Chapter 419 - 417: Bandit

Suddenly, the office door was forcefully pushed open.

Lana Sheffield walked in, one hand on her lower back, followed by Raymond Ford and an aide.

Raymond Ford glanced at the desk, picked up the termination agreement, and handed it to Lana Sheffield.

Lana Sheffield’s eyes fell on the termination fee. She looked at Rose Shaw and declared, "Melody Monroe wants to terminate her contract? Fine. The fee is fifty million! Not a single cent less!"

’Doesn’t Melody Monroe have a rich backer?’

’What’s fifty million?’

’She’d been waiting for this day! Melody Monroe was finally leaving Stellaris! But getting away wouldn’t be that easy.’

"Mrs. Sterling, even an A-lister like Aya Winters didn’t have a fifty million fee when she ended her contract with us. Based on Melody Monroe’s current popularity and status, she should only have to pay a five hundred thousand penalty to terminate."

"Five hundred thousand?" Lana Sheffield glared at Rose Shaw. "Do you take me for a fool?"

’Ever since Rose Shaw became the CEO of Stellaris, she’s forgotten her place. To think she’d dare to disrespect me!’

"Today, it’s fifty million, not a cent less!" Lana Sheffield then shot Melody Monroe a contemptuous glance.

"Mrs. Sterling, on what basis are you demanding fifty million?" Melody Monroe retorted. "How much has the company invested in me? I’ve been with the company for almost a year and have only been in one TV drama and one reality show. Tell me, has the company’s investment in me even reached five million?"

"And if it isn’t even five million, why are you demanding fifty million from me for a termination fee? Is this a contract termination, or is this highway robbery?"

"Melody Monroe! Don’t forget, you were a nobody when you first joined the company! So what if we gave you a role in one drama? Didn’t you gain over thirty million fans because of that show?" Raymond Ford immediately shot back.

"Raymond Ford, don’t you forget, the money for that show was all invested in you. I was just a supporting character."

"So what if you were a supporting character? Without Stellaris, you couldn’t even have gotten that role! And you’d never have the popularity you have now."

Lana Sheffield looked at the termination agreement in her hands and tore it to shreds.

"Rose Shaw, who do you think you are? Can you even make the call on something this big? I’m the one who decides if Melody Monroe terminates her contract!" Having said her piece, Lana Sheffield gave a cold smile and walked out.

Rose Shaw looked at the pieces of the agreement on the floor and said to Melody Monroe, "I’ll handle this. Wait to hear from me."

"Mm," Melody Monroe nodded.

Outside Stellaris, Keith Coleman looked over at Melody Monroe. "Melody, how about we just pay the fifty million? The sooner you terminate the contract, the sooner you can be free of these people."

"I never expected to get away with just five hundred thousand, but one and a half million is my limit." Melody Monroe wouldn’t compromise easily.

Keith Coleman felt a headache coming on.

’Fifty million was nothing to President Fairchild.’

’Besides, this was for his wife’s freedom.’

"Lana Sheffield is deliberately making things difficult for me. If I agree to fifty million, won’t she just jack up the price?"

Keith Coleman immediately nodded. That was a certainty.

"Should we just take legal action?"

"Let’s wait to hear from Rose first."

"Okay."

...

News of Melody Monroe terminating her contract with Stellaris quickly spread across the internet.

Raymond Ford had been the one to leak the story.

In addition to the news, certain narratives about Melody Monroe also began to circulate.

[Stellaris Has Groomed Yet Another Ingrate]

[Instant Fame, Instant Betrayal: Selfish Melody Monroe Abandons the Company That Made Her]

However, the intended narrative failed to gain any traction.