Chapter 72: What a Surprise

After Ethan and Carl confirmed the new contract, they returned to the company.

As soon as Ethan entered, Jimmy mysteriously pulled him into the office. Inside, Lillina, dressed elegantly and beautifully, was sitting on the sofa. She was both excited and nervous, tugging at the black stockings on her knees with her long nails, pulling them up and then letting them fall down.

It was only when she saw Ethan walk in that she stopped fiddling with her stockings.

"Boss." She stood up, waved, and greeted Ethan. Then, she glanced at Jimmy, who began to explain to the confused Ethan.

"Ethan, you won't believe what happened!" Jimmy's expression was mysterious, a mix of tension and excitement.

Ethan thought for a moment—nothing major had happened in the company lately. A few advertisements had been successfully launched, and they were just waiting for the payments to come through.

The new ads were still being negotiated. The company's current focus was actually on hiring. They needed to find suitable sales and agent talents.

Over the past few days, Ethan had interviewed several people and had finally filtered through them, hiring two seemingly suitable candidates, who would start next week.

However, the recruitment process would continue. The company was indeed at a point of expansion—it was no longer feasible for just the two of them to handle everything.

"So, what happened?" Ethan's curiosity was piqued by Jimmy's suspense.

Jimmy leaned in and whispered, "Someone tried to bribe one of our employees to leak information!"

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He had considered that other companies might investigate them, but he hadn't expected them to resort to bribery so quickly. Clearly, Supreme Creative's sudden rise had threatened someone's interests, forcing them to take action.

Ethan didn't need much time to think—it was definitely another advertising company. He looked at Lillina. "So, you're the one they tried to bribe?"

"Yes—oh no! Boss, I received their call!" Lillina approached, lowering her voice, now completely different from her usual flirtatious tone. "This afternoon, I suddenly received a call from the manager of a consulting company. He said he wanted to inquire about our business."

"And then?"

"Then I introduced him to our current advertising services. But to my surprise, after hearing that, he wanted to know more in-depth information. He asked if I was willing to provide some trivial details and hinted that I could get paid."

"That's all?" Ethan shrugged, sipping from his cup.

Lillina nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken. "Yes, that's all. But I thought he definitely had bad intentions! So, I immediately told the manager."

"I see." Ethan pondered for a moment before speaking. "When you leave, act as if nothing happened. The next time they call, agree to their request. If they ask for specific details, make up a few names and bits of information and have them send you some money."

"Alright, I understand. And the money...?"

"Keep it." Ethan didn't care about a consulting fee that would amount to a few hundred dollars at most. He immediately granted it to Lillina.

"Thank you, boss!" Lillina's smile grew even wider.

"Also, I'm pleased to see you so dedicated to the company. It shows that you're a good employee, Lillina. Next month, when I have some free time, I'll arrange a photoshoot for you. Think about what outfit you want to wear."

"Thank you, boss!" Lillina had been eagerly anticipating the photoshoot for a long time. Caden and Cindy were already famous—sometimes they were even recognized on the street.

Many companies had approached Angel Declaration to discuss collaborations, and several magazines had invited the two for cover shoots.

Lillina prided herself on her looks and figure, believing she was no less attractive than the other two. Watching them rise to fame so quickly was inevitably frustrating.

But it was precisely for this reason that Lillina would never betray Supreme Creative—it was her ticket to fame!

"Alright, go back to work and don't mention the consulting matter to anyone. Of course, you can talk about the photoshoot."

"Okay..." Lillina's smile grew even more radiant, and she playfully dragged out her reply before walking out of the office.

As she left, Jimmy turned to Ethan and asked, "Why have her agree to it? Are you planning to send them false information?"

Ethan opened the blinds and watched Lillina return to the customer service area, sharing her excitement with the others. He replied, "That's part of it, but more importantly, do you think she's the only one who's received a call?"

Jimmy finally understood Ethan's thinking and gasped, "You're right, Ethan. If others have received calls and haven't told us, that would be bad."

"Even though they're just customer service, all clients come through them before they end up on our desks. If they intentionally withhold information, it would cause us problems."

Jimmy moved next to Ethan and looked out at the office with him, his expression anxious. "So, what should we do?"

Ethan smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, Jimmy. This is the worst-case scenario. Don't give the enemy too much credit. I think Lillina is probably the first to receive a call."

