Genius Manager: I Can Make All Girls Talented!-Chapter 157 - - Fallout

Darius stood calmly at the center of the courtyard. The girls flanked him like sentries—Yuna with fire in her eyes, Alicia calm but tight-lipped, Avery absolutely unreadable.

The producers didn't even try to play it off. Within minutes, men and women in headsets stormed the villa, speaking in hushed tones, carrying tablets, gesturing to shut down cameras.

But they were too late.

The broadcast hadn't stopped. The whole world was still watching.

Lauren, the executive producer, stormed onto the courtyard in designer heels and a tailored blazer, her expression fierce.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

Darius met her glare with cool composure. "Exposing you."

"You signed contracts! You don't get to change the rules."

"And you broke them first," Yuna snapped. "You lied to the world. You manipulated votes. You erased Emma."

Lauren faltered. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Then her voice softened, calculating. "Let's be reasonable. This doesn't have to blow up. We can spin it. Make it a twist. Say it was part of the plan."

Alicia laughed bitterly. "You want to turn Emma into a plot device? She trusted you."

Avery stepped forward. "We want her back. Or we walk. And we take your ratings with us."

Lauren's lips curled. "You think you're irreplaceable?"

Darius pulled out his phone again. "I think over 11 million views on the video in under two hours says otherwise."

Lauren turned as her assistant rushed over, whispering frantically.

"Sponsors are pulling out. Legal's calling. We have a PR nightmare."

She paled.

The girls didn't move.

Lauren turned back. "Fine. You win this round."

Darius raised an eyebrow. "We're not finished. Emma comes back. Unedited. No fake vote. No hidden penalties. And we want creative control of the footage from now on."

Yuna added, "And if you ever try to erase one of us again, we walk. Together."

Lauren glared at them all—then spun on her heel and stormed out.

Later That Night – Villa Balcony

The stars were out, but none of them were resting. The group gathered with mugs of cocoa, bundled in blankets, watching the villa from above. The adrenaline from earlier had faded, replaced by a fragile quiet.

No one said anything at first.

Alicia leaned her head against Darius's shoulder. Yuna sat on the ledge, knees pulled to her chest, staring up at the stars. Avery was curled up in one of the patio chairs, legs tucked beneath her, eyes distant.

"Do you think she'll really come back?" Alicia asked softly.

"She will," Darius said, though he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. "They have no choice."

The sound of the ocean beyond the villa walls filled the silence.

Yuna spoke next. "We made a move. Now they'll regroup. They'll come at us from a different angle."

"Maybe. But we're stronger now," Avery said, finally meeting Darius's gaze. "We know what we're dealing with."

A small smile pulled at Alicia's lips. "Still, I can't wait to see Emma's face when she walks back through those doors."

The silence that followed was warm this time. Shared. United.

Below them, the screens on the villa walls lit up again.

A new alert.

"Reinstatement: EMMA returns to the villa tomorrow."

Cheers erupted.

Alicia clapped her hands over her mouth in joy. Yuna jumped up, grabbing Avery's hand. Even Darius let out a quiet breath, as though a weight had been lifted.

And in the shadows, that same hidden phone buzzed one more time.

"You passed. Round two begins soon."

No one saw it yet. But the night wasn't over.

***

Morning arrived with a hush.

The sun had only just begun to filter through the villa's sheer curtains when the soft chime of the front gate echoed across the property. It wasn't loud. It wasn't dramatic. But it was enough to wake everyone at once.

Darius was already out of bed, halfway down the hallway before anyone else stirred. The girls followed close behind, barefoot and still in robes. No one spoke.

Not until they reached the front foyer.

There she stood.

Emma.

Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose braid. She wore a pale pink hoodie and jeans—normal, simple, clean. But her eyes, wide and glassy with emotion, said everything.

For a moment, no one moved. The villa was silent.

Then Yuna broke the stillness.

She stepped forward and pulled Emma into a tight hug.

Emma exhaled, the tension visibly leaving her body. She clutched Yuna back just as fiercely.

"You came back," Alicia whispered, moving in to join them.

"They didn't have a choice," Emma replied, voice rough with held-back emotion. "You made them listen."

Avery rested her chin on Emma's shoulder. "We never stopped watching the door."

Darius approached last. He didn't say anything at first. Just looked at her.

She looked back.

"I missed you," she said quietly.

He opened his arms.

And when she stepped into them, the villa breathed again.

An Hour Later – Common Area

Breakfast was different that morning. Light chatter. Real laughter. For the first time in days, the weight that had been pressing on the group had lifted.

The girls sat clustered around Emma, filling her in, recounting everything. The plan. The hack. The confrontation.

"We thought we were going to lose the whole show," Alicia said.

"We almost did," Yuna added. "But we weren't going to lose you."

Emma sipped from her orange juice, smiling softly. "I watched the video in the car ride back. I couldn't believe it. You really did it."

Avery leaned back in her chair. "We were done being part of their script."

Darius, standing nearby, finally spoke. "They tried to turn us into characters. But we decided to be authors instead."

Emma's eyes glistened. She reached for his hand.

"So what now?"

"Now," Yuna said with a smirk, "we make this villa ours."

Afternoon – Behind the Scenes

Lauren stared at the control room monitors, her jaw locked. The ratings had soared—higher than ever. But the control she once had was slipping.

The assistant beside her looked nervous. "Do we give them room to breathe? Maybe ease off?"

Lauren narrowed her eyes.

"No. They think they've won. They haven't seen what's next."

She tapped the touchscreen, pulling up a locked file labeled ROUND TWO.

"Let them celebrate. Let them laugh. Let them fall in love."

She smiled thinly.

"We're about to rewrite the rules again."