That’s just how the industry operates, Whitney thought, feeling a pang of sympathy. The rules are dictated by the power players, and if one doesn’t comply, they’re out.
Meanwhile, Klein sifted through the documents his assistant had sent to his inbox, and everything began to make sense.
Oliver’s comment flickered through his mind. Does Whitney have a problem with Emily just because she’s jealous of Carter? Klein pondered, frowning slightly.
The following day, Whitney was back at her usual grind, focusing on the Harris Group merger deal. Just as she was about to clock out, her phone rang with a call from Jay.
“Hey Ms. Moore, sorry to bug you. Got a minute tonight? I want to talk about that copyright issue,” Jay said, his tone hesitant.
Whitney raised her eyebrows, surprised by his sudden change of heart. “I’ll probably be running late today. How about we meet at 8 at the café downstairs from my office?”
“Sounds good,” Jay replied, relief evident in his voice.
After hanging up, her phone buzzed with a trending alert, and she realized why Ryan had been trying to reach her.
The news of “Fate” being plagiarized had just exploded onto the trending topics.
Had Starwave not gone all out with the promotion yesterday, most people likely wouldn’t have even heard of the song, let alone the new singer, Emily Miller.
But with all that hype, everyone had at least heard of her, and when they encountered that headline, their curiosity was piqued.
A prominent music critic sharply pointed out several striking similarities between “Fate” and “Fourteen Bridges,” even accusing the song of blatant plagiarism.
Since Emily Miller was credited as both the lyricist and composer for “Fate,” she was thrust into the limelight and became the center of a swirling controversy.
Whitney couldn’t help but wonder. There was no way a corporation as colossal as Starwave Entertainment didn’t have a top-notch crisis PR team on standby.
A trending topic for at least two hours just didn’t add up.
In the comments section, the tide quickly turned against Emily. With barely any genuine supporters, there was no one to defend her in the replies.
Her comments section was bombarded with negativity, reaching a staggering 5,000 layers of disdain before she had to shut it down completely.
Whitney wrapped up her work and walked into the café right at 8 PM.
“Hello, Ms. Moore,” Jay greeted her, his face a mix of anxiety and determination.
Whitney returned the greeting, “Jay, hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
She then asked, “Are you here because of that trending topic?”
Jay nodded gravely, “Yes! Ms. Moore, I knew you’d figured it out. Starwave’s lawyers came knocking, basically telling me that if I continued to pursue my rights, I’d lose a friend and create a powerful enemy in a giant like Starwave. So I had to just suck it up and back off.”
“But after I agreed not to pursue it and accepted the $160,000 they offered, they accused me of blackmail. This morning, they dragged me down to the police station. I was so furious. Seriously, how can people be this shameless?” Jay’s voice trembled with anger.
Whitney raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn’t anticipated that Carter would go to such lengths for Emily.
I never thought Carter would pull something this shady, Whitney thought, a sense of disbelief washing over her.
“So after thinking it over, I’ve decided that I have to take Starwave to court! It’s not about the money; it’s about standing my ground. I’ve already returned all the money they gave me,” Jay declared, his voice firm and resolute.
Whitney cut straight to the chase, “So what did the police say?”
“I was so mad I just spilled everything right in front of them and returned the money on the spot! They gave me a quick talking-to and then let me go,” Jay explained.
Whitney nodded, piecing it all together. ‘Guess all they cared about was getting their cash back,’ she thought, feeling a mix of sympathy and frustration.
“So that music critic today, was that your doing?” Whitney asked, her interest piqued.
“Yeah!” Jay said, his enthusiasm bubbling over.
After a decade in the industry, Jay had certainly made some connections of his own.
“But I seriously didn’t expect Starwave to just sit back and let the trending topic run wild,” he added, still in disbelief.
The thought of the plagiarism scandal gaining traction only fueled Jay’s excitement. If it blew up, it would undoubtedly work in his favor.
