273 Chapter 273: I Hope That I Don’t Let You Down (1/2)

As soon as she was able, Kylie paid a visit to Garcia Entertainment. Upon arrival, she saw right away that their employees were on tenterhooks. She hadn't realized that her absence caused them so much stress. As soon as she was seen, someone rushed up to her and said, ”Thank God! You're finally here. ”The stocks are not going up. If they continue to drop, I'm afraid that our company could go bankrupt at any moment.”

”What is your biggest fear?” Kylie wondered.

”Someone has told me that I should begin looking for a new job,” she replied, ”but I'm not young, and I still have responsibilities…. Furthermore, when I started here, I encouraged all of my relatives to buy our stocks. Now that the stocks are falling, everyone is angry with me. My grandmother could even lose her house. If that happened, she would have to come and live with me!”

”I don't know what to say,” Kylie replied. ”I am in the same boat as you. At this point, all we can do is hope and pray.”

”Hope and pray,” the woman laughed as she walked away. Once she was out of sight, Kylie walked towards her office, and as she went, she noticed that people were sluggish. Likely, the sensed impending doom, and it sat heavily on their hearts. If the company were to survive, though, she needed everyone to bring their A-Game every day. That being said, she did not know how to light a fire under their asses.

As she passed the water fountain, she was accosted by two other employees. They reminded her that it was nearly the end of the month, and they wanted to know if she would keep her promise to them. Before Kylie could answer, Lily, Fannie, and a number of artists, including Elizabeth Wilson, joined the conversation. They, too, were interested in the answer.

”I am doing my best,” Kylie replied sadly. ”Don't panic, though. There are still ten days left until the end of the month. I'll try my best to keep my promise.”

Fannie looked at Kylie and said, ”What can I do to help? We are like family here. If the company goes down, we all go down with it!”

Kylie smiled and said, ”Just keep up the good work. If I need help in any area, I will call on one of you. As for now, we will be promoting a single artist. If we can show that we can bring an actor or actress from obscurity and raise her up like a star in the sky, our stocks' values are sure to rise.”

All of the artists present wanted to hit it big, so they paid careful attention to see if Kylie would announce who she'd chosen to be the next rising star.

After a moment of suspense, Kylie pointed to Elizabeth Wilson and said, ”I have made my choice.”

”I have faith in you,” Kylie replied. ”Give this your all, and if you succeed, your star will rise, and you will be our savior. Don't worry about the risk. The risk is mine to take, and in order for this to work, we have to prove ourselves to the industry with an unknown artist. If you need to improve your acting skills, don't panic; I will provide you with an acting coach.”

Kylie turned to Fannie and said, ”I'd like you to start promoting Wilson on Social Media. The sooner people see her face, the sooner she will become a household name. Never forget: this industry is built on hype.”

Kylie turned to Elizabeth and said, ”After today, you will be under a kind of scrutiny that you have never previously faced. Until you are comfortable with the paparazzi, if they ask you any questions, I want you to smile and say, ”I have no comment at this time,” until they leave you alone.

Elizabeth nodded and said, ”I can do that,” and, ”Thank you for this opportunity. I hope that I don't let you down.”

***

Later that day, Fannie and Nina approached Kylie in her office to give her a progress report. ”It is not going to be easy to promote Elizabeth,” they explained, ”because she has nothing to promote. That being said, we could get you back on Harmonia TV. If you agree, they are willing to allow Elizabeth to join you.”

Kylie sighed. She was busy, and she had no desire to be back on the set of Harmonia TV, but she saw the wisdom in their suggestion. Harmonia had done a lot of good for her own career when she'd just started out, and she could see how it could help launch Elizabeth's.

Kylie looked up and asked where Faith was.

”She said she had an important date,” Fannie replied.

Kylie's heart sank, and she hoped that Faith wasn't out with Ken before. Just to be safe, she phoned Ken's cell phone. As soon as he answered, she snapped, ”Where are you?”