Chapter 233

Chapter 233

“Annika jumped off a building?” Madelyn gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief as she clutched the phone screen displaying the shocking news. She grabbed Lily’s hand instinctively, seeking

confirmation.

“No way! If she had, it would be all over the news by now. Just look at the likes on these tweets. It’s over a million and a half!” Lily pointed at the screen, her finger hovering over the second tweet’s likes count.

In this scene, not even the most famous pop idols could boast such engagement on their social

media posts!

The fan wars between Annika and Madelyn had been relentless for months, each side throwing shade and jostling for the upper hand. With Madelyn’s fan base dwarfing that of Annika, an indie cover artist, Madelyn had always been on the winning side. Guided by Madelyn and Lily’s subtle instigations, the narrative had been that Annika was riding on Madelyn’s coattails for fame and followers.

The heat from this feud had never died down, with Madelyn snagging a top trending spot for her new single released just a half–month prior.

Whether Annika was leeching off Madelyn’s fame was unknown, but Madelyn had been milking the situation to maintain her image.

“And get this! One of Annika’s friends just pulled up your track from last month and did a side–by–side with one of Annika’s older songs!” Lily continued, swiftly navigating to another post and showing Madelyn the damning evidence video.

“The court of public opinion has turned against us!” Lily’s voice came with urgency.

She had sensed something amiss the previous night and tried calling Madelyn but to no avail.

Initially, Lily hadn’t been too concerned when the plagiarism accusations had no solid proof. But the internet went into a frenzy when the evidence video dropped that morning.

Everyone had assumed Annika was piggybacking off Madelyn’s success, but it appeared that Madelyn might have been lifting Annika’s tunes.

Before last night, Annika had been silent on social media for two months, and the general sentiment had been sympathy for her. Many believed Madelyn’s toxic fans had driven her to the edge.

Madelyn was the rising starlet of Country Solara, unrivaled in her status among the new wave of artists. Her following magnitude was immense, and that same magnitude mirrored the backlash she faced.

“Look at this mess! The comments are tearing you apart!” Lily’s finger scrolled through the endless insults in the comment section. “Plus, this morning, the two biggest fan pages announced they’re shutting down and dropping support!”

1/2

11.07

Chapter 233

Madelyn felt her head spinning, her eyes struggling to keep up with Lily’s frantic scrolling.

After a moment, her voice barely above a whisper, she asked, “But we remixed those tracks thoroughly. How could they match up?”

“The sound engineer got lazy!” Lily exclaimed, almost hopping in place with anxiety. “This eight–bar loop is practically identical!”

“Just eight bars, and that’s plagiarism?” Madelyn’s voice remained soft, though the skepticism was apparent. “Without real evidence, it’s just slander.”

“How do we explain this to the fans? What do we tell the studio? Can we tell them Annika faked her death for attention?” Lily shook her head in response. “Madelyn, we lost the prime opportunity to counter–attack last night. It’s too late now!”

Madelyn had never imagined she’d be outplayed by a small–time cover artist. Feeling her legs give out, she stumbled backward and collapsed onto the nearby sofa.

“There’s only one way out of this.” Lily’s gaze fixed on Madelyn, her voice grave.

“What is it?” Madelyn paused, then asked.

Lily took a deep breath before whispering, “We need to make peace with Annika privately. Pay her off. Give her whatever she asks. And have her tell her fans it was all a misunderstanding!”

Madelyn sat in silence.

But as the situation had worsened like this, it seemed Lily’s suggestion was the only way out.

After a moment, she whispered, “Okay… you call her…”

Lily retrieved Annika’s contact information, previously listed on her Twitter bio, took a deep breath, and dialed the number.