CHAPTER 140: MICHAEL ACTIONS (2)

As Dayo walked out, Alice followed and tapped his shoulder.

"So are you avoiding me now?" Alice said, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

Dayo shook his head. He had partially been avoiding her — not fully — because he’d been busy and didn’t want to have the conversation.

" Says who? How can I avoid such beauty?" Dayo smiled cheekily.

Alice looked stunned for a moment, then regained herself. "Dayo, I know the other day was a bit abrupt, but that’s how I feel, and I won’t hide it. I just wanted to apologize if I came on a bit too forward."

Dayo was surprised. He thought she wanted to apologise for a mistake — who knew it was the other way around? She’d come to apologise because she felt she’d been too forward.

"Wow. I don’t even know what to say. I’m beyond speechless," Dayo said, half stunned.

"I don’t need you to say anything. Just wait and watch me steal your heart," she said, looked around, gave Dayo a quick peck on the cheek, and walked away fast.

Dayo jerked a little, stunned. He wondered how Alice did it — it felt like a switch in personality. Sometimes she would be playful and cheerful; the next moment, she could be all serious. The change was shocking, even to Dayo, but he just shrugged it off.

Just then, he received a call.

—Luna—

"Hey, bae, what’s up?" Dayo said as he walked toward the staircase.

"Uh, I’m fine. I’m outside waiting for you," Luna said, sounding a bit shaky.

"For real?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Come down."

"Alright, you’ll see me now." As Dayo reached downstairs, he saw Luna leaning on his car. He went and hugged her, then went for a kiss — and she dodged.

"Uh, we are outside, Dayo," she said with a hint of annoyance.

Dayo was taken aback a bit but smiled. "My bad. So what do I owe this surprise visit?"

"What do you mean? Can’t I come and visit you?" she said, small frown.

"Of course you can." Dayo smiled as he hugged her.

"Well, I saw the news and wanted to come and cheer you up."

"Wow. I’m so lucky. Thanks, bae." Dayo smiled.

"Yeah, just hop in already," Luna said with a small smile.

They left a bit later. Dayo drove Luna home and then headed home himself. While on his way, he felt Luna change. He couldn’t pinpoint it, but his instincts picked up a shift in her behavior — especially someone close. He shrugged it off; he had urgent things to do, and his mind was quickly occupied.

The following days were oddly quiet, but Dayo was not at ease. He was still battling the copyright issues, and the online dragging about him hadn’t reduced — rather, it increased.

It had been a week since the first incident, and, just as predicted, Michael struck again. Sharon came to tell him something, and he asked her to call a meeting.

Upon arriving at the hall, everyone was already present.

Dayo looked up. "What’s the update?"

Elana opened another thread. "We’ve got a story running in three tabloids about a private video supposedly showing misconduct at a studio party. It’s been doctored to show you touching people. We also got word that Matteo, your feature, is publicly distancing himself. A statement dropped on his socials — says he regrets working with JD Records. Their manager called this morning. They say they were ’informed’ and need to protect the artist."

"Sabotaged collaboration," Rex said. "They blackmailed the feature into stepping away."

Dayo just smiled. He had already received a call from Matteo before all of this. Matteo told Dayo they had a picture and video of him on drugs. Dayo told him to go with the flow, but Matteo wanted to argue. Dayo said to him, "Even if you don’t, they’ll find another story. So go with the flow. Protect yourself first."

Dayo shrugged from his deep thinking and asked, "What else did he put out?"

Valery rubbed her temples. "They went for the tour — two of the venues canceled upcoming appearances citing ’safety concerns’ and ’permit issues.’ One local council pulled a permit for the reunion pop-up — inspectors cited crowd control and a late application. We’ve got emails showing a related city official received a ’request’ to review our files."

"Paid influencers and permit pull," he said as his brain worked at full capacity to read Michael’s moves. "They’re trying to choke the tour and control the narrative." Dayo sighed. He had announced his tour in the second week after the release of his album and was expecting to start next month, but with the look of things, he couldn’t make the quick cash he wanted.

"What are the chances of the show being canceled?" Dayo asked, looking at Alice.

"Very high, but I would suggest we cancel it ourselves rather than being pushed out," Alice replied.

Dayo thought for a while before nodding. If the issue kept dragging on, he might not be able to host the show in peace. The local police or event agencies could shut the place down mid-show due to "safety issues," so it was best to cancel. After all, fans hadn’t started paying yet, so this reduced the issue of refunds.

"Alright, handle the cancellation of the show. Come up with an excuse and promise that I will hold it soon," Dayo said.

"Okay. Is that all, or is there still more?" he asked.

Urich handed him a printed folder. "And this — three separate cease-and-desist letters filed by people claiming you stole compositions from them. The plaintiffs are minor artists, and two are actors hired through a legal firm with ties to a network that handles reputation management for big labels."

"Fake lawsuits," Dayo said. "They’re piling junk cases so we’re tied up legally and financially."

Dayo rested his back on his chair. His mind was spinning and working through the mess. Lawsuits were one of the most annoying ways to keep someone busy: once they start, they never really end. If you wanted to get someone, you just had to pin something on them and tie them down before bringing up the next thing.

Dayo finally said. "These lawsuits — I don’t want us dragged into court battles this month. Negotiate stays or dismissals where possible. We fight the bad-faith suits with counter-evidence and move fast."

Dayo sighed, tired. He understood what Michael was doing. He could have just taken Dayo out once and really fast, but he wanted Dayo to feel a bit of peace and strike each time, slowly diminishing his shine.

"I wouldn’t forgive this, Michael, I promise," Dayo muttered.