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Chapter 180 New
Behind The Spotlight Chapter 180


Whenever Emma tried to throw a fit, Lawrence would say, "I'll lose all of my love for you if you act like a spoiled child."

Surprisingly, that method worked far better than he ever expected. Since then, Lawrence realized that his role was closer to that of a teacher or a parent, patiently guiding her behavior. He was the only person Emma would listen to.

So far, Emma was learning that stalking people and throwing objects at them was bad...

Lawrence worked extremely hard. He had to juggle his acting career while being a husband and an emotional caretaker. There was even a time when Emma almost threatened Lawrence's co-star due to a misunderstanding during rehearsal, but he immediately intervened and prevented it from happening.

While listening to Lawrence talk about his situation, Collin noticed the actor's talent glowing brightly, almost blinding compared to before. His Box Office Romance Actor talent was dazzling. Even his Comedy Actor talent was shining yellow, with visible sparks of potential.

'... I don't know what's happening, but I can see that Lawrence is close to enlightenment. His second talent, Comedy Actor, already has a hint of Gold.'

The idea of someone unlocking another talent excited Collin more than money ever could. He felt genuinely excited for Lawrence and his future. Perhaps Lawrence's decision to participate in this real-life acting had allowed him to truly contemplate what "acting" meant beyond scripts and cameras.

As for the outcome, both of them hoped it would be positive, even if the road ahead remained difficult.

"Ewww! Who is this guy?"

Collin and Lawrence heard a commotion and instinctively turned around. They saw a chubby man sitting in the pool, inhaling the scent of coins with an expression of bliss. People avoided him, clearly uncomfortable with how creepy he looked.

"Niko's here too? I guess Vivian is also present," Collin muttered.

"Niko?" Lawrence asked.

"Yeah, that guy in the pool is Niko. He's the music producer who composed Princess Chantal's album."

"That guy?" Lawrence was genuinely surprised.

"That's right," Collin confirmed.

"I feel like I've seen him before." Lawrence narrowed his eyes, digging through his memories.

"Ah, right. I almost forgot. He's an avid customer of the pizza shop I worked at five years ago. He really loves our pizza, although he acts strange whenever he receives change, especially coins," Lawrence explained.

"So where's Emma? Does she know you're here?" Collin asked cautiously.

"Of course not. I made an excuse and said I was attending a commercial shoot. My assistant testified without hesitation," Lawrence chuckled. If Emma found out he was at a party with women walking around in bikinis, she would probably lose control.

Sometimes, he just wanted to rest and relax like a normal person.

"Um, Lawrence, I think Emma's here." Collin paused as he noticed a woman standing at the entrance gate, smiling innocently.

Lawrence flinched. He checked himself instinctively and found nothing, no tracking device. It seemed Emma had tracked his car instead.

"... Collin, see you around. Next time, find a good doctor for me. I might have a tracking device inside my body," he said, half-joking and half-panicked.

"I'll call you within three days."

"I trust you."

"By the way, Happy New Year," Collin said sincerely. It was only a few hours before the new year and the new century arrived.

"You too. Happy New Year." Lawrence waved goodbye. The first thing he did was hug Emma and kiss her. The glaring woman instantly melted, clinging tightly to him. Lawrence was truly in for a tough time.

"Niko, do you know where Vivian and Princess Chantal are?"

Collin approached Niko and asked. Unfortunately, Niko merely glanced at him before returning his attention to the coins.

It seemed Collin would have to find them himself. He entered the mansion and found even more people partying. The place was deafening, with music echoing through every corner. People of all ages were holding paper cups filled with alcohol.

Collin frowned, feeling deeply uncomfortable. He didn't like formal parties, but he hated frat-style parties the most. They lacked boundaries. At least formal events had a sense of order and rationality.

He saw people kissing openly and carelessly all around the place.

'What the fuck is happening here?'

He searched the ground floor but couldn't find Princess Chantal. Naturally, he went up to the second floor. The mansion was massive, and Collin wasn't confident he could locate them before midnight.

