Part 3Public Confession, But Her Love Wasn’t Me

That afternoon, I sat in my office, watching the live feed of Veronica’s press conference on the large screen.

She looked thinner, her face pale and fragile, her eyes red and swollen. Will sat beside her, his head bowed, the very picture of innocent, tormented love.

"First, I want to apologize to everyone who cares about me," Veronica began, her voice raspy, as if she'd been crying for hours.

She wove a tragic tale of her pure love for music, of being swept up in the relentless tide of commercialism, of her profound artistic suffering. She painted Will as a beacon of light who had illuminated her dark, corporate world.

She never mentioned a single thing I had done for her. I was simply "the former record label," the "shackles of capital." I, the man she had been with for five years, the man she was supposed to marry, had been erased.

"I admit, Mr. Kang is a brilliant businessman," she said, her voice turning from sorrowful to accusatory. "He brought me to where I am today, and for that, I am grateful."

"But," she continued, her voice trembling with manufactured outrage, "he controlled my work, my social life, even my thoughts! Who I could see, what I could say, what I could wear—everything had to be approved by him! I was just his creation, a puppet with no soul!"

Will, on cue, looked up at the cameras, tears streaming down his face. "It's not Mr. Kang's fault… it's all my fault. I never should have come into her life… Veronica, I'm so sorry…"

The room erupted in a blinding sea of camera flashes.

The live chat comments exploded with fury.

[OMG MY POOR GIRL! WE WILL PROTECT YOU!]

[I’m crying, she was living in a prison this whole time!]

[Jackson Kang is a monster! Get him out of the industry!]

[#FreeVeronica! Let her make real music!]

Finally, Veronica announced she was launching her own independent label, severing all ties with my company.

"I'm going to make the music I want to make, on my own terms. It might be difficult, but I have Will. And our baby."

She looked at him, a tear rolling down her cheek. "And that's enough."

The press conference ended. The internet detonated.

I was public enemy number one.

The company's phone lines were jammed. A few of the smaller artists I had personally mentored were already sending feelers through their agents, hinting at wanting to terminate their contracts, afraid of being associated with the "evil corporate tyrant."

The rats were jumping ship.

I looked at the hypocritical, tear-stained face on the screen and felt nothing but a cold, crystallizing hatred.

I wiped a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen and buzzed my assistant.

"Get legal, and get every department head. Conference room one. Five minutes."

Kevin looked at me, his eyes filled with concern. "Mr. Kang…"

I forced a smile, my voice calm and steady. "Conference room one. Five minutes."

"I'm going to utterly destroy her."