Chapter 169: Zealous Assistants

[Chapter 169: Zealous Assistants]

'Look at the confidence on his face. Did the boss really think of that? Or did the local police department have a connection to him? Was this case going to turn into an unsolved mystery?'

Berwick's mind raced. He started to realize just how mysterious Ryan's background was becoming. He remembered the first time he met Ryan; he seemed like an ordinary high school student. In just a short time, he had grown to this scale, with songs better than the last. Sure, that could mostly be attributed to talent, but the nightclub?

This was real money. He heard that a woman who had been close to the boss was from the Carlyle Group and was planning to team up with the local "church." Could just anyone do such a thing?

It didn't add up!

Berwick nodded eagerly, a bright smile on his face, "The boss is right! The truth will come out soon enough!"

On the other side, Scott noticed Ryan's reaction and, like Berwick, had a sudden thought.

He remembered the mysterious funding behind Ryan's acquisition of Big Machine Records.

At the time, Ryan had claimed he had "hit the lottery." What kind of lottery could pay out such a huge prize, especially during a financial crisis?

Considering the financial crisis, Scott began to think of more connections. Given the investment market had taken a hit and traditional investment channels were yielding less, what if Ryan was a part of some elite financial experiment? Or could it be... he bore a striking resemblance to some wealthy mogul? Could he actually be an illegitimate child?

Thank goodness he had pushed Ryan to acquire the company. If not, he might have been the one facing a "robbery!"

Scott breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Taylor's new album selling like hotcakes, he felt a bit uneasy. After all, that money should have been his.

Looking back now, earning it without being able to spend it felt pointless.

"By the way, Ryan, it's the final voting phase for the Grammy Awards. I'll make a few calls these days, get in touch with Lucian Grainge and have him connect with the media and judges," Scott said promptly.

"No problem," Ryan replied, surprised by Scott's sudden proactiveness.

"I'll call right now." Without hesitation, Scott stood up and left, just as Ryan did.

...

After everyone had vacated the office, only Paula, the public relations manager, remained.

"Paula, as the PR manager, you're expected to deal with the media. Now that someone has died, let's keep this under wraps," Ryan pondered.

"Of course, I'll make sure to handle it discreetly and ensure the task is completed," Paula replied urgently, similar to Scott and Ryan, her forehead slick with sweat.

"By the way, how are things set up for Taylor?" Ryan casually asked.

Taylor was in Nashville rehearsing, and Paula usually worked at T&R, giving her a closer proximity.

What began as an offhand inquiry made Paula start to assume.

'Is the boss subtly chiding me?'

'Yes, that must be it. He was probably blaming her for not promoting Taylor's tour. Oh great, this issue shouldn't concern the record label, anyway; it wasn't in her purview.'

'Duties? What duties do I even have?'

'Aren't my main responsibilities just keeping the boss happy?'

'Now, if the boss wasn't happy, could that be my fault?'

Once she pieced together everything, Paula nodded rapidly with a forced smile. "Don't worry! I'll pull every string I have to ensure Taylor's tour news spreads. You have my word!"

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Ryan nodded.

"Then I'll get right to it," Paula replied as she stood to leave.

...

When everyone had cleared out, Ryan fell into thought. Why had these three changed so quickly?

Well, he had never relaxed his treatment; they must have felt a sense of gratitude, instead.

Too formal, he thought, shaking his head before pressing the intercom button.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing... nothing at all," came the hesitant response from Teresa on the other end.

"Then come over and give me a massage," Ryan ordered.

...

A while later, Teresa walked in. "Boss," she greeted him with a shy smile. In reality, she had just seen the news about Tyran and unexpectedly, days earlier, had a scuffle with the very woman whose brother had now mysteriously passed away. The brother's death had followed his public statement about revealing Ryan's scandals.

Who else could have done this but her boss?

Honestly, Teresa didn't worry about Ryan at all; if anything, she felt a bit pleased. Finally, some bad karma for the scumbag.

If this revelation worked well, she was also prepared to follow suit!

But for now, forget following suit -- how could she even keep her own life intact?

"Uh, make me a cup of coffee," Ryan said.

Even though the coffee machine was nearby, Ryan had gotten so accustomed to delegating to Teresa that he had lazily fallen into that routine.

"Sure thing, Boss." Teresa nodded hastily.

After preparing the coffee, Teresa voluntarily sat in Ryan's lap and began to massage him.

"Is the pressure okay?" she asked with a sincere smile.

"What's got into you today? Did something good happen?" Ryan detected a change. Since that night, Teresa had always appeared stiff, yet now, she wore a slightly obsequious grin.

"There's nothing much. I just feel honored to have your affection. I was childish before, throwing tantrums at you. I'm sorry, boss, I was wrong. I'll make sure to serve you well from now on." For the first time, Teresa embraced Ryan.

"By the way, we now have an opening for an assistant. Who do you think fits the role best?" Ryan stated casually.

"That certainly depends on your preferences. Not only will I serve you, but I'll also manage your schedule properly. I'll reach out to those highly-rated forum users and college students; you can give them a trial run. How does that sound?" Teresa's mind raced. Knowing Ryan's tendencies, she began to play to his weaknesses.

"That's unnecessary," Ryan replied, shaking his head.

"It's absolutely essential! I promise to arrange everything without leaking a single detail. Besides, if someone has ulterior motives, the Richard siblings are a perfect example of what can happen." Teresa's expression grew serious.

Hearing her words, Ryan finally understood why his employees had switched their demeanor so quickly. It was not gratitude, but a fear of meeting the same fate as Tyran's brother.

Then Ryan felt her upper body swaying back and forth and left and right.

"No need to move; I'll handle it," Teresa said, being unusually forward.

...

"Boss, just call me if you need anything!" Teresa said, shutting the door behind her.

"Oh..." Ryan let out a sigh of relief. Teresa's work attitude had been exceptionally attentive and earnest, carefully studying Ryan's pain points and aligning her actions with his needs -- she had nailed the combination of performance, word, action and demeanor well enough to deserve an "Employee of the Month" award.

And all of this was based on fear.

However, that fear was ultimately unnecessary; once the police captured the real culprit, the truth would emerge, and all her apprehensions would vanish.

Thinking this over, Ryan booted up his computer and drafted a statement denying any connection to the case. He expressed condolences to the victim's family and promised to provide some compensation out of humanitarian concern. Finally, he mentioned the local police, urging them to solve the case quickly and catch the culprit.

Reviewing the statement and feeling satisfied without any issues, Ryan sent it over to Teresa to publish on his social media account.

Before long, he received an intercom call from Teresa.

...

"The local police are on the line, requesting a brief inquiry with you."

"Let them in..." Ryan replied.

After completing the local police's questioning, Ryan received a phone call from Tyran, who was emotional and pleading with Ryan for mercy, stating that it was all a mistake and promising never to mention anything about Ryan again...

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.