The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress

Only then did he return to the PR team to discuss the next step, crafting a company statement. The challenge was delicate: it had to reassure the public that the company was taking the matter seriously without alarming Lucas into realizing he was under suspicion.

Striking that balance was no easy task, and so they spent the entire night brainstorming, carefully weighing every word.

Meanwhile, Lucas was basking in the flood of admiration and sympathy pouring his way, while the internet ruthlessly dragged Logan. He even went so far as to "like" comments from fans calling him a genius singer-composer or claiming he was far better than Logan.

His inbox overflowed with private messages from girls offering comfort, and he had already begun making arrangements to meet up with some of them.

Then his phone rang. When he saw his manager's name flashing on the screen, Lucas's smug smile only deepened. He answered smoothly, his tone dripping with practiced charm.

"Hello, manager, what made you call?" His voice carried a sultry lilt, rich and velvety through the speaker. Yet, on the other end, his manager felt a chill crawl up his spine, the hairs on his arms standing on end.

Lucas, of course, remained oblivious, convinced that this effect was nothing unusual. After all, with a voice meant for singing, sounding this alluring over the phone seemed only natural.

"Lucas, I'm calling to tell you to stop posting comments or making statements online," the manager said, keeping his tone carefully even. "Don't stir things up any further; it will only make the situation uglier and make the company look petty, as if we're slinging mud on others."

"What you need to focus on now is your singing practice and working on compositions of new songs." He deliberately avoided sounding too stern, maintaining a neutral voice to keep Lucas from growing suspicious, while making his reasoning sound fair and logical.

"I understand, Manager. But as for songwriting, I still haven't found any inspiration yet, that's why I've been browsing online. I'll start writing once something sparks an idea. It's just… this scandal has stressed me out so much that my mind has been elsewhere, and I can't focus on composing or writing lyrics right now."

Lucas deliberately laced his voice with worry and grievance, making himself sound pitiable. Anyone hearing him on the other end of the line would likely feel sympathetic and give him leeway, allowing him to do as he pleased.

After all, it was true that writing and composing required inspiration, and inspiration rarely came easily. Many artists found themselves stuck for weeks, months, or even years without producing anything worthwhile, no matter how hard they pushed. So no one could really blame him.

And so, Lucas allowed a smug smile to creep across his face when the manager, hesitant but softening, relented, though not without leaving him with a firm reminder.

"Alright. Just write for now, I'll review it later and see if we can release it. In the meantime, we'll put out a statement saying the company is conducting an internal investigation. That way, the public will see we're taking this matter seriously, and we can sway their favor back to us."

"While that's happening, you should focus on composing a new song to prove your talent. If we can showcase your genius as a songwriter, it will strengthen our credibility and help clear any suspicion. After all, even if it's only a small minority, there are still voices accusing us of being complicit in plagiarism."

The manager had no choice but to bring up the internal investigation. No matter how much they tried to avoid it, it was the only way to maintain appearances.

Even if the announcement was vague, the public would understand it as a sign of accountability. The real risk, however, was Lucas himself; if he truly had plagiarized, such a move might put him on guard, making him more careful and possibly erasing traces that could have otherwise been uncovered, which would only make things harder later.

Besides, even if they banned Lucas from browsing the internet and released a statement to calm the public, their plan could still develop cracks.

Anyone close to Lucas could easily take a screenshot and send it to him, which would only raise his suspicions. On the other hand, they couldn't simply launch an investigation in secret and reveal the results afterward.

If it turned out that Lucas really had plagiarized, announcing it only at the end, without having made their stance clear from the start, would make it seem as though the company had been using him as a scapegoat.

Worse, people might accuse them of manipulating the situation like heartless capitalists who control everything, and the company could end up lumped together with Lucas in the backlash.

That left only one viable path: to inform Lucas vaguely about their plan and make him cooperate. This way, he would believe the company was standing behind him, while the public would see both his willingness to comply and the company's apparent transparency.

It would project the image that Lucas was clean and free of guilt, preserving the company's reputation.

More importantly, the reason the manager urged Lucas to start writing songs now was to use them as evidence. If Lucas truly was a genius songwriter and composer, his new work would prove it.

But if the pattern, technique, and depth of these fresh compositions differed greatly from the song he proudly claimed as his own, then that too would serve as evidence, just not in his favor.

Either way, the company could proceed with its investigation while keeping Lucas involved, ensuring he wouldn't grow suspicious. At the same time, their stance would appear clear to the public, showing that they were taking the matter seriously while giving Lucas the chance to demonstrate his supposed innocence.

But Lucas, intoxicated by the flood of praise from netizens hailing him as a "genius" and a "talented composer songwriter," had grown so arrogant that he fully believed the title himself.

Rather than hesitating, he welcomed the manager's proposal, convinced he could easily produce a song superior to the one under scrutiny. Whether it was blind arrogance clouding his awareness of his own limitations, or simply the folly of a man who only knew how to scheme against the weak, was unclear.

What was certain was that Lucas agreed far too easily—something that even startled the manager. For a moment, the manager wondered if they had misjudged him. Could Lucas have truly written the song? Or was he just confident he could bluff his way out by hastily throwing together a new composition?

In the end, the manager didn't care which it was. What mattered was that Lucas had taken the bait and agreed to cooperate. With that secured, the manager immediately gave the PR team the go-ahead to release the company's statement, which shows that they are acknowledging accountability and announcing that an internal investigation was already underway to address any potential issues.

With this, the manager had fulfilled Rafael's orders and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Lucas, on the other hand, was convinced that the company was standing firmly behind him.

To him, the plan of having him compose a new song while publicly announcing an internal investigation was nothing more than a clever move to clear his name, elevate his image, and silence the doubts spreading online.

Meanwhile, Logan remained silent and appeared guilt-ridden, which only made the tide shift further in Lucas's favor.

Once the statement was released, netizens began praising SOE for their swift response and their seemingly fair and righteous stance, boosting the company's reputation in the process.

The manager couldn't help but smile from ear to ear at the favorable outcome. As for Lucas, his reputation soared even higher.

Drunk on the public's admiration and basking in the affection of countless fans, he felt more inspired than ever to compose a new song, fully convinced that he was untouchable.

But the higher he climbed, the harder the fall would be when he finally came crashing back down. In his fleeting moment of triumph, Lucas forgot everything else, blinded by his desire to rise higher, even if it meant trampling over Logan as nothing more than a stepping stone.

Meanwhile, Logan quietly poured his energy into composing a new song of his own.

Just as Lucas was reveling in his success, another call came through. The moment he saw the name on the screen, a smug grin tugged at his lips, and a demeaning glint flickered in his eyes.

But in an instant, he smoothed over his expression, masking arrogance with pitiful fragility. When he finally answered, his voice broke into a whimper.

"Mom…"

"Don't worry, Lucas. Mom is on your side. I'll teach that brat Logan, a lesson so he stops bullying you. You don't have to think too hard about the accusations online; just focus on what you're best at. Your father and I are right behind you, and we'll support you all the way, okay?"

The woman's voice was gentle, reassuring. But the bitter irony was that this woman was supposed to be Logan's mother.