From A Producer To A Global Superstar-Chapter 261: Reaction to Leak

The office was quiet.

The CEO of V-Rex sat behind his desk, one hand resting on the polished surface, the other loosely holding his phone. The lights were dimmed slightly, the city skyline stretching behind him through the glass wall. His expression was calm, but his eyes were sharp, calculating.

The leak had spread faster than he expected he thought that it would just be a moment something.

At first, he had dismissed it as noise. One scene. A short clip. Was it Emotional, yes but emotion alone didn’t make a successful film and the film wasnt even out yet. Still, the reaction bothered him. Not because of the public excitement, but because of the direction it was taking.

People weren’t mocking it.

They were curious.

And from business perspective curious was dangerous.

He tapped his finger once on the desk.

"Call my assistant," he said calmly.

Within seconds, the door opened and his assistant stepped in, tablet in hand.

"Yes, sir?"

He didn’t look up immediately.

"Sit."

The assistant obeyed.

The CEO finally raised his head. "You’ve seen the leak?"

"Yes."

"And you’ve seen how it’s moving?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He leaned back slightly. "Then you understand why we can’t let this continue the way it is."

The assistant hesitated for half a second. "You want us to... respond?"

The CEO shook his head slowly. "No. Not respond we have to Shape the narrative."

The assistant frowned slightly.

"I want you to contact our media backups," the CEO continued. "Quietly. One by one. There should be no linking of any of the actions to us."

He leaned forward now.

"Entertainment blogs. Industry analysts. Freelancers. Journalists who owe us favors and journalists who don’t even realize they do yet."

The assistant’s eyes widened a little. "All of them?"

"Enough of them," the CEO corrected. "Not too many. Not too clean. It has to look organic and real as possible so that no one can spot our hands in them ."

He stood up and walked toward the window.

"The leak is gaining traction," he said. "So we don’t fight it go with the flow and slowly start flood it quietly. "

The assistant swallowed. "Flood it with...?"

"With doubt," the CEO said plainly. "With skepticism. With ’professional concern.’"

He turned back around.

"I want articles asking why one scene is being overhyped. Why a first-time director is being treated like a veteran. Why unknown actors are suddenly being trusted with a project of this scale."

The assistant nodded slowly.

"No insults," the CEO added. "No direct attacks. Nothing that looks personal. I want language like ’reasonable,’ ’measured,’ ’industry perspective.’"

He paused, then added, "And make sure none of it traces back to us."

"Yes, sir."

"Use the backup accounts only," the CEO said firmly. "Payments, communication, everything. If even a rumor connects this to VIREX —"

"It won’t," the assistant said quickly. "I’ll make sure."

The CEO studied him for a moment, then nodded.

"Good. Start now."

The assistant stood, bowed slightly, and left the room.

The effect wasn’t immediate.

At first, things looked normal.

A few hours passed. Then more articles began appearing—not trending headlines, not front-page scandals, but steady, persistent pieces.

"Why early leaks don’t guarantee quality."

"The risk of emotional manipulation in genre films."

"Industry insiders urge caution over Train project hype."

Nothing explosive.

But enough to shift the tone.

On set, Dayo was reviewing footage when Jahoop entered hurriedly, phone in hand.

"Sir," Jang-Wook said. "I think something’s happening."

Dayo looked up. "What do you mean?"

Jang-Wook walked closer and held out his phone. "Look."

Dayo took it.

One article. Then another. Then another.

Some questioned the production’s safety standards. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Others hinted at rushed schedules.

One suggested the leak itself was a sign of internal disorganization.

None of them accused directly.

That was the problem.

"These weren’t here this morning," Jahoop said.

Dayo scrolled quietly.

"They’re not all negative," Jahoop added. "But they’re... pushing a narrative."

Dayo handed the phone back, expression calm but thoughtful.

"They’re testing the waters," he said.

"Who?" Jahoop asked.

Dayo didn’t answer immediately.

Around them, the set continued as normal. Crew members moved equipment. Actors prepared for the next scene. But something subtle had changed.

People were checking their phones more often.

Whispers started again—quieter this time, more cautious.

"Is this about the leak?"

"Why are they saying the schedule is unsafe?"

"I thought everything was fine."

Dayo noticed he always did he had an IQ of more than 200 and details like this doesn’t escaped his eyes.

He didn’t react outwardly. No outbursts. No meetings called in panic. He simply resumed work, giving instructions as usual, maintaining the same composure he always had.

But inside, he understood.

This wasn’t random.not matter how calm this news was it wasn’t random he could feel it.

Someone had decided the excitement needed to be controlled or reduced maybe even to kill.

By evening, the narrative had shifted just enough to matter.

Supporters still defended the project, but now their praise came with disclaimers.

"It looks good, but..."

"I’m optimistic, though..."

"Let’s wait and see."

"Ugh it just one scene I can’t decide yet."

"Hmm feels wierd though."

"Hmm I guess I would have to wait before I hype it and it’s not worth it."

Exactly the kind of language that slowed momentum.

Back in his office, the CEO of VIREX reviewed reports from his assistant.

"Engagement is up," the assistant said. "Discussion is more divided now."

The CEO nodded. "Good."

"Some people are pushing back," the assistant added. "Defending the film."

"That’s fine," the CEO said. "Division is better than unity."

He set the report aside he was already achieving his goal which was to change the narrative from curiosity to skeptical and it was working.

"We don’t need the movie to fail yet," he continued. "We just need it to work harder to succeed."

The assistant hesitated. "And if it still gains momentum?"

The CEO smiled faintly.

"Then we escalate," he said. "Slowly."

He turned back toward the window.

"For now, let them doubt," he added. "Doubt does more damage than hate ever could."

On set, as filming wrapped for the day, Dayo stood alone for a moment, looking over the equipment.

The noise of the internet was growing louder.

But so was his resolve.

He had seen this before.

And he knew—

This was only the opening move.

This was the same thing that happened when he was been accused about Lois issue and he knew exactly how to turn things like this around.

As for now he would bid his time and let them give him free promotion.