered.

Serena lowered her head, secretly typing on her phone.

[Vera stabbed Alexander in the back today. Although they are still a mutual interest, it’s unlikely he doesn’t harbor resentment.]

[Secondly, she used the resources of the Lawson Corporation. Even if her name got cleared, she didn’t win. Her public persona now has flaws, planting seeds of doubt in people’s minds.]

[Lastly, and most importantly, she’s panicking and losing track. Her ’get out of jail free’ card has a diminishing effect; it might work the first couple of times, but overuse will tire everyone.]

[What’s false can’t become true. The more she tries to clear her name now, the worse the backlash will be later.]

[Judging by her use of Lawson Corporation’s resources, the day of backlash is near.]

Jasper Ford nodded firmly.

Serena was right.

He had been too impatient.

This short temper was both advantageous and disadvantageous. While others might not dare provoke him, it also backfired many times in his early years, and he only learned to calm somewhat later.

He needed to follow Serena’s lead and work hard to improve!

"Besides, look, we’ve already achieved our goal," Serena smiled as she spoke.

Then she handed the phone over to Jasper Ford.

Although the internet wasn’t relentlessly attacking Vera, praise for Irene was overwhelming.

First came positive reviews from netizens.

Then well-known bloggers gradually dissected how good her songs were, detailing intricacies and the challenges of achieving them.

Various music bloggers began challenging her high notes in ’Deep Sea’.

The buzz spread rapidly.

This sparked more curiosity from netizens and attracted even more attention.

"Earlier, during the first live broadcast, everyone was debating whether ’Micro Love’ or ’Yesterday Once More’ was better. People called them white moonlight and vermilion mole back then, but now there’s finally a conclusion, ’Yesterday Once More’ is stronger!"

"Yeah! Hahaha, Vera isn’t even a professional singer. While ’Micro Love’ is great, it doesn’t compare to ’Yesterday Once More’."

"Actually, ’Micro Love’ itself is quite strong, but live performances were lacking. However, she’s not a professional singer, so instability is normal."

"In any case, Irene is amazing!"

For a while, Irene’s commercial value skyrocketed!

’Heavenly Sound’ was gradually coming to an end.

In this round, the singers gave their all, and the elimination of participants left many feeling regretful.

Thus, the live broadcast of the heat-stirring ’Heavenly Sound’ came to an end.

However, Serena didn’t expect that Vera would make a huge mistake at the end.