Whitney’s heart sank, confusion washing over her.
[What’s going on? Are you worried we’ll lose? Honestly, even if we lose the initial trial, we can appeal. Plus, with those music reviewers lined up to post videos tearing her apart for plagiarism, we have options.]
[It’s not about that. I just don’t want to pursue this anymore.]
At that moment, Whitney felt trapped.
If her client was withdrawing interest, there was little she could do.
It wasn’t as if she could drag Jay into court against his will.
*****
That evening, after wrapping up filming, Joanne invited Whitney to a bar known for its privacy.
“Whitney, I finally finished shooting! And this time, I even got to do some wire stunts. Pretty cool, right?” Joanne exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Yeah, that’s amazing!” Whitney replied, though her enthusiasm felt somewhat forced.
Joanne quickly picked up on Whitney’s subdued demeanor. “Hey, are you feeling okay today?”
Whitney shook her head, but curiosity got the better of her. “Do you know why your friend suddenly decided to drop the lawsuit?”
Joanne was familiar with Jay, having worked with him on the OST for one of her shows.
Jay had made his debut through a talent competition. His vocal abilities were average at best, but he was a skilled songwriter, with several of his tracks gaining popularity.
He had penned songs for numerous artists, but when it came to performing his own work, he often faded into the background.
Upon hearing about his plagiarism troubles, Joanne had immediately recommended Whitney, the only lawyer she trusted.
“Really? He’s dropping the case? Don’t worry, Whitney. I’ll talk to him,” Joanne reassured her.
Whitney offered a wry smile. “I’m just curious, that’s all.”
Joanne, sensing Whitney’s concern, wasted no time. She stepped away to call Jay and press him for answers.
About ten minutes later, she returned with an unusual expression. “Whitney, I’m sorry. My friend really doesn’t want to proceed with the lawsuit. He probably didn’t share everything with you. Starwave has been putting immense pressure on him. If he keeps pushing this, it could seriously jeopardize his career. I’m really sorry about that.”
Whitney chuckled softly, shaking her head. “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. He’s the one who got wronged, so he’s the one who’s really suffering. I just feel for him.”
Neither of them pursued the topic further, opting instead to sip on some lemonade, avoiding alcohol for the evening.
Oliver arrived to pick up Joanne, visibly surprised to see Whitney.
‘Isn’t she Klein’s girlfriend?’ he pondered, a flicker of recognition crossing his face.
Joanne offered Whitney a ride, but Whitney politely declined.
As she walked away, Joanne felt a twinge of guilt, thinking, “It’s all my fault. I think I ended up upsetting Whit.”
Oliver frowned, sensing something was amiss. “What’s going on?”
After hearing the entire story, he smirked and sent a message.
[Hey Klein, saw your girl today. She seemed a bit down. Curious what happened?]
Klein exhibited an extraordinary level of patience when it came to Whitney, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor with others.
He maintained a succinct and direct approach, his voice barely above a whisper, “Spit it out.”
Oliver let out a derisive snort, convinced he could rattle Klein, but the man remained as unflappable as ever.
‘Maybe his girlfriend isn’t that significant to him after all,’ Oliver mused, a smirk creeping onto his face.
It was a rather typical mindset for someone entrenched in the elite circles, where personal connections often felt more transactional than emotional.
“It’s really nothing,” Oliver said, attempting to downplay the situation. “My girlfriend was just trying to do your girlfriend a favor by introducing her to a client. But it turns out this client wanted to sue your family’s adopted daughter. In the end, I think your nephew probably stepped in and sorted it out.”
He leaned back casually, shrugging as if the matter were trivial. “She was about to marry your nephew, right? Now that the bride’s changed, it’s only natural for her to have it out for your family’s adopted daughter.”
To an outsider, Oliver’s words might have sounded like an attempt to defend Whitney, but Klein found his tone infuriating.
“Carter was the one who got dumped. Are you sure you remember it right?” Klein shot back, his irritation bubbling to the surface.
Oliver froze, the realization hitting him like a cold wave.
‘Oh, right! Guess I did make a mistake,’ he thought, chastising himself internally.
He hadn’t attended the wedding, but Dustin had filled him in later, sharing how Klein’s nephew had been utterly humiliated by the bride that day.
‘Does Klein really have to rub that in my face?’ Oliver thought, feeling a twinge of annoyance.
With a sheepish grin, he conceded, “Yeah, she dumped your nephew.”
Klein snorted in response and abruptly ended the call.
Oliver blinked in disbelief, muttering, “Did he really just hang up on me?”
“You deserved it!” Joanne interjected, her lips forming a pout of disapproval.
“Joanne, why would you say that?” Oliver protested, a hint of indignation in his voice.
Joanne puffed her cheeks in annoyance, shoving him away when he attempted to steal a kiss. Her tone was serious, “Oliver, Whitney is a good friend of mine. If you talk about her like that again, you will be very sorry!”
Oliver blinked, taken aback. He hadn’t anticipated that the two girls would forge such a strong friendship after only meeting twice.
“Alright,” he finally said, conceding to her protective stance.
Just then, his phone began to ring, and Joanne glanced at the caller ID.
She noticed how he averted his gaze, an unsettling feeling creeping into her gut.
“Not going to answer it?” she inquired, her curiosity piqued.
Oliver hesitated, turning the screen away from her view, “Just some sales call. Not worth picking up.”
Joanne pursed her lips, turning her attention to the window, lost in her thoughts.
That night, as Jay reassured Whitney that he wouldn’t pursue legal action against Starwave Entertainment, the hashtag #Starwave’s Genius Girl Is Killing It surged to the top of the trending topics.
Whitney caught the notification and tapped on it, her heart racing as she read the news.
Emily’s X followers had skyrocketed by an astonishing 160,000, and renowned music critics were lavishing her album with accolades.
Seems Starwave paid for some serious promo, Whitney thought, her mind racing.
When an entertainment company invests heavily in an artist, as long as that artist isn’t a complete disaster, they were bound to see at least a modest rise in popularity.
Emily was being hailed as an absolute goddess and a musical prodigy, receiving praise that seemed to rain down from every corner.
[Starwave is seriously betting big on this new artist. She’s really got what it takes. Just checked out her new track, and it’s a banger!
LOL, you really think she’s just some rookie? She’s actually the crown princess! With all that cash Mr. Carter Harris is giving his girl, it’s the ultimate proposal gift.]
As Whitney scrolled through the comments, the pieces finally clicked into place regarding Jay’s decision to withdraw.
Honestly, even if he won the copyright case, he would inevitably lose big money and ruin his reputation. No matter how many hits he wrote, he’d just be blacklisted.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.