Chapter 276 - Gold Digger

Emerson was in the middle of a meeting when the video was released. Danson's secretary notified him about the video before it was posted up, so he subconsciously checked Avaleigh's account to see how the public responded.

One of the managers was explaining something serious when Emerson sneakily glanced down at his phone and scrolled through the comments.

At first, the comments were quite positive so he couldn't help but smile.

The casino managers saw this and looked at each other with confusion. Had they said something funny?

But, Emerson's smile quickly disappeared and he furrowed his brows with frustration. As he scrolled further down, the comments began to change:

"I was on the train that day. I clearly heard the man ask her for a price. It sounded like she was selling 'other services'."

"The man was wearing a Burberry suit and his suitcase was Gucci! He looks rich!"

"Is she a gold digger?"

"Disgusting!!"

Emerson quickly checked his watch. 40 minutes until Avaleigh's press conference.

Annoyed by the comments, he slammed his hands on the table and stood up.

Everyone jumped in fright. Had they done something wrong? Wasn't the CEO smiling just a moment ago? Were they about to get fired?

"The meeting is dismissed," Emerson announced all of a sudden. He then grabbed his stuff and rushed straight out of the casino.

...

Avaleigh and her manager were focused on preparing for the press conference so they did not get the chance to follow-up on the comments. They simply assumed that the scandal was over after seeing the initial positive response. But, they had no idea that the situation had changed.

Magnolia PR tried to contact Sue about the urgent turn of events, but the changeroom was noisy, and with 7 members to manage, she did not hear her phone.

However, one member happened to notice what was going on. 

Whether it was due to jealousy or hatred, Mimi had been keeping an eye on Avaleigh's scandal from the start. So, she saw the video as soon as it was posted and saw the initial positive comments. But, she continued to check on it to see how popular the post got. Sometimes, the more something annoyed someone, the more they wanted to look at it.

As the view count increased, Mimi clenched her fists in anger. Did Avaleigh deliberately create this scandal to drive up her popularity?

But, when she began to see the comments turn negative, she smiled. "Let's see how Avaleigh maintains her popularity after this," she thought to herself.

Mimi had always been jealous of Avaleigh's popularity and exposure. She also hated that she was the leader, that she made the most money and always stood in the center. So, these negative comments seemed like her opportunity to throw Avaleigh under the bus and shine. Thus, she decided to remain quiet and wait for Avaleigh to be criticized on stage.

Soon, the press conference started and the media were gathered inside a conference hall. Just outside the hall were fans waiting to see their idols. 

As the 7 girls walked onto the stage, the fans outside peered in through the doorway and screamed with excitement. Of course, there were a minority of people that glared at Avaleigh with disgust. 

"There she is. She actually made an appearance. Hasn't she seen the comments online?" a young woman whispered to her friends.

"She must be shameless."

As the girls sat down, the security guards gestured for the fans to hush and they all quietened down.

Like always, Avaleigh sat in the middle and her members sat in their usual positions beside her.

Mimi hated sitting at the very edge where people barely noticed her, but she had no choice.

Soon, the first reporter stood up and started asking some questions. This reporter was from the local newspaper, so she was professional and stuck to questions related to the concert and the group in general.

"How was your rehearsal this morning? Are you ready for your first show tomorrow?" the reporter asked.

"Our rehearsal ran perfectly. There were no mistakes and the stage and lighting crew here in Hong Kong have been really helpful," Avaleigh replied in Cantonese.

Of course, due to their language barrier, Avaleigh answered most of the questions on behalf of her group.

This annoyed Mimi even more.

But, after this reporter was done, the reporter from a popular gossip magazine stood up with a smirk, adjusted his glasses and started questioning them in English. He wanted to make sure everyone understood his questions because he wanted them to hear what he wanted to say and he wanted to see their reactions.

"Ava, do you feel like you've disappointed your fans with your recent scandal?" the reporter asked straightforwardly.

Avaleigh looked at the reporter with confusion. Didn't Magnolia already prove it was an accident? How was it a disappointment?

"It was already proven to be an accident this morning..." Avaleigh replied carefully.

"Judging by your confused expression, I'm assuming you haven't seen the recent comments to your video..." the reporter smirked as he waved his phone.

Avaleigh quickly checked her phone and scrolled through the comments, while everyone else did the same thing. Of course, some people hadn't seen it either.

Avaleigh saw the negative comments and frowned. 

"It seems like you found yourself a rich man here in Hong Kong. Is this how you've managed to receive so many jobs outside of Korea?" the reported sneered.

Avaleigh cleared her throat and kept her calm, "I maintain that this was an accident. I didn't know that man."

At that moment, Mimi jumped in and said, "Ava works hard on negotiating jobs outside of Korea. She's serious about her work and is often flying around. She's even flown to Hong Kong personally to discuss some of her jobs and to attend auditions."

"Oh really? How often does she fly?" the reporter asked.

"Once every couple of weeks. She barely gets any sleep and always returns looking really tired," Mimi frowned with concern.

But, this response made the reporter laugh, "Are you sure she's been flying for work? Or to have fun with her wealthy lover?"

The entire conference hall broke out in whispers.

"I'm curious, Miss Song, I heard the man asked you how much you charge. So, how much did you charge him for your visits?"

Avaleigh looked around with embarrassment as everyone looked at her with disgust. How did things turn out like this?

Meanwhile, Mimi leaned back in her chair and held back her smile. Since Avaleigh liked being the center of attention, she could have all the attention she wanted.