Chapter 8
“Daph, are you okay? Say something. Maybe you should apologize to Mr. Farrell…” Seeing Daphne remain silent, Ava assumed she was too shaken to respond and tried to devise a solution.
But Daphne immediately cut her off. “There’s no way I’m apologizing to Wilson Farrell. I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I?”
The mere mention of Wilson reignited her energy. Sitting upright, she reassured Ava, explaining that Hugo’s unreasonable compensation demand wouldn't hold up in court. She promised to hire the best lawyers to fight the case, urging Ava not to worry.
Daphne also shared her plans to start a new company. Ava was utterly shocked. She knew better than anyone about Daphne’s history of failed business ventures.
“Daph, are you sure you want to run your own company? It’s not that I don’t trust you, but honestly, your talent for business is…” Ava trailed off cautiously.
She knew that once Daphne set her mind on something, nothing could change it. Still, she felt Daphne shouldn’t waste her money.
Daphne understood and responded cheerfully, “Not me. You.”
Ava was stunned. “Me? What do you mean?”
Daphne’s plan was perfectly calculated. “You’ll manage the company. I’ll give you 20% equity, and I’ll handle all the funding. We can also sign new talent. You’ve got experience managing artists. If we make a few stars, we’ll become powerful players. Then, no one will be able to push us around.”
Daphne, who had been mentored by Ava since her debut, had complete confidence in her capabilities. She knew her own limitations—she wasn’t cut out for business. If she ran the company herself, it would undoubtedly end in disaster.
Ava was both flattered and overwhelmed. “Daph, are you serious?”
The news was so shocking that Ava couldn’t immediately process it. Daphne nodded firmly. “Of course, I’m serious. I’m counting on you to make us rich!”
After Ava’s call disrupted her morning, Daphne couldn’t fall back asleep. She decided to get up and continue her search for office space.
At the third location, Wendy suddenly shoved her phone in front of her. “Daphne, look at this! Our fans are all bashing Yvonne online!”
Daphne removed her sunglasses, confused, and glanced at Wendy’s screen. “Yvonne? Why are they bashing her? Shouldn’t they be going after Hugo?”
She frowned, genuinely puzzled. She then opened her own account to investigate. The hashtag #DaphneYeagerTerminatesContractWithStarstruckEntertainment had shot to the top of the trending list.
Daphne sighed in exasperation. Seriously? When she was working so hard on her acting, she couldn’t even crack the trending list, but a contract termination did it? This world was absurd.
She opened the comment section and found plenty of fans bashing Yvonne. Several comments are listed here, but I've consolidated them to avoid excessive repetition. The gist is that fans are angry about the contract termination, suspecting foul play involving Wilson and Yvonne, and expressing support for Daphne.
Daphne’s lips twitched as she scrolled through the comments. These fans weren’t entirely wrong; however, they probably didn’t know she and Wilson were already divorced and that Yvonne was about to replace her.
“Should we respond now?” Wendy asked. “Should we contact Ava?”
Daphne nodded. “We should respond, but only address the contract termination. Say it was my decision to terminate it. Ignore everything else completely.”
Now free from her former agency, Daphne no longer felt the need to tread carefully. Hugo, that money-grubbing scumbag, had thrown her under the bus to please Wilson. She certainly didn’t owe him any courtesy.
When Daphne’s statement was released, it sparked another wave of discussion. It wasn’t because her statement carried much weight—it was because it was so brief and didn't address the rumors. The ambiguity fueled speculation.
More supportive comments from fans are listed here, but I've consolidated them for brevity. The comments express outrage at the situation and support for Daphne.
As she read, a small smirk played on Daphne’s lips. The public’s eyes were sharp, and the excuses from that shameless couple could only convince themselves. Public opinion was a double-edged sword—it could hurt, but it could also yield unexpected results when used wisely.
Negative comments about Yvonne and Wilson spread rapidly, while Daphne’s lack of response fueled speculation. Since Daphne’s statement didn’t mention either of them, Yvonne couldn’t respond, reinforcing the belief that her silence stemmed from guilt.
In just a few hours, Daphne’s follower count increased by tens of thousands. This strategy won Ava’s approval.
“Daph, you handled this perfectly. We’re at a disadvantage, so it’s better not to clash with Farrell Group head-on. We’ve kept it clean by only addressing the contract termination. If Yvonne gets backlash, it’s not our problem. And Wilson won’t have a reason to pick a fight.”
When Ava video-called, Daphne was nibbling on an unappetizing vegetable salad. She had been sticking to a low-calorie diet for years.
“Not responding is the best response. Let the netizens speculate. Huh, looks like you’ve got a nice routine going. Yoga, too? I haven’t done it in ages,” Daphne said, noticing Ava rolling out a yoga mat.
“Yeah, it’s been a while. My back’s gotten stiff. Work was so stressful before, but now that things have slowed down, I want to focus on planning my life better.”
Ava’s words got Daphne thinking. She glanced at her half-eaten salad, realizing it had been ages since she’d allowed herself a proper meal. She dumped the salad in the trash.
“You’re right. It’s time to start planning a new life. I’m going out to enjoy myself for once.”