Chapter 520 - Crumbs Of Hints
Harold rubbed his face wearily. "If I had known the reason, do you think I would be that annoyed?"
He didn't know why, even half a month ago, he had been told to recruit more models without any explanation.
At first, he thought that they were going to set everyone on Lilia's path as a supermodel.
But as time went on, he realized that things were getting worse.
Harold thought that Lilia's influence would be crucial and so their company's strategy made the name of the new models rhymed with the supermodel.
These complete newcomers with little to no audience were initially set to replace Lilia whenever she couldn't attend events. People didn't complain because their abilities were not bad and their prices were also much cheaper.
Harold didn't mind if this happened only once or twice, but right now, lots of brand introductions and interviews that should have been Lilia's were filled with these new models from Aphrodite Agency.
He did not know what kind of interest was involved in this, he couldn't figure it out even after thinking about it for so long.
Having been working in the industry for so long, the only thing Harold could be certain of was that his company must have invested quite a bit to get these little artists onto the stage.
One name immediately came to mind— Albert Ares.
Otherwise, why would the company spend so much money and time on newcomers?!
Harold almost went insane!
Lilia saw his indistinct expression then moved the corners of her lips and continued to ask, "How much influence will this new policy have on you?"
She was thinking about her future!
Even though she had already suppressed the employment contract at Aphrodite Agency, Lilia really had no other choice if this new policy had a bad effect on her!
This corporate approach did nothing to hide it from her, and she was sure it'd have a huge negative impact on her image in the long run.
This matter not only raised complaints from the partners' brands, but also threats to her future career.
It wasn't impossible to terminate her contract, but before she could do it, she had to ensure Harold's position within the company.
When Harold heard her question, the frustrated look on his face disappeared. "How did it affect me? I'm your manager, no big deal to get scolded every once in a while."
Oh, was he being honest? Lilia couldn't believe his words!
If there was no effect, it wouldn't have burdened Harold like this.
For some time, Lilia didn't speak anymore.
She held her elbow with one hand, her eyes shining with a cold light. "When can you learn to share your problems? Try to rely on others and ask for help!"
Harold didn't reply.
'If you are in trouble, learn to share and ask others for help!'
He squinted at Lilia then smiled calmly. "I'm also a well-known manager in this industry, if it's a minor storm like this, do you think I can't handle it?"
"If you can handle it, won't you get kicked out in the end?" Lilia just bluntly told him.
Harold wanted to argue, but seeing Lilia's serious and mocking look, he suddenly thought about what happened earlier this month.
He let out a heavy sigh and smiled bitterly. "Can you not be so worried about me? I don't want our friendship to break up just because of a little storm like this."
"You didn't tell me anything, is that called being friends?"
Harold was speechless.
This was the end of their debate. Lilia guessed that from Harold's behavior just now, she thought it was difficult to ask the truth.
She knew this one friend well. If the man found out that there was a potential threat to her career, he would usually let her know as soon as possible and take precautions.
Lilia didn't want to get involved with Harold anymore, she stubbornly moved towards the door. "That Milia girl... Is she Albert's favorite newcomer?"
"Yes," Harold responded nonchalantly. His face seemed to look disgusted when he heard the girl's name was mentioned.
Lilia looked at Harold with serious eyes and smiled. "Since our superiors want to support Milia, let's do it!"
"What ridiculous thing did you just say? What can we do? I'd better resign!" Harold's tone of disgust caused Lilia to quickly divert her attention.
She raised her eyebrows and her beautiful eyes sparkled. "No matter what, Albert has already spent money on her, so we have to respect her!"
"Do you... intend to guide her?"
Harold stared at her with an indescribable look. As long as he thought of supporting Milia, he felt uneasy as if he was forced to swallow a thousand nails.
At first, the girl crept up the industry by sleeping with the higher-ups, but now she was using a childish method to draw Albert's attention to her.
Holy hell, what kind of girl was she?
Not only did he dislike Milia, he also had a bad feeling from her.
For him, she was not worthy of his energy and time.
At this time, Lilia smoothed the hair on her cheeks and tucked it behind her ears. Then she opened her eyes to see Harold's confused expression, "I didn't intend to work with her, but ... I don't think Albert is in the company,"
Harold was confused and glanced at the slyness that appeared in Lilia's eyes. Before thinking about it, he took out his cell phone and dialed Albert's secretary number.
After a few seconds, he got a reply and found out that Albert had gone abroad!
Harold picked up the phone and looked at Lilia, and the next second he gave her a thumbs up. "Amazing, how do you know? Have you opened your sixth sense?"
Lilia just rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Do you still remember the first time Albert intervened in my work contract?"
Her tone was very mysterious and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. This made Harold feel that her question was crucial.
He thought hard, then patted his thigh. "Shit, I forgot it!"
Lilia stared at him blankly. She knew that Harold had been saddled with the company's new policies recently and his life had fallen apart. Since he didn't have the same knowledge as her, Lilia immediately said the answer, "If I remember correctly, it should have been at the Ricardo Family dinner party in Yogyakarta."
"That's right!" Harold suddenly realized. "I remember it! At that time, I didn't want you to participate. After negotiating a few times, I couldn't cancel it. Then Albert went overseas and could not be reached."
Lilia smiled and nodded. "Then the second time, do you remember?"
Harold muttered subconsciously. "The second time..."
After a moment, his eyes lit up with sarcasm. "Ricardo family perfume!"
Lilia smiled, but her eyes were cold.
She had never thought of connecting the dots before. She basically believed that Albert's intervention in her work contract twice was linked to one person.
These plans couldn't be carried out if the one who ordered it did not have sharp eyes.
She had no feelings for Alfred, but she could still vaguely sense that the other party had different intentions. Still, she decided to ignore it and went on with her life.
Unfortunately, things were getting complicated ever since she met Alfred at dinner at the Mayer family home. That man told Florence something that could easily lead to misunderstanding despite knowing that she was married. This had completely changed her opinion about Alfred.
It seemed that he was no longer a poet and a scholarly lecturer.
At this time, the dark cloud in Harold's mind was cleared thanks to Lilia's reminders.
He remembered that when he met Alfred during Lilia's perfume ad photoshoot, Harold felt that he was not just any man.
For some reason, he felt that Alfred had a mask that he had never shown to anyone.