The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 458

"I gave him a way out, and he slapped it away. Who is to blame for that?"

Under Magnus’s withering gaze, Luke lowered his head guiltily, unable to meet his boss's eyes. "But..."

"No buts!" Magnus sneered. Clive refused to cooperate, and here was Luke defending him. Did they think he ran a charity? He had a business to run and no time for nonsense.

"Do you think I’m discussing this with you to negotiate? I told you, I was offering him a lifeline!" Magnus turned to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city lights. "Three hundred million in contract penalties. That’s enough to ruin him ten times over. He refused the shortcut and chose the dead end. He can’t blame me for what happens next."

Luke stood frozen, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. He remembered the first time he met Clive four years ago—a young man as proud as a peacock, sweating in the practice room, his eyes burning with ambition. And now...

"Luke," Magnus said, turning suddenly. "You’d best remember which side you’re on."

He walked closer and patted Luke’s shoulder, the pressure heavy and warning. "The company didn't groom you all these years to be a saint. However... if your conscience is really eating you up, feel free to pay his debt for him."

Luke lowered his gaze, terrified. "Mr. Judson, you don't need to say anymore. I understand."

"Good." Magnus returned to his leather chair. "Regardless, at 10:00 AM tomorrow, Legal will issue the termination notice."

He glanced up, his expression meaningful. "As for Clive's dirty laundry... you know what to do."

The entire floor was ablaze with light, the sound of typing filling the air. PR Director Wilma stared at her screen with cold detachment. "Are the materials ready?"

"All set." A young assistant pushed up his black-framed glasses and handed a tablet to Wilma. "Wilma, we have everything: chat logs showing Clive juggling five girls seamlessly, hotel surveillance screenshots, and even two audio recordings."

Wilma scanned the folder of meticulously fabricated and curated content. Ensuring the evidence was damning enough to bury Clive, she nodded with satisfaction. "Is the timeline consistent?"

"As ordered, we selected the gap in his schedule while filming ‘Skyward Missive’ last year," the assistant whispered. "Even if he tries to prove his innocence, we’ve already paid off the crew. No one will vouch for him."

Wilma took a sip of coffee and swiped across the trackpad. Over twenty chat windows with influential marketing accounts popped up on the screen.