The ticking of the wall clock in Julian's private study echoed like the heavy thud of a gavel against the stillness of the night. Julian stood behind his mahogany desk, his fingers dancing with lethal precision across his laptop keyboard, firing off the final sequence of directives to the JTC legal department. On the monitor, the draft for Selena's contract termination was splayed out in cold, black ink. He didn't show a flicker of hesitation; in his world, anyone who threatened the stability of his "assets", in this case, Scarlett, had to be ruthlessly swept off the chessboard.
"Make sure Selena is blacklisted from every media outlet under the JTC umbrella for the next month," Julian commanded, his voice glacial as he spoke toward his phone on speakerphone.
"But Julian, this looks like a total blackout. The public will start asking questions," his manager's voice crackled with audible anxiety from the other end.
