At the Conrad Group, Winnie took the elevator towards the CEO's office.
She was blocked by Justin's assistant after exiting the elevator.
Winnie said, "I want to see Mr… Conrad."
The man replied, "Don't bother if it is regarding the scandal."
Winnie looked at him and asked, "Why not? I did not do anything wrong and did not make any
inappropriate comments. Why did you take back my Twitter account?"
"This is the company's new policy for all our stars, not just you alone." He replied.
Winnie scoffed, "Then were the others' passwords changed?"
The man's expression did not change when he said, "You must have seen the news. It had caused a
large impact on the Conrad Group. As a staff of the Conrad Group, you should bear some of the risks
for the company."
"It's my decision whether I want to shoulder the risks for the company. Before even seeking my opinion
and permission, you used such methods to slander me and even locked me out of my Twitter account
to prevent me from clarifying myself."
"This is the company's decision. If you cannot accept this, you may begin the procedure for contract
termination."
Winnie was so upset that she was at a loss for words. She did not want to waste any more time with
him and stepped forward as she said, "I want to see Mr. Conrad."
The man stopped her again. "Didn't your agent tell you to respect the chain of authority? If you have
any complaints, you may look for your agent. Your agent will then decide if there was a need to
escalate this issue and submit it to the respective department supervisor. The department supervisor
would verify the issue before submitting it to the CEO's assistant. Once the assistant has approved the
matter would reach Mr. Conrad."
He looked at Winnie and continued, "As for your issue, the assistant would not submit to the CEO. So
don't waste your time here."
Winnie looked at him quietly and said, "My agent is Mr. Conrad. You may look for him if you disagree."
The man was startled and then frowned, "This is not funny, madam. Now Mr. Conrad is…"
"Harris." A gentle voice came from behind him. He turned around and his expression changed
completely. He respectfully greeted, "Mr. Conrad."
Justin nodded and said, "Go and do your things, leave this to me."
Harris was stunned and looked at Winnie before leaving.
Justin looked at Winnie, smiled warmly, and said, "I'm sorry, he can be rather abrasive. Don't take it to
heart."
Winnie pursed her lips but remained silent.
Justin turned around in his wheelchair and said, "Follow me in."
Justin signaled for Winnie to sit down after they entered his office. He made a call to his assistants to
serve them tea.
Justin then asked, "What are you here for?"
Justin maintained a slight smile while he looked solemn. It appeared that he was ready to listen to her
to resolve her problem.
Winnie suddenly felt unable to vent her anger as she did a moment ago. It was torture to keep it inside
her.
She then said, "This morning, there was news about Chassell and me. The video only lasted for a few
seconds and now everyone thought that I had been with him again. It was also discussed on the
internet that this was done by the Conrad Group to divert attention and public opinion."
It looked like that was the first time Justin heard about this. He sounded surprised and sighed, "You
should know better not to believe whatever is said on the internet."
Winnie said, "The assistant outside said that as a staff of the Conrad Group, I should take some of the
risks for the company."
Justin frowned and asked, "Did he really say that?"
Winnie nodded, "Yes." She continued, "I would do my best to help the company if it was in trouble.
However, I cannot accept such underhanded tactics to do it without my knowledge. Furthermore, to use
an outlandish excuse to lock me out of my Twitter account, preventing me from clarifying myself."
Now Justin's expression did not seem surprised when he said, "They had a meeting this morning to
consolidate the control of social media accounts of our stars. I'm not an expert of this so I just approved
it. If you want your Twitter account back, I can instruct them."
Winnie unconsciously clenched her fists. If the company did this to all its stars, then she would be
receiving special treatment if she asked to have her Twitter account back.
After pondering for a moment, she said, "I would like to discuss with you how should today's incident be
handled."
Justin looked apologetic when he replied, "I'm sorry as I really have little knowledge of this aspect. I'll
let the related department contact you."
"I don't wish to go through the public relations department. I want to clarify this by myself." Winnie said.
"How do you intend to do this?" Justin asked.
"The video was edited down to those few seconds. If the original video can be found, then it would
resolve the issue."
Justin then said, "But…"
Winnie said, "This is my personal matter. I would find a way and won't trouble the company."
Justin nodded, "Just tell the assistants if you need any help. Tell them that I had approved it."
"Okay." Winnie then continued, "As for the Twitter account, the company may manage it but I want to
have the rights to use it. I will check with the company before I post anything."
Justin chuckled, "There is no need to be so pedantic. I will instruct them to give you the password."
Winnie stood up and gave him a light bow, "Thanks, Mr. Conrad. I'll take my leave if there isn't anything
else."
Justin stopped her and said, "Oh yes, you mentioned that it was Clarence who was managing your
work before, right?"
Winnie replied, "Yes."
"As you can see, I am already finding it difficult to manage the company's affairs. I would not have any
capacity to help you with your work. I will appoint an agent for you."
The way he said it seemed appropriate and she had to accept his decision. Winnie replied, "Okay,
thanks, Mr. Conrad."
Winnie turned to leave.
When she walked past the assistant's office, she intentionally paused to look. There was not a single
person inside whom she recognized.
Winnie walked along and entered the elevator. She suddenly felt that she had become a stranger at the
current Conrad Group.
As soon as Winnie left the Conrad Group, she received a call from Stella. Stella asked, "Where are you
now?"
Winnie turned around and looked at the building behind her. The sun was shining directly at it but
somehow it felt much colder as compared to when Clarence was there.
Winnie said, "I just settled something. What's up?"
Stella said, "Can you come to the studio? I have something to give you."
Winnie asked, "I have something to attend to. Can I go tomorrow?"
Before Stella could reply, a man's flat voice passed through the phone, "Waiting for my invitation?"
Winnie quickly replied, "I'm on my way."
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