Chapter 196: The Person Who Fired You Has Been Fired

[Chapter 196: The Person Who Fired You Has Been Fired]

Ryan hung up the phone and nodded at Taylor. "Are you really going through with it? This world is just crazy." Taylor felt like her brain was about to short circuit.

"This world is crazy, but it's also dangerous," Ryan shook his head.

"I'll reach out to Berwick when we get back and see if he has any leads. We need to prepare multiple backup plans; we both need different identities, including for our families. We'll enter Canada by land, anonymously rent two mid-sized yachts on the coast of Palm Beach and Orlando, and we also need to contact a private airport in the Virgin Islands. We have to keep some money out in different banks spread across various regions..." Ryan pondered.

"Besides that, we should avoid being seen in public as much as possible. We need to disguise ourselves, and create some confusion. As for the security personnel, I'll redo their background checks to eliminate all uncertainties. We also need a full security upgrade at the Bad Room and Palm Beach residence, ensuring that even a mosquito triggers an alarm. What other vulnerabilities might there be?"

"The tours..." Taylor suggested.

"All future tour announcements need to be compressed. Just say it's still undetermined. Your tour tickets sell like hotcakes anyway. Also, we need to reinforce security during stage setups and ramp up surveillance during performances."

"That's about all I can think of for now. We'll fix any other holes later," Ryan nodded.

"By the way, I wrote a song about this. Do you want to see the lyrics?" Taylor pulled out her "inspiration notebook" and flipped to a certain page.

Ryan took it and looked over it.

♫ youpicking on the weaker manwell you can take me downwith just one single blowbut you dont know what you dont knowsomeday i'll be living in a big old cityand all you're ever gonna be is meansomeday i'll be big enough so you cant hit me ♫

"Uh, given the current situation, if you release this song, I bet someone would be furious," Ryan said, half-amused.

Creative inspiration could be triggered too easily; it wasn't always a good thing.

"Let's put that on hold for now and plan to release it later. But by then, it won't match the current heat this situation has," Taylor laughed a little.

"Unless there's one possibility: Delphine totally sidesteps Antoine and he actively seeks a truce," Ryan pondered.

That was just an ideal scenario.

"I hope that day comes; if that happens, the song can get more exposure. I think it's pretty good," Taylor hummed.

...

Ryan and Taylor spent their last night in Los Angeles before parting ways. Taylor headed to Las Vegas to continue her tour, while Ryan returned directly to Florida.

Even though he said goodbye to Taylor, Ryan didn't try to find Daddario. The timing felt too sensitive; he didn't want to expose his relationship with her.

When he arrived in Florida, Ryan's first order of business was to track down Berwick to finalize the backup plans and security measures.

"You don't have to worry about the people protecting you and Taylor. These guys are my old buddies from the army. I'll have them introduce a few more old contacts," Berwick assured him.

Regarding the static security measures for his home, Ryan could sort it out quickly because he had already been in touch with the security camera installers.

"Hiring a boat is easy too, but the only tricky part is fake identities and the route north. I'll check on that for you," Berwick mused.

"Also, I need to undergo training -- shooting, hand-to-hand combat, counter-surveillance, tracking, climbing -- all of it. It's the final line of defense," Ryan stated.

He split his daily workout plan into two halves, one for maintaining fitness and the other for training extra combat skills.

"You really need to think this through. Some of my old buddies used to be instructors, and their training is merciless," Berwick said with a smile.

...

When Berwick left, Ryan received a call from Daddario.

"Where are you?"

"Florida."

"What? You went back? Why didn't you come see me?" Daddario exclaimed on the other end.

It turned out Daddario had figured out Ryan's whereabouts through previous paparazzi photos and Taylor's tour schedule. That's why she was calling; she had been anxious.

"You passed through Los Angeles and didn't stop by. You must have someone else," Daddario grumbled over the phone.

Aren't you that someone else?

