Chapter 28: True Love

The doors of the warehouse rolled open The van pulled into the interior and squealed to a halt.

Silas Grey stood up from his table, a grin spreading across his face. He held his phone up to his ear. "They’re here, Pierce. I’ll call you back when I have the photos."

Silas walked over to the back of the van, expecting his men to drag out a pop star.

Instead, the rear doors swung open, and the four thugs tumbled out onto the floor, clutching their ribs.

Silas froze.

Stepping out of the darkness of the van was Jude Lawson.

"What the hell is this?!" Silas roared, reaching for the pistol holstered at his hip.

He didn’t even get his hand on the grip. Jude closed the distance with speed.

Jude’s hand shot out, clamping around Silas’s throat, and slammed the fixer backward onto the table.

The phone Silas had been holding clattered onto the surface, the speakerphone still engaged.

"Silas?" Donovan Pierce’s voice crackled through the phone speaker. "What’s going on? Do you have her?"

Jude kept Silas pinned by the throat with one hand, picking up the phone with the other.

"Silas is a bit tied up right now, Donovan," Jude said.

There was a dead silence on the other end of the line.

"Lawson?!" Donovan gasped. "How... how did you find that number?!"

"You really don’t learn, do you?" Jude chuckled. "You failed at the private airport, and you failed here. Trying to kidnap my talent is a desperate move."

Donovan realized he was caught, but his arrogance refused to let him back down. "It doesn’t matter, Lawson! Apex Records is absolute garbage! The fans are already boycotting you! Without my studio’s backing, Stellar is going to bleed market value until they jump ship. Your little music division is going to crash and burn!"

Jude laughed. "Donovan, I don’t care about market value. If a company burns money, I simply print more. In fact, I am personally injecting two hundred million dollars into Stellar’s contract renewal today. Can your studio match a two-hundred-million-dollar retainer?"

Donovan’s breath hitched.

"You’re a maniac!" Donovan shrieked, his voice cracking before he slammed the phone down, disconnecting the call.

Jude tossed the phone onto the floor, crushing it under his shoe.

He looked down at Silas, who was trembling against the table.

"The police are about three minutes away," Jude said coldly, releasing the fixer’s throat. "I suggest you have a good lawyer."

[Ding!]

[Mission Completed: Crush the Opponent’s Conspiracy.]

[Reward: +1 Money Sign-In, +1 Platinum System Reward Box!]

Jude ignored the thugs and walked out of the warehouse, hailing a sedan to take him back to the Apex Records skyscraper.

When Jude arrived at the music division’s headquarters, the lobby was secured. The crowd of protesting fans was being held back behind barricades by the police.

Jude bypassed the chaos and entered the secured VIP glass atrium on the ground floor.

Sitting on the sofas was Lyla. Sitting next to her, holding her hand, was Mia. Their manager was pacing in the background.

When Jude walked in, Lyla immediately stood up.

"Mr. Lawson," Lyla breathed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you. If you hadn’t been there..."

"It’s handled," Jude said, offering a smile. He turned to the manager. "I assume you have the preliminary contracts for their upcoming renewal cycle?"

The manager blinked. "Y-yes, sir. We were preparing a standard two-year extension. Ten million a year for the group."

"Shred it," Jude commanded.

The manager froze. "Sir?"

"I want a new contract drafted immediately," Jude said, pulling out a pen from his jacket pocket. "A one-year commitment. And the base salary will be one hundred million dollars for Lyla, and one hundred million dollars for Mia. Furthermore, the contract strictly prohibits any transfer negotiations with Pierce Studios."

Lyla and Mia gasped simultaneously. The manager nearly dropped his briefcase...

"One... one hundred million?" Mia stammered, her face flushing crimson. "Each?!"

"Mr. Lawson, I feel like that is far too much," Lyla protested. "We are popular, yes, but we aren’t worth a hundred million dollars a year. That kind of budget is unheard of for a single album cycle."

Jude looked at the two girls. "I keep my word. A hundred million is exactly what you are worth to this company. If you think it’s too much, then work hard, get in the studio, and help me earn my investment back."

Lyla and Mia looked at each other.

They were used to ruthless corporate executives trying to squeeze every penny out of them. But the billionaire standing in front of them had just risked his life to save them, and was now offering them a financial safety net that would set their families up for generations!

*He must be our biggest fan,* Lyla thought, her cheeks burning hot. *He bought the entire company and fought off thugs just to protect us!*

Lyla and Mia stepped forward.

Before Jude could even register their movement, the two pop stars leaned in from opposite sides and pressed their lips against his cheeks.

"Thank you, boss," Lyla whispered, her voice sweet and genuine. "We won’t let you down."

"We will work so hard for you," Mia added, blushing as she pulled back.

Outside the walls of the VIP atrium, the crowd of protesting fans witnessed the entire exchange.

The fans who had been screaming for Apex Records to burn down suddenly went dead silent.

They stared through the glass, watching their idols kiss the cheeks of the "evil corporate billionaire."

A second later, the crowd lost their minds.

"NOOO!" a hardcore fan screamed. "MY QUEEN! IT CAN’T BE TRUE!"

"He bought their love!" another fan shrieked. "I’m going to jump off a bridge! This is the worst day of my life!"

Jude chuckled, reaching up to touch his cheek.

It was obvious the two girls had completely misunderstood his intentions, assuming this was an romantic rescue mission...

Having the loyalty of the nation’s biggest pop stars was exactly what he needed to secure his new music division.

Lyla and Mia stayed close to Jude’s side, whispering excitedly to each other as he led them toward the private executive elevator.

"I’ve never even seen him in the celebrity magazines," Mia whispered, stealing a glance at Jude’s profile. "How much is he actually worth?"

"I read that the true billionaires never appear on the rich lists," Lyla whispered back, her eyes shining with admiration. "He must be one of those hidden titans. We are so lucky."

The elevator doors chimed open on the sixtieth floor.

Jude stepped out into the executive suite.

Waiting for him in the central boardroom were the three pillars of Apex Records... Director Vance, Director Chen, and Director Xue.

The executives stood up immediately as Jude entered, their eyes darting between the billionaire and the two idols trailing behind him.

"Mr. Lawson," Director Vance said, bowing his head. "It is an honor. We are at your disposal."