Chapter 281

Kaelyn waited on the phone, but heard nothing from Mabel. Finally, she said patiently, "If you won't do it, then there's only one other option—you have to give up your career."

"No way!" Mabel exploded, her chest heaving. "Why should I quit? They should apologize to me!"

Getting the reaction she'd hoped for, Kaelyn twirled her hair, a complacent smile playing on her lips. Mabel was a fool; choosing her had been the right move.

Affecting a sympathetic tone, Kaelyn said softly, "I understand your pain. I'll ask my team to draft a statement for you. All you have to do is post it."

"Kaelyn, you're the best! I wish you were my sister instead of that bitch Elyse," Mabel said, touched. To Mabel, Kaelyn was kind, while Elyse was the villain. The thought of Elyse enraged her.

"I've always treated you like my own sister," Kaelyn smiled.

After a few more words, Kaelyn hung up, despising Mabel even more. The simpleton thought Kaelyn was a good person; she had no idea this was a setup. Mabel was an idiot.

Grinning mischievously, Kaelyn instructed her team to draft a statement for Mabel. Once ready, Mabel skimmed it and posted it online.

That morning, her tweet went viral, with the hashtags #WhyMabelsNewAlbumWasWithdrawn and #ElyseLloydRuinedASingersCareer.

Busy with rehearsal, Elyse remained blissfully unaware of the unfolding online conspiracy. She was finishing lunch when Darren burst in, breathless.

"What's wrong, Darren?" Elyse frowned.

Gasping, Darren asked, "Did you know you're trending? A singer claiming to be your sister says you were so jealous of her talent that you got your husband to pull her album, blacklisting her from the industry."

Elyse's expression darkened. "Bullshit," she hissed. "She stole those compositions! How dare she?"

Darren sighed. "This impacts you and the orchestra's reputation. You've just gained fame, and this could ruin it all."

Elyse froze. "Oh God. Seriously?"

A hint of pity crossed Darren's face. Averting his gaze, he said heavily, "I'm here to tell you that you're wanted in the meeting room. Senior leaders consider this a serious matter—bad publicity for the new concertmaster."

Elyse's mind went blank. "Okay, I'll go now."

Darren shook his head, escorting her to the meeting room. At the door, he stopped. "This is as far as I go."

Elyse nodded gratefully and entered.

Inside, besides Merlin, Abram, and several instructors, were several unfamiliar people—the senior leaders. She'd joined the orchestra to excel and gain recognition from these figures; she never expected to meet them under these circumstances. The irony was striking.

Abram, wearing a hostile expression, rested his chin on his hand. "Do you know why we summoned you?"

Elyse nodded gravely.

"Then is it true?" Abram pressed.

Taking a deep breath, Elyse said, "Mabel is lying. I wrote the three songs on her new album. Even the title track of her debut album was mine. She took credit for them all."

Abram sneered. "You mean you're a musical genius who composed four original songs?"

"Yes, I'm the composer," Elyse confirmed calmly.

Abram's expression darkened. Merlin spoke, "If they were your works, why didn't you post them?"

Elyse smiled bitterly. "I didn't think they were good enough." ...