"By the way, I'm considering something -- finding you a 'fictional husband' who only exists on paper."

If he could get a fake identity, a fictitious marriage wouldn't be too far-fetched.

"You want to break up with me!"

"It's to protect you, darling," Ryan replied.

Having a marriage would at least add another layer of protection and publicly divide things. Plus, it would help keep Taylor from getting suspicious.

"What if one day, you don't recognize me?" Daddario expressed her fears of being abandoned.

"Then you need to pray my memory doesn't deteriorate."

"When are you coming to see me? I miss you."

"But I'm kind of busy right now."

"Well, since the show hasn't officially started filming, what's wrong with me coming to Florida for a couple of days?" Daddario insisted on coming over.

"Then bring several sets of 'wardrobe' with you," Ryan responded.

"Okay, I will."

...

After hanging up with Daddario, Ryan received a call from Lydia.

"Ryan, I'm afraid I need to retract my earlier statements. Going forward, if anyone asks me questions like that again, I have to dodge them..." Lydia sounded a bit down on the other end of the line.

"No problem. I was already grateful you spoke up before," Ryan nodded. He knew Hearst Corporation made a lot of revenue from luxury brand advertisers. Since Lydia accomplished her mission, it wouldn't matter if her PR got affected now.

Similarly, Anna Wintour found herself in a similar situation. When they needed her, she was "the boss." When they didn't need her, she was nobody.

"By the way, all previous invitations, including the series collaboration, still stand," Ryan continued.

"Thank you so much for that. We'll reach out again later."

...

At this moment, Ryan suddenly thought of Karlie. With Lydia getting pressured, Karlie likely faced the same, but she hadn't contacted him since.

Considering this girl was also taking heat for him, Ryan decided to make the call.

"I'm doing fine," Karlie said with a wry smile.

"If you're sure you don't need help, then I'll take it you're truly okay," Ryan replied slowly.

"I... got fired, and it's permanent. Their response was that I was a risk under a safety agreement. LVMH brands will no longer work with me," Karlie explained.

Karlie's situation had little to do with Ryan; it was mainly due to Dior recognizing her.

And for all that drama, Ryan chuckled. He'd already come to an agreement with Delphine, and there's no way Antoine had more influence than Delphine inside Dior.

"Why are you laughing? Whenever something involves you, I get into trouble. Why do I always suffer?" Karlie Kloss felt it was so unfair.

"At least this time, you have to thank me," Ryan commented.

"Why's that?"

"You'll find out shortly," Ryan said as he hung up the call.

Then he called Delphine's assistant directly.

...

"For this small matter, you can handle it with your liaison person; I'm busy," Delphine said.

"Actually, Karlie Kloss needs your approval to be excluded from the safety agreement. And she was terminated by someone Antoine hired. He's stomping around on your turf, and by the way, she's this year's Dior ready-to-wear main model."

"Karlie Kloss?" Delphine read the name aloud.

"You're not still unaware of this, are you?"

"..." Delphine went silent.

"I'll handle it. Also, the collaboration between sTray and Dior will be announced tomorrow," Delphine said before hanging up.

...

On the other end, Delphine immediately began to verify...

About half an hour later, Karlie received a call from Dior's personnel.

"Sorry, Karlie. We had some internal issues. The previous termination order must be rescinded. We need you."

Huh? Karlie was dumbfounded.

Was this just a coincidence, or did Ryan orchestrate it?

How did he manage that?

"What about the safety protocols? The person who notified me of my firing didn't say it like this," Karlie found it hard to believe.

"The one who fired you has already been dismissed," they explained.

WTF?! Karlie's jaw dropped, more shocked than she would be seeing God.

What did Ryan do?

"Not only will Dior resume collaboration with you, but you'll also become the lead model for the new series!"

Karlie wasn't sure she was the obvious choice, so she naturally credited this to Ryan.

"I got it." Karlie nodded in a daze.

*****

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