novelraw Chapter 27: Avoided Like the Plague
Chapter 27: Avoided Like the Plague
Port Sovereign.
Wyvern Bay Villa.
Summer Sutton sat on the sofa, holding a glass of cucumber juice with a placid expression.
Her agent, Anne Lowell, holding a stack of agency profiles, furiously threw them at Summer’s feet. Her face was grim. "Is this what you call a ’bright future’ with you?"
Summer Sutton had been dead set on developing her career on the mainland. Over the past few days, she’d had a nasty falling out with her agency in Port Sovereign, ultimately terminating her contract by paying an exorbitant penalty fee. She had also convinced her agent, Anne Lowell, to jump ship with her.
But things didn’t go as smoothly as planned. In Metropia, countless small, mediocre companies extended offers, but the major entertainment giants Summer Sutton actually wanted to sign with had all politely declined. Anne Lowell, being in unfamiliar territory, went to great lengths to gather information, only to discover that the Norwood Conglomerate controlled most of the mainland’s entertainment industry. And the Eldest Young Master of the Norwood Family, Declan Nash, had personally given the word: do not sign Summer Sutton.
First thing in the morning, a call came from Delia Caine, a perfume brand under the Sterling Conglomerate. The marketing department’s Director Churchill spoke in a very formal tone:
"As a top-tier celebrity from Port Sovereign, Miss Summer Sutton has a massive fanbase here on the mainland. Her fans are incredibly loyal, and her public image is excellent. We would like to sincerely invite Miss Sutton to become the brand ambassador for Delia Caine."
At this point, Director Churchill’s tone shifted. "However, for risk mitigation purposes, we require our partners to be represented by a studio or agency. We cannot engage in brand collaborations with individuals at this time."
This wasn’t aimed specifically at Summer Sutton. All major brands operated this way. Risk aversion was one factor, but business models, resource allocation, market conditions, and efficiency were also key considerations.
But now, Summer Sutton’s most immediate problem was her lack of an agency. Before she had terminated her contract with Port Sovereign Imperial Star Entertainment, several of the mainland’s entertainment giants had sent representatives to negotiate with her, promising top-tier artist contracts and even partial equity to sign her.
The new artists Anne Lowell had taken on in the past two years hadn’t amounted to much, so she had already shifted all her focus and resources to Summer Sutton. When Summer wanted out of her contract, Anne, after an initial burst of anger, simply left Star Sovereign Entertainment to continue representing her.
Anne Lowell had been handling the negotiations with the mainland agencies, and things had been going smoothly. But then, just this afternoon, the representatives from the major entertainment giants had all gone completely silent.
Anne Lowell had to pull a lot of strings before she finally heard the whole story from a director at Metropia’s Celestial Phoenix Entertainment. The director’s tone was guarded:
"Celestial Phoenix had an S-rank contract all drawn up. We were genuinely ready to sign her. Who knew we’d have the bad luck of running into the Eldest Young Master."
What happened was actually quite dramatic.
The Norwood Conglomerate’s interests spanned the globe, with the entertainment sector being just one insignificant division. Logically, a trivial matter like signing an artist would never need to be reported to the higher-ups, who couldn’t be bothered with it anyway.
The general manager of Celestial Phoenix was at the Norwood Group to give a report when he ran into the head of Leviathan Entertainment. The two started chatting casually in the hallway.
"I hear you’re also trying to sign Summer Sutton? Old Man Stanton over at Apex Entertainment is in the running, too. I heard he’s even ready to take a major hit and offer up some company shares..."
"Aren’t you at Leviathan Entertainment approaching her, too? After all, with that figure from the Sterling Conglomerate backing her, I can’t imagine anyone not being tempted."
A chilling voice drifted over. "Are you talking about Summer Sutton?"
The two men turned toward the voice and saw the Eldest Young Master Norwood himself. The man, rumored to be a debonair playboy, was now gaunt and haggard. His usually charming eyes were heavy and sullen. He leaned lazily against the wall, smoking, his face pale and despondent in the swirling haze, as if he’d lost half his soul.
