NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Madam CEO, You Wouldn't Want Your Photo Leaked, Would You?
[Chapter 212: Madam CEO, You Wouldn't Want Your Photo Leaked, Would You?]
After a "long day" came to an end, Ryan booted up his computer the next morning. He checked the latest public reactions to the "music festival incident" while logging into the fan forum and shot a message to Sharon.
[Ryan: How have you been lately?]
He waited for a while without a response from Sharon. Just as he was about to close his computer, Sharon finally replied.
[Sharon: What's this? Considering a career change after the music festival incident? Or have you had a change of heart?]
[Ryan: How's the investigation going?]
[Sharon: Any new findings?]
[Ryan: I've got some explosive info, but it cost me dearly to obtain it.]
[Sharon: What do you mean?]
[Ryan: It involves a scandal related to Victoria's Secret's promotion of their new generation of angels, including high-level executives.]
Ryan had done some digging online last night and found that Jeffrey had close ties with Les Wexner, the owner of Victoria's Secret's parent company, Limited Brands.
[Sharon: How much are you asking for?]
[Ryan: 1 million, cash.]
[Sharon: You've got to be kidding! You think this ridiculous gossip is worth 1 million? If you sold it to the media, you'd be lucky to get $50,000, and that's if they were feeling generous.]
[Ryan: Maybe it wouldn't fetch much in the media, but what if it's sold to a competitor of Victoria's Secret?]
There were plenty of competitors, like the more affordable GapBody, the trendy ThirdLove, the minimalistic Calvin Klein and Hanes, and the luxury brands La Perla and Agent Provocateur. They would relish any scandal involving Victoria's Secret.
[Sharon: This sounds like extortion!]
[Ryan: This information is worth that amount.]
[Sharon: $500,000, and we'll add Taylor's song to the background track library for Victoria's Secret stores.]
That would generate a little extra revenue, but not much. Taylor's songs typically made for better background music than Ryan's messages.
[Ryan: That kind of deal doesn't amount to much; how about $700,000, including the background track?]
[Sharon: You greedy little brat.]
Ryan then shared everything he had discovered, including the rough timeline of Candice's visit and some background on Jeffrey.
[Sharon: Is that all? Have you talked to Jeffrey yet?]
[Ryan: Almost.]
[Sharon: What did you discuss?]
[Ryan: That's personal info, and it's going to cost extra.]
[Sharon: Save it! Jeffrey won't tell you anything but how to get yourself into trouble; you only have one use for him right now.]
Sharon was right on the money.
[Ryan: Consider that a throw-in.]
[Sharon: You didn't disclose that voluntarily. I have a big deal for you. You need to play it slow with him, pretend to agree to his demands, and dig deeper into his secrets.]
[Ryan: Find someone else.]
Sharon simply wanted Ryan to agree to Jeffrey's requests to gain his trust and pull him closer.
Ryan wasn't going to do it for any amount of money.
[Sharon: Don't be so quick to refuse. I didn't say you needed to find a model or anything; I can provide that.]
[Ryan: But that'll be in my name, and there's no room for negotiation.]
[Sharon: I know what you're afraid of; worst case, we can do it under my name.]
[Ryan: The discussions we're having now hold zero weight; what if you back out later?]
[Sharon: How do you expect me to guarantee anything? Send you a letter on official letterhead?]
[Ryan: That wouldn't be worth much either. If you really want to collaborate, you'll need to be ready to get your hands dirty too; I want a guarantee that works for both of us.]
[Sharon: I'll consider it.]
[Give me five minutes.]
Ryan had to attend the Winter Music Conference later. After the music festival incident, the future of the conference seemed uncertain.
[Sharon: Picture]
The photo came through, showcasing a stunning view.
[Ryan: I don't like seafood, and besides, it's way too dimly lit.]
[Sharon: Picture 2 -- this works, right?]
[Ryan: Where even are you? Are you just grabbing random photos online to pull one over on me?]
[Sharon: Picture 3]
[Ryan: Holding up your driver's license.]
[Sharon: Go fuck yourself!]
[Sharon: Picture 4]
[Ryan: This is better -- I've saved the photo already.]
[Sharon: Now go do your job!]
[Ryan: Hold on, there's no incentive for me to work? Didn't you just agree to make me the music director for Victoria's Secret? What's the salary?]
[Sharon: I just agreed to give you $700,000! Don't push it!]
[Ryan: Without a position, how can I negotiate with Jeffrey? Plus, the previous deal is done; this is you hiring me for a second task now.]
[Sharon: Shameless!]
[Ryan: Madam CEO, I assume you wouldn't want your photo leaked, would you?]
[Sharon: Annual salary of $3 million.]
[Ryan: That feels a bit low. Given my current fame, I think $5 million is more reasonable.]
[Sharon: $5 million is doable, but you're responsible for the promotional track for Victoria's Secret. Our standards are high -- don't even think about cutting corners, plus there's a lot of work you'll be handling.]
[Ryan: No problem.]
After all, he could delegate those tasks to others in his team.
[Ryan: Can you talk about the purpose of all this now?]
[Sharon: That has nothing to do with you.]
After all this time, she still could be so stubborn.
[Sharon: Plus, communicating on the forum isn't too inconvenient -- let's switch to phone communication moving forward.]
It was true; the forum conversations weren't the most convenient. Ryan had overheard others complain more than once in chat rooms, wishing they could have real-time communication on their phones.
Conveniently, Sharon was about to give himself a chunk of money, and he could use that to boost the tech team and create a similar feature for mobile -- smartphones were becoming increasingly handy, and using them would become even more essential.
...
"Who are you chatting with?" Taylor had just woken up, rubbing her eyes as she walked up behind Ryan, her nightgown slipping down a shoulder, exposing her smooth, white skin.
Ryan quickly shut the webpage, his movements skilled from habit.
Taylor nestled into Ryan's arms, curling up against him as much as she could.
"Hold me, and I'll doze off for a bit," she said, her voice still slightly nasal from sleep.
With his woman in his embrace, Ryan certainly didn't mind.
Taylor used her ring to gently trace over Ryan's skin.
"I'll have to leave this afternoon," she said slowly.
Her new song had dropped, and she was just waiting for the buzz to grow. She needed to get back to her concert tour -- there was plenty of money to be made, and she couldn't afford to fall behind.
"I'll drop you at the airport at noon."
"Not planning to leave any parting gifts?" Taylor straightened up to face Ryan, adjusting her seating position.
The music festival incident had dampened spirits a bit, including Taylor's. She hadn't spent the night with Ryan in a while.
"There are two things in life that you can't escape from, and I think I just added another," Ryan said, looking at Taylor's slender arms, devoid of any excess fat.
"What's that?" Taylor tightened her embrace around Ryan.
"White taxes I owe you."
"Now that's the mark of a good citizen," Taylor chuckled softly.
The chair became a rocking chair. Taylor has a subtle habit of spreading her toes wide when it's time.
...
At noon, Ryan and Taylor reluctantly parted ways at the airport.
Ryan rubbed Taylor's belly.
"Don't worry, we'll call each other in the evening," Taylor's cheeks flushed as she nudged Ryan away, then waved goodbye.
Instead of heading directly to the conference venue, Ryan returned to the hotel first. As he stepped out of the elevator, he spotted the two glod and brown-haired girls sitting on the couch; as soon as Taylor left, they couldn't wait to come over.
But this time, Ryan had called them over himself, and they obediently followed him into the room.
*****
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