Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 583 The Power of Rich Women

Lance smiled awkwardly, "Hehe, Ms. Fleur, you have a unique taste."

Clara replied, "Violeta is unavailable, so there's no need for us to continue. I'll discuss this further in our meeting when I return." Lance nodded. "Sure, sure."

Out of courtesy, Clara had her assistant take the stack of celebrities' profiles with them as they left.

Even though she had her preferences, she couldn't be too dismissive of the other celebrities-it would be too rude.

Lance walked Clara out himself.

Before he could even get back to his office, Eugene popped up out of nowhere.

"Lance, how was it? That meeting wrapped up fast. Didn't it go well? Who did end up signing?"

Lance stopped mid-motion while opening the office door and gave Eugene an annoyed look. "Do you ever do anything? You startled me!"

Eugene shrugged. "What else can I do? My actress is busy with shoots, and I've got nothing to do. I've been so bored lately, I figured I'd come hang out with you." Lance went into the office.

Eugene breezed in and flopped onto the sofa, lounging like he owned the place.

"So, who did end up getting the deal? You're still keeping it a secret?"

Lance said, "Man, you must be seriously bored."

Eugene tried to look uninterested, but he might as well have had "Tell me now" written all over him.

"Nobody," Lance said. "They have someone in mind already."

Eugene exclaimed, "Huh? If that's the case, why'd they come to the company to discuss a deal? Are they bored or something?"

Lance chuckled. "Well, the one they like is too busy. They're actually interested in signing your artists!"

Eugene's eyes widened in surprise, then he burst out laughing.

"No way! They want to sign Violeta? Hahaha!"

Lance said, "Stop laughing. If you need to laugh, do it somewhere else. They want Violeta, but she's too busy to sign right now. So, we might miss out on such a great chance. That's just how it is. "I need to get ready and talk this over with them at tonight's meeting."

With his curiosity satisfied, Eugene didn't bother sticking around any longer. Feeling great, he got up, dusted himself off, and headed out.

After leaving Apex, Clara called Amber to explain the whole situation.

"It's not that I don't want to help you,

sis. I even took my assistant and went to Apex Entertainment today but they told me Violeta's not available. She's filming right now, and her contract says she can't do any commercial stuff."

Amber said, "What? How did that happen?"

Clara said, "You think I'm lying, huh? Honestly, I also think Violeta's image is great. She'd be perfect for a perfume commercial. It would definitely blow up." She had seen some of Violeta's magazine covers before.

The one that left the biggest impression on Clara was a cover shot by photographer Aileen.

Violeta was oozing femininity, like she was the definition of female charm.

Amber said, "If we can't get Violeta, might as well forget about having a spokesperson."

Clara shot back, "Come on, you think I run Eau Amore or something? You're fifty-why are you still being so dramatic?

"But if you're set on getting Violeta, I've got a plan. I can show you how to handle it."

Even though Clara had a lot of influence on the company, she wasn't the one making the final decision.

The company would always look at the profit side of things.

If Violeta wasn't available, they'd have to go with another celebrity.

Violeta was filming and wouldn't wrap up for at least another year Even if Clara was willing to wait that long for Eau Amore, the other board members definitely wouldn't be willing.

Nobody was ready to set such a precedent-it was just too outrageous.

Unless it was what the consumers wanted.

"How much do you spend at Eau Amore each year?"

"Millions, I guess? I don't really keep track."

"Get your friends together and start a petition for Violeta as the spokesperson. If there's enough consumer pressure, the company will probably come to me to work things out. And in the end, they'd likely agree to wait for Violeta's availability."

Clara said in an upbeat tone.

Amber thought it over and said, "You know, that's actually a pretty good idea."

Just for information: Eau Amore's customers were mostly rich women.

Even though the board members had a lot of power, it couldn't match the influence of these rich women.