Today was the day he was supposed to leave for Solisia.
The conglomerate’s executives had sent representatives to see him off and brief him on the affairs in Solisia. The handover was already complete, and he was scheduled to depart in half an hour. But the young master had stepped out for a smoke to clear his head, only to overhear the very name that was a raw nerve for him.
Declan Nash wasn’t an idiot. He had been muddled and confused when he got dragged into that mess at the club in Port Sovereign. For some reason, his good-for-nothing friends had ganged up on him that night, goading him into playing some ridiculous "farewell to bachelorhood" game. He’d just been drinking by himself, his mind on Celia Sterling, the woman he had finally managed to win over. He hadn’t been swayed at first, but after a few drinks, his mind had grown hazy and his resolve had wavered.
And right at that moment, Summer Sutton had appeared. He recognized her, of course—the famous actress from Port Sovereign who had been rumored to be dating Kian Sterling a few months ago. He even had a strong impression of her, since her features bore a slight resemblance to Celia Sterling’s. But no matter how self-destructive he could be, he would never make a move on the woman who might one day become the matriarch of the Sterling Family.
But for some reason, his mind was foggy. In a daze, he mistook her for Celia Sterling, who he thought was right in front of him. His friends were hooting and hollering, and the atmosphere grew increasingly hazy and suggestive. He lost control for a moment and did something reckless, but just as he leaned in to kiss her neck, the unfamiliar scent jolted him back to his senses.
What followed was a flood of high-definition photos all over the trending charts. By the time he gave the order to kill the story, he had barely managed to compose himself. Swallowing his guilt, he had gone back to find Celia Sterling, planning to act as if nothing had happened and show her the treasures he’d acquired in Port Sovereign. But somehow, the news had already reached her.
He was busy trying to win her back, but before he could, he was exiled to the mines in Solisia. By the time he rushed back, disgraced and disheveled, he was met with the bombshell of the marriage swap...
His entire world had collapsed.
From beginning to end, he never had the mental space to think about how suspicious the whole club incident had been.
With the outcome set in stone, he spent the next few days drinking himself into a stupor at a bar, turning into a wreck of a man before Justin Norwood kicked him back to reality.
"In your current state, you’re no longer fit to stay in Metropia. I’ve arranged for you to be sent to Solisia. You can come back when you’ve gotten your head straight."
Perhaps it was the blow of losing the woman he loved, but Declan Nash didn’t even put up a fight. He listlessly accepted his family’s arrangement.
But today, he was fighting back.
After hearing that trigger of a name: Summer Sutton.
In the time it took to smoke a single cigarette, it all clicked into place. ’The club in Port Sovereign, his friends, the drinks... something was off about all of it,’ he thought. ’I don’t know what part Summer Sutton played, but she was the direct catalyst. She’s far from innocent.’
So, when a group of board members approached him and urged him toward the airport, he refused to go.
"There’s one condition for me going to Solisia." Declan Nash blew out a ring of smoke and gave a nonchalant hum. "Give me control of the Norwood entertainment division."
...
Anne Lowell hung up, pressing the bridge of her nose. Her expression was dark as she looked at Summer Sutton.
"I don’t get you. Having The Ninth Master wasn’t enough? You had to go and provoke the Eldest Young Master Norwood!" she fumed. "This time, he gave the order himself. The major entertainment giants controlled by the Norwood Conglomerate won’t sign you or do any business with you. He even threatened to destroy any company that dares to sign you. Just wait. In half an hour, tops, even the small-time companies will be avoiding you like the plague."
"Then I’ll go independent," Summer Sutton said, unfazed. "I’ll establish my own studio."
"I forgot to mention," Anne Lowell said, her face devoid of expression. "Our backup plan? The applications we sent to Metropia to establish a studio... Eldest Young Master Norwood has personally blocked all of them."
Summer Sutton’s expression darkened as she gulped down the rest of her cucumber juice. She immediately placed a call to Kian Sterling’s assistant, Evan Rhodes.