Chapter 198: The Fashion Standoff

[Chapter 198: The Fashion Standoff]

[Recently, the marketing department at LV encountered some internal violations. Certain individuals utilized improper methods for commercial promotion, and the compliance department had to take action against these people.]

On the afternoon that Dior announced a collaboration with sTray, the PR department of LV released a brief statement through one of its secondary accounts.

This wasn't on the main account, nor did it apologize to anyone. However, everyone naturally linked this event to the previous controversy. Although the statement still projected a sense of arrogance, it could be viewed as LV implicitly acknowledging past mistakes.

[Ashley Olsen: It seems that LV has finally bowed down. If this is a dream, I really don't want to wake up.]

[Karlie Kloss: This isn't a dream; it's a new beginning.]

[Paris Hilton: Ryan, I just met a few new friends; should I introduce you later? None of them are worse than Lydia.]

[Lydia Hearst: What do you mean by not worse than me? Am I your yardstick?]

[Mary-Kate Olsen: Why does it seem like Paris is starting to play matchmaker?]

[Elizabeth Olsen : Calling Taylor! Calling Taylor!]

[Paris: Stop fooling around; Ryan might be watching.]

Ryan chuckled at the words on the screen. In this dispute, Antoine may have lost, but he didn't suffer any actual losses.

Ryan thought of Taylor's song...

She titled it Mean. The lyrics were about Antoine.

If that song could be released immediately, it would surely attract a huge wave of attention.

After some contemplation, Ryan decided to feel out Delphine.

...

"Why are you calling me again? I told you, unless it's something important, don't bother me -- I'm busy." Delphine's tone turned cold.

From the start, she had maintained a dominant stance over Ryan, making her a perfect candidate for counterattack. Unfortunately, she had inherited her father's plain looks but not his brilliance.

"What's Antoine's next move? I don't want to live in constant fear," Ryan asked.

"You just need to handle the joint project's design; you don't need to worry about anything else," Delphine replied.

"But that's not how we agreed on this..." Ryan shifted gears.

"You want reassurance? I'll give you a guarantee: Antoine won't lay a finger on you, and my father specifically told him not to bother you. Does that satisfy you?" Delphine stated.

She had just returned from the board meeting, where she had to hand over Dior's menswear department to Antoine, which irritated her to no end. She desperately wanted Antoine's reputation to be tarnished.

It turned out to be an order from his father. Delphine would only make Antoine feel afraid, but Antoine had to listen to Bernard's words.

...

After hanging up, Ryan seriously considered having Taylor release Mean.

In the worst-case scenario, Antoine might hire a few goons to silence her.

Considering Taylor's current atmosphere, her security was tight, and outsiders couldn't get close. She also had a convoy following her around.

Moreover, the cars Taylor used would also need to be bulletproofed.

That left the potential for long-range threats; it wasn't like Taylor performed in open spaces much these days, aside from a few appearances.

What about poisoning?

Taylor's catering was currently handled by Erica, and whenever her mom was around, she took charge. Otherwise, no one else intervened.

Erica had been part of Taylor's life for a long time, so she was reliable, but still, Ryan felt compelled to investigate Erica's background just to be safe.

In reality, the chance of Antoine taking action was quite low, mainly due to his own "background."

But even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance, Ryan needed to be fully prepared.

After considering it for a while, Ryan called Taylor.

...

As soon as the call connected, Teresa pushed the door open with Daddario following closely behind. She rushed over as soon as she talked to Ryan on the phone. She was dressed for vacation, with hot pants, sandals, and a floral shirt tied up at the bottom, revealing her smooth, flat, white belly.

"Babe, we need to release Mean ASAP," Ryan said. Daddario was keenly looking forward to this meeting; however, upon seeing Ryan on the phone with Taylor, her smile quickly faded. She let out a deliberately soft huff as if she was afraid Taylor would hear her.

Ryan quickly covered the phone and shot Daddario a glare.

Ignoring Taylor on the other end, Daddario made her way to Ryan and sat in his lap.

"This is going to be amazing; this song is going to blow up! Antoine will see; you're not someone to mess with," Taylor interjected. She wanted to defend Ryan, especially sensing LV's persistent arrogance, which had further solidified her plans.

"But there aren't any good publicity opportunities coming up," Taylor mused.

"In country music, maybe, but there's electronic music," Ryan quickly countered. He remembered this year's Ultra Music Festival, which was set to take place in Florida, and of course, he had received an invitation.

Marvin had already negotiated a performance agreement for Ryan. Aside from the hefty payment, there were no restrictions on when he could perform.

Ryan wasn't even satisfied with being the closing act; instead, he planned to have Ultra set up a separate stage named after him.

Only seasoned DJs like Cox had received this treatment before. No one else, not even people like Tiesto or A-Trak, had achieved this feat. If that stage drew enough attention, Ryan would surely make it onto this year's top DJs list.

But he hadn't discussed this with the Ultra organizers yet. By bringing Taylor over, along with the release of a new song, he had enough leverage to draw them in.

As a trade-off, he could secure the best promotional spot.

"Are you suggesting this year's Ultra?" Taylor began to piece it together.

"Exactly." Ryan nodded as Daddario snaked her way around him like an octopus.

"Last year, there were over 80,000 attendees. No doubt this year's Ultra will exceed 100,000 in-person participants," Ryan continued, raising a hand to block Daddario's lips as she leaned in.

100,000 people -- just imagine the pressure on security! In reality, there wasn't much security at all. People often died every year at Ultra, but it was typically from drug overdoses. The venue was a park, and to aim from afar, one would need a higher vantage point. The Las Vegas concert shooting had been executed from hotel rooms nearby, a scenario that wouldn't apply here.

"Let's settle on that for now," Taylor decided, considering there weren't any major issues with the plan.

"We can detail the specifics when I get back to Palm Beach. I finally got a break; I can't wait to lie in my own bed," she added.

"I'll be waiting for you," Ryan said, glancing at Daddario, who was still perched on him.

Daddario had been holding onto Ryan's left hand, but as soon as she heard him say, "I'll be waiting for you," she looked up, alert and scrutinizing.

The moment Ryan hung up the phone, she immediately sensed something was off from his expression.

"I just got here! I'm not leaving!" Daddario protested.

"But your timing is really off," Ryan tried to calm her down.

"What's the wrong time? It's perfect; If Taylor showed up, let her see my ring. Didn't you also want to distance yourself from me? I'll follow your lead. It's a good opportunity. I can still keep in touch with Taylor in the future. Now you don't have to worry about being exposed," Daddario's mind raced.

"Why keep in touch with her? If you lack friends, I can introduce you to a few. Teresa is an actress too."

"Your secretary? She doesn't exactly have anything to discuss. I just want to talk to Taylor," Daddario insisted, oblivious to Ryan's intentions.

"What do you even want?" Ryan sensed trouble brewing.

"I'm just curious about your connection with her," Daddario pouted.

"I'm not trying to break this family up; I'm trying to be part of it." Daddario raised a hand and began unbuttoning his shirt.

*****

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