Chapter 334 My Daughter
When Jack rolled up to the Landon Group, he saw a mob blocking the entrance.
Before Charles kicked the bucket, he left everything to Seb. Now that the Landon Group was booming, it was like a magnet for attention, with interviews popping up left and right.
The media camped out at the entrance almost daily. Seb was their golden goose. Even if they couldn't get a sit-down with him, a few snaps or clips were worth their weight in gold.
"Mr. Landon, they're back at it again!" Jack said, grabbing his phone to call security. "I'll get 'em outta here!"
Before Jack could hit dial, Seb raised his hand. "Don't bother."
Jack looked confused.
Seb said, "Pull the car up. I'm getting out at the front."
Seb was talking to Jack, but his eyes were glued to Sweetie.
Jack was baffled. "But don't you usually hate those gossip hounds? And today you brought Miss Landon along."
Jack thought, 'Isn't this just asking for trouble?'
Seb finally looked up. "That's exactly why I need to walk out in front of them today. Sweetie is my daughter, and I don't want the media to have any chance to drag her name through the mud."
Seb ordered, "Pull over!"
Jack said, "Yes, Mr. Landon."
Jack immediately drove the car over.
As soon as the media spotted Seb's car, they swarmed, setting up their cameras and surrounding the car.
The scene was so intense that even the seasoned Jack felt a bit rattled. "Mr. Landon, maybe we should rethink this. I'll head to the underground parking."
"Nope," Seb said firmly, "We're getting out here. Jack, you get out first and coordinate with security to keep things in check. They can snap all the pics they want, but they better not lay a finger on my daughter!"
Jack said, "Got it, Mr. Landon!"
As soon as Jack opened the car door, the cameras went wild, flashing in his face.
Once they realized it was just Jack, they quickly lost interest and zeroed back in on the dark car windows.
Jack was speechless. For the first time, he felt totally overlooked.
Jack teamed up with security to split the media into two groups, using barriers to clear a path for Seb. Then he walked to the car, gave the window a couple of taps, and opened the door.
Seb stepped out, entering the media frenzy.
When they saw Sweetie in his arms, there was a brief hush, followed by a burst of excitement.
"Mr. Landon, is this your kid?"
"Mr. Landon, boy or girl? Rumor has it you had a kid with an employee. True?"
"The Landon Group bans office romances. So, Mr. Landon, aren't you breaking your own rules? How can you expect respect if you don't follow them yourself? Won't your employees be ticked off?"
"Any coercion involved? Mr. Landon, care to comment?"
Seb walked to the company entrance and stopped, his gaze sweeping over all the media cameras. "I'll say this once, and only once. You've got ten seconds to get your cameras ready."
The crowd went nuts, straining to catch every word Seb was about to drop.
Seb said, "First off, my wife and I are in a legit relationship; no funny business. Second, she left the Landon Group ages ago. That's my statement to the board and all the employees."
Sweetie squirmed in Seb's arms, rubbing her eyes. Her tiny, chubby fist lightly tapped against Seb's suit.
The contrast between the adorable Sweetie and the imposing Seb was striking. The media seized the moment, snapping away like crazy.
Then they saw something even more shocking: the usually stoic Seb gently holding Sweetie's tiny hand.
Seb said, "Let me formally introduce my daughter, Stella Landon."
The media went wild again, firing off questions left and right.
“Congrats on the new addition, Mr. Landon!”
"Mr. Landon, are you and Mrs. Landon secretly hitched? Any plans to clear up these rumors?"
"When's the wedding? We heard you bought a private jet and are building a castle. Is that for the wedding?"
Seb locked eyes with the reporter. "Who told you that?"
The reporter felt a chill under Seb's gaze and quickly tried to lighten the mood with a smile. "Mr. Landon, you're the talk of the town; news travels fast."
Seb scanned the crowd, his tone dead serious. "Everyone, cut that part out."
The crowd was puzzled.
Seb said, "This is a surprise I'm planning for my wife. It's all hush-hush. If any of you spoil it, the fallout will be more than you can handle."
The crowd fell silent.
Jack stood by, secretly amused.
He thought, 'Mr. Landon's not even trying to hide the threat.'
Being upfront with the media was smart. The Landon Group was on top now. Who'd dare cross Seb? Their career would be toast.
But in the media game, the bold ones thrived while the timid ones starved, especially in entertainment news.
Even with Seb's threat, some would still risk airing it. The scoop was just too juicy to pass up.
Jack's hunch was spot on. About seventy percent of the media folks were secretly thrilled, planning to broadcast it ASAP for a big payday.
The other thirty percent were thinking about calling their bosses before making a move.
Seb looked around, fully aware of the game. He spoke again, "Any media that plays ball will get exclusive access to film my wedding for free."
Hearing this, Jack couldn't help but give Seb a thumbs up, admiring his savvy.
Jack thought, 'A mix of carrot and stick always works best. The chance to film the wedding is way more tempting than any threat!'
This way, the media wouldn't air today's footage right away. If they did, they'd wait until Seb's grand wedding. The exposure would be even bigger then, making it a win-win.
And just like that, the media were sold.
