Chapter 182 Cooperation Paused
Hilda trembled with rage, a bitter taste rising in his throat. He felt utterly powerless.
In a society governed by laws, both Skyview and Oliver held more sway than he did. Physical retaliation was out of the question.
Besides, even if he were foolish enough to try, he wouldn't stand a chance against them and their bodyguards.
Legally, Skyview and Oliver were in the clear. They hadn't fabricated anything. Reporting the truth, however damaging, was well within the rights of any media outlet.
Hilda was trapped, consumed by fury but unable to strike back.
Skyview and Oliver reveled in his misery, their laughter echoing through the room.
"You hate me, don't you?" Skyview taunted, a smug grin plastered across his face. "But you can't do a damn thing about it. Your star streamers are finished, and your precious Shark Live is about to go belly up."
"This is too perfect!" Oliver crowed. "You thought you could compete with me, Hilda? Look at you now!"
"This isn't over," Hilda spat, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "You'll regret this, both of you! You've ruined so many lives. Don't be surprised if something unfortunate happens to you."
His threats were hollow, the desperate words of a defeated man.
Skyview simply smirked and turned to Benjamin. "Well, Benjamin, what do you think? Shark Live's top talent is radioactive. Are you sure Penguin Company wants to acquire a sinking ship? You'd be fools to go through with it."
"I'm in the live streaming business," Oliver added. "I know how difficult it is to cultivate stars like Lucas, Seraphina, Angel, and Lumi. With Shark Live's reputation in tatters, the market will lose all confidence in them."
Benjamin's face was grim. He'd underestimated Skyview and Oliver. Their plan had been ruthless and effective, and the value of acquiring Shark Live had plummeted.
Streamers, in the eyes of investors, were nothing more than commodities and tools for generating profit.
Oliver's father, Ken, had famously said in an interview that celebrities were commodities. The same held true for streamers.
The scandals surrounding Shark Live's streamers would undoubtedly result in significant financial losses.
Benjamin looked at Hilda, his expression apologetic. "Hilda, I'm afraid this puts Penguin Company in a difficult position. We can't, in good conscience, move forward with the acquisition at this time."
Hilda's heart sank, even though he'd known this was coming.
"We had an agreement, Benjamin!" he protested. "You can't back out now!"
"Did we sign a contract?" Benjamin countered.
"Not yet," Hilda admitted.
"Then we have nothing more to discuss," Benjamin stated. "A verbal agreement means nothing in the business world. We can't justify spending 800 million to bail out your company."
His words were cold but undeniably true, renderingHilda speechless.
"You were quick to renegotiate our deal when that mysterious 'Boring' showed up," Benjamin continued, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. "Don't act like you're above playing dirty, Hilda. We're all cut from the same cloth."
"We can salvage this! We can do damage control!" Hilda pleaded, his composure crumbling. The situation had spiraled out of control, and he was in over his head.
The rumors, even if baseless, had already done their damage. He wasn't some high-ranking official with the power to make them disappear.
And abandoning his streamers was unthinkable. The losses would be catastrophic.
"The story is already trending," Benjamin pointed out. "You can try to suppress it online, but it would take a monumental effort to scrub it from the entire media landscape. Frankly, Hilda, I don't think you have the resources to pull that off."
"He's right," Skyview sneered. "If you were that good at crisis management, you'd be running a PR firm, not a failing internet company."
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