Chapter 496: I Can Manage On My Own
"Hey Bianc, what’s taking so long? Everyone’s waiting!"
"I'm on my way," Bianca said before ending the call.
She wiped a tear from her cheek, then turned and walked toward the restaurant. She didn’t look back.
The party slowly came to an end in the early hours of the morning.
After saying goodbye to her team, Bianca agreed to let Diana drive her and Reese home.
Bianca stayed silent the whole ride.
Noticing her silence, Diana looked at Reese through the mirror.
Reese understood right away and turned to Bianca.
"Bianca, what’s wrong?" she asked softly.
Bianca snapped out of her thoughts. She quickly said, "It’s nothing."
Diana, knowing her too well, jumped in. "You might fool Reese, but not me. I can see it all over you. You helped clear up the rumors today, shut Natalie down, and things are finally good between you and Dave. It should be a happy day. So why do you look so down?"
Reese nodded in agreement.
"She’s right, Bianca. If something’s wrong, we’re here. Don’t keep it to yourself." Her voice was gentle. "I’ve felt like that too. Holding it in just makes it worse."
Bianca let out a soft laugh. She didn’t expect Reese to give her a little "talk." But somehow, it made her feel better.
At least Reese was starting to open up and speak from the heart.
Bianca's expression softened. She let out a quiet sigh and said, "Blake is leaving the company."
Both Diana and Reese were shocked.
"What do you mean?" Diana asked, clearly worried.
"He wants to end our contract," Bianca explained.
"What? Why?"
Diana suddenly hit the brakes and pulled over. She turned around, staring at Bianca with wide eyes.
"He wants to end the contract? Are you serious?"
Reese looked just as shocked. "Why—why would he do that?" she asked, stumbling over her words.
Bianca quietly told them that Blake was going abroad for treatment for his leg.
"But he’s only going abroad for six months. He doesn’t have to end the contract," Diana said, clearly confused.
Bianca kept her lips tightly shut. It wasn’t easy to say what she had to say.
Diana leaned forward, growing impatient. "Stop dragging it out. Just say it!"
Bianca finally spoke. "He’s leaving the entertainment industry. He doesn’t want to be a singer anymore."
Diana was stunned. She didn’t know what to say.
Reese sat still, her hands clenched tightly. After a long pause, she finally asked, "Then what does he plan to do?"
Bianca shook her head. "I don’t know."
"But he came to you himself to sign that contract. We gave him everything he needed. Now he’s well-known. His future was set. Why would he just throw that away?"
Diana pulled out her phone, clearly upset. "I’m calling him. I need to know what’s going on. Has he lost his mind?"
"Stop," Bianca said, grabbing Diana’s arm.
She lowered her gaze and spoke softly, "He already made his choice. And I agreed to end the contract."
Diana stared at Bianca in disbelief. "He’s insane—and so are you!"
Reese stayed quiet. Her nails dug into her palms as she bit her lip.
Ever since hearing that Blake was leaving Emerald Artists Agency, her mind had gone blank.
Her chest felt hollow, like all the warmth had been drained away.
Bianca tried to calm Diana down. "You can’t force someone to stay if they don’t want to. He’s even willing to pay the penalty. The contract gives him that right. I can’t stop him."
Hearing that, Diana held back her frustration and said, "That penalty isn’t cheap. Where did he get the money? Oh, right. He’s related to Vincent Lopez. Money’s not a problem for him. Did you take the payment?"
She looked over at Bianca.
Bianca nodded and pulled the card from her bag.
Diana said nothing after that. With the fee paid, Blake was officially out.
"Great. Another mess to deal with," she muttered, starting the car again.
After a short silence, Reese quietly asked, "When is he leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning," Bianca replied.
Reese didn’t say anything else. She just turned to look out the window.
****
The next morning, Blake arrived at the airport with two bodyguards.
Paige pushed his wheelchair, and Vincent walked beside them.
They both wanted to go in with him, but Blake refused.
"You should head back. I’ll handle the rest from here."
"We can’t just leave you like this," Paige said, worried. "Let us walk you in."
Blake reached out, held her hand, and gave a soft smile. "I can’t lean on you forever, can I? Once I’m there, I’ll be on my own anyway."
"We already talked about this. We’re ready to go with you. Why won’t you let us?" Paige pushed back.
Blake's smile remained, but his eyes dimmed.
"I can manage on my own."
Paige still looked worried.
Vincent gently pulled her into a hug and said, "He’s grown now. Let him make his own choices."
"But..." Paige paused, her eyes on Blake. She had noticed the change in him—how quiet he’d become, shutting himself in his room and barely speaking.
Blake reached for the suitcase, set it on his lap, and gave a brief nod.
"Okay, I’m going. Take care of yourselves."
Without another word or a glance back, he turned his wheelchair and headed off.
A staff member, noticing his condition, came over to help with his luggage.
Paige let out a small sigh, feeling a bit more at ease, and walked away with Vincent.
Blake had barely entered the terminal when two tall men in black suits walked up.
They took the luggage from the staff and stood in front of him respectfully.
"Mr. Lawson," they said, bowing politely.
Blake gave a small nod to the two men beside him.
They were bodyguards sent by Brady for his protection. That’s why he had asked Vincent and Paige to leave.
"Mr. Lawson, your dad is on the line," one of the men said, holding out a phone.
Blake took it and gently spoke. "Dad."
"Blake, I have a meeting today, so I can’t see you off. Call me when you land. I’ve sent ten million to your account. If you need more, just say the word. I’ll be there when you get back."
"Sure," Blake replied.
He ended the call without another word.
Deep down, he held a grudge against Brady. He still suspected Brady had something to do with his mother’s death.