Fortunately, he spotted Vivian sitting outside a room, smoking a cigarette alone. Her expression was dark. Like Collin, she was dressed formally, wearing an elegant dress. They both stood out among the chaos.

"What is going on? Why are people partying like this? I thought it was a formal event?" Collin asked.

"You should ask your client. She changed the party at the last minute and invited all these people. I don't even know how she got them," Vivian replied, slowly exhaling smoke.

"So where are Chantal and Isabella?"

Vivian pointed silently at the room in front of her. She had tried to talk to Princess Chantal, but the singer seemed to be under the influence, either alcohol or drugs. She refused to listen. As for Isabella, she simply went along with Chantal, smiling recklessly.

"I have no idea what's happening with your client. Does fame really change people?" Vivian asked quietly.

"Yes, I think it does." Based on Collin's experience, fame elevated a person's status and change them sometimes drastic. It was inevitable.

Everyone changed, without exception.

Vivian sighed.

"She doesn't listen to me. I think you need to talk to her. Also, she befriended Gabriella Wallmart. You should tell her to be careful."

"Gabriella who?"

"It seems you don't know. You're still a newbie in the music industry. Gabriella Wallmart is the daughter of the Wallmart family, a powerful dynasty. One of the richest families in the country. They own Wallmart, the largest supermarket chain."

"I see... so what's the problem?" Collin asked, now alert.

"Gabriella might be young, but she owns a record label. It's obvious she's interested in signing Princess Chantal," Vivian explained.

Princess Chantal still had four albums left under Moonrise Music, contractually binding. Whether she continued with the label afterward would depend entirely on her choices.

Of course, all rights to her first five albums and their songs were legally owned by Moonrise Music.

"It may take a few years, but Princess Chantal might eventually change record labels. That would be painful for Moonrise Music, and that includes you, since you're a shareholder," Vivian said, biting her lip. She clearly disliked the idea of someone trying to steal their superstar.

"Once Princess Chantal comes out of that room, I want you to talk to her. You're her agent, and she listens to you."

"I'll do what I can," Collin replied seriously.

"Do your best."

---

[Thank you for your support. This novel has 70 chapters on Patreon.]
 
Chapter 181 New
[This novel has 70 chapters on Patreon.]

---

Behind The Spotlight Chapter 181


Vivian didn't like Collin's answer. She believed that Collin should fix his client because Princess Chantal was their money maker. Moonrise Music needed her. Vivian, Collin, Lila, and Niko earned millions because of her.

It would be extremely disappointing if they failed to maximize Princess Chantal's profitability. Vivian sympathized with the young woman, but she understood her own priorities. She was a businesswoman, the biggest shareholder and the owner of Moonrise Music.

Obviously, she loved her company and wanted it to succeed. She had sacrificed years of sleep, relationships, and personal happiness just to build it from the ground up.

Now that they had finally taken the first step and achieved success, Vivian was terrified of losing Princess Chantal.

"Vivian, you do understand that people change, right? In my opinion, Chantal is still doing fine. I've met people with much worse attitudes."

"Attitude and behavior can change, but that's not what I'm asking from Princess Chantal. I want her to stick with us forever. Don't let her sign with a different record label. Loyalty is useless, only contracts are absolute."

Vivian recognized Princess Chantal's talent. She had never seen someone who could charm people through her voice alone. She was a star. And now that Princess Chantal was famous, it seemed many people had begun to notice her immense profitability.

It wouldn't be surprising if more record labels approached her with promises of creative freedom and higher compensation.

'... Is $15 million still too low as payment for breaking a contract?' Vivian asked herself.

According to the contract both sides agreed to, Princess Chantal was obligated to pay $15 million if she wanted to break it. Vivian feared that Princess Chantal might be stolen away, just like their past artists. $15 million seemed insufficient.

Back then, Niko and Vivian almost had a falling-out because the artists Vivian chose betrayed them so easily.

"Do you trust me?" Collin asked Vivian.

"We don't know each other that well."

Collin laughed lightly.

