Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne-Chapter 82: Joanna’s Ability

A call from Joanna came in almost immediately. "My dear Riley, this is a blessing in disguise! The Morgan Group just contacted me—they want to hire you as the spokesperson for their Radiance line, and believe me, the offer is *very* attractive!" A wild peal of laughter then erupted from the phone.

Riley Perry said, "...Is all that really necessary?"

Joanna shot back, "Is it necessary? What do you mean, ’is it necessary’?! Do you have any idea how much the endorsement fee is?"

Joanna then rattled off a number.

Riley Perry resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Joanna, do you really think a company like the Morgan Group makes losing deals? Never mind that my follower count hit over six million yesterday. Given all the online buzz about the incident, if they launch a new makeup line now to strike while the iron is hot, this price is more than justified, don’t you think?"

Joanna was speechless. ’Oh, right. I almost forgot. My dear Riley isn’t the same person she used to be—the one with a million followers, six hundred thousand of whom were bots and another three hundred fifty thousand of whom were anti-fans.’

"So, are we taking the deal?"

Riley Perry said, "Ask them if they’re okay with it. I have a lot of scandals attached to my name, you know. If they don’t mind, we can sign, but we have to add a clause to the contract..."

’My situation is a bit precarious right now, with people constantly trying to dig up dirt on me. If someone manages to smear my name again and the Morgan Group tries to make me pay a penalty for breach of contract, I’m not putting up with that!’

Joanna was stunned. "You... you... you just get to my office right now! This is too complicated to discuss over the phone."

Riley Perry had no choice but to gather her things, grab her purse, and head to Joanna’s office. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Tossing her purse aside, Riley Perry flopped onto the sofa. "I’ve thought it over. All my future endorsements need to have this kind of clause. What if someone fabricates a bunch of ridiculous scandals about me and all my sponsors demand compensation? I’d be financially ruined, wouldn’t I?"

"Oh, for heaven’s sake, that’s easy for you to say! But who would be willing to play the fool like that?"

’Joanna was getting genuinely anxious. Forget a C-lister like Riley Perry, not even A-list movie stars would dare to be this audacious!’

"Regardless, we just need to make our intentions clear. Whether they accept or not is up to fate. And one more thing, before I sign anything, I need to try the product myself. I’ll only endorse it if it actually works well."

Seeing that Riley’s mind was made up, Joanna said in exasperation, "You really are my little taskmaster! But... you’re not wrong. Trying the product is a good idea; it’s a way of being responsible to your fans. As for the contract clause, all I can do is try."

With that, she dialed the number right in front of Riley Perry.

The call connected quickly. "Hello, President Warren? This is Joanna, Riley Perry’s agent. We just spoke."

"Ah, Agent Joyce. Please, go on."

"Well, it’s like this. I just conveyed your company’s generous offer to our Riley Perry. You see, our Riley is an incredibly responsible person. She feels she has too much negative press, and she’s worried that endorsing your brand could have an adverse impact on your company’s image, so..."

President Warren was flabbergasted. "Agent Joyce, are you telling me you’re turning down the endorsement deal?"

"Sigh... what choice do we have? Just look at all those trolls online. You’d think our Riley Perry went and dug up their ancestral graves. She was clearly the one who was framed, and yet?"

"You saw what happened yesterday. What if she offends someone else, gets flamed into a trending topic again, or someone deliberately tries to slander her? Wouldn’t that just cause a heap of trouble for your company?"

President Warren thought to himself, ’Wasn’t yesterday’s incident a blessing in disguise for you people? She gained over two million followers! Besides, isn’t her talent for attracting controversy exactly what our company finds so appealing?’

"Agent Joyce, be straight with me. Is the endorsement fee too low?"

"No, no, absolutely not! Our Riley was just saying that your company’s offered fee is far too generous. The higher it is, the more uneasy she feels about accepting it. She would never want to take advantage of you."

Riley Perry leaned back on the sofa, her eyes narrowed as she watched the two of them go back and forth. Finally, President Warren understood Joanna’s veiled suggestion. "Agent Joyce, there’s no need for such concern. How about this: we can state in the contract that if another situation similar to yesterday’s occurs, we won’t hold the artist responsible. Wouldn’t that work?"

"Well... President Warren, is that really possible? Would your company agree to such terms?"

As she spoke, Joanna winked at Riley Perry, her expression overflowing with smug satisfaction. Riley Perry quickly made a finger-heart gesture back and gave her a thumbs-up.

This made Joanna even more pleased with herself, and she negotiated the terms with President Warren with renewed vigor.

The two reached a preliminary agreement on the phone.

The next day, Riley Perry was sent over to the Morgan Group for a makeup trial.

The makeup artist’s excitement was palpable as they looked at Riley Perry’s face. "Miss Perry, your skin is the best I have ever seen on anyone. I can’t even see your pores! The same product looks unbelievably different on your face."

She whipped out her phone, pointed it at Riley Perry’s face, and started snapping away. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. Then she sent the photos to President Warren with an urgent message: ’Sign the contract now! We absolutely cannot let her get away.’

Riley Perry looked at her reflection. The makeup was undeniably effective, and the overall look was beautiful. However, she needed to see how it held up before deciding whether to sign the contract.

After the makeup trial, Riley Perry left with Rocco. Before they went, the Morgan Group staff gave her a complete set of their products to test to her heart’s content, asking her for any feedback she might have.

It was still early when they left the Morgan Group, so after a glance at the time, Riley Perry decided to go find Rhona.

Even though it was the weekend, the company’s employees were all working overtime because the new weight-loss drug was about to be launched.

"Ria, look! This is the office I set up for you. It’s spacious, bright, and comfortable. It might be a little small, and it’s just a rental for now, but I promise, one day we’ll have our own office building, and I’ll set up a brand new office for you then!"

Their pharmaceutical factory was named "Benefact," as in "benefactor to all women." The factory itself was located in Timberfall, over five hundred kilometers away, but the head office was in Dragonspire. What could they do? Both bosses simply loved Dragonspire. Besides, five hundred kilometers wasn’t that far—only about a half-day’s drive.

Over the past month, Rhona hadn’t been idle for a second. She’d been shuttling between the factory and Dragonspire, handling everything from selecting the office location to headhunting new talent all on her own.

The weight-loss pills Riley Perry had given her were long gone, but Rhona was still steadily shedding pounds. She now weighed only 108 pounds. Her once-round face had transformed into a delicate oval, her chin so sharp it looked like she’d had cosmetic surgery. Her eyes appeared enormous, and her legs even seemed to have grown by several inches. She was on a whole new level of beautiful!

Riley Perry walked over to the office chair, sank into it, and gave it a satisfied spin. "Rhona, how are you so capable? You’ve decorated this place perfectly!"

’But it’s not like I plan on working in the office,’ she mused. ’What’s the point of having such a nice room?’

"And you’ve become so beautiful! I’m genuinely worried someone’s going to snatch you away!"

An excited Rhona ran over and grabbed Riley Perry’s arm. "Really? Do you really think so? Maybe because I see myself every day, I haven’t noticed that big of a change. I just know I’m getting thinner each day."