Chapter 26: Boycott the Owner

The following morning, Jude woke up in the master stateroom of the ocean liner.

Beyond the window, the Caribbean Sea stretched toward the horizon.

Jude sat up and stretched. During the previous night’s gathering, several models and actresses had approached him, but he had turned them away.

He had little interest in casual distractions when the system interface remained in the corner of his field of view.

The confrontation on the beach had yielded two daily sign-ins alongside a Platinum Reward Box.

"System," Jude said internally. "Run both sign-ins. Then open the Platinum Reward Box."

[Executing Money Sign-Ins...]

[Sign-In 1 Successful! Reward: $45,000,000 USD.]

[Sign-In 2 Successful! Reward: $55,000,000 USD.]

His phone buzzed on the side table as one hundred million dollars routed into his offshore accounts.

[Opening Platinum System Reward Box...]

[Calculating RNG...]

[Host has acquired three rewards:

[Acquired Skill: Boundless Vitality (Passive).]

[Acquired Asset: $100,000,000 USD Black Card (Restricted: Sapphire Cove Maintenance).]

[Acquired Asset: 100% Exclusive Management Contract (Entity: ’Stellar’).]

Jude paused to review the details.

The passive skill, *Boundless Vitality*, was substantial...

The description indicated that it eliminated the necessity of sleep and cleared mental fatigue.

It removed the ordinary limits of an executive, enabling him to oversee his enterprises without suffering burnout.

The Black Card resolved practical matters.

Managing an island territory and a fleet of vessels required continuous expenditures for upkeep, security, and staff payroll.

The card served as an automated operating fund specifically set aside to cover the running costs of Sapphire Cove.

The third reward caught Jude’s attention...

’Stellar’ was the leading pop group in the domestic market.

The four-member group was an established cultural brand, driving major revenue through tours, merchandise, and commercial endorsements.

Jude opened the contract within his system storage.

Rather than granting a standard share of royalty revenue, it gave him full management control over the group’s professional output and career direction.

Apex Media Group held several corporate subsidiaries, including a music label based in the capital.

Holding direct management authority over the most profitable pop act meant he needed to inspect that branch of the company firsthand.

Spending additional days resting on the coast held little appeal. He preferred active control over passive leisure.

Jude dressed in a charcoal suit and walked out onto the main deck. He found Seraphina Frost holding a drink near the pool.

"Seraphina," Jude said. "I am returning to the mainland. You are in charge of the event for the rest of the week. Ensure the executives and talent have everything they require."

Seraphina set her glass down and stood up. "You are leaving, Mr. Lawson? The gathering only just began."

"The event is for the staff," Jude said. "I have corporate business to attend to. Tell the crew to prepare the aircraft."

Within two hours, Jude was airborne, flying back toward the mainland.

During the flight, he contacted Victoria over a secure channel to ensure the paperwork for the management contract was integrated into Apex Media’s corporate structure.

By afternoon, Jude’s car stopped before the offices of Apex Records... a sixty-story tower of glass situated in the center of the entertainment district.

Rather than notifying the label’s management team to arrange a formal reception, Jude told his driver to remain outside. He chose to enter unannounced to see how the branch operated during ordinary hours, without the staff preparing a display for the owner.

Jude walked through the front doors.

Inside the entrance hall, a wave of noise met him immediately.

The reception floor was crowded. Several hundred young people had gathered across the lobby, blocking the security barriers and the central elevator banks. They carried illuminated signs, light sticks, and promotional boards depicting the four members of *Stellar*.

"CHLOE! MIA! STELLAR FOREVER!" a group shouted, holding their signs above the crowd.

Security staff stood near the barriers, trying to keep the crowd back from the inner elevators. Jude observed the room, then moved along the outer perimeter toward the private elevator bank along the far wall.

Before he took five paces, a man in a *Stellar* jacket stepped into his path and shoved him back.

"Back off, suit," the man said. "No cutting the line. We have been waiting here since four in the morning for the press conference."

Jude regained his balance and kept his expression steady. "I am not here for the press conference. I am heading to the elevators."

"Nobody uses the elevators," a woman standing near him said, holding a light stick toward him. "Not until Apex Records gives us an answer. We are protesting."

"Protesting what?" Jude asked.

"You must work for the corporate office," the man said. "Apex Records cannot handle this release. It is a secondary label that has no business managing Stellar’s debut studio album."

"We saw the financial reports," another person shouted from the group. "Apex Media was bought out by an investor who knows nothing about music production. He is going to cut the recording budget and derail the release."

Others joined in, taking up the words until a chant echoed through the building.

"BOYCOTT THE OWNER! SAVE STELLAR!"

The crowd believed the recent corporate acquisition meant the project would be stripped of capital and creative support...

Jude stood amid the noise, looking at the display screens above the barriers. The monitors showed a countdown timer leading to the scheduled media briefing.

He had arrived to inspect the music division’s operations, only to find the company dealing with a public dispute focused on his purchase of the parent firm.

Jude looked back toward the security gates.

If the public believed Apex Records lacked the capital and scale to manage the production, the upcoming briefing would clarify the matter without ambiguity...

Before Jude could step forward to address the lobby security, a commotion erupted outside the doors of the skyscraper.

A transport SUV with tinted windows had attempted to pull up to the curb.

As the vehicle slowed, an older man in a jacket leaped out from the crowd and threw himself onto the hood of the SUV.

The man screamed, clutching his leg and rolling around as if he had been struck at speed.