Chapter 7: Fall and Rise

For the agency’s anniversary, I sent him an invite out of courtesy.

He showed up in a suit, clearly enjoying the money from all those endorsements.

“Ever since I left the agency, I finally know what it’s like to make real money,” he bragged. “You know how much I make a day now? I never even dreamed of these numbers before.”

He was clinging to his last shred of pride.

“Oh? Really?”

I wasn’t impressed.

Most of his gigs were for dodgy products. He’d pay for it sooner or later.

“It’s smart to read people, but smarter to read yourself. Think about whether you can really sleep at night with what you’re doing.”

I left him with that, grinning at his clueless expression.

I knew karma was coming for him, but I didn’t expect it so soon.

Suddenly, police showed up at the anniversary party. The room went silent.

“Derek Ford, you’re under investigation for participating in multiple money laundering operations.”

The police arrested him on the spot.

Only then did I realize where his money came from.

“Autumn, please, save me.”

He dropped to his knees, begging at my feet. “Aren’t you a rich heiress? If you save me, I’ll do anything!”

Still clinging to hope!

But he broke the law—no one could save him.

Behind all the glitz, if you’re not grounded, the fall is brutal.

Derek was finished—his reputation ruined forever.

His arrest caused a stir in the industry. To get a lighter sentence, he spilled every secret he knew.

The police didn’t care about celebrity drama, but when it came to the Pierce family, they dug deeper and found real crimes.

Even though Derek wasn’t with Savannah long, he’d seen enough.

It was enough to bring the Pierce family down for illegal business practices and vicious competition. The family declared bankruptcy overnight.

I heard Savannah couldn’t handle the fall—she shut herself away, terrified of ridicule.

But honestly, she reaped what she sowed.

She used to lord her wealth over everyone, looking down on people. Now it was her turn to suffer.

Me? I was different.

Since ditching the jerk, my life and career blossomed.

The agency grew under my leadership, and the boss was all smiles every day.

The new artists we launched made a name for themselves, and our reputation soared. The agency’s status rose with them.

I finally achieved my goal of building a top agency, and set my sights even higher—I was going to make us the leader of the entire entertainment industry!

Seeing both Carter and me thriving, our parents finally stopped pressuring us to take over the family business. They decided to let us spread our wings while we were young.

“Are you sure about this, sweetheart?” my parents asked, sitting across from me.

“I’m sure.”

I nodded.

“The old me only knew how to lean on family, even relied on my brother for money. But I’m different now—I have my own business. I can support my brother, and even take care of Mom and Dad.”

“Good! That’s my girl—so gutsy!”

Dad patted my shoulder. “Seeing you and Carter do so well, your old man can finally relax.”

My parents shared a look and smiled.

Looks like they’d have to delay retirement a little longer.

Carter and I grinned at them and chimed in together:

“Guess you two are stuck working a little longer!”

(The End)