"I'm a shareholder. Of course I won't let Princess Chantal leave Moonrise Music. I'll prioritize my own interests first."

"Hm." Vivian nodded and stood up. She accepted that mutual self-interest was the strongest form of trust.

"I'll leave Princess Chantal to you."

It seemed their conversation had been pointless. At the end of the day, it all depended on whether Princess Chantal chose to leave or stay.

Vivian left the party. It was regrettable that she had bought an expensive dress for the event when no one even appreciated it.

Collin bid her farewell and sat on the chair Vivian had been using. He waited patiently for the door to open. He had plenty of patience.

He glanced at his watch. There were only two hours left before the new year arrived.

'... The world isn't going to end, right?' Collin asked himself. On his way to the mansion, he had seen protesters holding signs about the end of the world. He couldn't help but feel uneasy.

After his thoughts drifted away, the door finally opened, and three people exited the room.

The first was a Frenchwoman with long black hair. Her lips were smeared with lipstick, and her eyes were hazy. It was Isabella.

The second was a dark-skinned woman with curly, wavy hair. Like Isabella, Princess Chantal had lipstick smeared on her lips. There were even hickeys on her neck.

The third was a blonde gorgeous woman with shoulder-length hair. She also had hickey marks and kiss marks scattered across her neck and cheeks.

The three women were smiling, clearly under the influence. Their laughter was loose and careless.

'... Did they kiss each other or something?'

Collin raised an eyebrow and glanced inside the room. He found no one else. Those three women had been the only occupants. Judging by their messy clothes, uncombed hair, and unfocused gazes, something had definitely happened inside.

'I know something strange has been going on between Isabella and Chantal. I also know they're interested in men, so they're probably bisexual. Anyway, does two women kissing make them lesbians or not?'

What truly confused Collin was the third woman, whom he assumed was Gabriella Wallmart. He wasn't surprised by the intimacy between Princess Chantal and Isabella, he had already suspected it. But adding another woman into the mix was unexpected and potentially dangerous.

"Collin!" Princess Chantal exclaimed happily when she saw him. She hugged him and rubbed her head against his chest. She had always found Collin attractive.

"Chantal, no fair! I want to hug Collin too!" Isabella joined in, wrapping her arms around him as well.

The two were clearly under the influence, their rationality clouded.

"Chantal, Isabella, what is going on? I thought today's event was supposed to be a formal party?"

"Hehe, I changed it."

"Why?"

"Gabriella said it would be fun if we invited people and turned it into a frat party instead."

Collin stared at the blonde woman. Gabriella extended her hand for a handshake.

"Hello, I'm Gabriella Wallmart."

"Collin East."

"I've heard about you. Chantal and Isabella told me you're an amazing person. And now that I've met you in person," Gabriella's eyes glinted slightly, "it seems they weren't lying. You're an outstanding man."

"Thank you for the compliment." Collin shook her hand while Chantal and Isabella clung to him. Fortunately, the two women were already twenty-one and legally allowed to drink. Although, based on their behavior, Collin wasn't sure alcohol was the only thing involved.

"Collin, we should talk sometime. Here's my business card."

"Alright."

Gabriella excused herself, understanding that Collin wanted to speak with Princess Chantal and Isabella privately.

"Bye-bye, bestie~"

"Gurl, slay~"

The blonde woman walked away.

Collin stared at Gabriella's retreating figure, chills running down his spine. More precisely, he was staring at the golden words floating above her head.

'I guess I know why she convinced Chantal to change the party.'

--Gabriella Wallmart

-- Master Manipulator (Gold)

Collin had thought Gabriella was a simple woman, but he was wrong.

"Girls, stop clinging to me. We need to talk seriously."

"But you smell nice~" Princess Chantal inhaled his scent.

Collin sighed.

"Let's go to your room."

"Alright~"

When the three of them stepped inside, Collin immediately caught the scent of weed. He frowned slightly and opened the windows to let the air circulate. His concern deepened.

"Now, can someone explain to me what is going on here?"
 
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