“I see. I’ll sort through everything you gave me tonight. For the compensation, any chat logs or call recordings from your discussions can serve as evidence. And send me the digital receipts for both receiving and returning the $160,000. Once you’ve got it all together, just reach out to the lawyers at Everglow Law Firm. That’s all the solid evidence you’ll need,” Whitney instructed, her tone practical.
Jay felt a surge of warmth in his chest as he replied, “Alright! Ms. Moore, thank you so much.”
Whitney smiled, “You’re welcome. You’re Joanne’s friend, and I promised her I’d help out. You should be thanking yourself. If you hadn’t had the courage to speak up, things wouldn’t have turned out this well.”
“Mic. Harra, Canter i orde. Do you want to see him?” you ask, your voice tinged with uncertainty.
Klein glanced at his phone, noticing a string of missed calls. With a cold shake of his head, he decided to delegate the message, instructing someone to inform the caller that he was in a meeting and unable to provide a timeline for when he would be free.
Ryan, who was well aware of the underlying tension in the situation, recognized the ruthless nature of Mr. Harris, especially when it came to his son. He thought about how Klein had never let his niece off the hook either; it seemed he had a knack for dealing with both of them in one fell swoop.
Deep down, Ryan understood that this entire mess was rooted in Whitney’s actions. Once again, he found himself acknowledging just how much Whitney meant to Klein.
Carter was growing increasingly frustrated. He had tried to reach Klein, but the man was unavailable, immersed in a meeting that seemed to stretch on endlessly. In a moment of desperation, he dialed his father’s number, only to find that his father was also unreachable, caught up in a figurative fog, with his phone switched off.
Carter glared at the blinking message on his phone screen.
“Canter, did you reach Uncle Klein?”
His irritation bubbled over. Everything had been relatively smooth until that trending topic erupted, throwing Carter’s world into chaos.
If it hadn’t been for Brilly, he wouldn’t have wasted even a second on any artists in his father’s company. But despite stepping in personally, he still couldn’t quell the storm of the trending topic.
The higher-ups at Facebook had connections to Uncle Klein, so Carter had hoped he could leverage that to his advantage. Yet, he had only discovered that Klein was stuck in a meeting, a fact that left him fuming.
The ominous term “playjarum” had been stuck at the top of the trending topics for five agonizing hours. Each passing moment was another blow to Emily’s reputation, and the pressure was mounting.
Unable to bear the waiting any longer, Emily finally reached out to Carter.
“Carter, can’t you talk to Uncle Klein’s assistant? Just tell him you need to see Uncle Klein urgently,” she urged, her voice laced with anxiety.
Carter, on edge, replied sharply, “Of course I did! You know how Uncle Klein is. He absolutely despises anyone interrupting him during meetings, and he wouldn’t answer calls himself. Even Ryan wouldn’t dare disturb him unless it was a matter of life or death.”
As he hung up, Carter’s mind raced with frustration.
‘How could I possibly dare to bother him?’ he thought.
After all, it was merely about a trending topic. There was no way he would drag Grandpa into something so trivial.
That would only serve to make Grandpa dislike Emily even more, and he would end up embarrassing himself in the process.
If he couldn’t even manage a trending topic, how could he still lay claim to the Harris name?
Emily’s voice trembled as she spoke, “Well, what do we do now?”
Carter felt his heart ache. He couldn’t hold back any longer. “Emily, didn’t you say you wrote that song specifically for me?”
‘How did it suddenly get accused of plagiarism?’ he wondered, a knot forming in his stomach.
Emily was taken aback, her words failing her.
“Carter, let me explain! I swear I didn’t copy anyone. I really have no idea how this happened… I just don’t know,” she stammered, panic lacing her voice.
When a man is deeply in love, his girl’s tears feel like priceless pearls. But when that love fades, those tears become a suffocating weight.
“Emily, please stop crying, okay? I’m doing my best. Just give me a little time. Crying won’t solve anything,” Carter implored, his voice softening.
“If this doesn’t work out, just stay at home after we get married. Showbiz is just too messy for you,” he added, his heart heavy with concern.
Emily froze, disbelief washing over her.
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.