"After all, it would be difficult for them to get hold of an internal list of the customer service team. If they had one, they wouldn't have asked Lillina for the company's employee list. I suspect Lillina might have accidentally leaked something that made them target her."

"Okay, I'll ask her about it later."

Just as Jimmy finished speaking, the customer service girls noticed Ethan and Jimmy and started blowing kisses in their direction.

Ethan smiled and accepted the attention, glancing at Jimmy's stern expression. He casually patted Jimmy's back and said, "Relax, buddy. Stay positive and remember to underestimate your enemies. The fact that they're resorting to these underhanded tactics shows they're already afraid. They're the ones who should be worried, not us."

"Exactly, Ethan, you're right!" Jimmy grinned like a hyena eyeing its prey, his smile carrying a hint of menace as he declared, "I'll definitely find out who's behind this!"

"That's the spirit. As long as we keep succeeding, they'll eventually pop up like clowns in a circus, providing us with entertainment."

After their conversation, Jimmy went off to handle what Ethan had instructed, while Ethan received a call from Carl.

On the phone, Carl informed him that Edinson had initially wanted to secure Ethan as the director for Eminem's new music video, but unfortunately, Brady's team had already reached an agreement with Eminem, securing their choice of director.

The chosen director was someone named Joseph Kim, which sounded like an ordinary American name. However, Carl explained that he wasn't actually American but a Korean-American.

It was clear that this was Brady's rising star in music video directing, a talent who, like Ethan, had proven himself through his work.

But that wasn't what mattered to Ethan—he was more concerned with his future opportunities.

However, Carl couldn't make any promises, as Edinson wanted to discuss things with Ethan personally. Their meeting was set for the next morning.

The following morning, Ethan arrived at the CAA building and went to the 27th floor, where he found Edinson's office. The interior wasn't overly lavish—no golf courses or extravagant décor, just a strong presence of baseball-themed elements.

There were baseball bat decorations, small baseball player figurines on the desk, and, most noticeably, a deep green baseball cap with the iconic overlapping "NY" letters on the wall. It was clear which team the vice president was a fan of.

"Hello, Mr. President." Ethan shook hands with Edinson and sat down as the vice president smiled warmly.

With neat black hair, a strong physique, and rough, firm hands, Ethan could tell at a glance that Edinson was a man who loved sports—possibly even a former baseball player in college.

After they sat down, Edinson noticed Ethan's gaze drifting toward the wall. He turned and smiled. "The New York Yankees! They're my favorite team!"

"I can tell—you must attend games frequently."

"Absolutely, I never miss a game, especially the Subway Series! If you're from New York, from the Bronx, you can't miss it."

The Yankees' home stadium was in the Bronx, and the Subway Series referred to the matchups between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The games earned their name because both teams' stadiums were conveniently located near subway stations, allowing fans to travel back and forth easily.

It was one of New York's most famous sporting events.

Seeing Edinson in full sales mode, Ethan chuckled but didn't continue the topic. Perhaps realizing they were getting off track, Edinson cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Ethan, I know... I don't have the same music resources as Brady. In fact, I wasn't in charge of the music department before. But that's okay. Since you're willing to work with me, I'll give you the best projects I can. There's just one condition."

Edinson propped his arm on the table, extended a finger, and pointed in the direction of Brady's office, speaking bluntly. "My only request is that you sabotage his projects. Don't let him achieve his goals. That's it—just this one request."

Ethan raised his eyebrows slightly. From Edinson's tone, he detected both anger and disdain. Although he didn't know exactly what Brady had done to earn such animosity,

After stating his request, Edinson continued, "Of course, I won't force you, Ethan. Whether you achieve it or not, I will give you what you deserve, like this."

Edinson handed over an agreement. Unlike Brady's so-called overbearing terms, this was a package service agreement. Ethan took it and carefully examined it, discovering that the service involved a movie from Miramax Films!

"Chicago?" Ethan slowly read the name of the movie, his eyes widening slightly, and memories in his mind began turning silently, like the gears of a precise clock.

That name was really famous! This musical film wasn't just a Golden Globe winner, but also the 2003 Academy Award winner for Best Picture.

What a gift! Ethan immediately realized that before moving to the music division, Edinson had been in charge of the film section.

He hadn't expected such a surprise after switching to Edinson's side!