Chapter 5 Bad News
Good things always seem to take forever to come around, like the last time Vossshire saw a rainbow—it was years ago.
Bad things, on the other hand, come one after another.
On the phone, Kieran knew about the situation and made it clear that he had nothing to do with it. He even offered to help Elara out.
Elara refused, not out of anger, but because she had signed an agreement that didn't mean she had to be at Kieran's beck and call all the time.
One day, Elara planned to leave Blackwood Heritage Group. The best way to start was by not involving Kieran in anything outside of work from now on.
"What do you think? Have you figured it out yet?"
Sylvia urged Elara to think carefully about whether she had any past conflicts with Blackwood Heritage Group.
Elara instinctively felt that Kieran was pressuring her, trying to fully control her.
"I called Kieran to verify this."
Elara said while scrolling through the earliest news posts.
"Since Kieran said he wasn't involved, and given his influence, he wouldn't need to lie. Neither my dad nor I has offended anyone else in the group, so it's unlikely to be a revenge scenario."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly in good spirits, not scared by the situation, even joking with Sylvia.
Story Revival Atelier was founded by her mother. Elara took over as the main manager, not the founder.
After her mother passed away, Story Revival Atelier had weathered many storms. This media frenzy was just another challenge, and after a brief period of processing, Elara was back to her usual self.
"So, there's only one possibility left. I suspect it's malicious competition within the industry. Someone from Blackwood Heritage Group must have leaked the information."
Elara paused, then continued, "No, they must have known about the plan from the start, which is why they could stir up such a big storm overnight. Sylvia, you work in media. How long does it take for the fastest-spreading news to go viral online without any manipulation?"
"At least half a day. Even the most explosive news has a delay when posted online." Sylvia answered without hesitation.
"It's now 12:30 PM. The earliest post was at 10:30 AM today. In just two hours, there are thousands of related posts and tens of thousands of comments. This was premeditated, not something that could brew up so quickly."
Elara said, sending a screenshot of the earliest post to Sylvia.
"Can you trace the IP address?"
"No, I can't." Sylvia frowned. "I've asked a friend to look into it. The earliest batch of posts used overseas virtual IPs, clearly processed, so we can't trace where they were sent from."
"It's not the time to trace it yet. The worst news hasn't come."
Elara found a chair and sat down, taking a sip of water.
She suddenly remembered that Thorne had the same habit.
Whenever something unexpected happened, he would instinctively drink a sip of water.
But then she thought it was probably an unconscious action.
Elara knew Thorne too well; he was obsessed with art and never let trivial matters hold him back.
Soon, the phone calls started coming in one after another.
As Elara expected, clients who had signed contracts for artifact restoration began calling.
The polite ones made excuses, saying they were short on cash and couldn't pay the final installment, deciding to come back later and retrieve their ancient paintings.
They had already sent staff who were on their way, asking Elara to prepare the items.
The less polite ones bluntly accused her and Thorne of being heartless scammers, demanding to retrieve their items immediately.
Some even showed up in person, looking displeased and not showing any respect.
All of this was within Elara's expectations.
She took out the contracts, calculated maintenance fees, restoration fees, and breach penalties, meticulously accounting for everything.
After a busy afternoon, she managed to return most of the recent orders. For those she couldn't return yet, she scheduled appointments for clients to pick them up later.
"Running a business is like this, ups and downs. It's no big deal. I've arranged to have dinner with Ethan tonight. We'll find new clients and rebuild our reputation step by step. I interviewed a few clients in the artifact preservation field recently; I'll introduce them to you."
Sylvia had been helping all afternoon.
Since she was a child, her father had been in business, facing ups and downs, and even debt collectors. It was nothing new.
Moreover, Sylvia knew Elara well. Despite her seemingly fragile appearance and quiet demeanor, Elara was as tough as steel. Once she set her mind on something, she always achieved it. No challenge had ever defeated her.
In their tight-knit trio with Ethan, Elara was the true soul, the buffer and glue holding them together.
"The worst news hasn't come yet."
Elara took another sip of water, smiled at Sylvia to show she was okay, then looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
The phone rang.
Elara put it on speaker; she was tired and didn't want to pick it up.
Sylvia wasn't an outsider, so there was nothing she couldn't hear.
"Mr. Hale, hello. I've been expecting your call."
Elara said cheerfully.
The person on the other end seemed surprised by her greeting and paused for a moment.
"Elara, your achievements over the years are well recognized. Your contributions to the industry and your professionalism have never been questioned. As an investor in Story Revival Atelier, I'm pleased to see someone like you in this field. Your mother would be proud."
Elara's expression remained unchanged, neither disappointed nor angry.
Sylvia didn't hide her disdain, letting out a few cold laughs.
The person on the other end heard it, paused, but continued.
"But this news has had a significant impact. After a professional evaluation, the team believes the risk of this media crisis is too high. We recommend stopping the investment. The previously invested amount will be automatically withdrawn from the studio's account within three business days."