The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 245

Callahan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window in the corridor, staring at his phone. screen with dark eyes. He knew Leilani wouldn’t accept Micah’s things, of course, but seeing that photo, he couldn’t control the irritation rising in his chest.

He put his phone away and returned to the conference room.

The Marketing Director asked nervously, “Mr. Langley, shall we continue?”

Callahan gave a faint “Mm,” his expression having returned to calm.

But everyone could feel that the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped a few degrees. No one expected what happened next

That night, the footage of Leilani and Clive arguing in the luxury store was uploaded to social media by a bystander. At first, the video only circulated within a small circle, but sharp-eyed internet users soon recognized Clive.

“Isn’t that Clive? Arguing with someone at the mall?”

“Who’s the girl opposite him? Her vibe is intense!”

“Clive’s attitude is terrible. Being a celebrity makes you all that?”

The video’s popularity began to climb. The comment sections were buzzing, and some people even dug up Leilani’s identity.

“Wait, isn’t that girl the Sloan family’s adopted daughter? Didn’t the news say she cut ties with the Sloan family?”

“So Clive is bullying his own family?”

Seeing the public opinion turn sour, Clive’s management team immediately sprang into action. The studio head called the user who posted the video, aggressively demanding its deletion and throwing a large hush money payment at them.

Simultaneously, the team contacted major gossip accounts to release “dirt” on a rival actor, instantly diverting the netizens’ attention.

In less than two hours, the topic #Top Male Star Late Night Hookup With Influencer parachuted to the top of the trending list. The video of Clive arguing in the mall quietly

vanished from the internet.

Clive sat in his van, scrolling through his phone with a dark expression. Sitting next to him

was a man.

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The man was slightly portly, wearing a well-fitted casual suit and gold-rimmed glasses on his round face. He looked scholarly and refined.

He looked at Clive, his tone serious. “Clive, you were lucky this time. The video was handled in time, so there weren’t major consequences.”

“You have to remember, you’re a star now. You’re a public figure. Every word and action is under the spotlight. Next time you run into a situation like this, you cannot lose control of your emotions like you did today. You have to control yourself. If you really can’t, find a private place to solve it.”

The man speaking to Clive was his agent, Luke He looked to be around thirty-eight. He had been in the entertainment industry for over a decade and had managed three A-list artists. Everyone in the circle knew that this man-deceptively pleasant but ruthless-was extremely skilled. He was known as a top-tier agent for his swift and decisive crisis management.

hat was why Luke had been able to kill this potential disaster in the cradle before the ublic opinion on Clive could explode.

Clive was already annoyed that he had even trended briefly, and now he had to listen to his agent’s constant nagging. He threw his phone aside in irritation. “What do those netizens know? They just talk nonsense! Besides, that was family business. Since when is it their turn to point fingers?”

“I know she’s your sister, and it’s a family matter. But the internet doesn’t care about that. All they saw was you being aggressive in public.”

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