Betrayed Spotlight
Chapter 21: Fire her

Chapter 21: Fire her

The next morning, Mason was in his office by 6 AM, two hours before his usual schedule. The city was still waking up, but Mason’s mind was already calculating, planning, strategizing. The conversation with Antonio from last night replayed in his head, each word Antonio had spoken fueling his anger.

He picked up his phone and dialed Derek’s number.

"Good morning, Mr. Liu," Derek answered on the first ring. Derek had been Mason’s assistant for a long time now, and he knew that early morning calls meant serious business.

"Derek, I need you to do some research," Mason said without preamble. "Diamond Sound Entertainment. I want everything – their financial records, their contracts, their legal vulnerabilities, their business partnerships. Everything."

Derek was already pulling up his computer, fingers flying across the keyboard. "How deep do you want me to go, sir?"

"Deep enough to bury them if necessary," Mason replied coldly. "Also, look into a manager named Antonio. Find out his connection to Diamond, his personal finances, his other clients, his weaknesses."

"Timeline?" Derek asked, already knowing the answer would be aggressive.

"Two hours."

"Understood. Anything else?"

Mason was quiet for a moment, staring out at the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his corner office. The morning sun radiated across his desk, but his expression remained as cold as winter.

"Set up a meeting with our legal team. The entire team. And Derek..." Mason paused, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Call Lucas Wei."

Derek’s typing stopped for just a moment. Lucas was Mason’s most ruthless business attorney, the one they called when negotiation wasn’t an option. The man who had never lost a case and had a reputation for destroying opponents so thoroughly they never recovered.

"Should I tell him what this is regarding?" Derek asked carefully.

"Tell him someone is trying to extort my wife," Mason said, his voice turning ice-cold. "Tell him they’re demanding half a million dollars from her. He’ll understand the urgency."

"Yes, sir. I’ll have everything ready by 8 AM."

Mason hung up and leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers steepled as he thought. He had built his empire by being three steps ahead of everyone else, by turning every threat into an opportunity. Diamond Sound Entertainment had made a critical error – they had threatened what belonged to him.

His phone buzzed after an hour with a text from Derek: "Preliminary search shows Diamond is heavily leveraged. Several investors pulling out recently. Company is desperate for cash flow. Financial trouble started 6 months ago."

Mason’s lips curved into what could barely be called a smile. Desperate companies made stupid decisions. And stupid decisions left them vulnerable to men like him.

Another text arrived: "Antonio owes significant gambling debts to underground casinos. Diamond is likely paying him commission to bring Sarah back. He’s their insurance policy."

Mason set his phone down and made another call, this time to his head of acquisitions.

"Mr. Liu?" The voice belonged to his most trusted deal-maker.

"How quickly can we buy out a failing entertainment company?" Mason asked, his tone casual as if he were asking about the weather.

"Depends on the company, sir. If they’re desperate enough... a few days, maybe a week. Why? Are you looking to expand into entertainment?"

"Something like that," Mason replied. "Derek will send you the details within the hour. I want Diamond Sound Entertainment. Every share, every asset, every contract."

"The whole company, sir?"

"The whole company. And I want it done quietly until the final moment. When they realize what’s happening, it should be too late for them to do anything about it."

By 7:30 AM, Mason had already set several plans in motion. His legal team was assembling, his acquisition specialist was preparing initial offers, and Derek was compiling a comprehensive dossier on Diamond Sound Entertainment that would make government intelligence agencies jealous.

At exactly 8 AM, his phone rang. It was the security desk in the lobby.

"Mr. Liu, there’s a situation in the lobby," the head of security said, his voice tense.

Mason frowned. "What kind of situation?"

"There’s been an... incident with a visitor. She claims to be your wife, but—"

Mason was already standing, his blood running cold. "Is her name Sarah?"

"Yes, sir, but—"

"I’ll be right down."

But before Mason could reach the elevator, Derek burst into his office, slightly out of breath.

"Sir, there’s been an incident downstairs," Derek said urgently. "Mrs. Liu—"

"I know," Mason said grimly. "What happened?"

.

.

.

.

.

Thirty minutes earlier, Sarah had walked into the imposing glass tower that housed Liu Enterprise. She had dressed carefully for this meeting, a professional navy blue dress with a matching blazer, her hair pulled back elegantly. She wanted to look like she belonged in Mason’s world.

The lobby was impressive, all marble and chrome with the Liu Enterprise logo prominently displayed. Sarah approached the reception desk where a young woman in her mid-twenties sat, her makeup perfectly applied and her blonde hair styled in an elaborate updo.

"Good morning," Sarah said politely. "I’m here to see Mason Liu. I’m Sarah Liu, his wife."

The receptionist looked up from her computer and gave Sarah a slow, deliberate once-over. Her expression shifted from professional politeness to barely concealed disdain.

"Sarah Liu?" the receptionist repeated, her voice dripping with skepticism. "I’m sorry, but Mr. Liu doesn’t have any appointments scheduled this morning."

"He told me to come to his office," Sarah explained patiently. "I’m his wife. He’s expecting me."

