Ariana clasped her hands together and said meaningfully, “Donna wants to see me fail, so she made me your agent. I'm just a newcomer. Why do you think that she's getting worked up over a newbie?"

“Are you trying to say that she's gunning for your backer, not you?" Sarah tapped her chin thoughtfully. The whole arrangement was dubious Having known that Donna always tried to bring down those who posed a threat to her, and judging from how elegantly Ariana carried herself, Sarah suspected that she was from a family of old money.

Ariana smiled brightly.

“That was a good guess. Maybe it's because I'm the CEO's wife."

Sarah rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on. Stop joking about something Like that."

"I'm not joking," Ariana muttered seriously

It was the absolute truth. Why did no one believe her?

“Please! I wasn't born yesterday. Tell that to kids; they will believe you." Sarah chuckled. She shook her head and sat back on the sofa. Then she Lit up another cigarette.

In the blink of an eye, Ariana grabbed the cigarette off her hand and said, “Don't you know smoking is bad for you? As a singer, you shouldn't be touching a cigarette at all!"

Sarah sucked her teeth.

"What difference does it make? My career is finished. No one wants to Listen to me sing or buy my records."

She took out another cigarette from the box.

Seeing this, Ariana had no choice but to hand the cigarette back to her. She then looked at her and said, "You might be bad business for others, but not for me. You are my only shot at gaining a foothold in SJ Entertainment. Basically, we need each other now. Trust me. I'll do my best to help you."

Sarah took a puff and stared blankly at the wall. She calmed a Little. Ariana's soft voice sounded Like music to her ears. This was the first time in ages that she heard something positive from anyone. It was nice to know that someone still believed in her when everyone else had already written her off.

Even if the company’s PR department tried all it could to clean up the mess after the scandal, it would be pointless. She was a singer who had been away for five years, while Lynch was making waves as an A-List actor. Many of the top guns in the entertainment industry were supporting him just because of the amount of profit he brought them. So, it was impossible for the company to offend so many people just for a has-been star like Sarah.

Ariana was naive and ignorant. That was why she could be so full of hope. She knew nothing about the dog-eat-dog world out there.

“Tell me what happened. I need to hear your side of the story, so I know where to begin,“ Ariana continued.

Sarah squinted her eyes and slowly blew a puff of smoke into the air. She had nothing to say.

Her silence made Ariana anxious. She leaned forward and took Sarah's free hand in hers.