Wife by Day, Boss by Night

Half a minute later, Annika's line connected.

"Hello?" Lily tried to sound assertive, "Is this Annika?"

There was silence for a few seconds, followed by a man's voice. "This is Annika's lawyer, not Annika herself."

"But this number is Annika's..." Lily faltered.

The man calmly explained, "Actually, this number is mine. Initially, I was Annika's agent, but then I switched careers. Now, I run my law firm. Annika has been in touch with me about the plagiarism issue. As of today, I'll be handling the matter on her behalf."

Annika had already hired a lawyer?

Lily had her phone on speaker, so Madelyn caught every word.

She bolted upright from the couch, her mind racing. It was a setup. Annika was out to get her!

"I'm currently compiling the case, and by tomorrow at the latest, we'll be filing with the court," the lawyer continued in the same indifferent tone.

"But we have..." Lily started to panic.

"Sorry," the lawyer cut her off with a polite chuckle, "Annika has endured two months of cyberbullying from Ms. Madelyn's fans without a word against the slander and insults thrown her way. But this is different. If Ms. Madelyn had defended Annika even once during those two months, maybe Annika wouldn't have reached her breaking point now. You've gone too far. Expect a summons from the court."

"Can't we settle this privately?" Lily raised her voice as she sensed the lawyer was about to hang up, "We can pay!"

Annika's lawyer chuckled again, his tone tinged with regret, "How much can you offer? I'm sorry, but Annika isn't interested in money. She wants justice." With that, he ended the call

Lily and Madelyn looked at each other, dumbstruck. After a long pause, Lily asked quietly. "How much can you put up to protect yourself? I'll discuss it with the company and try to get you as much support as possible."

"Thirty... thirty million?" Madelyn stammered.

She wasn't rich. The Harris family had washed their hands of her long ago. The savings she mentioned were all she had accumulated over the years.

Lily was silent before stepping aside to consult with the company's executives.

When she returned from the balcony to the room ten minutes later, her face was gloomy.

Shaking her head at Madelyn, she whispered, "Ten million. That's the max.

"Didn't I also bring significant

earnings to the company over the years?" Madelyn began to feel numb, her circulation faltering, her vision

clouding.

"And I brought in investments! Brian invested over a billion dollars because of

me! And this is how they repay me?"

Lily replied with difficulty. "I mentioned that, but the execs said you have no ties to Brian. He invested in the company because he believed in its potential, not out of some fondness for you."

"Even giving you ten million forContent bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

damage control is out of respect for rol is out of respect

Brian.

Madelyn listened as Lily's words hit her like bricks, her breath shortening.

Usually, the company wouldn't blink at spending millions to trend their artists, yet

ten million was considered generous for her.

"It's the CEO's decision," Lily sighed, "There's no room for negotiation."

Hearing that, Madelyn felt like she got the breath knocked right out of her. Her world went dark as she collapsed onto the sofa, unconscious.