The receptionist let out a small, condescending laugh. "His wife? Oh, honey, I’ve heard that one before. Do you know how many women come in here claiming to be involved with Mr. Liu?"

Sarah felt her patience beginning to fray, but she kept her voice calm. "I understand your skepticism, but I really am married to Mason Liu. Perhaps you could call his assistant Derek to confirm? Or check the news to see he confirmed it himself."

"Listen, ma’am," the receptionist said, her voice getting louder and attracting attention from other people in the lobby. "I don’t know what game you’re playing, but Mr. Liu is way out of your league. Just because you’re some washed-up singer doesn’t mean you can waltz in here and—"

"Excuse me?" Sarah’s voice was dangerously quiet.

The receptionist, emboldened by the small crowd that was gathering, continued her tirade. "Everyone knows about you, Sarah Chen or whatever your real name is. You slept your way to the top of the music industry, and now you think you can do the same with Mr. Liu? How much did you pay him to go along with this fake marriage publicity stunt? I wonder why the boss would even agree to something like this. How did you do it?"

Sarah’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, but she still maintained her composure. "I think there’s been a misunderstanding—"

"The only misunderstanding here is you thinking you could fool anyone," the receptionist interrupted, standing up from her desk. "Mr. Liu is a respectable businessman. He would never associate with someone like you. You’re just a desperate has-been looking for her next meal ticket."

That was the final straw. Sarah’s carefully maintained composure snapped.

"You know what?" Sarah said, her voice deadly calm. "You’re right about one thing. I’m not going to fool anyone."

Before the receptionist could react, Sarah’s hand connected with her cheek in a sharp, resounding slap that echoed through the marble lobby. The receptionist stumbled backward, her hand flying to her reddening face.

"You crazy—" the receptionist started to scream, but Sarah grabbed a handful of her perfectly styled hair and yanked her forward.

"Shut the hell up," Sarah hissed, her face inches from the receptionist’s. "You want to talk about sleeping your way to the top? At least I earned my success with talent. What did you do? Polish your knees?"

The lobby erupted in chaos. People were pulling out their phones, recording the confrontation. The receptionist was screaming and trying to claw at Sarah’s face, but Sarah held her firm grip on the woman’s hair.

"Security!" the receptionist shrieked. "Get this psycho off me!"

Within seconds, two large security guards rushed over and grabbed Sarah’s arms, forcing her to release the receptionist.

"Ma’am, you need to leave immediately," one of the guards said firmly. "We don’t care if you’re famous or not. This is Liu Enterprise, and you cannot come here to create scenes."

"Get your hands off me," Sarah said, struggling against their grip. "I told you, I’m Mason Liu’s wife!"

"Sure you are, lady," the other guard said sarcastically. "And I’m the President of China. Let’s go."

Just as they began to drag Sarah toward the exit, a sharp voice cut through the commotion.

"Let go of her. Now."

Everyone turned to see Derek striding across the lobby, his face a mask of professional fury. The security guards immediately released Sarah’s arms and stepped back.

"Boss—" one of the guards started to explain.

"Are you insane?" Derek interrupted, his voice quiet but carrying an unmistakable threat. "Do you have a death wish? Do you know who this is?"

The guards looked confused, glancing between Derek and Sarah.

"This," Derek continued, gesturing toward Sarah with the reverence one might use when presenting royalty, "is Mrs. Liu. Mr. Mason Liu’s wife. The woman you just manhandled is the wife of the man who signs your paychecks."

The color drained from both guards’ faces. The receptionist, who had been dabbing at her bleeding lip, went completely pale.

"That’s impossible," the receptionist whispered. "She... she can’t be..."

"She told you exactly who she was," Derek said coldly, turning his attention to the receptionist. "And instead of showing her the respect due to the wife of your employer, you insulted her, humiliated her, and created a public spectacle."

Derek turned to Sarah, his demeanor immediately shifting to respectful concern. "Mrs. Liu, I sincerely apologize for this treatment. This is completely unacceptable."

Sarah looked around at the stunned faces surrounding her, at the phones still recording, at the receptionist who looked like she was about to faint. She felt a surge of satisfaction mixed with cold anger.

"Derek," she said, her voice calm and controlled, "I want to know what punishment these people will face."

Derek nodded. "Of course, Mrs. Liu. What would you like to happen?"

Sarah looked at the receptionist, who was now crying and seemed to be having difficulty breathing. Then she looked at the security guards, who appeared to be praying they still had jobs.

A small, dangerous smile played at the corners of Sarah’s lips. Internally, she thought to herself: *I’m no saint. I don’t forgive easily, and I certainly don’t forget.*

"Fire her," Sarah said simply, pointing at the receptionist. "But spare the guards. They were just doing their job, even if they did it poorly."

The lobby fell completely silent. The receptionist’s sobs became the only sound echoing off the marble walls.

"Immediately," Derek confirmed, pulling out his phone. "Security will escort her out within the hour."

Sarah nodded, straightening her blazer and smoothing back her hair. "Good. Now, shall we go see my husband?"

Everyone in the lobby stood frozen, watching as Sarah walked toward the elevator with Derek, leaving behind a scene that would be talked about in Liu Enterprise for years to come.

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