Chapter 661 Ours
The company's manipulation behind the scenes was a major taboo for many big brands and top-tier studios, leading to numerous high-profile opportunities being retracted.
This withdrawal wasn't just a severe blow to the company's executive pride, but also led to the loss of substantial benefits.
Natalie and Emily Reed's actions enraged the executive team. Being a Miss, Emily Reed commanded respect and caution from them, but Natalie seemed to have far fewer reservations.
While several executives conspired to tarnish Natalie's reputation, one of them received a phone call.
The trending hashtag "NatalieAttacks" soared to the top of the searches. It all stemmed from a video.
In a hotel corridor, Natalie emerged from the elevator and charged straight at Susan, grabbing her hair and slamming her into the wall, then slapping her across the face. Susan was overpowered and cried out, her face a mask of defeat. Natalie's gaze remained cold and deathly, as if she didn't see Susan's life as worth considering.
Another GIF circulated, showing Susan alone in the hotel corridor, a clear mark on her face from being slapped.
Netizens commented:
"I always thought Natalie was a refined and gentle goddess."
"Yanking someone's hair and smashing it against the wall, slapping them—some might mistake this for schoolyard bullying. No wonder Oliver dumped a woman like her!"
"Having seen this video, I'm starting to question the real story behind Oliver, Natalie, and Susan's love triangle. No sane person could like Natalie after this."
"I've got a bold theory—Mr. Windsor wants to rekindle romance with his old flame Susan, and outraged Natalie lashes out."
"Natalie should just leave the fashion industry. No matter how talented she is, this behavior is unacceptable on the runway!"
"Honestly, I never saw what was so great about Natalie's runway walk. I suspect her fan base has been artificially inflated."
However, most of the netizens had forgotten the truth about the past, such as the fact that Susan, the homewrecker, had nearly been beaten to death.
The issue quickly spiraled, with online opinions overwhelmingly attacking Natalie, and many expressing sympathy for Susan: "Fighting for true love is everyone's right. Susan was just pursuing Oliver out of hope. Honestly, I admire her dedication to love."
Many echoed this sentiment, completely overlooking that Susan's so-called pursuit of love was homewrecking and meddling in someone else's marriage.
At the peak of the controversy, the company's official social media account issued a statement, "In light of Ms. Natalie's reprehensible actions, we have decided to terminate her contract with immediate effect."
The internet erupted in cheers and praise, declaring the company an epitome of integrity for refusing to shield a person of such deplorable character, even with Natalie's skyrocketing commercial value.
"Shameless!" Even for Emily Reed, a veteran of the industry's machinations, this was too much, and if Natalie hadn't held her back, she would have almost smashed an antique vase nearby in frustration.
Emily Reed sneered, "They have the gall to claim they fired you, not that you broke the contract—that's one thing. But to also demand a $30 million termination fee? Disgusting!"
While publicly announcing the termination of Natalie's contract, the company was privately insisting she pay the $30 million fine or they wouldn't proceed with the disengagement. They knew the public was in the dark, and even if Natalie went public, the company had the resources to spread rumors and muddy the waters.
Thirty million dollars—Natalie could simply borrow it from Oliver. With her current trajectory, she could easily repay it in under five years.
But she refused to be the sucker, especially after this debacle. She wouldn't give the company a single penny more than necessary.
Even the comment sections of the recent media storm showed indications of manipulation, proving that the company's higher-ups were behind it.
After much thought, Natalie came up with a plan. She cross-checked her information she had with Emily Reed, and together they figured out a counter-strategy.
Emily Reed had planned to wait another hour—until the company's narrative had reached peak attention—before she and Natalie publicly countered. But that opportunity never came.
Twenty minutes later, the tide turned as negative online comments about Natalie began to be systematically removed.
The trending topic "Natalie Assaults Someone" was outright deleted.
Emily Reed fell silent.
After a brief moment, Natalie picked up her phone and called Oliver, wondering if he was behind this.
Oliver had planned to settle this before Natalie found out. However, Emily Reed, who had been vigilantly monitoring developments, especially from the company's end, had quickly alerted Natalie.
"No need to spend the money on that," Natalie told him, "I've already got a plan in place."
"You may have cash to burn," she added, "but that doesn't mean you should hand it over to other companies." She knew that bidding to remove a hot search topic started in the seven-figure range, let alone entirely deleting one.
Oliver replied, "It's not just my money, it's ours."
The memory of Natalie's words echoed in his head, "RK Group is your company, not mine." Natalie had refused the stock transfer, but Oliver always felt compelled to do something to make her refer to it as "mine," or at the very least "ours."
"Fine, 'mine' as well," Natalie conceded exasperatedly. "But not with my money going up in flames!"
"Of course, Mrs. Windsor is the epitome of thrift," Oliver said, a satisfied grin playing at the corners of his mouth.
After hanging up the phone, Oliver's smile instantly froze, and he turned to the secretaries seated in the office lounge. "Hold off on decreasing the media heat for now; keep a close eye on the online chatter."
The secretaries nodded in unison, "Yes, Mr. Windsor."
They then began to rapidly type on their keyboards, making contact with various parties.
The public relations secretary, who had been closely monitoring Oliver and Natalie's public affairs, inquired, "Mr. Windsor, has Mrs. Windsor come up with a strategy to tackle the situation?"
Oliver nodded.
"Mrs. Windsor is so clever," the PR secretary remarked, "she always finds a way out of a tight spot on her own."
At those words, even Oliver didn't realize how his lips curled up in agreement and pride reflected in his eyes.
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