But in the end, she forced herself to swallow her pride. Did she really have any other choice?


    "Of course, Mr. MacLeod. And I can''t let you help me for nothing. I''ll book the next flight to Kingston. Dinner''s on me," Vanessa said enthusiastically. She had long since mastered the art of handling men.


    "Good. I like a woman who''s straightforward. Come on over. I''ll be waiting for you, Ms. Shannon."


    He hung up. Vanessa knew that if she could handle Harvey MacLeod, she could handle the online crisis.


    She immediately grabbed her bag, went upstairs to shower, and got ready to head to the airport.


    Meanwhile, the online drama continued to escte. Joy was happily following the saga, watching as many of Vanessa''s fans turned against her and started leaking details about her private life.


    Truth and lies mingled together, shattering the pristine "piano diva" image Vanessa had carefully cultivated.


    Finally, Joy saw a post from an anonymous user: "You all really think she''s some piano diva? Her skills are mediocre at best. Let''s just say she had a powerful backer throwing money at her to get her on the world stage."


    "Was this powerful backern?"


    "Not sure who it was, but the title of ''world-ss pianist'' is full of hot air. Anyone in the industry knows what she''s really worth."


    "She was manufactured by money! She''s great at marketing her persona. It was all a carefully constructed package from the start."


    Soon, a few morements popped up, clearly from some of Vanessa''s former peers who were now speaking out. The conversation had shifted from questioning her character to questioning her talent.


    Many professionals also weighed in, which was far more damaging than the previous attacks on her personality.


    ***


    êt


    Three dayster, Vanessa''s scandal had finally started to cool down, reced by gossip about another A-list star. Her former manager, Laverne, received a wire transfer for two million dors apanied by a short message from Vanessa: "Now we''re even."


    Laverne looked at the money in her ount, still furious at Vanessa''s actions. She had only asked for what


    she was owed, yet Vanessa showed not a shred of gratitude for


    everything


    the past


    she had done in the She truly embodied the image of an


    ungrateful snake.


    Laverne took the money and decided she wanted nothing more to do with Vanessa. Of course, knowing Vanessa, she guessed that her sudden ability to resolve the


    online crisis and pay her meant she had alreadytched onto another man.


    She was d she had gotten out when she did. With Vanessa''s reputation in tatters, any further investment would be pointless. All of Vanessa''s energy was focused ontching onto men, with no real ambition for her career.


    Laverne''s guess was correct. Vanessa had be Harvey MacLeod''s woman. She was now living in a vi in Kingston, scrolling through the news on her tablet. The trending topics and negative discussions about her had been suppressed. While the damage couldn''t bepletely erased, at least the public uproar had died down.


    To her delight, Harvey MacLeod was treating her well, and he was willing to spend money on her. In just three days, he had already dropped five million dors on her for shopping sprees and other trifles to keep her happy.


    However, Vanessa could see that she was nothing more than an expensive, exquisite toy he had bought to show off. In just two days, he had already paraded her around at three different business dinners.


    But at least the immediate crisis was over, and she no longer had to stress about it.