Chapter 67 - A Plan

Sighing heavily, Alice glared at Phillippe, this time threatening," Mr. Phillippe, this is the time to choose your loyalties. You can gain nothing by sitting on the fence. Because then, I would be forced to push you off the fence and then which side you land on, would be quite a mystery."

As Phillippe heard, what was clearly a threat, he knew that he would have to come clean and talk directly. Though, how much he could trust a person who was known to be devoid of emotions was beyond him. Sitting, he stated," Chairwoman Faye. It is SKY's own people who are trying to sabotage them. I am not too sure that the accident last night was just that but the only reason I directed the police investigation in that direction was to be sure. B.P. Entertainment is the label that has an exclusive contract with SKY. Since SKY and B.P Entertainment were both comparatively new at the time, the contract terms were more tight than usual. It usually happens when a band is just starting it's journey. At the same time, I was signed on to be their manager. For the last six years, I have worked as hard as those boys to bring them to this international stage. My priorities are not questionable! My job has included not just the welfare of those boys but also sometimes ruthlessly quashing friendships that would distract them from their path.." This time he directed a pointed look Alice' way. But Alice did not feel threatened. Because when it came to work, if you were not ruthless then people would be ruthless to you.

She waited patiently for the man to continue, knowing there was more to the story than on the surface. Anyway what we were not aware of was that B.P. Entertainment had a strong backer. The company was founded not to give upcoming artists a chance but to pave the way for a rich second generation heir who had just become a trainee. SKY was supposed to be the trial run. But in an unexpected twist of fate, these boys gained not just fame but unmatched and unrivaled fame. As a result, the debut of the band with the rich heir had to be pushed forward. At that time B.P Entertainment started to pull back their resources, limiting the budgets but instead of deterring them, the boys made even better of these, winning even more hearts. And that is when B.P realized that they would have to do something that might cause irrevocable harm or at least enough to SKY's reputation that it would have valid reasons to revoke the contract without having to pay the breach charges."

This time, Alice was really shocked. Without even looking at any sales figures, she could easily guess the earning SKY must be making. To put it in blunt terms, why would a company try to kill their own cash cow? "Let me get this straight, B.P Entertainment plans to debut another group and they can't have two groups? What kind of a company can only run with one group?"

This time Phillippe could not withhold his exasperation and said," The thing is, any new group would naturally be compared with the senior group. And SKY is too talented! Making the group that they have to put together look beyond mediocre. But if SKY is out of the limelight, there would be no comparisons and if they are disgraced, then it would be even better."

"Then why are you not looking for another company for them?"

Phillippe replied in a single name, "A.P and Sons Corporation."

And that single name was enough to explain the circumstances to Alice. AP and Sons were one of the biggest companies in the infrastructure sector and on par in might with Faye Group. Even though they had not directly connected themselves with B.P , having them as their backing meant that any other entertainment company would be hesitant to take them on. Infrastructure companies like them had too many links with the underworld. "When did you discover all this? And why is AP and Sons not supporting B.P Entertainment openly?"

"It was actually Adam who had been overly cautious since the beginning. You know he has a high IQ. He is actually the one who insisted on adding the breach clause for all of them. According to this clause, if there was a breach from the company then they would have to pay them according to their estimated goodwill in the market. And at this time, the company cannot afford that. This clause is also what has kept those boys in line and they have never fallen into the drug and other vices that dominate this industry. Anyway, Adam was wary from the beginning and it was a good thing because he warned me when the company started withdrawing funds two years ago. It began with small things but soon, we were facing problems from all suppliers for props to ill fitting clothes from the stylists. Little things but which would make us look too shabby. It is also why I started looking for long time endorsements from the outside, because the boys were now supplementing their music with their own earnings. We were careful to not let it show though. However the company was getting impatient. Hence they declared a vacation for the boys at the beginning of this year. This was because they were hoping that once they had some free time the boys would fall off the track and cause some scandals making them loose not just their reputation but also their earnings."

This time Alice narrowed her eyes as the puzzle started to come together. "So the scandal at the beginning of the year was also deliberately created?"

"Yes." 

"And my marketing team had also been bribed to drop them?"

"Yes. That would have left a black mark on them. But you intervened."

As Phillippe said this, a light bulb seemed to go on in his head. Alice Faye had staunchly supported them against her own people's opinions! That meant...she had been with K even then?"

Alice smirked at Phillippe's expression as he tried to absorb the information that Adam and her had been acquainted even then. But now that she understood the past and the enemy they faced, she needed him to focus on the present and the future. A P and Sons were no small fish. They may be an essentially infrastructure company, but they had their fingers in many pies.

"So what is B.P Entertainment planning now?"

This time Phillippe looked hopeful as he gazed at the lady and replied," The higher ups think that this is the best opportunity to bring down SKY's fame. The biggest reason they have reached here is that the boys have given enough content to make their fans keep looking for more. From winter packages, mixtapes and collaborations, they have always been positively in the news. But now, each of them is going to need a long time to recover. Plus, their endorsements and the variety show that they are shooting with you will suffer. This way, they will be out of sight of their fans. And you know what they say, out of sight is out of mind. B.P is going to place them in rehabilitation homes and show them goodwill and patience on the surface, urging the audience to wait and let SKY recover well. And once their popularity is declining, B.P will launch the group that they have waiting in wings, letting them ride in the sympathy of their seniors who had to take an early retirement due to this unfortunate accident. And we can do nothing about this."

As Phillippe finished saying this, a pensive silence filled the room. Both the people knew that they had finally reached a dead end. With the condition the boys were in, there really was nothing that could be done. And the entertainment industry was ruthless. Once the fans had changed their preference to someone else, even if they made a return, it would not be enough to bring them back to their peak.

Just as Alice wondered if she needed to set up her own entertainment company, the door opened and Adam walked in. When he looked at the tense atmosphere, he sighed and pulled a seat, throwing himself in a chair and leaning back his head.

Unable to stop herself, Alice who was known for her pride and arrogance, walked to Adam and caressed his head tenderly, making Phillippe almost fall off the chair. Adam let himself soak her care before he caught her hand and said," I already have something in mind to battle the problems we are going to face. Thank you, Alice. I will also have to trouble you some more.."

But Alice ignored what he said softly, asking," You have a plan? What is it? Tell me?"

Adam watched as the two people looked at him eagerly before opening his mouth to explain what he had in mind.