Hollywood Zenith

" That\'s not the reason, sir; it\'s something important-"

" I don\'t care. Answer me; who was the bastard who told you about my schedule?"

" No one; I heard you like to visit this eatery every Friday."

" Humph, you really are getting brazen; maybe I should start encouraging board members to rethink a replacement."

" Excuse me. Is something wrong?" Adele didn\'t know why this person was shouting at Russell, who was many years older than him. But she couldn\'t help but interrupt them.

"Hmm" The man looked at Adele; his eyes shone seeing her appearance. A modest black dress was loosely wrapped around her body, but her wide hips didn\'t go unnoticed by him. She was completely different from her childhood and became a pretty girl just entering adulthood.

" Sir, this is Adele, the person I talked to you about. I wanted her to meet you to discuss some business." Russell took this chance and introduced her immediately.

" Oh, Why didn\'t you tell me before that she would be here? Where are my manners, Miss Adele, please." He used his chubby hands and motioned her to sit down. His change was immediate, but Russell was relieved that the man finally calmed down.

" It\'s a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry to barge in your private business." Adele swiftly apologized. She partly heard their conversation after all.

" The pleasure is all mine. What can I do for such a pretty girl?" Hearing his comment, Russell furrowed his eyebrows. Adele was also surprised but took it lightly and moved past his word.

" Sir, I want to encourage the board to reconsider releasing the album early. I heard you can help me with that." She went straight to the matter.

" You are contracted by our company, right?"

" Sir, it was during the regular meeting that decision was made. I have seen her work tirelessly for months, but she needs some time-" Russell wanted to explain, but Roderick cut him off.

" I know; it was not my decision alone. Don\'t you know we usually vote on these matters?" Roderick put on a helpless smile.

" But, sir, your family holds more than forty per cent of the shares. If you can only convince others-"

" I know. It is not entirely impossible."

" Thank you. Thank you, sir." Adele bowed slightly, and Roderick glanced at her snow mountains. He was smirking in his mind; it was not the first time he had taken advantage of a \'helpless\' girl.

" But"

" But?"

" Why don\'t you come to my house? I can call others, and we can discuss this in private. You know what I mean, right?" Roderick showed his true colours. The lustful eyes were gliding over Adele\'s whole body; she also noticed that creepy smile that made her stomach sick.

" Roderick!  Do you even know what you are implying?" Russell stood up in rage. He couldn\'t believe Roderick was harassing one of his artists in front of him!

" You mutt, how dare you raise your voice against me? Don\'t forget I can have you fired before you leave this building!" Roderick roared.

" What\'s the harm in it? It\'s not she is getting a bad deal. Do you think everything is free in this world?" He shrugged lightly.

" This is preposterous! I will contact your father and tell him about it!" Russell tried to threaten, mentioning the name of the Earl.

" My father? Do you think he doesn\'t know about it? Miss Adele, forget about him. I promise you that I will make a great artist out of you!" He shifted his attention toward Adele, who was too shocked to say anything.

She never thought it would come to this, she was in a very dangerous situation. She had signed a three-album contract with the label, full of a tight schedule. Even if she wanted to, she would not escape the deal; there was also a large penalty for royalties if she were to violate any of the terms.

" Don\'t worry, girl, I will take good care of you." Roderick reached out his hand to grab hers, but she jerked back in response. Her mind was set; she could never get through such an ordeal even if she had to stop singing.

" Fuck off! You will be hearing from my lawyers soon!" She stood and began to leave.

" Feisty! I like it! Just let me tell you, no people in their right mind will go against us." Roderick didn\'t feel offended; he was delighted. It was always fun to bend strong-willed women.

" We will see!" Adele put up a strong face.

" I will give you one more chance if you kneel and beg me to take you. I might go easy on you." He licked his lips. Russell, who was watching it, felt disgusted and trapped, not knowing what to do.

" Fuck!" Seeing Adele\'s frustration, he knew the case was already closed. It was only a matter of time before he would drag her to his beg.

" hahaha," His eerie laughter was the last thing they heard before making their way to the exit.

" I am sorry, Adele. I didn\'t know he was such a person." Russell apologized with a weak voice. He was feeling very guilty about how things turned out.

" It\'s fine. I will talk to you later; I need some time alone." Adele parted ways. She was in no mood to discuss what happened inside. Russell also left her alone; he was in a dire situation, but he couldn\'t imagine what she was going through.

If she went along with the plan, it would basically ruin her whole career. He knew her family situation, which was even more worrying. Normal people didn\'t realize that the entire country was run by elites and bureaucracy was in every limb of society.

Some fights are better left untouched. They would probably disgrace her life and blackball her out of the industry.

" I hope nothing bad happens to you. She is still young; she can change fields and forget about this day." Russell thought as he drove off.

Adele was walking on the sidewalk, lost in thought when she was awakened by loud car horns beside her. She looked at the perpetrator and noticed a familiar face.

" Samuel?"